These are strange times…
There is no doubt about it. It’s a scenario that none of us thought we’d find ourselves in so naturally most of us are going to feel cooped up, restricted, bored and frustrated at times. One of the areas that are most important right now is looking after ourselves, especially in the ol’ mental health department during this episode of London Quarantine.
What have you been up to?
For myself, it’s been a mixture. I’ve tried to ensure that I’m productive for a couple of hours each day (I give myself the weekends off). The home has never looked tidier and last week I even managed to pull my finger out and redecorate the bedroom. A long overdue task. Am I glad I finally got round to doing it? Absolutely, It made me feel semi-productive during a time where it’s difficult to bin off the feeling of becoming a human potato. Now more than ever it’s clear how much we value our friends, family and neighbours too. Keeping in touch with Papi and Vinny has been paramount to keeping a level of normality. The barbershop doors may be closed for now but we try out best to replicate the shop floor talk whilst confined to our homes.
What’s on my viewing radar?
I’ve also used this downtime to watch plenty of Youtube, Netflix and Disney+. On YT you’ll find me down a rabbit hole of conspiracy, travel or gaming videos. On Netflix, I’ve enjoyed sinking my teeth into Sons of anarchy (I know I’m VERY late to the party), Community, Rilakkuma and Kaoru, Tuca & Bertie and Full Metal Alchemist. You’ll notice that most of these shows are animated, funny and light-hearted. Just the kind of shows I need in my life right now. Although using your time to be productive and catch up on chores can be a great use of your time do not underestimate the importance of unwinding on your sofa and catching up with a good series (Or 3). What have you been watching to pass the time?
Now let’s talk hair.
Oh boy. When was the last time you couldn’t get to the barbershop? Christmas time is really the only time you’ll find us with the shutters down and Shoreditch takes a rest from the busy year it had. We now find ourselves without the luxury of booking that appointment and getting that freshen up. Even outside of the haircut we reminisce about the conversations we’d have within those four walls.
I’ve used this time to get creative with my hair. I got my hands on some bleach and hair dye and well, I now have pink hair. I figured now is the best time to mix things up right? If I didn’t like it I could always go down the buzz cut route. Fortunately, It’s really grown on me. To keep things tidy I’ve been straightening up my fringe when it grows out and has been keeping the beard maintained. Luckily I have a spare kit with me at home so I’ve been able to do a half-decent job of keeping things in check. What does your quarantine haircut look like? Instagram has been a sea of trial and error haircuts.
What you can do?
If you have scissors at home you can use this time to do a bit of taming on the beard front. Get that beard nice, clean and dry before you get to work. Brush it into shape and then get snipping. It’s important to have a mirror infant of you to keep things symmetrical. Slowly but surely take the ends off until you got the shape where you like it. Give it all another brush and trim it again to remove the stragglers and any left behind hairs. Comb that moustache down and catch any hairs hanging over the lip (Nothing worse than biting into that burger and getting a load of hair in the mouth). Finish off with a shave on your cheeks to really make it all pop.
As for the hair on your head, the truth is there isn’t a whole lot you can do replicate the London Barbershop haircut. It takes months and years of learning and cutting to produce those results. (The youtube tutorials make it look a hundred times easier than it is). However, it’s not all doom and gloom! You could go wild and see how you’d look sporting the classic buzz cut if you have clippers at home. Or now could be a good time to grow out the hair and opt for a longer style .
Uncertain Quarantine Times.
But fear not! Once we’re out of quarantine. Just think how great we’re all going to feel once we get that first cut. I’m already dreaming about it now.We don’t know when we’ll return to normality but it’s clear that it may still be a while before quarantine ends. In the meantime let’s look after ourselves and those around us. Keep the energy as positive as we can and let’s celebrate once we’re on the other side. Big love.
