It’s disturbing to find out that quite a lot of wedding hair and makeup artists in the Philadelphia and surrounding areas are not yet vaccinated as wedding season is upon us.
As we all assess every turn and change during this pandemic, it is quite obvious that vaccination is a key component of adding layers to protecting yourself and others from spreading and contracting Covid-19. As hospitals nationwide fill with unvaccinated folks (and in rare cases vaccinated ones, too) who are in need of serious help and ventilation to breathe, hair and makeup artists must take seriously our responsibilities as folks who are with unmasked clients in close quarters.
Wedding days and good tidings, as lovely as they are, don’t offer you immunity to a highly infectious illness especially covid-19.
A few spring seasons’s ago (maybe ‘18?) I got the worst sinus infection I’ve ever had. I lost my sense of taste and smell, and it felt like a balloon was inflated inside my head. It really affected my mental health, so much so I went to therapy to work through it; food had little to no taste, and when it did, it was odd tasting. Not being able to smell made me paranoid of eating bad foods and getting sick, and missing smells that were bothersome to others felt really off. It was difficult to cook, because I couldn’t taste test (sorry to my fam for some super salty meals), I felt scared and sad. The reason I got this infection was a super busy wedding season full of small poorly ventilated spaces, back to back weddings Friday- Sunday jam packed with 6-8 clients each day all with lots and lots of aersol hairspray. My sinuses never stood a chance.
I brainstormed with friends and family who saw my pain about what to do to avoid this- I thought up nose guard inventions and looked into portable air purifiers. I changed my products and tested things to see what worked the way I needed it to but offered less irritation. My partner begged I wear a surgical mask- I told him I couldn’t because folks wouldn’t trust me; I’d look like I was sick or contagious and I ignorantly believed I would loose the special one-on-one closeness because my clients would have a hard time staying focused on thier services I was so wrong. Culturally, it was just unheard of in the beauty setting to wear a mask. Such a shame, as we now see how good they can be to protect ourselves and others. I’ll never not wear one when doing services again. I just wonder how many times I could have avoided getting sick with typical colds, flu and other illness if I had just followed the science.
To be a licensed PA cosmetologist, you have to pass the state boards and go to schooI. I was dedicated to being the best pro I could be, and for me that meant taking those boards and education very seriously. As a single mom, I went to school at night with my 1 year old at home 4 days a week- my heart was wrecked most of the time in school, being away from my son was SO hard. But I felt to have a real career in this field and do my job correctly, it was necessary. Schooling is one part book work, and the other part hands on learning (clinical). The testing of state boards is one part practical (on model/mannequin) and one part theory (written/computer). Every single part of learning cosmetology circles back to being a safe and sanitary stylist. EVERY part. We learn about transmissable diseases and viruses, symptoms, how to spot infections, what cleaners and processes work best for each and how to make sure our client’s hair, skin and nails are as healthy as possible while we work with them. At least 2/3’s of the learning is specifically dedicated to this and state board protocol to avoid transmitting bacteria and virus. The other parts are learning technical skills but they all have safety and sanitation attached. In my opinion, we must continue our education and learn as much as possible about the pandemic- and then do what is absoslutely best to protect others and ourselves from it with layers of protection. If not for anything but to be a proper cosmetologiist (I wish I could just say to be a nice person, but we all know we are past this point in things).
Layers of protection are the best way to avoid spreading or contracting Covid-19 at all costs while doing hair and makeup.
For ONLO (and me specifically), this is what we currently do:
Get fully vaccinated against covid-19
Wear a mask
Test regularly
Specific protocol and process for jobs
dedicated space for services that will contain only the artist and client at the same time
no other vendors or persons in the space while the client and artist are working; no hanging, lounging, eating or drinking
strict timelines
Ventilation as best as possible
negative pressure when possible (air is filtered outside of the room as opposed to recirculated)
fan/air on for the full time we are there
windows open if able
Dedicated bathroom/sink for artists so they can wash their hands as often as needed without interuption
Clients wear masks during hairstyling (and for some MUA’s during part of their services while doing eyes)
Encouraging any clients with symptoms to skip/cancel services
Continue to be safe and sanitary
clean, organzied and sanitzed kits and tools
clean, not expired makeup- sanitzed powders and containers
never using a product directly on a client (product to palette to brush to client)
sanitizing and cleansing brushes regualrly, never using a dirty brush or tool on a client
proper information about cleaners and sanitizers (knowing what percentage of alcohol is best for sanitizing (60-70% max)), using proper anti-microbials and virucides
kit and containers cleaned and sanitized after each job
purchasing and using necessary disposable tools (mascara wands, cotton buds, sponges, etc)
cleaning surfaces before using them for kit set-up
Having clients come to the studio as opposed to on location when possible
Of course, Vaccinations are not a fool proof way to not get or pass covid- BUT, again, when you add them to a lineup of additonal safety protocols, including masking, we can truly say we are doing our best to naviagate our situation.
My personal fear is that with the knowlege that there are a good amount of hair and makeup artists in the wedding industry who are not getting vaccinated, we will see a noticeable influx of wedding industry pros and clients (and those who work the actual event, too) get sick and possibly die from covid in the coming fall and winter months. We already know that covid-19 disproportionally affects Black folks and People of Color due to systemic disparity and exclusion from insurance and healthcare. It is important as anti-racist practice to understand how vaccines are helpful in keeping our communities of color safer. If we are not vigiliant in our own personal ways while thinking of those who are around us, we will in fact be part of the domino effect of super spreading throughout the area, needlessly killing our community members and even ourselves.
If you are looking to get vaccinated, just text your zip code to 438829. You’ll recieve an immediate response letting you know the closest places to get the shot- and what types they have available currently (Moderna, Pfizer and/or Jansen) , and if they require an appointments (most places are happy to accept walk-ins!!).
If you are nervous, talk to YOUR DOCTOR- not your facebook friends. Get real info.
If you are in a position of dealing with unvaccinated folks who are going to work with you on your wedding day, Just know you deserve to get that information so that you can prepare in whatever way feels safest for yourself and those around you. Additonally, Let’s also not forget that some folks can’t get vaxxed, and that’s real. There are differences between anti-vaccination and vaccine hesitancy or awaiting doctor approval. Obviously there are red flags to determine what is the case- if someone is just misinformed or refusing to do their due diligence; That is up to your discretion to uncover and deal with personally.
You do deserve to feel safe, though. Testing is always helpful- I would ask your artists what their plan is if: who you are working with contracts covid, tests positive, will be testing prior to the event and how they are going to share the test results with you, and what other layers of protection they are adding to the line up. Another important question would be if they are going to participate in contract tracing if in fact someone gets sick at your event.
Advocating for yourself and others is what we all have to do right now. Expecting others to do the most to keep you safe should really be the bare minimum.
ALSO: Saving lives is not political + Getting vaccinated isn’t either.
Sending love,
Diana