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Hair Colour Services and Our Duty of Care.

What do you need to do?

Before your next salon colour appointment, you will need to take an up-to-date ALLERGY ALERT TEST!

Why is this happening?

We are making a change to our policy, due to changes with the colour manufacturers, Colour Houses and our insurance provider. As they are responding to the change of skin testing requirements that is being phased in UK and Europe wide with regards to hair colour. Meaning that unless we change our systems and procedures, we will not be insured! 

Are all salons doing this? Can I not just sign a disclaimer? 

We know that there may be salons who have not adopted the new practices yet. This is either because their colour manufacturer is slower in the phase-in of the new policy or possibly because they have nothing to change. Not following manufacturer’s or recommended protocol instructions when using a chemical means, they are NOT insured. Not only would they not be insured for an allergy reaction, but the fact also that the manufacturer’s instructions had not been followed would invalidate their insurance for any unforeseen circumstance. 

Disclaimers on websites, or client signing to agree to not allergy test, will not stand. If there was ever a problem, in a court of law a judge would deem the Hairdresser to be the professional as they are acting within their profession and have had the necessary training to do so. This training means the hairdresser should be leading their client as to how the service is correctly performed. If a Hairdresser has been trained to carry out a patch test it would be deemed that they are acting unprofessionally to advise their client to sign a disclaimer and not to carry out the patch test. This is the same for micro salons, chair renters, home hairdressers alike.  

Individuals HAIR test because we care. We are committed to offering our services to the highest professional standards and will always respond promptly to industry change. 

I don’t normally have a reaction to my colour, so do I need to do this? 

The simple answer is yes.

We have two options of testing methods to make it easy, both available from the salon.

Option 1 

Colourstart passport – A potentially one-time only ‘remote’ test you take at home (at least 5 days before your visit). You then simply share the results with us – giving us complete creative freedom to use any colour on all future visits (see below)

Option 2 

In Salon Test and Screening Questions – This test needs to be performed 48 hours before your colour appointment for all NEW clients or if it is longer than 6 months since you last had your hair coloured with us. Or if you are planning to change your colour shade.  

Just book your Allergy test and consultation two days before having your hair colour and we will apply some of the chosen shade to either behind your ear (left for 48 hours) or your arm, left for 45 mins, rinsed and observe the result for 48 hours .  

Updated industry protocol and insurance requirements mean that before we proceed with your hair colour, we MUST have an UpToDate Allergy Alert Test (AAT) and ask you some screening questions (which are documented) prior to starting your hair colour service each visit.  

Failure to have had either of these tests done will mean that unfortunately we CAN NOT colour your hair and your appointment may still be charged for.

Colourstart – home test

As an alternative to the industry protocol for allergy alert testing, we can offer you the Colourstart® Test at a cost of £15. The single one-off* test applies to all brands and colours.

The Colourstart test developed by Trichocare Diagnostics Ltd can be applied at home and the test lasts indefinitely*. Colourstart is approved by the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) who are responsible for regulating all medicines and vaccines in the UK. After completion of the test kit your result is stored on the Colourstart Passport App, and prior to each colour appointment in the future, all you need to do is fill out the screening questionnaire.

The At Home Colourstart 5 Day Allergy Alert Test is a ready-to-use allergy test available to purchase at the salon. The test can also be posted to you upon request. This test can show if you may be allergic to PPD, one of the most common ingredients present in hair colourants.

The test patch supplied with your kit must be applied at least 5 days before your colour appointment and stay on your arm for 48 hours. The test result must be recorded on the Colourstart Passport app on Day 5 and shared with Individuals Hair. You can find out more about Colourstart and Passport app here.

Please allow a minimum of 2 working days for delivery, and review these consultation questions before you buy.

Colourstart consultation

Before you can carry out an at home Colourstart allergy test, you will be asked the questions below to help decide if Colourstart is right for you and to help you make an informed decision on whether you should avoid hair colour.

If you answer yes to any of the questions below, you should not purchase Colourstart. Please contact us at the salon for further advice.

  • Are under the age of 16?
  • Are you allergic to PPD or hair colourant?
  • If you have a black henna tattoo or have had an allergy to a black henna tattoo in the past?
  • Do you have redness, swelling or itchy skin?
  • Are you taking oral or topical steroids or other immunosuppressant medicines?
  • Are you pregnant or breastfeeding?
  • *Subject to the correct use and negative reaction to Colourstart® Patch Test as per the Patient Information leaflet, and an ‘OK to colour hair’ status in any participating Salon’s Colourstart® Professional Passport, Colourstart® need not be repeated. There are exceptions including black henna, live dermatitis etc, please read the Patient Information leaflet carefully.

Please feel free to ask us about Colourstart, any questions and it’s benefits. We have included some information on it below.

How to use Colourstart ?

Colourstart consists of an adhesive patch that contains two small, separate squares. One square contains a small amount of PPD (this is the positive ‘+’ part), the other contains no PPD (this is the negative ‘-‘ part) and is used for comparison only.

The patch is applied to an easily visible part of the arm at least 5 days before an appointment for hair colour. The patch is left on for at least 48 hours (2 days) and then removed. 48 hrs (2 days) later, the arm can be inspected for any sign of a reaction.

If there is any sign of redness, itching or inflammation on the site of the patch, this is an indication that you may be allergic to PPD. If this happens you should not use hair colorant. If you are unsure about what to do, or if you have a severe reaction, you should seek the advice of a pharmacist or doctor. Please see the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL).

Details

Please ensure that your hair has been washed prior to your hair colour appointment (hair products can act as a barrier against colour)

But not washed on the day as this can cause scalp sensitivity (48 hours before is advisable)