As stylists who are committed to maintaining healthy hair for all hair textures, we appreciate it when a client provides a five-year chemical history of their hair. It is critical for the stylist to evaluate which chemical(s) have already been put on the hair, prior to applying any treatment on a new client.

Generally, if the client’s hair is beyond shoulder length, the stylist will be required to consider the client’s five-year “hair history”. If a stylist applies product to a new client without prior knowledge of what chemicals have been on the hair, the chemical treatment can potentially over process the hair causing breakage. We take into consideration each level of each chemical in each strand of the client’s hair, and choose the best treatment strengths in order to obtain the most successful result. It is possible that the stylist will have to apply different chemical formulas and different levels of developers in certain areas of the head in some cases. In such situations, pre-processed hair must be protected (e.g., by putting peroxide color on roots and semi on ends so they don’t over process).

Let’s break it down even further:

Roots). 4 inches of completely new growth—virgin

Mids). 2 inches down—color

Ends). 2 inches further down —heat damage with color

each length has a different porosity level.

Medication and surgical treatments surprisingly also play major roles in your hair. As a result, we suggest keeping a record on your cosmetic and medical information. For example, in one instance a client was adamant about not having had chemical in her hair whatsoever, and while most of her hair appeared healthy from her roots to about 4 inches down, the rest was heavily damaged. We had taken what we thought was a detailed history, but the stylist quickly realized, and practically exclaimed exactly what we thought to be true; she was not being fully transparent about her hair’s history.  Luckily, before moving forward with her appointment, the stylist thought critically, and asked her if she had undergone anesthesia within the past two to three years. The woman then explained that she had a brain tumor and went under anesthesia for five hours the past year. Subsequently, this newfound information let the stylist know that they needed to treat her hair ends as if they were bleached or relaxed.

So, please keep in mind that with any previous chemical process, surgery and/or medication (prescribed or otherwise) can play crucial roles in the final result of your hair appointment. So, always remember to keep track of all procedures in order to provide your stylist with the relevant and necessary information to properly treat your hair.