The Irish Hairdressers Federation are calling on the government to bring forward the Phase 4 July 20 re-opening of salons.
By not doing so, the body says, they're encouraging home visits from hairdressers who might not follow COVID-19 hygiene best practice.
"There is a real concern that the virus will be spread by people going from house to house doing hair services," they say on their Facebook. "In a salon environment it can be more controlled and more sterile. Salons will provide PPE for their staff and the area can be properly sanitised.
"Just to point out every other European country that has reopened, has opened in much earlier phases, some in Phase 1 or 2," they continue. "From a health and safety point of view, salons are a far more controlled environment than someone doing hair who is moving from house to house."
The IHF wants salons to be moved up to Phase 3, which would mean grown out fringes being snipped and grays eradicated on June 29.
“This hasn’t been thought out really well, to be honest… I definitely think we need to get out a lot earlier," celebrity hairdresser Dylan Bradshaw told Newstalk this morning. “We’ve been closed for eight weeks now… we’ve had a lot of time to prepare and get ready.
“A lot of people forget in our industry we’re incredibly clean in what we do - when I’m cutting somebody’s hair normally, I’d be washing my hands two or three times. You’re [also] working behind your clients."

.@Dylan_Bradshaw told @BreakfastNT that he would be ready to resume work in June if allowed - explaining that salons being closed for eight weeks has given hairdressers "a lot of time to prepare and get ready" for a safe reopening. https://t.co/7rtqgIr36P

— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) May 6, 2020