Before the coronavirus pandemic, Heidi Lee Oley spent her days running the Chroma Station Salon in Atlanta.
But with the spread of COVID-19, she and her boyfriend, Geoffrey Clark, decided to get out of town. They retreated to Oley’s cabin in North Georgia where they could safely social distance and easily let their two dogs outside.
After a while in the wilderness, Oley started to get bored. That's when she decided to use her hairstyling skills on Clark, she told TODAY Style.
“I just had this bright idea to curl his hair and turn him into George Washington, and that’s when it all started,” she said with a laugh.
Since then, her photos of Clark’s elaborate hairstyles have picked up a following. It’s become a daily ritual for the couple with Oley estimating that they spend at least an hour or two on the project each day.
The pictures — always featuring Clark with a new and intriguing hairstyle — have been an absolute hit online.
“I kind of like it because we get a lot of comments from people who are out there — the health care workers and stuff — who say they love coming home and seeing a new picture of me,” Clark told TODAY. “I like that we’re making people smile.”
His personal favorite was probably the "Star Wars"-inspired do.
“The Princess Leia one was good fun,” Clark said, adding that they were in stitches while doing the photo shoot.
Oley said she hopes people are enjoying seeing the fun looks they put together.
“I hope that there can be more openness to having any style that you want, and supporting the person that you love,” she said. “Because there’s no need for judgment (at any time), but especially at a time like this, and it’s just fun.”
They don’t plan to keep up the daily tradition after the quarantine ends, but they may occasionally do a new look here and there.
“We do have a life to get back to,” she said. “But maybe weekly or biweekly … Geoff and his alter ego could reappear.”
