My previous hair stylist has moved to Australia, so I had my first appointment with another stylist at the same salon who is highly recommended. I had a consultation and had a patch test done behind my ear. The next day the whole area behind my ear was red with dry, itchy and flakey skin which is something I’ve not experienced before. I rang the hairdressers to ask for their advice and they said I could still go ahead with it but it’s ‘my decision’. I feel lost as I’m not sure if a bit of redness and skin dryness is ‘normal’ and to be expected (I do generally have sensitive skin and can get eczema), or whether it’s a sign of an allergy which puts me at risk of anaphylaxis.
I told the hairdresser I didn’t want to risk going ahead with it and I then asked if there any any alternative formulas I could be patch tested for which I am. My hairdresser didn’t really explain much about whether ths kind of thing is common and whether any other formulas may be suitable or whether it’s likely I’ll react to all of them, they just kept reiterating it was my decision. I’m now quite nervous about trusting them.