How safe is your beauty salon?

Apparently, Maria had recently gone for a pubic hair and eyebrow waxing at a beauty salon that she has frequented for years. It is in this salon that she has the procedures done  at least once a month. She could not believe that she had contracted herpes in this place. But since she had never  had sex, she had to believe the doctor. 

Excited women stream into hair salons all over the country every minute. They then feverishly pick up a magazine that is jam-packed with the most beautiful faces this side of heaven, and hungrily flip through its pages. Finally, they resolutely jab at Beyoncé’s coy, or Madonna’s forever-young face and state with determination, ‘I want to look like this!’ 

They look for a new identity: new nails, new legs, new hair, new skin, and the salon workers, determined to make a profit and attract even more beauty seekers promise the world. So, they scrape, scrub, straighten, colour, curl, steam, massage, tweeze, clip, wax, and relax — anything  to try and make their clients look like beautiful.  The women then confidently strut out of the salons flaunting their new selves. 

Maria did what many women do when they believe they have unattractive body hair (pubic, leg, arm-pit, or eyebrow). She went for what is called waxing in beautyspeak. The procedure involves someone smearing warm, melted wax on the hair with a cloth or spatula. After the wax has cooled and clung onto the strands of hair, it is ripped off in one swipe, pulling the unwanted hair from its roots, and leaving a smarting, but smoother skin surface. This method of unwanted hair removal leaves the area smooth for a longer period than shaving or using hair removal creams. 

Unfortunately, for Maria, some unwanted was ripped off, but some other was smacked on. 

Says, Dr. Omondi Ogutu, a gynaecologist who also works at Kenyatta National Hospital: “It may be that the implements used to do the waxing for Maria, for example, the cloth or spatula used to smear the hot wax on the hair were not properly sterilised and the client before Maria had herpes, so the virus was transmitted from one client to another. The wax may also  not have been hot enough to kill the virus. Transmission can be from client to client, client to worker or worker to client, so one can never be too careful.” 

Equipment

Priscilla Munda, who owns Rich Manna Beauty Parlour agrees, and says: “My science background has helped me to be very careful about hygiene now that I run my own salon. Maria’s experience underscores the need to ensure that equipment used on any client is properly sterilised especially when clipping, shaving, or trimming hair and nails; piercing the ears, cutting cuticles, and so on. 

"We normally make sure that brand new razor-blades are opened in front of the client and discarded after use. Electrical equipment should also be regularly and adequately sterilised and heating appliances stored, and used at a safe distance from the client. If this is not ensured, one can end up with appalling infections, cuts, bruises and burns,” she asserts. 

The issue of safety in hair and beauty salons is becoming more important as consumers become more aware of their rights, but a majority of salon-goers are still very ignorant of the dangers that lurk behind the doors of a hair salon. For a mere Sh200 to Sh2,000, Kenyan women looking for beauty may end up with a disease that costs Sh200,000 to treat. 

Germs that cause contagious diseases (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) are mostly found on the scalp, skin surfaces, in the eyes or nose, and in body fluids. A certificate of registration displayed on the wall is good but not good enough. As a consumer, it is important to be critical when you walk into a hair salon. 

Make sure that you first scan the surroundings to see if the place gives a clear impression of cleanliness, safety and relaxation, where staff look professional, confident and clean. Many botched procedures and accidents take place in a dirty, congested beauty salon. 

Says Priscilla, “clients can get fungal infections like ringworm, Candida, or even athlete’s foot during pedicures if the salon is not clean and where the staff do not ensure that anything they use on a client is sterile.  They can also end up getting viral infections like herpes if the capillaries under the skin are exposed through shaving, waxing, and even shampooing.” 

Towels 

Towels throw a party in dark, damp, and dirty places. Damp and dirty towels can breed and spread all manner of infections that sprout into unsightly rashes and sores on the skin. Grimy brushes, combs and rollers, especially when used on different clients in succession without being cleaned, are notorious for spreading dandruff, ringworms, lice, and myriad scalp ailments.

Though research is still being carried out to find the link between some strokes and the hair salon experience, some women have been known to develop all manner of spine and other complications after going for a hair wash at the salon. 

Apparently, salon sinks can be so low down that jamming a client’s head into it backwards in order to wash the hair, means that the head is yanked and pulled back too much as to overextend the neck and back muscles. Women find themselves in contorting postures that would test even the most flexible gymnast as they stretch and strain to lean backwards into the sink for a wash! 

Hands and feet

Many women and even men today, routinely go for a manicure and pedicure, which includes cleaning the nails, trimming, filing, cutting of cuticles, and finally massaging, and polishing or gluing on false nails. There are conflicting views on whether cutting cuticles is good or bad for nails. Some believe that cuticles are meant to be left alone because they protect the nails and fingers from fungal and other infections entering the nail area, while others believe that cuticles that are not regularly trimmed down lead to infections. 

Those who go for pedicures, which is the same procedure as a manicure, but for the feet are sometimes even more at risk of contracting foot diseases.  Whirlpool footbaths are in vogue, but many low-cost salons use little plastic basin. Again, if not properly drained and cleaned with an effective disinfectant between clients, these spas are notorious breeding grounds for bacteria that can lead to boils, ulcers, open sores and scarring that may need serious medical treatment. 

