The busiest time of year is upon us, but why is Christmas so stressful for hairdressers and salon owners? Is it the anticipation, demands of clients or the pressure we put on ourselves?
The Resilient Hairdresser, Hayley Jepson not only coaches hairdressers to manage stress and navigate change, but she is also the co-creator and coach of L’Oréal Professionnel’s Head Up programme. “It’s funny that December can feel more stressful, especially to hairdressers who are fully booked all year round. But I think it’s due to a couple of things,” she explains. “The first being often your whole clientele that is usually on a 6-week rotation say, are now all trying to get an appointment in a 3-week window. This can feel very stressful, as you either need to disappoint some clients or work longer hours to try and accommodate everyone.
“Also, I think at Christmas demands on our personal life can go up, with more social events, school activities and family obligations. As everyone around you is winding down and going into party mode, hairdressing is gearing up. This can feel difficult to manage for many salon owners and hairdressers.”
It’s important to recognise the signs of stress and burnout leading up to Christmas not just in yourself, but your team members and colleagues as well. “The signs of burnout leading up to Christmas are the same as the rest of the year, but they can come quicker with the extra pressure that December brings,” Hayley adds. “Joylessness is a big one at this time of year. When it seems everyone around you is excited about Christmas, but you are just feeling overwhelmed by it all and completely bah humbug, wondering when you are going to plan your Christmas. This is a big sign you are doing too much.
“So, in the New Year do as little as possible! Do things that recharge your batteries and take a break from being plugged into work and thinking about hair. A complete break will make you feel more excited to get back to it next year. Spend time with the people you love, have duvet days, get wrapped up and get out for a walk in nature and make plans to rest, recharge and have fun in 2025.”
Hayley looks at six things hairdressers can do to avoid burnout before Christmas…
- Accept that you can’t do it all in the busiest month of the year and ask for some help with some of your responsibilities outside work. For example, cooking meals, running your kids around, housework and general adulting.
- Sometimes it’s wise not to book too many social occasions as the month goes on so you don’t wear out your social battery. I used to have a total ban on socialising from about mid-December as it felt one of the best ways to conserve my energy.
- Think about what didn't work last year in your business, like working too many extra late nights, and don’t repeat the same behaviour.
- Book something like a massage mid-December to do something just for you.
- Plan something to look forward to, this can be great to keep your spirits up.
- L’Oréal Professionnel Head Up mental fitness programme is a quick series for hair pros offering guidance and tips on mental fitness with topics relating to setting boundaries with clients and co-workers, stress, anxiety, depression and burnout. The short videos are perfect to integrate within your day to day by watching an episode on your commute, lunch break or even to unwind from a busy day. Head Up videos can be found on Access, L’Oréal YouTube UKI, and L’Oréal Professionnel Head Up website.
L’Oréal Professionnel Head Up Partnership with Calm
As part of the programme Head Up by L’Oreal Professionnel has partnered with Calm, offering all hairdressers free access to the leading app for meditation, sleep and relaxation. Stylists can receive three- months of free access (vs. a typical week trial) and therein 50% off Calm’s annual subscription price. Through this partnership, hairstylists will be able to put into practice their learnings from the Head Up training programme; applying tools such as meditation, breathing and movement exercises. Alongside this there is access to ample masterclasses and relaxing stories to enhance sleep quality.
To receive the free subscription simply head to https://www.lorealprofessionnel.co.uk/headup and watch Episode 1 of the Head Up series then scroll down to the page below and sign up to your free subscription with Calm!
Hayley will be running a free webinar From Snowed under to Sleighing It- How to avoid burnout in December’ on 25 November, register here https://resilienthair.kartra.com/page/snowedunder.
For more information visit www.lorealaccess.com.