Hairdresser in glove with campaign

A top hairdresser who has a salon in Ampthill is waving goodbye to 'bad hand days' by supporting a campaign to help prevent skin conditions striking colleagues.

A trial commissioned by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has revealed that hairdressers say 'yes' to reducing their very high chances of getting dermatitis and other uncomfortable skin problems by wearing non-latex gloves during their work.



Owing to the amount of contact that hairdressers have with chemicals in hair products and water, hairdressers are 17 times more likely to suffer from work-related skin damage including dermatitis than any other group of workers.



This means that 70 per cent of hairdressers may suffer from skin damage at some point during their career.



Hairdresser Steve Hilliard, owner of Steve Hilliard Hairdressing, is supporting the HSE campaign.



Mr Hilliard, whose salons in Barton Road, Luton, and Ampthill operate a strict policy regarding the use of gloves, said: "A hairdresser's hands can be wet all day because you are shampooing, neutralising or rinsing off colours.

"There are so many chemicals in shampoos and conditioners, let alone perm solutions and semi-permanent and permanent dyes.



"We advise all staff at our salons on how important it is to wear non-latex gloves to protect their hands. We also advise them to dry their hands regularly and use barrier creams when doing wet work.



"We encourage staff to take these simple measures because if hairdressers don't look after their hands it can bring a premature end to their career."



As dermatitis and other skin conditions can be painful as well as unsightly, sufferers are often forced to take time off work - with costs for the business and the hairdresser.



Now HSE is encouraging Britain's hairdressers to wave goodbye to work-related skin conditions by getting 'gloved-up'.