Weeping scabby scalp after bleaching roots. Help!

[MushroomTree]

I went to my hairdresser yesterday to have my roots done. I've got ashy/silver blonde hair.

Previously I had 12% bleach on the ends and 4% on the roots to get it this colour but I'd found the roots were quite difficult to keep looking blonde rather than yellow so asked the hairdresser if we could use a stronger bleach so my roots were the same colour as the ends.

She said 12% would be too strong but could use 9% instead.

Well it hurt, quite a lot and then my scalp went sort of numb. But it was about bearable and I didn't want her to wash it off too soon and end up with yellow roots still.

Anyway, it finished developing and she washed it off and put a toner on. That stang a bit but was ok.

I will admit the end result is amazing and I love it.

When she was drying my hair she did comment that my scalp was quite sore so go easy on products and styling for a few days.

I paid and left.

It wasn't until later on in the evening that I noticed the front and all around the top of my head was actually hot, weeping and scabby.

Part of me thinks it's my own fault, I could have told her to wash it off earlier. The other part of me thinks I've paid a not insignificant amount of money to be left with a weeping crusty scalp.

Should I go back to them? My hair is thick enough that you can't see anything is wrong with my scalp and my hair does look amazing.

[LesLavandes]

You should see a GP

[MushroomTree]

@LesLavandes I probably will as well. It doesn't hurt now except feeling a bit tight and it's not weeping, just a lot of scabs.

[YeahNahWhal]

That's a chemical burn! Don't wash it, touch it or put anything near it. And see a GP asap. Good luck

[gumdrop2]

It's a chemical burn you are so lucky you haven't lost the hair there! I would recommend gp visit, hope you feel better soon

[MushroomTree]

Thanks for the replies. What is the GP likely to be able to do about it? It doesn't hurt now and isn't itchy or anything.

[MushroomTree]

Also, from a totally vain point of view, does this mean no more bleaching my hair ever?

I've coloured it all kinds of colours over the years and this is the first bad reaction I've had. Admittedly I've never had 9% bleach on it before though.

[gumdrop2]

They could give you a steroid cream if it's got a burn but I'm not to sure my friend had something similar and maybe the bleach was to strong or left on to long and over processed.

[notanotherpothole]

I'd definitely contact my GP, just to be sure it was healing well and there would be no long term scarring. I don't think you can complain to the hairdresser as you didn't let her know you were in pain. She has no way to know if the bleach is damaging you if you don't say anything and it sounds like she made an effort to protect your scalp by not using too strong bleach. I would let her know after you see GP, but it's not her fault or responsibility.


As for future hair dying, I had a reaction to dye about 6 months ago and have avoided it since, trying henna instead. I too have been many colours over the years and will try a patch test again in a few months to see if I can colour my hair again as I miss it.

[MushroomTree]

@notanotherpothole I did tell her. I said it was burning and then that it had gone numb.

I couldn't see my scalp, she could. Surely she could have seen the burns appearing? And she commented when she was drying it that it looked very sore and seemed a bit anxious about it now I think about it.

[MushroomTree]

I've got steroid shampoo and antibiotics from my GP. He said my hair is likely to fall out as the scabs do. The price you pay for vanity

[gumdrop2]

Oh god that's awful did you have a patch test beforehand? Feel really bad for you must be agony

[Lhastingsmua]

It sounds very painful. Just a thought, your hair might not fall out if you keep the scabs moist via moist wound healing.

What is your natural hair colour? In terms of contacting the salon, what are you hoping to achieve? If you’re intending to sue them, this is a problem:

Well it hurt, quite a lot and then my scalp went sort of numb. But it was about bearable and I didn't want her to wash it off too soon and end up with yellow roots still.

You definitely made a mistake here, avoiding yellow hair isn’t worth ignoring a reaction to the bleach. This limits the salon’s liability as you didn’t let them know, because they would have instantly washed the product off had they been aware. 30 volume (9%) can be used on the scalp but it needs to be carefully monitored (which includes feedback from you) so they were not necessarily negligent by using it.

[Lhastingsmua]

Also what did your GP diagnose - was it an allergic reaction?

