The coronavirus pandemic temporarily closed many non-essential businesses throughout the country — including barber shops and hair salons, whose services were clearly missed in an image-conscious society.
At the same time, the absence of stylists opened doors for people to discover skills and abilities that few realized they had. The COVID-19 crisis helped spark a boom in at-home hair care that’s taken off over the last several months. Many people have figured out ways to fix up their roots — or completely change their hair color — all in the comfort of their own homes.
"I'm not happy it took a pandemic for this to happen. I'd prefer that not to be happening. But I think that it proves that hair coloring is really important for people emotionally,”Amy Errett, CEO of hair coloring business Madison Reed, told Yahoo Finance this week.
Her company has seen a 12-fold increase in sales since COVID-19 hit, something she credited to the emotional distress brought on by the pandemic. As coronavirus cases continue to surge across the U.S., Madison Reed’s success is a sign that at-home hair care may be here to stay.
Madison Reed hair color kits start at $22.00 for a subscription service, and are $26.50 for a one time purchase. The kits are available on the Madison Reed website, and exclusively at Ulta (ULTA).
Since the coronavirus outbreak, the company has also began utilizing zoom (ZM) calls to offer its clients hair stylist advice and guidance.
While the at-home routine is not exactly the same as the prolonged pampering process of a hair salon, Errett says customers have been pleased with the results.
"I think they've found that it's not hard to do it," she told the “The First Trade.”
She added that people are offering Madison Reed feedback, asking, "why was I going to a salon and spending $200 and 3 hours of my time when I can do this on a Tuesday night at 11:30?"
Jennifer Shanker is a producer for Yahoo Finance.
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