Salon Owners Research Articles

The American Suntanning Association

The American Suntanning Association

Reducing Chemical Exposures in Nail Salons through Owner and Worker Trainings: An Exploratory Intervention Study

Nail salons represent a rapidly growing industry with mainly Vietnamese immigrant workers. Workers routinely handle nail products containing hazardous compounds, yet have limited accessible information to minimize workplace exposures. We conducted a culturally appropriate pilot intervention on workplace chemical exposure reduction strategies. We trained eight Vietnamese owners, who then trained Vietnamese workers in their salons. We conducted pre-, mid-, and post-intervention assessments with workers, including an in-person survey and personal air monitoring of volatile compounds. Survey results suggested statistically significant increases for chemical knowledge and behavioral changes in glove and mask use, and a reduced prevalence of nose, throat, and skin irritations. Air monitoring results showed a net reduction for methyl methacrylate and total volatile organic compounds, but not for toluene. Worker education disseminated through salon owners to their workers can improve work-related knowledge, behavior, health symptoms, and exposures for select air contaminants, although more research is warranted.

The Style Project: Feasibility of Collaborating With Salons for Prevention and Early Detection of Skin Cancer

Early detection of skin cancer is known to decrease risk of mortality and improve overall outcome.1 Unfortunately, for many people the warning signs of skin cancer are unknown, and the cancer can progress to more aggressive stages before treatment is sought. Training individuals who are easily accessible, approachable, and are part of peoples’ normal routine, such as salon hairstylists, to recognize suspect skin areas and make dermatologist referrals may increase the number of cases of skin cancer that are caught at earlier stages. Salons provide a comfortable environment where health topics are already discussed between stylists and their clients during the appointments.2 Research using salons for a variety of health education and prevention campaigns has shown that salons are largely successful at disseminating health information and improving their clients’ knowledge on health topics. Some salons and barbershops have even been used as referral and screening centers.3,4 Furthermore, breast cancer prevention and early detection research programs have had success in using salons to contact a subset of people who were not reachable or affected by conventional methods.3 These studies indicate that salons may be useful in educating in prevention, making referrals, and reaching a broad population. Importantly, a recent article has suggested that hairstylists are promising resources for melanoma detection, and additional research should be conducted to assess their attitudes and practices related to skin lesion detection and referrals.5 The purpose of the present study is to explore the feasibility of dermatologists partnering with salon owners and employees to launch a community-based skin cancer prevention and early detection campaign. In this investigation, the stylists’ current practices of detecting skin lesions, making referrals, and overall general interest in using these methods for skin cancer education and prevention are assessed.

Are the Female Entrepreneurs of Beauty Salons in India, Victims of Bad Publicity?

This paper is a preliminary study exploring the obstacles faced by female entrepreneurs running beauty salons in India. Newspapers and other media highlight the illegal activities that occur in the beauty industry, such as solicitation and the use of unhygienic products in salons, whereas they fail to report about the legitimate owners of beauty salons who are striving to run successful businesses. So far, there are hardly any studies that have highlighted the issue of how bad publicity impacts Indian female entrepreneurs' businesses. Research conducted for a PhD study revealed social castigation and misconceptions created in the minds of the public through occasional reports in the press about the beauty salons of India. This research is part of a larger study of 151 female entrepreneurs, of which four beauty salon owners expressed their concerns about bad publicity. This paper also discusses the various allegations in media, as well as the concerns of female entrepreneurs in the beauty industry. Such a qualitative analysis is expected to draw more attention to similar and in-depth research in this area. This paper also makes policy recommendations in order to rectify such societal stigma adversely affecting female entrepreneurs in India.

“Independent Livings” or “No Bed Of Roses”?: How Race and Class Shaped Beauty Culture as an Occupation for African American Women from the 1920s to the 1960s

Because of race and gender discrimination that limited employment options in the middle decades of the twentieth century, beauty culture attracted African American women across class lines. Middle–class, salon–owning beauticians sought professional status for beauty culture, while working–class beauticians sought the economic security and occupational autonomy beauty culture seemed to offer compared with domestic service work. While middle– and working–class beauticians shared a desire for occupational independence and job satisfaction, significant class differences emerged among African American beauticians between the 1920s and the 1960s. These differences sprang from increasing class segmentation of African American beauty salons due to the Great Depression, New Deal legislation, state regulation, and the growth of upscale salons in big cities after World War II. Class differences emerged particularly around working conditions in salons and some beauticians’ choice to work from home or rent booths in salons, practices which middle–class salon owners disapproved of.

Acknowledging Adult Bias

To assess the feasibility of using beauticians as health literacy agents and beauty salons as health-education portals for adolescent, inner-city, African American girls, the authors conducted focus groups with 25 women: salon clients, salon owners, and medical students. Facilitators to program development included (a) beautician-client relationships, (b) teens' access to health information, and (c) beauticians as information resources. Barriers included (a) adult opinions of teen behaviors, (b) teen mistrust of adults, and (c) low health literacy of beauticians. In developing a health-education program for this population, beauticians and salons may be excellent health information agents and portals if barriers including beautician poor health literacy, adolescent mistrust in adults, and adults' anti-adolescent bias are improved. Program implementation must not solely focus on teens but should also include adult salon users, with the goal of reaching the teens first through these adults and, with time and trust, reaching the teens directly.

