Barbering and beauty salons are places where each and every one of us visit once or twice in a week for several services that have to do with direct body contact with the tools used. Example of these tools are clippers, combs, brushes, blades, nail cutters etc. Most of the barbers and  beauticians fail to properly sterilize  equipments used in providing services. The evironment in which these services are provided are mostly not hygienic for clients.  Most of these service providers lack the basic knowledge on  sterilisation of their equipment and hygenic procedures to prevent cross contaminations in their workplaces.

  A research published on the 28th Febuary, 2012 by S.C Enemour and his friends from university of Nigeria, Cape Penisula university of technology   revealed the several microorganisms which were isolated after taking swap sample of barbering tools and using standard culturing. Some of these microorganisms are: Enterococcus species, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterobacterium species Mucor species Rhizopus species. Other researches have also indicated that viral and fungi infections such as HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis, herpes,shingles, purulent conjunctivitis, and even chicken pox are transmitted through barbering and hair dressing operations.

A pilot based research by SOLIDAGE AFRICA FOUNDATION MEDICAL TEAM on the topic: “assessing the quality of barbering and hairdressing operations to prevent cross contamination of their clients in Kpone Katamanso district in Greater Accra”  revealed that most barbers and hair dressers have little or no knowledge at all in proper sterilisation  of equipment and hygenic procedures which can help reduce cross contamination.

In the light of the afforementioned  possible dangers associated with barbering and hair dressing operations, Solidage Africa Foundation medical team has carefully developed a standard operation procedures for use in all barbering and hairdressing salons to help reduce possible cross contamination. A nine(9)step procedure to follow:

1. Open all windows and doors to allow ventilation in the shop accept with shops with Air condition (AC).

2. Pack all the barbering equipment such as clippers, combs, brushes etc, in the sterilizer machine.

3. Turn on the sterilizer machine.

4. Disinfect the bench top where the clippers, combs, brushes and blades will be placed while barbering a client.

5. Sweep the floor and mob with detergent if necessary.

6. If ready to start barbering, pick the clipper from the sterilizer as needed and spray the blade with either 70% alcohol, any germicidal, fungicidal and viricidal spray.

7. Repeat step (6) for the combs and brushes too.

8. Quickly put back the clippers and the combs into the sterilizer machine when done with a client.

9. At  regular intervals during operation, sweep and collect the hair particles from the floor to create hygienic environment for clients who will be waiting in a queue.

NB.

a. Get more than one comb, brush, clippers for your shop so that while one set is in use, the other set is in the sterilizer for disinfection.

b. Avoid using a particular barbering tool for multiple clients without sterilizing it.

c. Check the technicality of your sterilizer machine every day to ensure that the machine is working effectively all the time.