The Australian Hair and Beauty industry has been impacted by reactive and changing restrictions, implemented to support community health and safety during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has resulted in confusion about the safety standards in Australian salons.
Prior to Covid-19 restrictions, this industry operated under some of the strictest hygiene standards set under the Public Health Act. As the services offered within the industry require direct contact with a client’s skin, our industry standards were set to ensure risk of infection was minimised.
Industry services such as waxing, cuticle cutting, razor scrapping and other treatments that involve skin penetration, required hygiene standards, under the Act that included sterilising and cleaning of tools and work areas to prevent the spreading of disease via micro organisms.
This meant our industry was best positioned to transition into a Covid-19 safe environment. Salons, with the exclusion of social distancing, were already regulated under “containment” procedures to prevent disease outbreaks.
Standard hygiene procedures pre-Covid-19 included cleaning work stations between each client, fresh, clean linen for each procedure on a client, and hand washing by stylists between clients, and depending on the treatment; single use instruments and gloves.
The biggest challenge salons faced to operate under new guidelines was implementing social distancing.
So whether you choose to take this time to go natural, or continue to visit your hair stylist, you can be confident, that when you next return to your favourite salon or beauty business, you are in safe hands.