Noor’s Salon – A Symbol of Hope in Gaza
Noor al-Ghamari set up a tent in the middle of the rubble to help women of Gaza. Who needed a safe place to rest. She wanted to give them a little time for self-care. In the tent, women could relax, talk, and feel cared for, even in the middle of the hardship around them.
Gaza City – Amani Dweima came to the salon with her 16-year-old daughter, Aya.
Amani, who is 39 years old, wants to shape her eyebrows. Aya wants a full face of makeup. They are getting ready for a wedding that will happen after iftar.
Amani says, “My niece is getting married”. We are having a small family gathering to celebrate her before the groom takes her to their tent.”
Challenges of Running a Salon in War-Torn Gaza
The salon is a small blue tent. Inside, there is one table with a broken mirror, hair removal tools, creams, and some makeup.
Outside the tent, in al-Shujaeya, east of Gaza City, a white sign with handwritten words says: “Noor’s Salon.” A curtain covers the entrance, and it hangs nearby.
This salon belongs to Noor al-Ghamari. She is a young woman who left nursing school to follow her dream of working with hair and makeup.
She set up the salon three weeks ago on a broken sidewalk. Furthermore, it was the only place she could use when she and her family returned to the north after being displaced to the south.
After saying hello to Amani and Aya, she takes a small piece of sugaring paste. She gently kneads it in her hands to make it soft, then starts working.
Providing Beauty Services in a Conflict Zone
“Since I opened, so many women have come to me with heartbreaking stories … about losing their families and loved ones. They arrive exhausted, their faces drained of light,” Noor said.
The idea of a beauty salon in the midst of war may seem odd, Amani and Noor agree, but the act of self-care can help women.
“I try to give them a moment of comfort, a small escape. My main goal is for them to leave feeling a little lighter and happier.”
Amani relocated to Deir el-Balah and has only recently returned to the north. In the early days of the war, she never thought about going to a beauty salon.
Later, she found a similar salon in Deir el-Balah and started going as often as she could.
“Taking care of myself changes my mood, especially when I see myself in the mirror. I always want to look neat and presentable.
“The sadness around us never ends. Going to a beauty salon is a small escape from all the difficult times,” she says.
When she returned to the north, she was very happy to see Noor’s Salon. Right away, she told her neighbors and relatives about it.
Noor’s Impact on the Community of Gaza
Noor believes the war has been especially hard on women in Gaza. Furthermore, it has taken away their homes, their safety, and even their ability to care for themselves because they are focused on surviving.
“I saw many women with skin burned by the sun because they live in tents. Moreover, they spend their days cooking over wood fires, washing clothes by hand, and carrying heavy water containers,” she says.
“On top of that, they have no privacy in the crowded camps. And they live in constant fear of bombings and the horrors of war.”
“I met many women who didn’t like even one stray hair on their face or eyebrows. Some came to me every week, while others came now and then,” Noor says.
She remembers one client, a woman in her early 30s, who had suffered a great loss. Furthermore, her parents and all her siblings were killed in an Israeli air raid.
Because of her grief, she lost the desire to do anything.
“I felt so sorry for her,” Noor says.
“I gave her a full treatment—threading, eyebrow shaping, a haircut, and even a free face massage and mask.”
“When she looked in the mirror, her eyes filled with happy tears.”
Holding on to Dreams
Noor was planning to open her own real salon when the war in Gaza started.
Like everyone else, her life changed completely. She, her parents, and her eight siblings had to flee south after Israeli evacuation orders.
For the first two months, she only thought about surviving and helping her family.
“But after some time, when we settled in a displacement camp in the south, I heard women say, ‘I wish there was a hairdresser or a salon nearby so we could take care of ourselves a little.’”
“I would respond: ‘I’m a beautician!’” Noor laughs.
“The women held onto me like I was a treasure, and I started working right away.”
Some women came to her, while she visited others in their tents, depending on what they needed.
Now, her work is an important way to earn money for her and also her family during the war. But she cannot charge her five to eight customers a day very much.
“I live here, I know the situation,” she says, explaining why her prices are low.
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