Dublin hair salon launches #RootsChallenge initiative during COVID-19 crisis
Hession Hairdressing in Dublin has launched a novel way to engage with its clients during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Dublin business is asking people to enter its #RootsChallenge competition where two weekly winners will receive a full hair transformation when the salon re-opens and a bottle of L’Oreal Hair Touch Up.
“We understand that these days are very testing, for our families, our friends, our businesses and, of course, our crowning glories...our hair!” it said in a Facebook post. “We recognise the temptation to reach for an at-home box dye or even to text your stylist for an at-home fix, however doing that could not only damage your hair but will also damage the hairdressing industry as a whole, never mind doing little to stop the spread of COVID-19, which is everyone’s top priority. That’s why we have come up with the #RootsChallenge!”
To enter people must post a picture/video to their story showing their roots and include the hashtag #RootsChallenge, tag @hessionhairdressing and then nominate three friends to do the same. The salon asked fans to put their pages on public so it can see everyone embracing their “gorgeous roots”.
Hession Hairdressing general manager Liam O’Byrne is hoping more salons will come on board with the initiative to drive it. “I can understand that a client may be slightly embarrassed to put a picture up, but if more people do it, it becomes less on an issue,” he told Professional Beauty Ireland. “We would wholeheartedly recommend that they embrace their roots using maybe a touch up spray, but definitely not box dyes that they can purchase in chemists/supermarkets. These products are generally very difficult to colour match and can also damage the condition of the hair. More often than not they will require a colour correction after the application and this can often be costly.
“We would also hope that clients don’t approach our stylist/colourists to ask them to come to their homes. This has become easier for them to do through social media platforms. This will damage the hairdressing industry as a whole, whilst also not helping in the prevention of COVID-19.”
Like many salons, Hessions doesn’t have an online facility to sell retail products, but it’s planning to run another text and collect service whereby clients can text in their order, pay over the phone and then collect on an agreed day. “We ran this initiative for Mother’s Day and it was a great success. Clients were keen to purchase their homecare products,” said O’Byrne.
