Is it OK for adolescents to get highlights?

[SpicedPumpkinBlahBlahBlah]

Obviously in an ideal world, they'd not want to, but...

My DD is desperate for some, willing to work to earn the money, and is only 13. My friend's a hairdresser and will do them for her, but she said generally it's recommended to wait till they're 16, and think the reason may be to do with risks of hair dye. Is there much evidence for this? If we carefully keep it off the scalp, would it be OK...? I'd much rather do this than DD decide she's off to the chemist to buy a home dye kit etc

TIA

A lot around here seem to start getting it done around Y9, so 14 ish?

Interesting - thanks. She is Y9

It's the idea that there are health risks for kids... is there any substance to this? Is it a bad idea to let them use dye for health reasons?

Ex hairdresser here. There are no age related risks.

Normal tbh

Ah, great - thanks @RuthW

Reassuring @topshotta - thanks

I did at that age! Didn't ruin my hair but the straighteners did 😅

Haha, also reassuring, @Nowifi .

TBH if it ruins her hair, so be it... it's more than unknown "risks" of hair dye at that age I was confused and concerned about...

What kind of highlights? Bleach, dye , both?

What colour? Will her school be ok with it?

The only risks are reactions (from both dye and bleach) when in contact with the scalp, but any good hairdresser will do a patch test first, plus depending what it is and where it is, contact with the scalp can be avoided so there's no prolonged exposure (while it develops).

I started getting highlights about 14, my mum wouldn’t let me get a “full colour” or tint until I was 16 or so and working but I think that was more in case I picked something too dramatic, highlights grow out easier or can be covered up if they look dreadful. Better to bend on something so minor, I had reddish highlights in dark hair as a teen, when the most “fashionable” were getting electric blue pieces of false hair glued in - I think she was glad I was happy but she could still have an influence on what I picked!

I think bleach, @AngryGreasedSantaCatcus . School are fine with "natural colours", so I don't think that will be a problem.

Excellent point about bending on something relatively minor @jolies1 . This thread has helped me to see that it may indeed be relatively minor...

ONe of my boys had his highlights done by my hairdresser in her salon at 12.

Pretty normal as long as they do a patch test (as they would on an adult).

It's a while ago now but when I was at school, loads of kids had highlighted hair at 13/14.

I was probably about 14 when I had bright orange highlights on my brown hair, through the cap so really it might as well have been an all over colour. Amazingly my mum actually paid for it, no idea how I pulled that one off.

Again, the highlights weren’t the problem but the GHD’s, which I bought when they were just out when I bought them with my 18th birthday money, definitely were 🤦‍♀️

You can have highlights done while pregnant (because they don't touch the scalp) so I don't see why there would be an issue for teenagers.

It's a lot safer than a piercing and less permanent than a tattoo. Just let her have them.

My dd was 12 when my hairdresser first did her highlights, she said there’s no issue with highlights as the don’t touch the scalp. This was at a salon. She only had a few out through the top and has gradually built up to a full head now at age 16.

Yes.