Irish hairdresser creates protective perspex salon chair

An Irish hairdresser has created a chair that aims to protect both stylist and client while the client has their hair coloured.

Jean McDonnell, who runs her salon in Drogheda, and her husband Alan, who is a carpenter, have made a chair with perspex to protect the client at the front and the hairdresser at the back, along with a hole where the stylist can insert gloved hands to reach the hair.

“The health and well-being of my clients has always been my main priority. This is even more of a priority to me today as I try and get back to looking after and making my clients feel good,” she said in a social media post. “I have been working for the last couple of weeks thinking of solutions to make this happen. I have found the solution I believe. I have created and built it in my salon and I would like to know with this and working on a one-to-one basis in my salon, maybe I could be back earlier. Let’s pray Tony Holohan likes it.”

The innovative salon chair is custom-made to McDonnell’s height so the perspex at the back ends at her chin and she can reach in, wearing gloves to style the customer’s hair. The customer is surrounded by perspex, which leaves them protected. She said she will also be wearing a mask and protective personal equipment and the basins to wash hair are being screened off.

McDonnell has sent the images to the office of An Taoiseach and is hoping both he and the chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan give it the thumbs up.