IT has been 14 long weeks but Scotland is just days away from being able to take back control of their unruly locks and overgrown gardens.
As restrictions ease on Monday, for the first time since Christmas the nation will be able to flock back to hairdressers, albeit for pre-booked appointments in their own council area.
And it also signals the reopening of garden centres, homeware stores and click and collect services.
University and college students will return for in-person teaching and outdoor contact sports for 12 to 17-year olds resumes.
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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she will give further updates in April but that Scotland is on course to ease restrictions further, with cafes, restaurants, shops and gyms due to open from April 26 and more people allowed to meet up outdoors.
Beer gardens, non-essential shops, libraries, museums and galleries are also expected to reopen from that date, and six people from up to three households will be able to meet outdoors.
For Edinburgh hairdresser Raymond Duthie is preparing his salons for reopening on Monday and he’s already booked out for the next five weeks as clients clamour for a haircut as soon as possible.
Mr Duthie, 70, said he can’t wait to reopen his two salons in Edinburgh after being forced to close for the longest period in his 50 year career.
Hairdressers have been inundated with clients looking to book appointments
Raymond Edinburgh Hairdressers in Comiston Road in Morningside and Whitehouse Road in Barnton both had their last appointments on Christmas Eve. He is already booked up for more than a month with over 1700 bookings.
Mr Duthie said: “I’ve been working in Morningside for 50 years and I’m as keen now as the day I started. I’ve lived and worked through a lot but nothing like lockdown. It’s been a worry.
“We’ve been lucky to survive on grants and tightening my own belt, while the furlough scheme has been excellent for staff, but I’ve missed working - it’s a way of life. Christmas Eve was our last appointment, so we are delighted to be going back.
“We’ve made a lot of phone calls since the First Minister announced the date for reopening - of course everybody wants a haircut on the first day because they’ve been waiting for so long.
“From clients who were already booked in when we closed to new bookings through our website, we’re now full into the fifth week, and we’ve still got emails to attend to.
“I’m sure there will be a number of awkward fringes to repair.”
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Mr Duthie, who has 12 staff and is in the process of recruiting two more, has taken an array of measures, from removing a number of seats and installing screens to ordering in PPE and cleaning products, to ensure staff and clients are comfortable to return.
He said: “People are desperate to get their hair done but it’s important that everyone feels happy and safe. It will be different. Both salons have lots of space but we’ve taken half the chairs out and put screens up in some places. We’ve extended all the appointments to allow for a cleaning process in between and bought PPE and extra cleaning products.
“Every gown that somebody wears will go straight in the bin afterwards - I’ve just ordered 2000 of them - and we have chlorine tablets like they use in surgeries to wipe everything down. I’ve just got 20 cases of rubber gloves and we’ve bought 180 new towels.”
Eased lockdown restrictions also allow garden centres to re-open on Monday and comes just in time as the growing season gets underway.
Cardwell Garden Centre is looking forward to welcoming customers back
Staff at Cardwell Garden Centre, near Gourock have been busy preparing to welcome customers again. New stock of flowering plants, seeds, compost, shrubs, bedding plants, gardening essentials, ceramic plant pots and decorative stoneware have been delivered.
Paul Carmichael, Cardwell’s retail general manager, said: “We can’t wait to welcome back customers old and new and we’ve been working hard to make sure everything is spick and span for our re-opening. We’ll have plenty new stock and whatever people’s gardening needs are. We appreciate how important gardening is to people’s physical and mental well-being.”
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