Stop doing scalp massage at the shampoo bowl before you read this

I keep seeing new stylists in my chair at the salon in Phoenix doing deep scalp massage on clients before they even know if that person has a scalp issue, and it drives me nuts. Last Tuesday a girl I trained came to me asking why a long time client of hers broke out in these little red bumps along her hairline, and I looked at her books and she had done a 10 minute lavender oil scalp massage on her at the bowl. I asked if she screened for psoriasis or seborrheic dermatitis first and she said she didn't know she had to. Here is the thing, a lot of clients will not tell you unless you ask, and if you go aggressive on a scalp that is already inflamed you can make it so much worse and they will blame you for it. I have been behind the chair 14 years and I still ask every single new client three questions before I touch their head, any flaking, any itching, any bumps. It takes 20 seconds and it has saved me from maybe a dozen angry Yelp reviews. If you are doing back bar scalp treatments without asking first, please start asking, because that client in Phoenix is still mad and she is telling everybody. Anyone else got a screening question they never skip?

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grant72811d ago

Man that poor girl probably felt awful and had no clue what she did wrong. The bumps thing is real too, I had a client years back who never told me she had psoriasis until I used a peppermint scalp oil on her and she lit up like a rash for a week. Now I ask about flaking, itching, and tenderness every time before I even wet the hair. Takes no time and saves a whole lot of grief.

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