Alive and clipping

Chemical burns and allergic reactions are just some of the dangers facing customers of the black market beauty trade which is now rampant on Leeside.

That’s according to salon owner Andrew Cronin who said that freelancers working behind closed doors have long been a problem in the sector and now, with the pandemic almost a year in, it’s become a lot worse.

Mr Cronin, who co-owns Carbon Hair Design in Cork city, said the black market has “always been there” and even the most loyal customers can be tempted to try it during the lockdown.

He said there are a huge amount of things that can go wrong when using chemicals in an unregulated environment.

“If you're doing it in a kitchen, you're stuck with what's inside that hairdresser's bag. You don't know where that product is coming from. You're more likely to get a reaction or a chemical burn,” he said.

Mr Cronin added that, in his own experience, the people carrying out black market jobs are often qualified hairdressers or beauticians who have left the salon environment and are working for cash.

However, he said nine times out of ten, the results are not satisfactory for customers and that the service carried out behind closed doors is “never the same” as in a salon.

Mr Cronin said it’s also possible for people to travel to Northern Ireland to get trained in cosmetic procedures like Botox injections.

“There's nothing stopping people going up north, getting the course and then coming here and getting the materials online. It's not regulated,” he said.

With no clear roadmap as to when and how the sector will reopen, some salon owners are worried that they will permanently lose customers to the black market.

Another salon owner, who asked not to be named, said hair, nails and beauty procedures are thriving within the black market and that many of the customers will not return to salons.

The salon owner called on the Government to present a clear roadmap for reopening the sector and asked if schools can open with several students in one room, why can’t a salon open with one customer at a time?

“My gas, phone, electric, insurance, rent have been paid all year without any business income. Saying we are all in this together is rubbish with huge sections of society still on full pay,” said the salon owner.