Hair salons in Beijing and Shanghai, like other businesses in the service industry, have been closed until recently due to the COVID-19.

However, phone calls were rushing in on Monday, as customers were eager to fix appointments for a traditional Chinese Festival.

A large number of the calls were from men hoping to make a hair-cut appointment. On the Chinese lunar calendar, the second day of the second month is the day that the dragon awakes and the new year really gets going. It's also the traditional day for Chinese men to have their first haircut of the new year. 

Another hair-related superstition, which says if a man cuts his hair during the first lunar month, his uncle may come across a life-threatening situation, also feeds this tradition.

Albeit an unfounded belief, most nephews love their uncles enough not to test it. Therefore, the second month of the Chinese calendar is often the busiest for hair salons, even more so this year because of the epidemic.

"My hair is pretty thick and grows pretty fast. I need a cut hair every half-month, but I haven't had one now for a month and a half," said a male customer in Shanghai.

Many people are going back to work soon after weeks being at home, so they need to look sharp and professional right away, said Xiao Dong, head hairdresser at JP Pro Salon in Beijing.

The Chinese government has recently been encouraging companies to resume operation after weeks of break starting from the Chinese Lunar New Year and a delay caused by the spiking cases of COVID-19 nationwide. As of now, the virus has already claimed more than 2,600 lives and infected over 79,000 people around the world.

A 'cut' in the haircut business

A salon in downtown Shanghai postponed opening for almost 10 days, and the lack of business is hurting. Usually, it would expect more than 300 customers during the second lunar month, but now it's no more than 100, mostly by men who just need of a simple haircut – nothing too fancy.

Hao Nan, a stylist from the Instyle Salon located in Shanghai, told CGTN that in the past, they would get 10 to 20 walk-in clients a day, but now they're only about three or five, and most of them men who are pretty desperate for a haircut. 

"I guess we'll lose 300,000 yuan next month because of the epidemic," he said.

Fu Jun, owner of the JP Pro salon chain, said his shops don't have a large revenue margin now because the number of customers has dropped by two-thirds compared to previous years, and the cost of personnel, rent, maintenance and sterilization tools are surging.

However, he said businesses have a social responsibility to its customers, especially in his line of work, whose core value is to make people feel confident about themselves and life.

DIY haircuts on the rise

With many barbershops not open, the epidemic has pushed up the sales of home hair clippers.

E-commerce platform Pinduoduo's data shows sales of hair clippers on its website jumping by almost 300 percent year-on-year between January 24 and February 14, making it the site's most popular item after masks, disinfectants and food.

"The epidemic has kept people from going out to have their hair cut at barbershops, so a lot of people have been buying products that let them cut hair for their family, especially for the kids," said Liu Zhongqi, deputy president of the Pinduoduo Consumer Data Research Institute.

Although many have tried to cut their hair at home with DIY kits, the results are somewhat less ideal.

For those who don't consider themselves experts, some barbers have now become video bloggers, giving online tips about the best techniques. It could wind up causing even more problems for the barbershops in the future – but only if you trust your relatives with the scissors.

Leave enough space to do the cut

The Beijing Hairdressing and Beauty Association said only 105 out of the 30,000-odd salons in the city resumed business on Monday. The reopened shops have registered at the association to meet stringent health regulations.

Chen Guiqin, chairman of the association, says each hairdresser must have a guaranteed work space of no less than 2.5 square meters. Equipment and lockers should be thoroughly disinfected before reuse. Additionally, salons are not allowed to accept walk-in clients because their health status is unknown.

Chen said having a good self-image is important for people to feel that life is gradually returning to normal. 

He said the association has urged several salon chains to quickly resume business, although that means a heavy financial burden.