The long salon lockdown has pushed 35-year-old barber Lina Khaoun into a brand new position: full-time cook cheffing up Cambodian-inspired dinners for delivery and takeout. 

After two decades in the business, Khaoun had been most recently working out of Blood & Bandages Barbershop on College St.

Since the onset of the pandemic, hair salons and barbershops have remained largely closed under stay-at-home orders.

People working in the industry who’ve opted not to illegally participate in Toronto’s black market hair salon scene have been left without work for months.