The blog.

With the latest news that hair salons are able to re-open from 4th July 2020, we thought we’d update you on the measures taking place in our Covid-safe Baldwin Street hair salon.

We’re pleased to inform you that we are now making appointments, and please be assured we will try and accommodate everyone. In light of the current Covid-19 epidemic, our top priority is keeping our team and clients safe.

We would like things to continue as normal as possible during these challenging times, and so we will be exceeding the Government’s health and safety measures during every client appointment to ensure full protection.

To keep you safe during visits to the salon, we are taking the necessary steps to welcome you:

• All members of our team will be wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), visors and masks.
• Every other work station will be used to enable the 2m social distancing between clients.
• Only one basin in use at any time.
• To ensure effective social distancing, walk-in appointments will not be available until further notice. Please call us to book an appointment.
• We will not be able to offer refreshments, but you are welcome to bring your own drinks (no alcohol please).
• All magazines have been removed from the salon to reduce the handling of materials, but you can always use your kindle, tablet, phone or personal book/magazine for entertainment.
• We will politely ask every client to wash or sanitise their hands upon arrival.
• We will accept cash payments but to reduce the handling of material between our team and clients we ask you bring the correct money.
• We will be taking card payments and making future appointments at the workstation to avoid crowding at reception.
• We will not be able to facilitate dry haircuts.
• All tools, workstations, mirrors, gowns, and PPE will be cleaned, disinfected or disposed of between each client.
• Salon areas will be cleaned regularly, and disinfectant spray will be used on door handles, taps and other areas of multiple contact, throughout the day.
• Floor markings will be in place to help ensure social distancing.
• We ask you attend your appointment alone unless a carer is needed.

What to expect our ‘new normal’ to look like:

• We will ask for your name, mobile number and email on booking an appointment to enable track and trace and to send advice updates about your appointment.
• To ensure your appointment goes ahead and to avoid having to wait outside please arrive at your appointment time.
• On arrival at the salon the door will be locked so you will have to ring the foot-operated bell.
• Your stylist will answer the door.
• You will be asked to use the hand sanitizer provided, put on a face mask and place your belongings (coat, hand bag, etc) into a clear plastic bag, please keep personal items to a minimum.
• If you are having a colour you will be directed to your seat, if you are having a cut and finish you will be directed to the basin.
• We will carry out your consultation sat alongside you speaking into the mirror to avoid speaking face to face.
• We will be using disposable towels and our gowns which will be washed after every use at over 60
• Payment can be contact less card (£45 maximum) Apple or android pay (no maximum) or cash.

Before making or coming to your appointment, please ask yourself the following question:

• Do you or anybody in your household or ‘bubble’ have any cold or flu-like symptoms?

If so, please call the salon on 01173763248 to reschedule, should you already have an appointment booked.

We appreciate that some of these measures may cause some inconvenience, but our main priority is the health and safety of our team and clients. We value your cooperation, thank you.

If you have any queries about our central Bristol hair studio, please feel free to get in touch with us at our Baldwin Street salon here.

As the lockdown continues to ease gradually in line with occifla recommendations, Baldwin Street hairdresser Aidan Garlington is getting ready to welcome clients back to the salon in July, with a firm commitment to offering the best Bristol hair care available.

As we approach the hopeful open date of 04^th July, subject to government clearance, we’ll be getting the whole team ready to take care of you in person.

With appointments being booked in from 26^th June, we’re hoping to be able to see our clients again, as well as welcoming new clients into our Bristol salon.

If you’re doing your own hair at home, please don’t be tempted in the final weeks leading up to salons re-opening to hack away at your hair!

Maybe a tiny bit off the fringe, then simply ensure that the maintenance and conditioning of your hair is as good as it can be. But please leave it to the experts at our Bristol hair salon when we re-open to help you.

The next few weeks are also a great time to think about a change of style or colour, or perhaps both.

We’re here to provide you with the best Bristol hair care possible, particularly after a long three month absence from being able to have access to our central Bristol studio hairstylists amid the Covid-19 crisis.

In the lead-up to hopefully being able to re-open our Baldwin Street salon in July, we’re here to guide and advise you if you’re thinking of:

Complete restyle

Longer hair styling

New hair colour

Hair colour correction

Hair care and maintenance

And can offer free advice by email up until the salon is able to safely re-open for you. Simply get in touch on hair@aidangarlington.co.uk.

