Today, you’ll know Karen Betts as the CEO of Nouveau HD Beauty Group, but she started out in the industry over 20 years ago in permanent make up. Despite being a business #BrowBoss, she’s still a brow stylist at heart. We recently caught up with Karen and put your questions to her about returning to work in ‘the new normal’.
“Over the last few months, I’ll admit that I’ve felt uncertain at times. Things changed overnight for us, but the way that we have shown resilience, adapted to change and stayed positive throughout is a testament to our industry and everyone who is a part of it.
I asked on Instagram if my beauty community were ready to restart and get back to work. 82% of you said yes which is amazing and exactly what I want to see. Some people are feeling more confident than others about returning to work, but we must embrace change in order to reassure and instil confidence in our clients, as well as ourselves. That being said, understandably many of you have questions. I’ve decided to share some advice based on the questions you guys have been asking; if it helps just one person, then I’m happy.
Education, education, education
The biggest piece of advice I can give anyone, whether you’re just starting your journey in brows or have been doing it for years is to educate yourself. Draw on your knowledge as a business owner to navigate through these new circumstances, such as implementing enhanced hygiene measures, organising one-way systems or reducing the number of clients you can see per day. No matter what, stay focused, positive and believe in yourself and your capabilities.
NHS Track and Trace
According to official government advice, if NHS Test and Trace contact you asking for an information request, this does not always mean you must close. It depends on the circumstance and when the infected person visited. NHS Test and Trace could ask you or your staff (for salon owners) to get tested for COVID-19, take extra care when social distancing or self-isolate in “some circumstances”. For more information on NHS Test and Trace, head to GOV.UK.
PPE in salon
The most recent close contact guidelines for England recommend a full face visor is worn alongside your usual PPE – if you follow these guidelines, it isn’t compulsory for your client to wear a mask. In Scotland, masks are mandatory and visors are recommended. As a business, you must make informed decisions on when to wear certain types of PPE (based on your own risk assessment) before returning to work. I personally will be providing masks for my permanent make up clients (for brows and eyes) to wear during treatments.
New hygiene reguations
I’ve been trying to help and support people as much as possible, working with my team to provide information on the different types of available PPE. We’ve even created a free Back To Beauty COVID-19: Hygiene & Safety Course to boost your confidence, if you haven’t completed it already. I’m passionate about hygiene and safety; I’ve always practiced high standards in my clinics. My team and I have done extensive research on the different types of PPE and we’ve provided you with as much information as possible to help you decide what’s best for you. You can also watch demonstration videos on how to put on PPE correctly in our course.
I hope you’ve found this useful in some way. I love hearing from you all. As I mentioned, we need to keep educating ourselves on how to keep our working environments safe and hygienic. Let’s focus our energy on the things we can control. We’ve been posting assets across our social media channels, which will help you communicate those all-important changes and processes to your client. You can always revisit your training manuals and our COVID-19: Hygiene & Safety Course for an extra confidence boost.
Let’s restart the beauty industry together.”
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