Hairdressing and Dermatitis

Health and safety guidance for hairdressers on what you should do to avoid dermatitis at work.

Up to 70% of hairdressers suffer from some sort of skin damage.

Our Bad Hand Day campaign aims to raise awareness of how to keep your hands healthy and cut out dermatitis.

The key messages are to use disposable non-latex gloves, dry your hands thoroughly and moisturise to keep your hands healthy.

What is Dermatitis?

Dermatitis can be caused by the skin coming into contact with:

• chemicals, including some hairdressing products and shampoos

• frequent contact with water for more than two hours a day

Signs can be redness, itching, scaling and blistering. If it gets worse the skin can crack and bleed and the dermatitis can spread all over the body. It can be bad enough to keep you off work and serious enough to force you to change jobs.

If it is spotted early and adequate precautions are taken, most people will make a full recovery. But some people can be affected for life.

What Should You Do?

• Inform and instruct your employees on the need to use hairdressing products safely

• Read the labels and the safety data sheets for the hairdressing products you are using and follow the safety instructions

• Replace hairdressing products with safer alternatives

• Avoid carrying out activities which increase the risk of developing dermatitis

• Regularly check the condition of the skin on your hands for signs of dermatitis

• Prevent dermatitis by wearing suitable disposable non-latex gloves

• Encourage your employees to use a skin moisturising cream to help replace skin oils