Hairy Crisis: Remote Town Hasn't Had Barber in 2 Years

Nearest hairdresser is a 17-hour drive away
By Elizabeth Armstrong Moore,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 15, 2016 8:03 AM CST
Hairy Crisis: Remote Town Hasn't Had a Barber in 2 Years
Landon Kozma (left), Simon Corey (center) and Jason Balski (right) after giving one another haircuts.   (Courtesy Nicky Richards)

A remote hamlet of 800 people in northern Canada has grown accustomed to several hardships, including temperatures that plummet to nearly -60 degrees in the winter and days when basic supplies don't come in due to delayed flights. And certain amenities are downright missing in Norman Wells, which is near the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories, such as daycare. But right at the top of the list of services people are missing is a hairdresser, which the residents have suffered without for two years now, reports the Guardian. "We’re trying to figure out ways to maintain ourselves," says economic development officer Nicky Richards. "We just don’t have anyone." And the closest stylist by car is 17 hours away.

Those who could withstand the hardships of living in Norman Wells would be promised a fat client list of a few thousand, given the community serves as the hub of several smaller ones in the surrounding area. And there's already a vacant little barbershop, with chairs and mirrors and even a sink, waiting to be leased. "We have a couple of shaggy people around here for sure," Richards tells the CBC, which has published photos of what a few of the residents look like after taking shears to one another in a "desperate" attempt to maintain some level of hair hygiene. Richards and a few others rely on expert help when they travel south, but for those without the means, she says, an expert in town would make all the difference. (This barber gives misbehaving kids "old man" haircuts.)

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