Why Is Patch Testing Important?

As a professional salon we have a responsibility to ensure our client’s safety. It is also a legal requirement and necessary for our insurance coverage.

Patch testing is a crucial step before applying certain hair and beauty products. Some ingredients, particularly in hair colour, lash and brow tints, and lash lift solutions, can cause allergic reactions in rare cases. Reactions can develop suddenly, even if you’ve had similar treatments before without issues. By performing a patch test, we can detect sensitivities in advance and prevent any unwanted irritation or discomfort.

When Is a Patch Test Required?

A patch test is mandatory for the following treatments:

• Hair colouring (including permanent, semi-permanent, and toners)
• Eyebrow and eyelash tinting
• Lash lifts, lash extensions and brow lamination
• Certain skin treatments (as advised by our beauty therapists)

A new patch test is required if:

• You are a new client receiving any of the above treatments
• You haven’t had the treatment at Hair Ministry in the last 6 months
• You have experienced changes in your health, such as menopause, pregnancy or a reaction to change in medication
• You are switching to a new product or brand within our salon

How Does Patch Testing Work?

Patch testing is quick and straightforward:

• Visit a Hair Ministry salon at least 48 hours before your appointment.
• We will apply a small amount of the product on your inner elbow or behind the ear depending which treatment you are being patch tested for.
• Leave the test area untouched for 45 minutes. Remove the product with lukewarm water.
• If you experience any redness, swelling, itching, or discomfort, contact us immediately, and we will discuss alternative options.

The Patch Test Result

If no reaction occurs, you’re all set for your appointment! Your patch test remains valid for six months at our salons unless any changes occur.

However, if you experience a reaction, remove the product immediately, seek medical advice, and inform us as soon as possible.

A reaction may mean we are unable to carry out the service. While we will do our best to offer an alternative, in most cases, it is safer not to proceed.

Even a mild reaction indicates sensitivity to PPD, which could lead to a more severe reaction in the future. For your safety, we strongly advise avoiding all products containing PPD.

Possible Reactions

Reactions to PPD can range from mild irritation in the scalp to an allergic reaction that can potentially trigger serious symptoms throughout the body. (NHS)

Mild irritation

If you’re mildly irritated by PPD, you may find that your scalp, neck, forehead, ears or eyelids become irritated and inflamed after using hair dye.

The skin exposed to the PPD may become red, swollen, blistered, dry, thickened and cracked. You may feel a burning or stinging sensation.

Symptoms will usually appear within 48 hours, although strong irritants may cause your skin to react immediately. (NHS)

Allergic reaction

If you’re allergic to PPD, your scalp and face may feel itchy and start to swell.

PPD may also trigger symptoms throughout your body, such as itching, a nettle rash and generally feeling ill.

These symptoms may not develop until hours, or even days, later.

A severe allergic reaction that develops within minutes is called anaphylaxis, or “anaphylactic shock”. Signs of anaphylaxis include:

• itchy skin or a raised, red skin rash
• swollen eyes, lips, hands and feet – the eyelids can swell so much that the eyes close
• feeling lightheaded or faint
• swelling of the mouth, throat or tongue, which can cause breathing and swallowing difficulties
• wheezing
• tummy pain, nausea and vomiting
• collapsing and becoming unconscious

If you feel an allergic reaction has occurred dial 999. (NHS)

Relieving Mild Symptoms

• Wash you hair thoroughly to remove any product residue.
• Try tapping gently a moisturising treatment such as petroleum jelly to the affected skin
• Antihistamines may be advised by a pharmacist.

Medical Contraindications

Medical Contraindications

We will kindly require a patch test to be carried out for the following medical circumstances:

• Hormonal Medication: This includes HRT and any other medication that may affect hormones. Hormonal fluctuations during menopause can affect your immune system and make your skin more sensitive to irritants, including hair colour ingredients.
• Cancer Treatments: Please seek advice from your doctor/oncologist if it is ok to proceed with hair colouring. We kindly request for consent before going ahead. Any skin cancer on the neck or head, you must obtain written consent from your doctor.
• Pregnancy: We will ask to patch test before each colour appointment. Any reaction, we will not
  colour but we can re-patch test following a couple of weeks. We will patch test again post- pregnancy.
• Rash or irritated scalp: We will wait for the rash to clear, then patch test. If it is eczema or dermatitis on the scalp – if we can avoid applying colour on that area, we may consider this an option but for scalp bleach applications, we will not proceed until the scalp is clear.

If you have any concerns about patch testing or specific allergies, please let us know before your appointment. Thank you for your cooperation – we look forward to providing you with a safe and enjoyable service at Hair Ministry!