8 red flags to look out for once hair salons open again

Customers and employees wear masks in a recently reopened salon in Miami, Florida.Eva Marie Uzcategui Trinkl/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

• As hair salons begin to reopen across the United States, it's important to make sure they have certain safety measures in place before you visit.
• Whether or not a facility is cleaned daily or has a mask-wearing policy could impact customers' and employees' health.
• Dr. Michael Knight, a physician of internal medicine at George Washington University, told Insider that it is completely within people's rights to ask salons about their safety precautions before attending an appointment.

As many hair salons across the country begin to open their doors again, clients should take the time to check whether or not they have policies to protect the health of their workers and customers.

"Self-grooming is important, but people still need to understand the risks," Dr. Michael Knight, a physician of internal medicine at George Washington University, told Insider.

"The risk we know with the coronavirus is that it is a communicable disease that is spread primarily by respiratory droplets. That means if you are within distance of someone who may be infected and may have no symptoms, or have symptoms, you have the potential of contracting the virus."

Since you cannot socially distance while getting a haircut, it's important to weigh your personal risk before heading to a salon.

"If you are an individual who is high-risk for coronavirus complications, for example if your age is over 65 or if you have chronic medical conditions, especially if they are not well-controlled, then you may not decide to take on the risk," Knight added.

Policies like mask-wearing and daily cleaning are a few of the important measures facilities can take to protect public health.

Here are eight red flags to look out for once hair salons open again.