If you have any queries about our central Bristol hair studio, please feel free to get in touch with us at our Baldwin Street salon here.

We’re really pleased to announce that our central Bristol hair salon will soon be making provisional appointments for clients old and new, around the latest government and Public health England guidelines and advice.

We’ll be making provisional appointments from 26^th June, with a view to re-opening on 04^th July. This is based on the current recommendations given to all Bristol salons, although this date may need to be moved, dependant on advice at the time.

Furthermore, we will have new safety measures in place, including a new client journey as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Client safety is paramount, and with that in mind, our team of Baldwin Street hairdressers have been busy taking steps leading up to the proposed re-opening of our leading central Bristol salon on 04th July.

Recently, for example, we successfully gained Barbicide qualifications as a Covid-safe salon – read more about it here.

There will be new PPE in place for all stylists, with clients putting on their own gowns and PPE for their appointments with us.

Clients will be met at the salon front door by their designated stylist, and will be brought directly to their styling station by the stylist. We will be asking clients to arrive on time, and not early, as no waiting area will be operational for the foreseeable future.

We will also be maintaining social distancing rules between clients and columns, and will be asking any clients with Covid-19 symptoms not to come to the salon for their pre-booked appointment from 04^th July.

The salon is already a stringently-clean environment, and we have further stepped up the cleaning and sanitising routines, with longer clean-down times between each client visit at each column.

There will be further updates closer to 04^th July, should the situation change, but we’re fully committed to our clients and to returning safely to the salon.

If you have any queries about booking a hair appointment with us in Bristol, please feel free to get in touch with us at our Baldwin Street salon here from 26^th June.

One of the most common questions clients are asking us at Aidan Garlington hair Design is What’s better when Bristol lockdown lifts – hair colour correction or hair colouring?

As many clients are now approaching three months without any hair colouring due to the Covid-19 outbreak, many have been in touch asking what to do.

Over time hair hardens and becomes more difficult to colour. It needs a new colour application, and this can be costly, as well as time-consuming.

With the current lockdown in place across Bristol, many people are seeing that their old hair colouring has grown out, whilst some fancy a complete change. We’ve also heard a few horror stories involving box colours at home.

This is where a hair colour correction can sometimes be a better services for a client compared to a traditional hair colouring service.

Hair colour correction is also a useful service when hair is exceptionally damaged by poor quality hair colouring, and needs urgent attention.

We’re also predicting that once lockdown lifts and Bristol hair salons can safely re-open, there will be huge demand for hair colour correction services.

Typically, a standard hair colour correction will cost £45 on top of the normal cut and hair colouring costs in-salon.

As a rough guide for more involved hair colour correction services, we’d look at going from two to three levels up in steps of colour, costing £40 per level.

With such a detailed hair colour service, our consultations are all bespoke, and we only provide the best hair colouring advice for each individual client.

At our Baldwin Street salon, we offer bespoke and free hair consultations, and a hair colour correction is effectively a hair colour reset or a bleach-based colour correction for a client.

If you have any queries about hair colour correction, please feel free to get in touch with us at our Baldwin Street salon here.

Our team of Bristol hairdressers at Aidan Garlington Hair Design have been giving clients free advice via emails, social media channels, blog posts, and phone calls on handling longer hair in lockdown.

And with the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak, the Bristol lockdown since late March has meant that more clients are looking at ways to manage, clean, condition, and style longer hair than they have been used to before.

The senior team of stylists at our central Bristol hair studio are on hand to [provide experienced tips and tricks for clients looking to ensure that their hair looks good and is in great condition, whatever the length it’s grown to.

When it comes to handling longer hair in lockdown, our Bristol hairstylists have a few simple tips to bear in mind until salons can safely re-open.

Hair growing out and getting longer can provide clients with the perfect opportunity to experiment with different looks at home, including:

Side sweeping of partings – this also helps to cover up roots and colour fade

New colours – research online and look at new colours to try when in-salon

Balayage – a freehand and versatile hair colouring technique we specialise in

One of the most important elements to consider during lockdown with longer hair is the conditioning of the hair and scalp, as well as maintaining hair integrity. Condition of hair is everything, and this cannot be stressed enough.

Tying up hair with Hair Bobbles rather than restricting bands can help to ease the pressure and strain on longer hair when it is tied up in lockdown, too.

