Local stylist goes ‘crazy’ and cuts hair under water

A SPECIALLY designed tank was not only used to raise funds for an East London school, but a local hair salon used it to cut hair under water – something that has rarely, if ever, been done in South Africa.

The tank was recently put up at Vincent Park mall by Grens High School to raise funds for the school’s aquatic sports.

Pupils , Ruan Schoombee and Jeandre Jelliman, both 16, remained underwater with scuba gear for 24 hours, with a short rest every 45 minutes.

The boys started their dive on April 26 and on April 28 Chez Francois hair salon carried out the extraordinary underwater haircut . The salon’s senior hair stylist Genevieve Harris said she had to take a diving crash course since she never dived before.

“I battled to breath because my mask was tight. The lady whose hair I was cutting had a medium length bob and we were under water for seven minutes,” she said. Harris said though she cut the hair it was not easy.

“I had to lift her hair up and it kept on floating around making it difficult to cut,” she said.

Harris who has been working at the salon for 16 years said it was the first time she knew of in the country that a stylist cut hair under water.

“It has been done overseas in the sea and in an aquarium.”

Harris said cutting hair under water was the most outrageous thing she had ever done. “I wanted to try something different, maybe a little crazy,” she said.