A WATERFORD hairdresser says she fears there will be a major upsurge in 'blackmarket hairdressing' come April when restrictions start to ease generally, but salons remain closed.
City stylist Lisa Cantwell says house calls are already happening and she worries the situation will worsen after April 5 as people are able to move more freely.
Earlier this week, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said it will be "at least early May" before hairdressers and shops re-open.
Lisa Cantwell owns 'Plush Hair' which is located beside the Woodlands Hotel on the Dunmore Road.
She said it's people are already getting their hair done already and as this third lockdown progresses, it's become even "more apparent".
She added that the news that salons won't open until May at least was "soul destroying" for those in the industry.
"We feel so helpless that we can't do the job we are trained for, the job we are still training for and upskilling for all of the time," she told Damien Tiernan on Deise Today.
She said hairdressers had put a lot of money into their salons in the past year to create a safe environment for re-opening and it was "so upsetting" that this was being pushed back all of the time.
They also provided a valuable service that went far beyond the 'glamour' element.
Her salon, she said, was in close proximity to UHW and typically, she would get a lot of clients that were elderly or sick and unable to wash their own hair after surgery etc. There was also a social element for people living on their own.
She said that she had "definitely" lost some business because she had done the right thing in standing firm and refusing to go into 'blackmarket' hairdressing in the current climate as some others had done.
"I can understand that people are at their wits' end but we've been asked no to do it," she said.
You can listen back to this interview, and the rest of Deise Today from this morning, by clicking below here...