One of the simplest ways to keep longer hair looking and feeling good is by applying leave-in conditioners weekly, to give extra moisture and hydration.

Something we also tell clients in-salon who have dry hair, fine hair, or longer hair in bad condition is simply not to touch and pull it about if possible.

Leaving the hair alone lets it rest, breathe, and maintain a higher hydration.

Some of the recent blog posts we’ve published for clients to help them with hair colouring, root concealing, hair care, hairstyling at home, and other issues in lockdown across Bristol include:

Hair care advice during lockdown.

Hair colouring hints in lockdown.

Low-maintenance hairstyles to try in lockdown.

Online ordering of hair care products in lockdown.

If you have any queries about the best ways to handle longer hair in lockdown, please feel free to get in touch with the experienced Bristol hairdressers at our Baldwin Street salon here.

The Covid-19 outbreak has provided Aidan Garlington Hair Design with a good opportunity as a leading Baldwin Street salon to increase training and skills during lockdown.

Creative Director and salon Founder Aidan Garlington also recently completed a Barbicide online-based training course, focusing on disinfecting the salon and keeping clients and stylists safe.

This initiative will be fully implemented when our Baldwin Street salon re-opens, and is part of a wider training regime for salons to utilise when operating post-lockdown, in terms of minimising the risk of Covid-19 spreading within the salon. Client and staff safety will be the top priority.

And while we’re all staying safe and maintaining guidelines around social distancing, a few weeks before the lockdown was announced, Aidan attended a full-day training course on the client experience in salon, organised by L’Oreal. You can read all about this fantastic event here.

The last few weeks have been useful in accessing online resources for our team as experienced and qualified central Bristol hairdressers, too.

One of the best web-based knowledge hubs we’ve come across and have been utilising is L’Oreal Access, an inspirational hub of hints, tips, resources and an incredible learning space for stylists in Bristol and the wider UK.

We’ve been blown away by L’Oreal Access – find out more here.

One of the most important things for us is to pass on our knowledge, experience and passion for hairdressing to our clients. This is particularly relevant at the moment, with clients having to try and manage their hair and hair health at home during lockdown.

Some of the recent blog posts we’ve published for clients to help them with hair care and other issues in lockdown across Bristol have included:

Hair care advice during lockdown.

Hair colouring hints in lockdown.

Low-maintenance hairstyles to try in lockdown.

Online ordering of hair care products in lockdown.

We’ve also had lots of clients emailing and calling to discuss related issues and queries, and we’re here to help until the salon can safely re-open.

We always put training and skills at the top of our priorities as a central Bristol salon, and the ongoing dedication to training will continue long after we see the back of Covid-19 in Bristol.

If you have any queries about the best ways to take care of your hair in lockdown, please feel free to get in touch with the experienced hairstylists at our Baldwin Street salon here.

We’ve had a number of clients getting in touch in the last week saying they’ve been having huge problems with online ordering for hair care products in Bristol during lockdown, so we wanted to provide help and guidance to you.

Although our central Bristol salon is still closed, we can post out hair products.

We have a number of top-brand hair care products available, as well as great deals on end-of-line ranges such as British Hair at our central Bristol salon.

For example, all of our remaining British Hair stock is available to purchase for only £9.95 each, which includes postage and packing. This includes Curl Cream and Scalp Volume Moisturiser, two of their best-selling products.

We also have outstanding hair care products to purchase from L’Oreal Serie Expert during lockdown and ensure your hair health is well-maintained.

Serie Expert have world-leading shampoo and conditioners available, with shampoos from £11.50 and conditioners from just £12.50 to buy online.

One of our most recent additions has been the Tecni Art range of products, and their serums, hairsprays and gels are really popular with clients.

Poker Paste, for example, is only £12.50 and gives incredible hold to short cropped hair on women, as well as providing textures styling for guys.

All product prices excluding the end-of-line British Hair do not include postage and packaging, but full prices will be confirmed with each order made online.

Our Baldwin Street hair salon has an extensive range of hair care products, hair masques, hair serums and hair gels for clients to purchase online.

Simply get in touch via hair@aidangarlington.co.uk to place your orders.

If you have any queries about the best hair products to try in Bristol during lockdown, please feel free to get in touch with our Baldwin Street hairdressers here during lockdown.

