Covid: Hairdresser styles deceased clients during lockdown

James Riley's salon in Buxton has been closed for several months

A hairdresser has started styling the hair of people who have passed away while his salon has been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

James Riley, from Buxton, Derbyshire, said it was not something he had considered before, but it had helped bring in some income in the last year.

"I never thought I would, but I quite enjoy it," he said.

He said the unconventional work had been "rewarding" and become one of the "biggest honours of [his] life".

'Caring'

Mr Riley's salon was closed throughout most of 2020.

He said he was approached by a client, who was a funeral director, to help style the hair of a woman who had had a "traumatic death in hospital".

"They wanted to make her perfect for her family to visit," he said.

"I didn't know what to expect but, with Covid, my studio was shut and I thought it would be a nice, caring thing to do.

"It is the very last thing you can do for somebody and everybody's got a right to look their best, even though that person is deceased."

Mr Riley hopes to carry on the work even after his shop reopens

Mr Riley has styled around 20 people since the summer.

He said cutting, colouring and styling the hair of people ahead of their funerals is something he hopes to carry on even after his barber shop reopens.

"I think it has become one of my biggest honours of my life," he added. "It is so rewarding.

"If [people] can look like how they used to when their families come to visit them in the morgue, I think that's a really special thing you can do for somebody."

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