Burned off hair

[YShikhi]

Hi there, I am a new salon owner. We just opened a month ago. I have been doing hair for the past 12 years and just had something horrible happen for the first time! Not sure how to deal with it. Hope someone here could give me advise.
A client had a keratin treatment done. I have used the same product for 12 years now, so nothing new there. To seal the treatment into the hair you need a 230C temperature on your hair straighteners.
after finishing the whole had, she asked to have another go over her hair like to get it super sleek, the second I put the straighteners into her hair, the section just broken off.
she has a mixed race hair with a bleach highlights, but hair broken off very close to her sculp, where hair are the healthiest.
Needless to say that has never happened to me before.
How do I handle the situation with this client
She was absolutely traumatised!

 

[AcidPerm]

I imagine you’re not feeling too good either.

Try not to panic.
Make a cup of tea, sit down and phone your insurance company and let them exactly what’s happened then follow their advice.

——————————
Most Brazilian keratin products have changed their formulas in the last few years to reduce certain harmful ingredients so it’s unusual if you’re using the same unchanged product for 12 years, but not impossible. What do the instructions say?

I’m assuming you’re buying this product from a reputable supplier/wholesaler, so it can’t be fake/illegal and contain dodgy ingredients?

I do think 230C is very hot. I don’t use irons above 180 because the advice is keep the temperature lower and not to keep going over the same section of hair.

Again, try not to panic, mistakes do happen and there could be other reasons that have contributed to her hair breaking off.

 

[YShikhi]

Feeling absolutely awful!
The formula of the product has changed with time to follow the regulations. and the instructions are to use a 230C temperature to seal the keratin.
But my feeling on this, its a heat from the straighteners that caused already fragile hair to burn off.
What scares me is that she was very precious with her hair to begin with and this happened! Poor girl is absolutely mortified!

 

[YShikhi]

will call the insurance company now! Thank you

 

[YShikhi]

Should I get her to sign a disclaimer maybe? has anyone done it before? How would I approach it?

 

[AcidPerm]

No, definitely don’t do that!

Disclaimers won’t protect you and in fact, have the opposite effect in English law.
If you ask a client to sign a disclaimer/waiver, it will be used against you by the plaintiff as evidence that you knew there was a risk of harm involved and that you were seeking to absolve yourself from responsibility.