A fresh cut, a shampoo. A bit of style or fresh-set curl. Maybe even a quick manicure or mini-makeover—all everyday salon services that are usually just an easy booking away. But not for everyone, especially the elderly.
In fact, hair care may be among the most overlooked necessities for seniors—not only does it boost confidence and dignity, but it keeps aging skin, scalps and hair both clean and healthy. Not to mention helping provide the deeply personal—and needed—connection of touch and care. Unfortunately, more often than not, a lack of mobility or accessibility prevents seniors from visiting their favorite salon or barbershop. But one woman is working to change that, one stop at a time.
“Geriatric hair care is so important because it’s designed to cater to a specific demographic and their needs—and it’s been overlooked for a long time,” explains Ashley Warner, cosmetologist and founder of The Geriatric Hair Care Organization, a nonprofit providing free, much-needed salon care to skilled nursing facilities and hospitals.
From the start, Ashley knew how much proper hair maintenance contributes to a person’s quality of life. So, she’s spent the last five years focusing on geriatric care, meeting countless seniors, visiting countless nursing home salons—often finding situations or stylists that were unable to offer bedside washes or haircuts.
“I’ve also seen few in-house salons operating with the efficient scheduling needed to ensure all residents were seen … it’s tough,” Ashley admits. “Washes, cuts, detangling—those are basic hygienic needs. And when those needs are met, you see an increase in the longevity of residents because they feel better. Because they know they look better.” Her motto says it all: Hair care is healthcare.
So she made it a standard. Through research, trial and error, Ashley developed a way to provide full professional services in nursing home salons, as well as extend those services to the bedsides of immobilized residents. But it hasn’t been an easy road.
“I’ve been in very vulnerable situations with residents all over Cincinnati, and I often felt nearly helpless to help them,” Ashley shares about the path of her organization. “I battled with my own morals between earning a living and caring for my own child versus providing services—for free—that are so desperately needed … but that need was so high, I decided to do what I can.”
And what she does is tremendous. Through the GHCO, Ashley travels to area nursing homes where residents receive her services at no cost, eliminating the financial burden for those with little to no funds or without sufficient family financial support. That includes utilizing volunteer cosmetology school students (from Paul Mitchell the School Cincinnati), special tools for those who can’t recline for washes, wheelchair-accessible spaces and workstations, and often manicures and makeup as well.
“Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to salon self-care,” Ashley says. But it’s more than that for her—and it shows, not just with her investment of time, but her care and commitment to the residents themselves.
She knows most of them by name. Knows their histories. Their challenges, their personalities, their preferences. For many, it could be the only time they leave their room that day—to share a conversation, experience human touch, be heard, be seen on such a personal, one-on-one level. To see Ashley’s smile and joy mirrored on so many residents’ faces—it’s clear she’s making an impact.
But her bigger purpose? Speaking for those who can’t advocate for or attain their needs.
“This is my passion, and I feel like I’m witnessing a miracle in a way,” Ashley explains. “By being their voice, I’m changing lives. I just want everyone to feel like they matter. I’ve cried many, many times in the last months because I know these people are finally being recognized.”
But she’s not stopping there. By next year, Ashley hopes to have an open-to-the-public salon for seniors, and intends to extend the welcome to anyone of any age with either physical and/or mental restrictions.
“Everyone should feel good about going to the salon, but sometimes the hustle and bustle of public shops are too over-stimulating or not wheelchair accessible,” Ashley says. “I love the relaxed environment of my salons—I’ve worked with clients who definitely need that atmosphere. My plan is to hire and train specialists for long-term care salons. I also want to get my ‘in-room salon cart’ operating in hospitals, more retirement communities, and other facilities that don’t already have a salon on-site.”
So saying, Ashley needs more funding so she can expand the GHCO—an investment that leads directly toward care for others.
“I’m a one-woman operation,” Ashley smiles. “But there are tons of facilities in Ohio that need a Geriatric Hair Care Specialist, which is why sponsorship and grants are so important for the organization right now. When the funding can support another stylist, we can reach up to 8 healthcare centers per stylist—that’s hundreds of residents!” And hundreds of lives, changed.
This is my passion ... I just want everyone to feel like they matter.
