Cutting hair is an age-old trade. Barbers used to work with primitive tools and in places built of clay and palm leaves. Some of them would wander the streets carrying briefcases on their heads. Inside would be a pair of scissors, mirrors, a hairbrush, razor blades, etc.
The barber of the past not only trimmed men's hair, he also engaged in cupping, circumcisions and tooth extractions. Following the economic boom, the work of barbers was restricted to cutting hair and shaving. Hospitals took on the other three jobs.
Barbers then changed how they operated. They would make sure their shops were attractive to lure customers, especially young men. The situation today is no different. When you visit some barber shops, you will see impressive decorations, fancy face scrubs, sterilizing liquids, an assortment of scissors for different things, brushes, dyes, tweezers and many other branded tools. These tools can be found at almost all hairdressers.
Our young men pay a lot of money to get their hair cut by an expatriate barber. They think that if a shop has so much equipment then it must be safe. This is, however, very wrong. All of the scissors and other hair dressing tools on display are used to cut the hair of everyone who comes through the door. The hands, mouths and noses of barbers are as dangerous as their tools. The only sterilization that occurs is the running of a flame along the razor using perfume. This is not enough to kill microbes which may cause infectious diseases if the barber were to make a mistake and cut the customer's skin.
The breathing and sneezing of barbers emit germs into the air and into customers' faces. Soap and perfume cannot kill germs. The safest way to ensure that tools are sterilized is to use ultraviolet sterilization methods. Unfortunately, most barbershops do not adhere to these methods and those that do fail to sterilize their tools for a sufficient period of time.
The authorities should ensure that barbershops do not use low-quality disinfectant and instead use advanced sterilization devices. Wearing gloves and face masks is important. It is safer and better for each and every customer to bring his own scissors, razors, creams, etc. This would prevent contagious diseases from spreading. Barbers' tools are just as important as the tools that doctors use when in the operation theater. These tools should be disinfected all the time.
