How Washing Your Hair At The Salon Can Be Very Harmful To Your Health

From the beginning of time, men and women have gone to great lengths to attain an attractive physical appearance. Spa treatments for beauty and relaxation are indulgences that can feel as good as taking a mini vacation.

But did you ever think that the pursuit of beauty and pampering could cause a stroke? While reports of stroke resulting from salon and spa techniques are by no means common, there have been enough strokes caused by professional beauty treatments over the years to warrant the familiar name ‘beauty parlor stroke syndrome’ in the medical community, VeryWellHealth.com reports.

There have been reports of patients who have experienced a stroke after professional hair styling. A research study published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation attempted to unravel the cause of beauty parlor stroke syndrome.

The study assessed 25 volunteers who reported dizziness after salon hair styling. The results suggest that dizziness is produced by decreased blood flow to the brain caused by neck extension during the shampoo phase of the hair service.

Customers who were provided with cervical neck support during the shampoo experienced less dizziness. Additionally, there were measurable decreases in blood flow to the carotid artery with salon sink shampoo without cervical neck support and no measurable decreases in blood flow with the use of cervical neck support. It is possible that the vertebral artery (located at the back of the neck) is minimally affected as well.

If you’ve ever had your hair shampooed or regularly shampoo hair at the salon you stand a risk of dying or at least have a stroke!

Several studies have also continuously shown that a lot of manhandling goes on at the salon especially when you have to get a wash.

This means that every time you get a retouch, want to get new weaves in, take out a weave, etc that involves you washing your hair before and after leaves you at a risk of dying or at the very least a life threatening stroke.

Here’s how it happens; to get your hair clean, you wash your hair at the sink leaning back (to make sure relaxer, shampoo and water doesn’t get on the face so back’s slightly arched, chest kinda out and the nape of your neck rests on the rim of the sink/basin (to lather up, “rinse and repeat” where need be)!

In this position, what’s described as ‘beauty salon stroke syndrome‘ happens!

Simply putting the artery at the back of the neck stands a high risk of being damaged when the head is bent in that position and when this happens there would be a blood clot which can result into stroke amongst other serious health issues which can result into death!

True, a lot of salons try to make clients as comfortable as possible, they care about the temperature of the water used to wash the hair (so as not to scald the scalp where warm water is intended to be used) but most important is the position of the head and especially the nape of the neck as the sink’s rim can damage the artery at the back of one’s neck and once this happens then there’s a big problem.

Dave Tyler was in the news months ago after he suffered a massive stroke as a result of a blood clot when his head was bent to the back over a basin to wash his hair at a salon in Brighton, he lived to tell the story but his life didn’t remain the same afterwards!

So what’s the best way to wash and rinse hair in salon? Padded cushions on sink to create a soft barrier between the area and the neck reduces the risks of bursting an artery.

The next time you need to get a wash in the salon, make sure the sink is padded or at least the nape of your neck is and if you feel uncomfortable, adjust immediately.

Note that when you damage an artery in this way and if you don’t die but ‘only’ suffer a stroke, even then life will never be the same as it comes with permanent damage!

The next time you need to get that wash, make sure the nape of your neck is safely cushioned at the very least.