Chinese stay-at-home stylists boost sales of hair clippers

CHANGCHUN -- While most hair salons remain closed and people have been confined to their homes either by choice or required amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, many Chinese have turned themselves into hairstylists, which has also boosted the sale of hair clippers.

Wei Yuliang, a 25-year-old resident in Changchun in Jilin Province, asked his mom to cut his hair using -- wait for it -- a kitchen knife. No surprise, he ended up with super short and uneven hair.

"I was bothered by my long hair, but no barbershops were open. I am ok with my current hairdo. At least I feel comfortable now," Wei said, adding that he would purchase an electric hair clipper next time.

According to a report released by e-commerce platform Pinduoduo Wednesday, hair-cutting devices, eggbeaters, yoga mats and pajamas are among the most-searched items during the coronavirus epidemic.

Being cooped up at home amid the sudden outbreak, many people have been forced to cut their own hair, which led to a 290 percent sales growth of hair-cutting kits on Pinduoduo.

"The booming demand for these commodities unleashed a positive sign of market potential," said Fan Rizhao, a researcher with Pinduoduo.

Other Chinese online shopping platforms also saw a surge in sales of haircut tools and hair dye. On Taobao, the monthly sales volume of electric hair clippers in a store exceeded 150,000.

Electric hair clippers have become the most sought-after item, according to a customer service staff in another online store. The store has sold around 90,000 devices over the past month.

China will mark the Longtaitou (dragon raises head) day on Monday, as many Chinese traditional believe that a new hairdo on the day will bring good luck. "We will offer more discounts and expect the sales of haircut tools to continue increasing," the staff said.

The stay-at-home hairstylists have also created huge online traffic for haircut teaching apps. China's video-sharing app Douyin, also known as Tik Tok, saw a spike of around 2,000 clips featuring people cutting their hair at home, which have attracted more than 2 million total views.

A vlogger with the user name "Younger brother Guazai" recorded and uploaded a video clip on how to cut hair on various video-sharing platforms. "I have been involved in the beauty, makeup and hairdressing industry for years. I just wanted to share the skills and did not expect the video to be so popular," he said.

Surprisingly, the trend of cutting hair at home also yielded another positive social impact. In Pingtan County of east China's Fujian Province, 27-year-old Gao Rongfeng got along better with his mom by cutting each other's hair.

Gao, who works in the provincial capital Fuzhou, rarely went home in the past and often quarreled with his mom due to opposite aesthetic standards.

"During a haircut, the younger and older generations have a rare opportunity to exchange views and better understand each other," he said.