AUSTIN, Texas — Barber shops, as well as hair, nail, and tanning salons are allowed to reopen this Friday, and one self-employed hair stylist couldn't be more excited to see her clients. 

“I’ve been a licensed hair stylist for 31 years, nearly 32 years," said Vicki Lynn. "I’ve been self-employed for probably about 26 years now.”

Lynn loves the independence of being a self-employed hair stylist. 

“I enjoy being in charge of my everything, being in charge of my schedule, who I can see as a client," said Lynn. "There's so many different avenues that you can take in this business, and I do a lot of different things so it's cool just being in charge of my own future in this business."

She says her favorite part of the job is spending time with her clients, but due to COVID-19, she stopped working for the first time in more than three decades. 

“The relationships are awesome, you know, they become like family. I didn't think I would get emotional. It devastated me. I have been working since I was a teenager, since I was 15. And I've always been able to provide for myself. And then I had my daughter at a young age. I was 19 when she was born, [but] I've always been able to work and provide."

After more than a month of uncertainty, Abbott announced that on May 8 hair salons would be among the businesses allowed to reopen.

“As soon as he said the word ‘salons’ my phone started going off, all the notifications, Facebook notifications, text messages," said Lynn. 

She plans on seeing clients Friday, and says she’ll follow all the safety guidelines outlined by the governor’s office. 

“We were trained to take the extra precautions for sanitation and sterilization like when we take our state board exam, when you're in beauty school, they drill this in your brain," said Lynn. 

Even though she’s excited to return to work, the risk is still on her mind. 

“I am a little nervous because there's still so much unknown," said Lynn. 

“No one is being required to open up. Every owner of every salon should use their own best judgment about when is it going to be best for them to safely open.”​ Abbott said in a press conference on Wednesday.

“I have some friends and family members in the industry that you know have underlying health issues, or that just aren't real comfortable with the information that's out there. So a lot of people are choosing to stay home, but I'm ready to come to work," said Lynn. “My first appointment is going to be five o'clock Friday morning.”