Teenagers and hair dye

[throwawaythekey]

Okay so DD is 13 and growing more ‘teenager’ by the day. As it’s the holidays she wants to do something different with her hair. She’s naturally a light brown/dirty blonde. She wants to go lighter, maybe a balayage. I can understand she wants to experiment with her looks and i considered that it was nothing too alarming. I thought it best to try and avoid her getting a box colour and doing a bodge job. When I called to the hairdressers to see if they could fit her in, they were almost flabbergasted at the request. One guy was even lecturing me about letting kids be kids. I’m dark brown and I’ve never really fancied dying my hair lighter but is it really bad, am I the worst parent in the world?

Dying your hair is part of being a kid. Well a teenager anyway. Find another hairdresser!

Like hell you are, that guy is a twat. My 19 yr old has been dying her hair since she was 14, i do it for her.

Did has been visiting the hairdressers for various colours since being around the same age. Never had any issues.

If you’re the worst parent in the world, WTF am I? I’ve just home bleached my 9 year old DS’s hair because he asked!

He said they wouldn’t consider it at all until at least 16, it would damage her hair too much. I just thought it’s a one off. Then called another HD and they said the same. Bizarre!

Huge Toyah Wilcox fan here back in the day. I had purple and bright orange at your DD's age and my lovely late DM was pretty strict but it didn't bother her in the slightest.

I did have it done at home though because my Dsis is a hairdresser.

Find another hairdresser OP.

I’ve dying my hair since I was 12. Bleach can damage hair but if it’s a balyage with the bleach at the bottom it can be cut off.

Try Rush OP if you have one near you. They happily ombred DD’s hair when she was 13 and didn’t bat an eyelid.

Legally hairdressers are unable to dye the hair of anyone under the age of 16. There is no specific law against it, per say, but if they don't follow manufacturers instructions (which by law must state they are not to be used on persons under 16) and anything goes wrong and you decide to sue, the stylist will be royally fucked.

That being said, as a hairdresser I do dye and bleach my own teenager's hair and young family members and don't judge people who allow their teens to colour/bleach their hair and I don't think you are a terrible person. I do think the salon manager you spoke to needs a lesson in customer service.

Rush make their own hair colours. I've never used it. Perhaps they found a loophole in the manufacturers instructions. If a customer came to me with a product that did not state in the instructions it should not be used on persons under 16 I would happily apply it for them.

I can't remember if Directions and Crazy colour and the like are bound by the same laws with them being non-oxidative. All bleach has to state not to be used on persons under 16 as it's mixed with peroxide. You can't lighten hair without peroxide.

My DD is 9 and I dyed the bottom of her hair bright purple yesterday. She is so amazingly pleased with it I don't regret it even if it does make me a "bad parent". She's got 6 weeks to enjoy it and if it hasn't washed out (it's semi permanent) by September we can cut the purple off.

I think it's absolutely fine for teen-agers to experiment with their hair. It's what the teenage years are for isn't it, deciding who you are and what your style is. Once you're an adult you generally have to conform to whatever dress code your employer decides. Kids on school holidays have so much more freedom than that!!

Is there something specific that the hairdresser objected to? Is she trying to go too light? Too much bleach?

I’ve tried Aveda salon and I think they try and use gentle ingredients but it was a no go. I’ll try a few independent ones. I can understand them not wanting to take the risk but as long as she doesn’t swell up, I’ll be happy. I just didn’t think it would be a big deal if I was consenting to it.

Something like this picture

Get a different hairdresser. Pic looks fab.

No bleach is gentle. All bleach is pretty much the same. It's the peroxide that makes the difference. Ask mobile hairdressers. Try to find one that uses Olaplex if you are concerned about damage, though as you say as a one off, especially on hair that is already light damage isn't really an issue.

I had highlights from 13 because I had almost black hair and looked deathly white! Don't see the issue

Dd had balayage for her 12th birthday at local hairdressers I'd say probably 50% of the girls in her year have

I’m a hairdresser and it’s illegal to do a chemical process on an under 16.

I wouldn’t be insured, it says no under 16s in all brands of professional hair dye packaging and as such I’d turn you away.

Next people on ‘where there’s blame there a claim’ is hairdressers by lawyers on a no win no fee basis, I’d hate to be on the receiving end of a made up story.

There were girls with dyed hair at primary school!

Dd has been dying hers since year 9 but she does it in the shower at home

OP why doesn’t she try something semi permanent like Harmony, I was using those as a teenager.

My children love dying their hair for the summer. They're older than DD but have been doing it for years! At the moment the older one has some lime green hair, my middle one is just peroxide blonde and the youngest has half pink and half blue!! We started with semi-permenant dyes from Boots and gradually moved onto the peroxide. As long as you do the patch test it's ok. Dying the ends sounds great and as others have said, you can just trim it off later. Go for it and enjoy!

where do people go for it? ive been looking for a place for ages! any reccomendations near oxford