We’ve had a few clients emailing our Baldwin Street salon this week asking for the best low maintenance hairstyles to try during Bristol lockdown, so we thought it would be useful to also write a dedicated blog post on the subject.

The main consideration is the condition of hair, and low maintenance hairstyles that simply hold hair up are also ideal for utilising additional hair treatments and hair masques as you get on with your day at home.

Protecting hair integrity without having too much focus on hairstyling is our advice, as well as going for simple looks that hold hair up.

When it comes to putting hair up, we also recommend not using tight rubber bands, but going for hair-friendly accessories instead such InvisiBobbles.

With root colours coming through during Bristol lockdown, it’s also a good time to play around with different looks, including putting up hair in different styles such as Zig-Zag Partings and sweeping the hair across rather than leaving it as a straight parting, to help disguise roots coming through.

Simple and easy low maintenance hairstyles to try include Messy Buns, Top Knots, Hair-Ups, Space Buns and Plaits. These are quick, easy and versatile hairstyling options, which can all be done within 10-15 minutes and will keep your hair up, protected, and stress-free for you during Bristol lockdown.

Our team of hairstyling experts in Bristol will be on hand and ready to help you in-salon when the lockdown lifts across the region, but until then we recommend keeping it simple with styling and focusing on hair condition.

If you have any other low maintenance hairstyle questions, please feel free to get in touch with our central Bristol hairdressers here during lockdown.

With the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak across the UK, many clients have been in touch recently and are worried about hair colouring help during the Bristol lockdown.

Luckily, we have a few secrets to share, including this miracle Root Concealer product to use called L’Oreal Hair Touch Up.

As part of the L’Oreal Professional range, Hair Touch Up Root Concealer is a fantastic and versatile product, designed to give quick and easy hair colouring help during difficult times when a visit to our Bristol hair salon isn’t possible.

Whilst some clients might be tempted to try a box dye, it’s worth remembering that our team of hair colouring stylists on Baldwin Street know our clients exact hair colour, so utilising a Root Concealer product from us means that we can also get the closest possible match to your actual hair colour.

If you’re worried about your hair colouring at this time, we would advise that the most important consideration is in fact the condition not colour of your hair. Maintaining hair health and integrity is the biggest priority right now.

Many clients are also growing out hair, and trying new and different hairstyling at the moment, and hairstyling around the fringes, for example, can go a long way to hiding fading hair colouring for certain hair types and hairstyles.

We really love L’Oreal Hair Touch Up Root Concealer, and at only £9 it’s a real bargain for those looking to boost their hair colouring around the roots.

This simple spray is perfect to cover up hair colours going, and lasts from one shampoo to the next. It’s only £9, and can be ordered from our salon through the contact link below. We’ll then have it posted out directly to your home.

If you have any other hair colouring questions, please feel free to get in touch with our Baldwin street hairdressers here during lockdown.

We’ve had a few clients getting in touch over the last few weeks wanting help and tips, so we decided to write a specific blog post about hair care advise during the Bristol lockdown from our Baldwin Street hairdressers.

The first thing to point out is that hair care during Bristol lockdown is essentially the same as at any other time. Our top tips for you are:

Keep hair ends in the best possible condition

Apply hair masques weekly for hydration

Cut back on hair-drying and hair straightening

Use heat protection & conditioners to stop colour fade

Let colour grow out, avoid using box hair colours

Other hair care advice from our Baldwin Street hairdressers includes don’t cut your own hair, but let it grow out and adapt using different hairstyles such as Messy Buns and Plaits. We’ll be writing an in-depth blog post on this soon.

It’s also a good time to experience with your hair, such as putting a grown-out fringe into a quiff, or brushing a fringe into a side fringe, as well as styling longer hair.

For example, a zig-zag parting is superb for breaking up hair colour as well as hiding root colour during lockdown when hair colours might well be fading.

Lots of people might be worried about their hair colour right now too, but we advise that the most important to consider during Bristol lockdown is the condition not colour of their hair. Good hair conditioning is essential.

We also have hints and tips on root concealers, and using root re-spray products for temporary colour cover-up. A dedicated blog will follow soon.

The most important thing is to relax, let your hair grow for the time being, keep it in fantastic condition, and use simple easy hairstyling whilst at home.

If you have any other hair care questions or queries, please feel free to get in touch with our Baldwin street hairdressers here.