Today I'm going to delve into a highly controversial topic, which is on colouring, bleaching and perming children’s hair. This issue tends to spark a heated debate among hairdressers, as there are those who are against the idea right off the bat, whereas others can be persuaded with a signed parental consent and argue that there is nothing wrong with it (usually sharing pictures of their own children with mermaid teal and bubblegum pink on their little heads). One side says it’s unhealthy, the other claims that you shouldn’t stop kids’ creativity and a need for self-expression from blooming. So who's right? Well, if you are for chemically treating children's hair, then you're in a tough predicament, as doing so is not the best idea. Let’s take a look at 10 reasons why you should think twice before performing the more intense hair services on minors.
Now, let’s begin with some facts. In the UK, there is no law preventing you from performing a chemical service on a minor. However, most manufacturers state that their products are not intended for anyone under the age of 16 (and for some ingredients, it is absolutely obligatory to include such a statement, according to the EU directives). As you probably know, going against the manufacturer’s guidance is considered product misuse which will void your insurance if a customer files a claim against you. With all of that being said, you can easily get sued for professional negligence if your customer (or rather, their parents) decide to do so.
If you are going against a manufacturer's instructions for use, having the minors’ parents sign the consent form is pretty much pointless. It has no legal power and won’t save you from losing your insurance. It can make you feel better about what you are doing and give a false sense of security and permission. You may think that parents who have signed such a form will not sue you if anything goes south… but you are wrong. Most of them will still do exactly that - and the little piece of paper will not help your cause in any way, shape or form.
What’s so dangerous about a little colour, you may ask. You literally colour the hair of hundreds of clients every year and everything is fine. Well, you have to remember that things that are practically harmless for adults can be harmful to minors. Oftentimes, it is not even about the ingredient itself but its concentration. Nevertheless, the biggest concern is that children’s hair is thinner and more fragile, and their scalps’ skin is more tender, sensitive and prone to allergic reactions. Doctors warn that since children's hair goes through many changes from birth to puberty (colour, thickness, texture), and sometimes even after that, it’s irresponsible to alter their state with harsh chemical treatments before they even develop to its final form. Dyes, bleaches and perm solutions can also cause severe respiratory irritations, especially if the child has asthma. For most people, hairdressing fumes are neither pleasant nor healthy to inhale - for children, they can be extremely aggravating. Let’s not forget about allergic reactions - children are more prone to them, and they can be very severe. You can expect anything from the broken skin, hair loss, hives, itching, and chemical burns, to worst case scenarios, such as respiratory problems, swelling, fainting or even death.
Looking back on the topic of child development - playing with colours at this stage can create some truly negative side effects. Ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, and paraphenylenediamine, commonly used in permanent hair colour, can actually alter the texture of a child’s hair. You want a pretty teal but end up with a matted mess… and parents who are having a fit over why their child's hair looks the way it does even after several washes.
We’ve already discussed how chemical treatments can affect a child's health, state of skin and hair - but even if nothing particularly bad happens, the final effect of the service may still surprise both you and your client. A child's underdeveloped hair is unpredictable and can react differently than an adult's. When you accept the service, you promise to achieve a particular effect, so when the child’s hair doesn’t react as planned, you’ll end up redoing the service until you deliver. So get ready for financial losses and possibly negative reviews.
Chemical hair treatments take hours to perform. Depending on the length of the client's hair, the plain, one-colour service takes anything from two to five hours. Bleaching the hair first adds another hour or so. A few simple highlights are quick to do, but a full balayage takes three hours and up to perform. Perms are the absolute time-taking queens, as for long hair you need at least four to five hours. And those are just estimated periods - some stylists work slower and may also include some conditioning treatments when working on fragile and sensitive hair. For a chronically tired adult, it may be relaxing to spend so much time sitting in a chair. For a hyperactive kid, it is torture. Chemical treatments aren’t always pleasurable and relaxing. Even the most determined kid can get nervous at some point, making the already difficult job almost impossible to perform. You can expect a lot of movement, trembles, whining, crying or even a panic attack. When the scalp is even remotely dry, it will itch or hurt (perms are the worst in this case) and having your hair pulled by heavy rods or weighted with foils is not the most pleasant thing either. Chemical formulas smell bad, get heated, require intensive rinsing in an uncomfortable position… You have to remember that what is a slight inconvenience for an adult can be truly a tiring experience for a minor.
As a kid, you don’t really understand the complexity of getting your hair done. Nowadays, kids see beautiful photos of different hairstyles and colours on social media and they seem perfectly attainable to them. Bear in mind that children are quick to get bored and have a million ideas per second by nature, but having access to the fascinating world of Instagram makes their whims even more unpredictable. You can spend a whole day turning a little girl's hair Little Mermaid crimson, only to get a message from her mom two days after, saying that now she wants to have Elsa's icy blonde. It’s also questionable whether a minor should make a decision that may affect them for a longer term. The period of growing up is a time of intense and very rapid changes in the way of thinking. What seems like your biggest dream when you are ten may be your biggest regret a year later.
It’s difficult enough to persuade an adult to use professional products and follow routines to maintain the effects of a perm or colourization. Do you really think that a child will be willing to waste their time to deeply condition their new curls? Or that parents will have time to style the ringlets every day? How many children are willing to sacrifice a day of playing in the pool to maintain their lilac mane? Taking care of chemically altered hair requires time, money, patience and willingness to regularly come back to the salon for touch-ups. You may say that it is not your business anymore, as you have just delivered the effect your customers wanted. However, no matter how well you explain the maintenance procedures to the parents, you can still be sure that some of them will come back expecting a refund after their sunshine’s pricey turquoise balayage disappeared in their swimming pool.
In most cases, it’s the parents who decide on the children's appearance. Unfortunately, some of them tend to overuse their rights, as they forget that there is a difference between taking care of the child’s look and treating them like a doll whose appearance you can alter however you want. It’s all fun and dandy until you begin altering their look with solutions that affect them in the long term and/or are painful or uncomfortable to get. A child is a human and deserves respect and a joyful childhood, spent on playing, not getting perms or ears pierced.
Lastly - it’s not that anyone is trying to stop children from manifesting their colourful personalities through their hair! It’s actually just the opposite - we want them to have endless opportunities, to experiment and discover themselves. This is why, instead of messing with heavy permanent solutions, it’s best to use semis, spray-on and colourful extensions. This way kids can change their look frequently and safely. They have all the long years of their adulthood to change their hair chemically. Awareness of both your rights and responsibilities is very important in the hair & beauty industry. Remember that there are times when you can and should refuse service - providing chemical treatments to children is one of them. You don’t have to lose a client, though! Prepare harmless alternatives for your young guests and make sure to always perform an allergy test and run the child’s hair history in your Booksy customer records. Remember that by keeping their hair in good condition, you may gain a loyal customer also in their adult life. Sometimes questioning clients’ choices is, in fact, the right thing to do.
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