Research shows that all equipment should be soaked for at least six hours each week with a bleach solution. Whirlpool foot tubs should run with a disinfectant between customers and then drained to ensure that there are not germs trapped in the jets as scrubbing alone is not enough. Another germ trapper is the pumice stone. 

Many salons, even the most reputable ones, use the same stone without proper cleaning between clients. Have you ever wondered what happens to your feet when a stone which has been used on a client with cracked heels is immediately used on you with only hot water from the boiling kettle run over it? 

Some clients also develop allergies to certain nail polishes, or react negatively to the glue used to fasten false nails. If the area around a finger nail starts to pain, swell, turn red, black, or green, and if the finger swells into the shape of a hammer, the manicurist probably did not do her job well, and a quick check might reveal one infection or another that needs quick treatment. Making sure that the nail files, toe separators, buffers, and scissors are well-cleaned can make a world of difference between beauty and horror results!

A salon that prominently displays dry, well-folded towels is passing an all-important loud and clear message of hygiene and professionalism. Carelessly strewn electrical equipment, especially scalding hot tongs can lead to serious burn accidents. In addition, trailing electrical cables that are not tucked away from the walking area and soapy, wet floors can lead to a client tripping and slipping dangerously. 

Sourcing of products 

Some hair salons smell like a chemical factory with dark, pungent fumes emanating from all manner of relaxing and colouring agents smeared generously on willing but ignorant clients.  How safe are these fumes for the worker as well as the client when inhaled or left on the scalp for too long? 

Some workers and clients have been known to develop eczema, asthma, hives, and recurring fevers from long inhalation of these chemical fumes in cramped and poorly ventilated salons. It is not once that people also suffer all manner of allergies, burns, pus-filled blisters, horrific receding hairlines, and unspeakable balding patches from harmful chemicals used in hair salons. 

This can be because the worker is poorly trained in the use of these products or the products themselves are of very poor quality. Products should be sourced from reputable suppliers. Constant feedback from clients helps determine the better products.

Workers

Says Priscilla: “It is also important to have workers whom you can talk to freely about body odour, dress code and freshening up regularly during the day, and professional demeanour. Who wants to have a stylist with active TB coughing forcefully into your face as she washes your hair, or tweezes your eyebrows? 

"Who wants a stylist who hops from rolling your hair, to scrubbing another client over the sink, to styling your neighbour quickly, to munching a packet of crisps, to yakking into her mobile, to picking her nose, and back to rolling your hair in one clean sweep without washing her hands or the combs she is using? Who wants a stylist who criss-crosses scalding hot tongs across your eyeballs and wonders why you look frazzled? The hair salon is supposed to be a place to relax and de-stress, not a war zone.

"Then there is the problem of clients who follow their stylists all over town. Some of these stylists will move from a clean environment where you can see towels are laundered daily to places where water has to be fetched from God knows where. No matter how good your stylist is, think about your safety and make a wise choice even if it means looking for a new stylist."

Rose recounts how she got ringworms because of hopping into different salons after her stylist.

"I had never had ringworms before and wondered where they could have come from. It is only when I went to see the doctor because they kept recurring and he asked me whether I was sharing towels that I realised the towels being draped around my shoulders in the new salon were not very fresh. I dumped the hairdresser."

People with certain conditions have to be especially careful when they visit the hair salon.  For example, diabetics must avoid sores as they don’t heal quickly, and very young children should avoid permanent treatment with chemicals as their scalps are much more sensitive. 

The problem with the beauty industry is that there is no umbrella body to ensure a certain level of professionalism and anything goes for certain enterprises.

What about the legal perspective?  Says Samuel Irungu a Nairobi  lawyer: “The client is assumed to take up all the risks the minute they walk in for service at the salon, unless obvious negligence can be proved for botched procedures, burns and so on.  Most salons also take liability covers in case they are sued for some damage or other.”

The important thing to remember is that prevention is better than cure, and that salons are generally safe as long as everything is properly sanitised, and the workers well trained for best service.  It is up to them to prove this to you, and for you to choose wisely.

And never feel embarrassed to ask the one working on you to use fresh implements. You are paying for it so make sure you are happy where you are.

What to look out for

Sit in the waiting chairs at the reception and scan the salon deliberately before you agree to have your beauty treatment. You have a right to note or ask about the following: 

--Do the women look relaxed and happy at the sinks, steamers and driers, or are they flustered, sweating, and scowling? 

--Are brand new razor-blades opened per client and immediately discarded after use? 

--Are electrical equipment obviously sterilised and a clean set picked out per client? 

--Are heating appliances stored, and used, a safe distance away from the client? 

--Does the ambience look safe and relaxing? 

--Are the staff members clean, courteous, confident, and professional? 

--Is the floor clean and free of moisture, and loose cables?

--Are the combs, brushes, rollers, pins obviously displayed and thoroughly sterilized before being used on different clients? 

--Is the air you are breathing in the salon clean from good ventilation or is the sensation one of being stifled in a bunker underground? 

--Do you feel confident that the sinks are clean, the products good and well-labelled? 

--Is the soiled equipment kept with the clean equipment, or picked off the floor and reused?