Mill Valley Hair Stylists Help Stuck-At-Home Clients With DIY Coloring Kits

MILL VALLEY (KPIX 5) -- The shelter-in-place order shut down barbers and hair salons, which means before long, people will begin looking a little different. So, some stylists are helping their clients who want to become do-it-yourselfers.

With salons closed, it looks like that haircut or coloring is going to have to wait. But with the advent of video conferencing, we still have to be seen, and for some that's a harrowing thought.

"They've got, like, Chia Pet hair," said Edward Goldstein of Mill Valley. "And I feel bad for them but it is a little amusing to think about, wow, what are they going to look like? And I'm going to know if they did something, it's impossible not to."

Goldstein and Jason Murray own and operate Edward's Salon in Mill Valley, or they did until the shelter order shut them down, sending their stylists home without work. But the two business partners are staying busy creating home coloring kits custom-made for their individual clients.

"Welcome to how to look your best during the Zombie Apocalypse!" says Goldstein in a do-it-yourself YouTube video where he demonstrates how to apply tint to his wife's hair.

But what if your hair is starting to look a little shaggy? There are other videos online that try to teach self-haircutting, but the guys at Edward's don't recommend people try it. Murray has 20 years of experience and still has a hard time doing it.

"I typically can do one side pretty easy and then I get to the other side and next thing I know, it's going a little higher. And then I go a little higher on the other side," he said. "I wouldn't suggest trying this at home but if you do, you got plenty of time for grow-out for us to fix it!"

And while all this may seem trivial, for some, careers could hang in the balance. In our competitive society, gray hair is seen by many as a weakness and there is genuine pressure to maintain a youthful look.

"The young have taken over the tech world so if you're an older gentleman, chances are you're going to be behind the 8 ball already," said Murray. "Doesn't matter how skilled you are, sometimes."

The coronavirus has made us all feel powerless in one way or another. And for some people, it's not easy to give up something that makes them feel good about themselves.

The salon owners are giving 70 percent of what they make on the home kits to their idled employees. And one client felt so sorry for the workers that she gifted $5,000 to the salon shortly after it closed.