HELLO!!!!!!... Hope everyone's week is going fantabulous... Ok, so staright into today's post. Last Tuesday, I had a client booked in for faux dreadlocs (you can view my post on faux locs as a protective style here and the images of this particular and other finished works here ) and after about 8 - 10 hours, we were through. Prior to the day of installation, we had had a consultation and I'd briefed her on what to expect from the hair, the cost and how long it would last... She was prepared for all the pros and cons of freshly loced hair, but what we never expected was the ITCH!
As usual "every loc was a hit, back to back... thehypelady ti take over" (lol, I'm sorry I just had to).
She absolutely loved it and was going to brag and show it off on her weekend away. When she got to her vacation spot, she complained to me of an itchy scalp, which I presumed might be as a result of our cold dry weather, so, I asked her to moisturize and seal her scalp with a mixture of water and a few oils. She thanked me, but not long after texted to complain that the itch remained and she had now broken out in hives on her scalp. It had gotten so serious she was unable to sleep and couldn't stop the uncontrollable itching. I wondered what I had done differently, as it was the same hair and technique I usually use and, have never gotten a complaint. By now I was very worried and considered whether I had done the hair too tight (but she never complained of any discomfort outside of what was usual with getting braids), further more that wouldn't cause her head to itch and develop a burning sensation, so we scrapped that as an explanation and I kept trying too convince her to keep the hair at least till she returned home...
Thank Heavens her aunt is a nurse and understood the symptoms to be that of an allergic reaction most likely to the braiding hair and asked her to undo them. Now imagine the horror we both faced, our time and money invested gone and the locs only only for about a week. Both disappointed, we agreed with her aunt that for her health the locs needed to go.
I'm sure like my client and I, not so many people are aware of allergic reactions to braiding hair / synthetic hair... Yeah, that's a thing... And I decided to do this post is to educate a bit on the allergy, what actually triggers it and how to still rock out synthetic protective styles without fear of your body reacting. This is not and should not be taken as expert medical advice. It is only my understanding from this experience and a little research. If any symptoms of this appear before and/ or after getting braids done,please get the opinion of a medical personnel/ dermatologist.
From my research and what her aunt, the nurse said, it's not the hair itself that she or anyone would react to but rather the chemicals, anti-static coating, used in keeping the strands from sticking together that causes the allergies. If you are aware of the allergies before hand, your best bet is to avoid that hair entirely, synthetic, or go for it's somewhat pricier alternative, human hair. On the other hand if you really must do this style, consider this simple DIY technique of pre-treating the hair with a diluted solution of vinegar or apple cider vinegar, to remove the coating (taking into consideration your doctor's advice) prior to installing the extensions.
If like my client, you are unaware of this allergy and experience similar symptoms, first and foremost I advise you speak to a medical personnel. If you're unable to do so, a mixture of vinegar and lukewarm water should be applied to scalp and braids while attached, allowed to sit for about an hour, and then thoroughly rinsed out and moisturize your scalp afterwards.Below is a video i found further explaining this.
I hope this post is helpful/useful to a stylist somewhere before they are faced with a like situation, as well as help anyone who finds themselves in the position of my client and I and isn't willing to unravel the braids/ twists or locs. Please feel free to share your allergy stories/ experiences and also any other remedies you know.... Xox
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