I decided to start an online quiz game involving hair services. I wanted to use that to more into depth about typical things surrounding the hair industry.
Relaxers or permanent straighteners on children
It's best to not put a relaxer into a child's hair until they come on their cycle. There is something delicate about a child hair & scalp. A relaxer is corrosive. I learned this about 20 years ago in a salon I used to work in. Another stylist learned this because her daughters hair wouldn't take to the relaxer until after she was around 13. They kept breaking her hair until then.
There are MANY medical articles that support this theory. Most of the time I always recommend clients to let their daughters stay natural as long as possible.
Color, permanent lightening, & other services on kids
Bleach or lightner is also a corrosive chemical. I do not recommend allowing children to receive these services. I am not alone with this opinion. I've found several articles agreeing with this statement.
I learned the hard way putting it in a child under 12 years old per the parents request. I was lightening the ends of locs(dreads).
The child jumped up while my back was turned and resulted in the bleach splashing everywhere. So even if you choose to do these services, the child lacks the maturity to sit still and be conscious there is a corrosive chemical in their hair. It's a liability issue.
1st opinion
"Joe Greco, principal scientist of Global Baby R&D at Johnson's recommends waiting until after the age of 12 as the child's hair is still developing. Noting that 12 is between adult and baby hair stages which means it can be safe to apply bleach or color to the hair."
-Source:Parentherald.com
2nd opinion
“According to dermatologists, you should avoid ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and paraphenylenediamine (a chemical frequently found in permanent hair dyes),” says Gina Posner, MD, pediatrician at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. “These all can cause very bad reactions.”
“Kids tend to be more sensitive to products, so they can have allergies. Also, their hair is finer, making it is more susceptible to damage, so it can injure the hair more. Kids’ scalps are definitely more sensitive than adults.”
“Kids hair is special, still developing, and is different from baby and adult hair,” Greco says.
Source: SheKnows.com
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Dawn Michelle Williams is a licensed cosmetologist for the state of Maryland since the year 2000. She is the owner of Dawn Michelle's Salon in Hyattsville Maryland specializing in natural hairstyles. For information & appointments visit https://DawnMichelleSalon.com
Notes from the author:
I have a "Tales from a hairdresser " YouTube exclusive podcast series https://tinyurl.com/TalesFromAhairdresser
Those episodes drop 1x monthly during "on" seasons.. These blog articles dedicated to this subject drop every Tuesday at 3 pm EST.
During our "on" seasons for "Research Shows
….." podcast I have a segment dedicated to" Tales from a hairdresser ". Episodes air weekly Tuesdays at 3pm EST on most streaming platforms
. Click the link below to listen.
