With a substantial amount of time on her hands and fresh inspiration from the movie “Selena” starring Jennifer Lopez, Miramonte High School senior Mina Jenab decided it was time for a change with her hair. The coronavirus pandemic left all beauty salons closed, leaving Jenab with no choice but to cut her own bangs. 

“I watched a few videos first and figured out how to get a look I wanted. Then I FaceTimed a friend of mine so I wouldn’t ‘wig’ myself out, borrowed my mom’s hair-cutting scissors, and chopped them!” Jenab said.

Quarantine rules restricted the operation of hair salons, barbershops, and all hands-on beauty shops because of the inevitable need for one-on-one contact between workers and customers, which violated the safety guidelines of COVID-19. Now, some salons and barbershops are beginning to open up with added precautions to abide by safety guidelines. Some are limiting the number of clients or people inside the building at once, and others have moved their shops entirely outside.

Not only did the closing of these salons harshly affect the employees and owners of the shops, but their customers were left with no professional help for their beauty needs. For many, this meant letting their hair grow out to unflattering lengths or revealing grow-out roots and their true hair color. In some cases, people felt so desperate to fix their look that they turned to YouTube tutorials and their own skill to learn how to mend their hair. On the bright side, there wasn’t as much pressure to get the job done perfectly because of the quarantined isolation from the outside world and the judgment that comes with it.

Some people have embraced the cut off from beauty salons and decided to be creative and unique with their looks, just like Jenab. Sheer boredom and a want for something new encouraged people to experiment with cutting, dying, and styling their doos. Junior Parker Sockwell, inspired by her friends, spontaneously decided to dye all of her hair pink for fun and a change. 

“Afterwards, I realized it wasn’t my best decision and I regretted it after a few days, but it was still fun for a little!” Sockwell said.

In some cases, one’s fun activity resulted in another person’s gain, which made the decision even more special. 

“I wanted to cut my hair myself, and I donated 12 inches to a company that makes wigs for children with hair loss,” junior Abby Beckerman said. 

“I was super happy with how they [the bangs] turned out. During the first few days after I cut them, they looked very different and shocking to me, and now I think they’ve really grown in the way I want them to,” Jenab said.