Hairdressers - should they be regulated?

Jan. 20, 2015 - PRLog -- Llanelli MP Nia Griffith has raised in parliament the need for hairdressers to be regulated for their professional work this month. She had been “quite shocked” to discover that you actually do not need any formal qualifications to practice as a hairdresser: “At the moment there is nothing to protect the consumer from the unscrupulous or the incompetent. And when you think that hairdressing involves using powerful chemicals, as well as sharp implements and styling equipment which can inflict burns, that is frightening and simply not acceptable in this day and age.

‘When things do go wrong, it can be very distressing for the person concerned, and ultimately, if medical treatment is needed, it is likely to be the NHS, that is the taxpayer, who picks up the bill” said Nia.

Although the Hairdressing Council was created under the Hairdressing (Registration) Act 1964, it has remained entirely voluntary to register with the Council and they estimate that only about 10% of hairdressers are in fact registered. A hairdresser can register with the Council if appropriately qualified or after 6 years practice as a hairdresser. As Nia Griffith MP argued, this is sharp contrast with Australia, the USA and most other European countries.

The response of the Works and Pensions Minister Mark Harper was that compulsory registration could not guarantee the quality of hairdressers; and that those who were poor at the job went out of business very quickly. A compulsory register would cost the industry £75 million per annum.

Sian Evans, solicitor at NewLaw Solicitors supports the call for compulsory registration: “Whilst those poor quality hairdressers may not survive in the business for very long, their customers are at their mercy in the meantime and, as Nia Griffith points out, dangerous chemicals are used by the industry.”

NewLaw client Maria Sully visited a hairdresser in readiness for her wedding day, like so many brides do before their special day. She was simply intending to have her roots coloured in time for her wedding 2 days later. The colours were applied but were left on longer than she was used to. A patch test was not conducted by the hairdresser on this occasion.  When the colours were removed, Maria was horrified to discover that her roots were orange, yet the ends of her hair were yellow. Toners were applied to darken the hair however it was left looking grey with silver highlights.

Maria was so upset at the colour of her hair that she chose mostly black and white photographs to record her wedding day. Her scalp became increasingly sore after the treatment, and was particularly painful on the day of her wedding as she had to wear her hair up to disguise its condition. Her scalp remained sore throughout her honeymoon, so much so that she could not swim in the pool for the first couple of days. After her return, Maria had to have her hair and shortened it by 2 inches as the ends were so brittle.

Maria commented: “No compensation can ever make up for my wedding day being ruined. I was so upset for the way my hair looked, the changes I had to make to compensate for my wedding pictures, the discomfort of a burnt scalp and the added pressure of whether my hair would return to the way they used to be. This was supposed to be the most wonderful day of my life.”

Sian Evans from NewLaw solicitors said: “Customers being treated by unqualified or inexperienced hairdressers are exposed to potentially harmful chemicals as part of their treatment which can lead to very upsetting experiences such as Maria’s or, even worse, to a permanent injury.. As a country we spend approximately £6 billion each year on hairdressing, therefore £75 million in comparison does not seem unreasonable to ensure customer’s safety.”

It is worth noting the Hairdressing Council’s top ten things that can go wrong:

Burns: Improper use of bleaches can burn the scalp
Shock: The chemical Phenylenediamine in permanent dye can trigger anaphylactic shock
Loss: Too much bleach can cause hair to fall out
Breaks: Certain priming fluids used inappropriately can break hair
Trauma: Having a bad hair cut can cause trauma and stress
Cuts: Dirty scissors or razors can cause infections
Dye: Once a hair dye has gone wrong, inexperienced hairdressers will keep on dying the hair which can make it worse
Extensions: Bad ones can pull hair out
Testing: Patch testing should be done 48 hours before any chemicals are used to test for allergies
Accidents: No formal training is required to be a hairdresser