Iraqi women embrace home-based beauty services for Eid season

Shafaq News / Iraqi Women Prefer Home-based Beauty Services during Eid Season.

As the Eid Al-Fitr holiday approaches, many Iraqi women opt for alternative beauty services to traditional salons.

In the past week of Ramadan, there has been a surge in demand for “Haffafas,” or home-based beauty services, which continues until the end of the Eid holiday season.

These services offer hair removal, hair coloring, haircuts, and skincare treatments to women, allowing them to feel more comfortable and beautiful during the holiday season.

In addition to Haffafas, many women also visit beauty centers or “Beauty Centers” for similar services. However, due to their high prices and the long waiting times during the Eid season, many women prefer to choose Haffafas for the sake of convenience and affordability.

According to Haffafa "Um Yazan" from al-Diwabiyah governorate, "There are two types of Haffafas, scissors and hand, depending on the preference of the customer who comes to the house." She also points out that "This profession thrives during holiday seasons and religious occasions such as the (Farhat al-Zahra) at the end of Muharram."

Um Yazan also explains to Shafaq News Agency that "Women prefer Haffafas over salons because in the latter, the work is done quickly, and they do not clean the face properly, unlike Haffafas who take care of them. Also, it saves time because salons are overcrowded with women during the Eid season. In the house, the Haffafa service does not exceed an hour for the customer."

Regarding the fees, Um Yazan clarifies that "Most women who use Haffafas cannot afford the high costs of salons," adding that "the prices for facial and eyebrow Haffafas vary between regions and governorates, starting from 3,000 dinars in poor areas and reaching up to 15,000 dinars, sometimes more, in upscale areas of Baghdad."

Meanwhile, Um Riham from a rural area in al-Diwaniyah points out that she chooses Haffafa "Um Yazan" because of its proximity to her home. "I cannot bear the hassle and cost of going to the salon outside the village in the city, which requires the husband's permission first to leave the village and then to arrange transportation to the salon and back. All of this is not needed when going to Haffafa."