Chemical working environment in the salon — allergies, eczema and ventilation

Hairdressers work daily with water, dyes, bleaching agents and permanent waving solutions — a combination that makes the trade one with the highest incidence of hand eczema and contact allergy. The damage creeps up over years, and once the allergy is there, it is lifelong. Good chemical workplace practice is therefore not a formality, but what determines whether you can stay in the trade.

Some substances in salon products are known to cause allergy or skin irritation. You do not need to know the chemistry by heart, but you must be aware that they exist and treat the products accordingly.

• 01Oxidative hair colours – may contain strongly sensitising dyes; skin contact should be avoided.
• 02Bleaching agents (persulfates) – can cause both skin and respiratory reactions, including asthma.
• 03Permanent and straightening agents – powerful substances with both skin and respiratory tract irritation.
• 04Wet work – constant moisture breaks down the skin's barrier and paves the way for eczema.

Gloves are your primary protection against skin contact with chemicals. Use suitable disposable gloves (typically nitrile rather than latex and vinyl, which provide poorer protection against salon chemicals), change them often, and never put them back on after use. Dry your hands thoroughly before putting on new ones – moist skin under the glove is itself a risk factor.

• 01Choose nitrile gloves for colouring, bleaching and permanent.
• 02Change gloves between tasks and customers – do not reuse.
• 03Avoid powdered latex gloves which can sensitize in themselves.
• 04Tend your skin: use moisturiser after work and remove rings that trap moisture.

Vapours and dust from bleach powder and permanent wave solution must be removed from the breathing zone. Good general ventilation in the salon is the foundation, and when mixing bleach powder you should work so the dust doesn't swirl up — some salons have local extraction at the mixing station. Keep lids on containers and mix bleach powder gently to minimise dust.

Each chemical product has a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and labelling with hazard symbols. The SDS tells you what hazards the product has, what personal protective equipment is required, and what to do in case of spill or accident. It must be accessible at the workplace — learn to look it up so you know the risk of what you are working with.

As an apprentice your skin is not yet used to the strain and bad habits you learn early will follow you. Put on the gloves from day one even when it feels superfluous for a quick task. The skilled hairdresser protects herself just as systematically as she protects the customer's hair.