Personal Satisfaction and Economic Improvement

Research that examines the intersections of race, gender, and class in the labor market often points to the fact that African American women are concentrated in the lowest sectors of the labor market, performing the least desirable jobs. Discrimination, the dislocation of work, and even cultural deficiency have all been posited as explanations for Black women's disproportionate concentration in low-wage work. Rather than adding to the voluminous literature that addresses the structural causes for Black women's overrepresentation in this sector of the labor market, this study explores the viability of entrepreneurship as a route to economic stability for working-class Black women. Accepting the reality that working-class Black women are heavily represented among low-wage workers, this study draws from interviews with Black women salon owners to determine whether this form of entrepreneurship functions as a feasible alternative to low-wage labor.

Understanding Dermal and Inhalation Exposure for Hairdressers Through Questionnaire, Diaries and Surveys

P-096 Introduction: A number of hairdressers suffer from occupational dermatitis and asthma related reactions as a result of harsh occupational chemical products. There is a need to evaluate and manage exposure practices in salons and old, new and emerging chemical products. The analyzed results of data collected from questionnaires, diaries, and surveys from a preliminary project of ten salons and ten hairdressers in the Little Rock Metropolitan area will be presented. Methods: In this study, hairdressers were required to maintain a five-day diary of treatment procedures, the number of daily clients, and any personal protective equipment used. Hairdressers were also required to answer a 60 minute questionnaire covering demographics, product usage, personal care, workplace practices, protective equipment, safety training, workplace ergonomics, general health, and risk perception. Salon owners were also required to answer a 60 minute questionnaire on demographics, salon characteristics, product purchases, workplace practices and ventilation. Researchers also conducted a short walk-through survey/sketch to identify the location of HVAC, exhaust systems and overall layout. Results: Analyzed results across the salons and across hairdressers indicate that there is much variability for these hairdressers, especially in the types and brands of products used and in the number of clients seen each day (approx 1–10 clients, over 200 different product brands). This results in highly variable exposures. A range of 30–200 minutes a day is spent using harsh hair care treatments on clients (e.g., streaking, permanent and semi-permanent dyes, and relaxers). Those that mostly preformed these harsher hair care treatments complained of sinus problems. Consistently, gloves were used by all during the application of strong dyes and relaxers but were not used during washing and styling. Face masks were never used and exhaust fans were found in only two of the salons. Face mask and exhaust fans can protect against inhalation exposure. A number of other summarized findings from the questionnaires, diaries and surveys will be discussed. Discussion: This preliminary research will aid in designing more extended monitoring for this population. The overall project also involves the use of tailored videotaping and translation methods to collect and describe the intermittent dermal (i.e., changing frequency and duration of contact with hair care products), and inhalation activities (i.e., frequency and duration in specific micro-environments within a salon's facility) leading to chemical exposures in the workplace. These micro-activities will later be compared to the activities gathered through the questionnaires, diaries and surveys.

Exposure of hairdressing apprentices to airborne hazardous substances

BackgroundFew studies have investigated exposure of hairdressing apprentices to airborne irritants. This study describes exposure levels of apprentices to chemical products used in hairdressing salons in relation with their activity.MethodsFollowing a two stages study design, a group of 300 students completed a questionnaire on their work activities and environment. Among these, a group of 28 subjects volunteered to undergo personal exposure and workplace concentrations measurements over a work shift, during a cold and a hot season, with the agreement of the salon owners. Three chemical substances were studied (ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and persulfates) because they are respiratory tract irritants and because their concentrations could be quantified within a 5 to 8 hour shift period.ResultsPersonal exposure values for H2O2and NH3 (averages [standard deviations] are 0.05 [0.04] and 0.90 [0.76] mg.m-3, respectively) were greater than workplace ambient air concentrations (corresponding values of 0.04 [0.03] and 0.68 [0.42] mg.m-3) for H2O2 and NH3, with no significant seasonal variation. By contrast, workplace concentrations of persulfates (0.019 [0.018] mg.m-3) were greater than personal exposure (0.016 [0.021] mg.m-3, a finding that is consistent with the fact that bleaching is more often undertaken by senior hairdressers. However, all exposure values were lower than the current TLV TWA values. This study also shows that over half of technical spaces where chemical substances used for dying, permanenting or bleaching are manipulated, have no ventilation system, and not even a door or a window opening outside.ConclusionThe study hairdressing salons, on average, were small, the most probable reason why occupational hygiene measures such as appropriate ventilation were too seldom implemented. As a consequence, young apprentices and senior hairdressers experience substantial exposure to known airways irritants.

Becoming Entrepreneurs

This study applies the concept of intersectionality to Black women's entrepreneurial activity. Specifically, the author addresses the ways in which race, gender, and class intersect to inform working-class Black women's decisions and experiences as hair salon owners. By placing Black women at the center of analysis, the author explores business ownership from the perspective of a group that has frequently been overlooked in sociology of entrepreneurship research. The findings indicate that race, gender, and class inequalities shape working-class Black women's entrepreneurship in two areas: the process of becoming entrepreneurs and relationships with stylists.

Report of the AHLC Meeting

The annual Symposium of the American Hair Loss Council was held in the Hyatt Embarcadero Hotel in San Francisco April 5 - 8. The meeting started with a literal bang — a power breakfast with Michael Cole, a motivational speaker who teaches management techniques to hair salon owners and managers.