The barbers of the Idomeni refugee camp

Locks of hair fall to the ground and the latest hairstyles emerge as customers sit on chairs under the open sky at the makeshift Idomeni refugee camp. The lineup of barbers at work are one of the more unusual sites at the camp on the Greek-Macedonian border.

Thousands of refugees and migrants who made it across the Aegean -- fleeing wars and conflict in Iraq and Syria -- are running out of options as the closure of the Greek border with Macedonia (9 March) enters its third month. Survival and economic viability is getting harder for them.

Many have fallen back on the livelihoods they relied upon in their native countries or have started small businesses selling cigarettes, food and setting up hair cutting services. But the hairdressers find themselves practicing their profession with a bare minimum of tools. 

Abo Mohammed, a Syrian refugee from Aleppo who was recently forced from his home after yet another Syrian government offensive to encircle the city, started to work as a barber in the camp a month after his arrival so that he could cover the high cost of life in Greece.

"I was working as barber in Aleppo, but because of the heavy shelling from the Assad regime and Russian air power, I decided to migrate with my children to Europe to find a better future for them," he said, standing by the small wooden table that now serves as his makeshift hair cutting stall. Equipped with just a pair of scissors, a cloudy mirror and an electric shaver, he powers his shaver using a power outlet from a nearby Greek restaurant. He charges his customers two to three Euros per haircut. 

"I have kids and what the non-governmental organisations give us is not sufficient to meet the needs of my children, so I decided to do something else to earn more money," Abo Mohammed stressed.