Colouring/hair chemical agents-haidresser occupational hazard

Really, I don't think I want to colour my hair:

Already I've had 2 highly experienced hairdressers over the years, working as hair stylists for over 15-20 yrs.

The colouring, perming and straightening chemical agents are toxic to their health. Just had my haircut and blow dry a few days ago. My hairdresser says that if the salon door is closed, the colouring agent fumes have affected her sinuses so much that she is affected by the end of day. There is a hair stylist working less than 5 ft. away whose primary job is hair colouring and bleaching jobs.

:( It's awful.

For the sake of other people's health, I now don't want to colour my hair. (Not that I want to nor have done so in the past. I've had 2 hair perms in my life. That's it. It turned my black hair slightly brown.) Then there is the health impact effect on myself, especially if i want to go drastic, ie. blonde :p..ie. that would take a powerful chemical agent to achieve this. :( Also did some searching around on PubMed database, U.S. National Institutes' of Medicine database. There's nothing conclusive that stuff is safe over many years of hair colouring use.

I'm sorry to be a fashion de-bubbler. Just to meet and know someone who is physically sick from daily exposure to hair chemical agents, is sad.

If you don't want to color your hair, then don't. But people get sinus trouble from all kinds of things -- or think they do.

Concern about hair coloring safety is by no means new.

Both hair stylists have gone to their doctors and been advised a number of things or change jobs.

No need to be peeved at me in particular.
Frankly I never paid any attention about hazards of prolonged use/exposure to hair chemical agents in the past --simply because my hair has never been coloured. Therefore I never looked into the issue previously.

Sorry if I sound like a dummy.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound peeved.

Apology accepted.

I feel sorry for my present hair stylist --hair styling is genuinely her calling. She loves making people happy by giving them a new cut. One can tell by her expert cutting and how she assesses her clients. I've had her for 7 yrs.

She is in her late 40's and hence has not obtained any other skill, a single Mom, turned grandmother recently.

And the salon she works in..is ok..abit of a factory with many other hair stylists.

Didn't have her chemical exposure problem before because she ran her own salon and it was just her in the salon. So her exposure to chemicals was way less.

In Quebec, hairstylists who become pregnant are preventively taken off work as soon as they find out they are pregnant, and benefit from some kind of insurance to cover for their loss of revenue. I believe it's primarily because of the chemicals used. It drives me nuts to see pregnant hairstylists at work here in British Columbia...

My sister is a cosmetologist. She has never really complained about chemical contact or fumes, but that may be because the salon she works for has proper ventilation. It also may be because she's a smoker, and they don't affect her as much because of what she's already inhaling?

She has developed wrist problems as a result of the motions of her job, though, and she's only 22. She also cuts her fingers quite often, so her hands are usually covered with bandaids.

That said, she prefers doing color and would be disappointed if any of her clients stopped coloring their hair - it is the procedure she earns the most money for based on time investment (she works for a salon that has a standard low price for haircuts) and it allows her a little more artistic freedom.

There *must* be an environmentally friendly way to colour one's hair - there would obviously be a market for it - aside from henna. No?

any time you lighten hair you have to use a developer. bleach almost always comes in powder form, which always takes my breath away when i use it. i try to turn my head. some are "dust free" and paul mitchell has a "lighten up" cream bleach, but you still have to mix it with the developer. the developers come in different volumes or strengths. the higher the number the stronger the lift. even to just deposit color, ie go darker, you have to use a developer. i have always had sinus issues before i started doing color, and i am dealing with some sinusitus now, but, i really think it is from the pollen. i really think it is one of those things that affects everyone differently. oh, and our perms smell like the dump, thankfully, no one really gets those anymore. i would love to change careers though. for more reasons than the chemicals. hah! :p

I think being a hair stylist has got to be a super-tough job, even putting aside the chemical aspects. They are on their feet all day, really not making that much money and subject to the whims of crazy women. I try to be super-nice to my stylist, but I think a lot of women expect miracles. It takes a special person to stay patient and calm all day with that sort of stress.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tctrek

I think being a hair stylist has got to be a super-tough job, even putting aside the chemical aspects. They are on their feet all day, really not making that much money and subject to the whims of crazy women. I try to be super-nice to my stylist, but I think a lot of women expect miracles. It takes a special person to stay patient and calm all day with that sort of stress.

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I totally agree, tctrek. Being on one's feet for many years...can mean higher probability of backaches or achy legs at least.

Grog, just doing a database search on medical database..one does come up with health studies on hairdressers. I can't recall..henna is ok..if there are no skin breaks but one would need to research this.

I recall reading somewhere that use of hair spray should be in a ventilated area or do it outdoors on the back porch.

Their chemical air exposure hazard..is similar to some things that artists experience working with their turpentine, solvents in enclosed areas. I know I get a headache from oil painting with certain solvents or turpentine...even with cross-ventilation from several windows flung open and balcony door. I'm doing it within 3 ft. of a wide open balcony door. And I still get a slight headache! This is why more people are turning to acrylic painting.

But it shouldn't be surprise re: hairdressers, if some of us are bothered by heavy perfumes or fragrant air fresheners for a long time.

Softthings: Hope you monitor your health for awhile and patterns.

@tctrek, i am so glad some people realize how crazy the general public can be. haha. working in atlanta i had that problem of too high of expectations. now in the smaller town i am in, people are so stoked just to have a good haircut. i feel sane again. my quote for most of my time working in atlanta was that "it's a haircut, not a miracle."

@shootingstar, thank you. i do monitor my health due to other health problems. drs never really talk about any of the chemicals i work around. well, maybe one, a chiro i had a few years ago was concerned.

i will say that i do feel the salon i am working in is very well ventilated though. the only time i feel too close to chemicals is when i am mixing them and after i pull out foils from someone who has had bleach highlights. it can take your breath away sometimes. all that ammonia. bleh. somebodys gotta do it, right? :o

My MIL is in her early 60s and has been a hairdresser for 30+ years. She loves what she does and loves her clients as well. I never thought about the chemicals involved to tell the truth......just worried about all the cigarettes smoked between clients!

Before posting, I really should check out some facts first, but for covering gray hair, I go to a salon that uses Aveda products, and the coloring product does not have any fumes that I can detect, and I believe it's more people-friendly than the really strong coloring agents. I believe healthier products are bound to be developed (or maybe already have been).

I color my own hair, at home, using professional products. I've experienced no problems... that said, I wish I never started. yes I like the look of freshly colored hair for many reasons (it's softer, more manageable, shinier etc) but the routine is a drag. I am 59 1/2 years old. I will stop coloring hair when I hit 60. It may be a shock to see what color my hair really is. I am afraid!

Oddly enough, coloring my hair is the best way to control the psoriasis on my scalp! It does much better at controlling it than anything the doctors have subscribed. My hair stylist has told me that he knows others with the same experience. An odd, though positive, side-effect :)

@kjay, aveda does use the same developers as all the other color systems out there. if you are just doing color, you don't get the fumey smell like you would if you were doing bleach or a high lift blonde.

The American Cancer Society's summary of current research suggests that risk is very limited: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/co...X_Hair_Dye.asp