The hair care industry is huge, generating hundreds of millions a year through the sale of shampoos, hair growth products and more. It’s everywhere you look, recommended by every celebrity that currently has the media spotlight on them and endorsed by stars young and old.
For the most part, it is a safe industry. But there are some hidden dangers that those glitzy, trendy commercials won’t disclose, and as this industry grows, these dangers will only increase.
Burns
There are more burns resulting from flat irons than any other personal care product. In fact, other than kitchen appliances, they are responsible for more burns than anything else. The issue is that they need to get very hot to do their job and it takes as long as 40 minutes to cool down. If a child has just seen their mother using them they can get curious, reach for them, and suffer a serious and sometimes life threatening burn.
A child’s skin is thinner than an adult’s, so they are the most at risk. According to one official report, close to half of all thermal injuries reported were the result of scalds and half of these were the result of contact burns from products like flat irons. This number is on the rise as these products become more of a common feature in homes. The good news is that the majority of these scalds result in minor injuries, the bad news is that a small percentage result in serious injury and lifelong problems.
Side Effects
Products like minoxidil and other thermal hair care treatments are so commonplace that we have come to accept them as safe. We are all wary when it comes to ingesting a supplement, regardless of its intended purpose, but when using a topical product like this we’re far more forgiving.
Contrary to what many seem to believe, Minoxidil can still cause serious side effects. Keranique also has a long list of side effects, as does every other minoxidil shampoo. It is certainly one of the safer and less intrusive options, but that doesn’t mean it’s 100% safe.
Hair Dyes
There is a reason that hair dyes recommend that you place a small amount on your scalp before dying all of your hair, and that’s because they can trigger very serious allergic reactions. You don’t have to look very hard to find cases of people who have died as a direct use of hair dyes and this is becoming more common.
Again, it’s partly down to the fact that many seem oblivious to the fact that something that is applied to your skin can cause the same side effects and harm as something that is ingested or breathed in.
There are some nasty ingredients used in these products and while they are safe in small doses for most of us, if you have an allergy to them (which you might not know about until it’s too late), they can trigger a serious allergic reaction.
Fires and Electrocutions
A high quality product made under strict regulations in the US, Canada or Europe has a minimal risk of electrocution or fire. But a counterfeit product could put you, your family and your home at serious risk.
Electrical fires are on the rise and many of them can be traced back to black market electrical products that bypassed regulations, used cheap parts and were either bought cheaply through sites like Alibaba and eBay, or somehow made it into the retail supply chain.
In the case of counterfeit flat irons they don’t have the protective casing needed to retain and control all of that heat, and it’s a similar story with hair dryers. The wiring gets fried, a fire breaks out and before you know it there is a serious issue.
So, look for legitimate products made to a high standard. Check out Hair Straightener Studio, Amazon and high street retailers to browse, find and buy the best.
