After toilet paper, hair dye is next up on list of items Americans are panic-buying

Many people are still panic buying things to keep in their homes during this quarantine period. In America, it began with disinfectants, hand sanitizers and soaps. Then it moved to toilet paper, for no apparent reason.

In recent times, people’s focus has shifted to hair dye, clippers and baking supplies as sales of these products have hit the roof, CNN reports.

According to Walmart CEO, Doug McMillon on the Today Show last Friday, “You can definitely see that as people have stayed home, their focus shifted.”

The pattern moved from food and consumables; we like to call it, ‘the stock up your snack bar phase’, to disinfectants and toilet supplies and now back to baking and hair supplies.

Many people cannot book salon appointments because of the stay-at-home orders in many states and they have taken matters into their own hands.

“People are starting to need a haircut,” McMillon said. “You see more beard trimmers and hair color and things like that. It’s interesting to watch the dynamic play out,” McMillon added.

With the panic buying comes an increase in sales for these items being purchased. At the end of March, baking yeast sales shot up more than “any other packaged goods product.” Specifically, in the weeks ending March 21 and March 28, baking yeast sales grew up 647% and 457% respectively, according to figures cited by CNN.

It then moved to spiral hams becoming the people’s favorite in the week ending April 4, according to Nielson data.

Now hair clippers and hair dyes are the reigning champs with sales rising to 166% and 23% respectfully.

The average American is now cropping their own hair or dying them on their own. Many celebrities have also embraced their own natural hair during this lockdown, and some are rocking their grey hair as well.

All these because social distancing measures must be enforced. Monique Campbell, the owner of Endless Extensions in Dallas, told the Dallas Morning News the strain salon closures have put on their businesses financially even though it is all for the right reasons.

“By asking a stylist to come to you or you going to them, it’s still very high risk,” she said. “I don’t want to put myself at risk [of catching the coronavirus] just to make sure someone’s hair is pretty.”

Only businesses providing essential services can operate at the moment. Cheers to all the lovely meals being prepared in our kitchens and all the hair experiments being made and are yet to be made. Because honestly, we all need to stay at home to be safe.