A large percentage of hair salons in Ireland are failing to protect customers from potential allergic reactions to hair dye. Many salons in the Republic fail to carry out skin allergy tests, recommended by hair dye manufacturers prior to a colour treatment.
For the test, a small amount of dye is applied to the customer’s skin, usually in the crook of their arm or behind their ear. Most hair dye manufacturers recommend doing this 24-48 hours before a hair colour appointment.
Liam Moloney, a Naas based consumer Lawyer commented “it might be inconvenient to have a skin test but consumers should be warned that injuries such as burns, blisters, baldness and extreme swelling can occur in the absence of precautionary testing. At this time of year, people attend salons because they want to look good. If a treatment goes wrong and they experience pain, it can have also have an affect on them psychologically causing anxiety and depression. The majority of these injuries can be avoided if the correct procedures are followed.”
