Got "mascne"? Prague salons tell us how to get gorgeous after quarantine

Prague’s recent need for serious post-quarantine beauty help was evidenced by the massive influx of bookings many salons reported upon their reopening in May.

Tomas Arsov salon was one of them. Stylist Bernadetha Siroka says of their slammed first 3 weeks: “It was the first time we had clients double and even triple book because they were scared to lose their spot.”

Other salons weren’t sure they’d make it out of the pandemic with their business intact. “I’ve been in business for over 20 years — and if there’s one thing I know, it’s that you never know,” says Zuzana Hejnova of Prague 1’s Salon Unique who relied on savings to weather the storm and has been able to re-open her doors thanks to an eager clientele.

If you’re still experiencing some of the lingering effects of quarantine on your skin and hair, now is a great time to support the local beauty industry. We asked some leading salons, spas, and barbers in Prague — many of them currently offering specials — for their tips on how to repair your post-lockdown looks.

Tend to your beard — better

Kraig Casebier – American Barber in Prague

For those who decide to keep up beards sprouted during the days of sheltering in place, it’s time to get grooming, says Kraig Casebier, of American Barber in Prague fame.

“I think women would be surprised to know how much care goes into caring for a beard, especially a longer beard.” He recommends bearded types pay closer attention to beard care post-quarantine.

“There are oils, balms, waxes, soaps, and shampoos specifically for beards and different techniques for keeping them maintained and styled,” says Casebier who spent two years developing his signature Murican beard oil.

Face masks can also have disastrous effects on facial hair. “It presses the hair around the jaw close to your face…when you remove the mask it retains that shape. More frustrating is while raising or lowering the mask the hair tends to stick out of the mask in all directions, ending up in your mouth or up your nose.”

What’s the best way to cope? “I found what worked best for me was to wear a bandana. I could cover the whole beard and since it is tied from behind, it didn’t leave the marks.”

Tip: Readers who mention this article at American Barber in Prague get a 10% discount on Angry Beards products and a 15% discount on beard trims until the end of the year.

Undo mask damage

Face masks can also wreak havoc on our skin. Jana Ehrlichová, a therapist at Carlo IV explains: “Masks trap moisture, sweat, and dirt to the point where our skin breaks out in contact dermatitis, blemishes, acne, or even rosacea.” Dermatologists even have a name for this condition, “mascne.”

Her advice? “Don’t wear makeup under the mask. It clogs the pores even more and the skin needs to breathe.”

While hotels have been hit hard by the absence of tourists, it’s no surprise that spas are welcoming more locals than ever. “We have a steady flow of bookings for spa treatments…there is actually an increase in orders for facial massages,” she says. One popular treatment is Carlo IV’s latest facial treatment using guasha tools and a rose quartz facial roller.

Facial treatment at Carlo IV Wellness & Spa www.carloivspa.com

Local beautician and beauty expert Bára Blahůšková recommends a first aid cleansing tonic for calming skin after you cleanse your face at home. “The tonic is very important especially for calming,” she says. Prague 6’s BioOrganica showroom is currently closed due to coronavirus measures but you can still order Trauma Balm or Floral Tonic via their e-shop or shop for their products at any of these locations

TIP:Carlo IV is offering a 30% off from their usual spa menu on all body and facial treatments; 80 CZK from your purchase of BioOrganica products goes to the DOMA project which helps Czech seniors impacted by coronavirus.

Correct bad dye jobs

Being forced to stay home, many of us chose to touch up roots on our own. We asked Salon Unique owner Zuzana Hejnova if she’d seen any home hair disasters. “Long time clients have been getting the best care, resulting in long, damage-free hair. We use L’oreal color which is multi-tonal, just like natural hair. The subtle variations make hair shimmery. It’s impossible to replicate that look from a box, even with the perfect color. And no one gets the right color, because the picture on the box is rarely what you end up with.”

Her team salvaged coloring fails by asking clients to send photos of boxes they used. They corrected the color without additional damage, but sometimes it took several visits. Salon Unique offers Olaplex treatments, which go a long way toward keeping colored hair looking healthy.

Tip: A strong clarifying shampoo to lessen the impact of hair dyed overly dark from box color.

Scary hairy legs

Moving along from the hairstyles to body hair, we asked Selma Diniz owner of Beauty Secrets in Prague 6 what it was like re-opening their doors to waxing clients.

“Sure, we saw really scary legs, hairy like a bear! Our solution was lots of wax and sugar paste and patience to get through the jungle!” For those who can’t make it in for a treatment, she says you can help skin recover fast and naturally by making a homemade coconut-oil sugar scrub: 2 spoons of sugar for a spoon of coconut oil, resulting in a dry rather than wet mix. Apply to legs before shaving for extra exfoliation.

Martina Drahošová, who runs ProVisage clinic which does permanent laser depilation, has seen an uptick in clients. Those who opt for permanent laser depilation achieve results after four to six visits so in case of a second wave, this is looking like a more attractive option than ever.

She also explains that like many salons, they have had to drastically adapt to the new measures.

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“We measure clients’ temperatures. If you’re higher than 37 °C, you will not be seen. When it comes to hygiene, we have always had very strict conditions. Now in the post-quarantine period, we use veils and face shields. We disinfect handles and other frequented places very often.”

Clearly quarantine has changed the needs of beauty customers and the salons themselves.

Diniz is hoping for product development that comes up with comfortable but easy to wear solutions for salons while Tomas Arsov says of the masks that hairdressers are required to wear, “It’s not as easy to breathe, of course, and harder to communicate but as long as the results are good, we’re happy.”

Tip:Provisage is running a pay for 3 + get 1 free special.