[MushroomTree]

My natural colour is dark blonde. The salon coloured my hair about 8 weeks ago to the colour it is now. This was a root retouch.

I was bordering on asking for it to be washed out but the hairdresser seemed reluctant and made it sound like it would sting a bit but be fine in the end. My scalp is definitely not fine.

And she put the bleach on then went off to cut someone else's hair. She glanced at it a few times in passing to see how it was developing but didn't look at my scalp, even after I told her it was hurting.

To be honest, I don't want to sue them. I just want a refund because I haven't really got what I asked for.

I've spoken to other hairdressers this morning who said she could have used 6% bleach and gotten the same result with less chance of burning. But I trusted her professional opinion when she said she was going to use 9%.

[MushroomTree]

And the GP said chemical burns, not an allergic reaction.

[Cocolapew]

I used to bleach my hair and this started to happen more and more, my hair was very short.
It didn't fall out, and I didn't use anything in it, just left it to heal.
I'm now grey

[MushroomTree]

I'm really hoping it doesn't fall out. Frankly paying to have it done is the only thing I do for myself so I'm devastated that what was meant to be a treat has turned into a painful nightmare.

[RolytheRhino]

Ouch, that's awful, OP. Definitely show her what's happened and ask for a refund.

[MushroomTree]

I've been in touch with the salon and she's said her insurance company are investigating it and will be in touch.

Personally I think she's fobbing me off. If she thought I had a genuine claim she'd offer me a refund to make me go away. I doubt the "investigation" her insurance company are doing will come to anything.

[Lhastingsmua]

Contact the salon, hopefully you’ll get your refund. If you have photos you can email them, do so as it will probably sway them.

Yes 6% developer would be less irritating, however the salon will argue that 9% isn’t excluded from scalp applications so it isn’t inherently unsafe, if that’s what you’re insinuating. Some brands of powder used with 9% developer are fine for scalp use whereas other brands of powder aren’t, theirs may have fallen into the former.

If you’re not intending to sue, then that’s probably irrelevant though. I just hope you won’t have any long term issues like scarring or hair loss. If you do, you may want to contact a solicitor.

[Lhastingsmua]

Not necessarily fobbing you off. What happened to you is quite serious and if she has insurance, she would be best placed to refer the matter to them, it shows that she’s taking this seriously. Her insurance company will liaise with solicitors to investigate and essentially check their liability before making you an offer, which may actually be higher than the refund total.

[MushroomTree]

I've contacted them and she's said her insurance company will be in touch.

I've got pictures and of course the medical record of being prescribed medication for chemical burns.

I'm probably being cynical but her insurance company works for her, obviously, and I can't see them finding her at fault. She's not going to admit liability unless she really has to.

[MushroomTree]

@Lhastingsmua and I'm not insinuating 9% is unsafe, but as you said, it needs to be carefully monitored. It wasn't. She put it on and walked away to cut someone else's hair.

Even when I said it was hurting she didn't really look at it. Just told me it was better to leave it on if I could put up with the pain. By that point my scalp had gone numb, so I could put up with it because I couldn't feel it.

The Dr said that even if she had washed it off at that point the damage was already done.

[Lhastingsmua]

Oh right, I think she should have erred on the side of caution and rinsed it off then. Write down absolutely everything in minute detail whilst it’s still fresh in your mind, from the exact wording of any conversations to timings etc just in case

Her insurance is there for problems like this. Hopefully they won’t try to weasel their way out of paying you anything at all. I think a refund is the least they will offer as a chemical burn is that serious. They will probably take ages to resolve this though🙄 Don’t necessarily rush into accepting a refund as a final settlement if offered, in case you have long term damage as it’s still early days

[MushroomTree]

I'm not holding my breath on anything.

I'm starting to think I should be asking for compensation for the pain and the inconvenience of the recovery process.

The steroid lotion I've got has to be applied twice a day on dry hair and I can't use a hair dryer whilst I'm using it. Meaning I'll have to find time to wash my hair in the middle of the day so it can dry naturally before the evening application. Like I've got time to do that with a job and a toddler and the list of side effects include hair loss so even if the burns don't make my hair fall out, the treatment might.