Hands, back, lungs: how to protect your body over a long beauty career

Quick answer: To protect your body over a long beauty career, look after three things: your hands, your back and your lungs. Wear well fitting nitrile gloves for wet work and products, keep uncured nail and lash products off your skin, set up your chair and couch so you work with a neutral posture, capture dust and vapour at source with proper extraction, and plan regular breaks into your day. See a doctor early if your skin cracks or itches, or your joints start to ache.

Ask anyone who has been in this industry for a decade and they'll tell you about it. The knuckles that crack every winter. The shoulder that twinges after a run of long colours. The tired eyes and tight chest after a busy day of infills.

Our bodies are our most important tools. Scissors, files, couches and lamps can be replaced. Your hands, spine and lungs can't. The good news is that small, steady habits make a huge difference, and the earlier they start, the longer you get to do the work you love.

This guide is for nail techs, lash artists, hairdressers, barbers, beauty therapists and massage therapists. We've pulled together what the research says and turned it into habits you can start this week.

Your hands: dermatitis and hand eczema

Wet work, shampoo, colour, bleach, solvents and constant handwashing all wear down the skin barrier. Over time, that can lead to irritant dermatitis, or to an allergy that stays with you.

The numbers for hairdressers are striking. A 2022 systematic review and meta analysis in Contact Dermatitis, covering studies published from 2000 to 2021, found:

• 38.2% of hairdressers had experienced hand eczema at some point
• 20.3% had it within the past year
• Apprentices had almost the same lifetime rate as fully trained hairdressers

That last point matters. Skin damage can start in the very first years of training, so protection belongs in day one habits.

The UK Health and Safety Executive gives clear, simple advice for hairdressers that works anywhere in the world:

• Wear disposable, latex free gloves for shampooing, colouring and bleaching, and change them between clients.
• Choose a longer glove and fold the cuff back so water can't run inside. Thin nitrile or vinyl still lets you feel water temperature.
• Dry your hands thoroughly with a soft towel.
• Moisturise as often as you can, especially at the end of the day.
• Check your skin regularly. Dryness, redness and small cracks are early warning signs.

If a rash keeps coming back, see your doctor and ask about a referral for patch testing with a dermatologist. Finding out early what you're reacting to can save your career.

Allergy to acrylates and lash adhesive

Nail and lash professionals work with products that can sensitise skin and airways. Once you become allergic to an acrylate, the allergy usually stays for life, and it can affect dental and medical treatments that use acrylates as well as your nails.

A UK and Ireland audit highlighted by the British Association of Dermatologists looked at 4,931 patients patch tested across 13 dermatology units in 2017. It found 2.4% reacted to at least one (meth)acrylate. Around a third of those cases were linked to work, and many of them were nail technicians.

Ways to protect yourself:

• Keep uncured product off your skin. Wipe brushes and containers away from your fingers, and never touch your face while working.
• Glove up and change often. Dermatologists in that audit advised nitrile gloves, changed every 30 minutes and removed without touching the outer surface. They also pointed out that acrylates can pass through many gloves, so gloves work best alongside careful technique.
• Match your lamp to your product. Under cured product is a common cause of allergy, for you and your clients.
• Check what's in your liquids. Ireland's Health and Safety Authority does not recommend MMA for nail services and notes EMA is the less hazardous choice.

Lash adhesive needs the same respect. Most lash glues are cyanoacrylate based. Researchers at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health described two lash technicians who developed work related rhinitis, and one also developed asthma, from the small amounts of glue used in daily lash work. Work in a well ventilated room, keep the adhesive covered between uses, use only a small drop at a time and avoid working with your face directly over it.

For more on keeping clients and staff safe, read our guide to the truth about nail allergies.

Your back, neck, shoulders and wrists

Standing for hours with arms raised, bending over a couch, gripping a file or a brush, repeating the same motion hundreds of times a day. It adds up.

A 2019 scoping review of 44 studies on hairdressing found the share of hairdressers reporting pain over a year ranged from 13% to 76% for the lower back, 28% to 60% for the shoulders, 9% to 58% for the neck and 11% to 53% for the hands and wrists. Working with arms above shoulder height, repetitive movement, awkward bending, long periods standing and too few breaks were all linked to pain.

Massage therapists feel it too. A 2022 survey of 1,103 massage therapists in Ontario, Canada found 85% had experienced work related pain. Hands and wrists were the most affected area at 65.5%, and 30.5% were considering a change of profession or had already made one.

Nail techs feel it as well. A study funded by the UK Health and Safety Executive compared 71 nail technicians with 64 people in other jobs and found significantly more work related neck, shoulder, wrist, hand and lower back problems among the technicians.

Simple ways to ease the strain:

• Bring the work to you. Use a hydraulic chair or couch and adjust the height for every client, so your arms stay low and your back stays straight.
• Sit well. Use an adjustable chair with your feet flat on the floor or on a footrest. A cutting stool can save your back during long sessions.
• Support the client's hand or foot. US OSHA guidance suggests raising it on a cushion and softening hard table edges with a towel or foam.
• Keep wrists neutral. Ergonomic scissors reduced hand and back pain in one hairdressing study included in the review.
• Use your body weight. In massage, lean from your legs rather than pushing with your thumbs, and vary your techniques.
• Mix up your diary. Alternate heavy and lighter treatments so the same muscles aren't working all day.
• Stretch between clients. Gentle neck, shoulder, finger and back stretches help muscles recover.

If pain lingers, see a physiotherapist early. The review found that rehabilitation with exercise and retraining in working technique helped reduce pain and improve physical capacity.

Your lungs: dust and vapour

Filing enhancements creates fine dust. Liquids, primers and removers give off vapour. Bleach powders can be dusty too. Breathing these in day after day can irritate your nose, throat and chest, and some can trigger asthma.

Ventilation makes a dramatic difference. OSHA reports that during acrylic nail removal, chemical levels went above 826 parts per million without ventilation and fell below 12.4 parts per million with it.

What good protection looks like:

• Capture at source. An extraction hood or downdraft table at each nail station pulls dust and vapour away before it reaches your face. NIOSH guidance recommends venting this air outdoors.
• Maintain filters. Follow the manufacturer's schedule. A clogged filter does very little.
• Keep air moving. Open windows and doors where you can, and set any air system so the fan runs continuously.
• Know your masks. Paper and surgical masks don't protect against dust or vapour. A fitted respirator rated for dust, such as an N95 or FFP2, helps when filing, but it won't stop vapours.
• Keep lids on. Use small pump or dispenser bottles, pour only what you need and dispose of soaked pads in a lined metal bin with a lid.
• Keep food and drinks away from your station, and wash your hands before eating.

Breaks are part of the job

Safety guidance from Ireland and the US, and the hairdressing research, all point to the same thing: breaks. Short pauses let muscles recover, give your skin a rest from gloves and get you into fresh air. Build five minutes between clients into your booking system, take a proper lunch away from your station, and step outside when you can.

Check the rules where you work

Health and safety rules differ around the world. In the UK, the HSE covers hazardous substances under COSHH. Ireland has the Health and Safety Authority. In the US, OSHA and NIOSH publish guidance for salons, and individual states set their own licensing rules. Australia, Canada, the EU, the UAE and other countries each have their own work health and safety regulators. Check what applies to you, and use a written risk assessment to keep track. Our hair and beauty risk assessment guide is a good place to start.

Investing in kit that protects you

Ergonomic chairs, hydraulic couches, cutting stools and good extraction can feel like big costs. They're an investment in a longer, more comfortable career. Buying quality used equipment is a great way to spread the cost. You can find quality used equipment such as salon chairs, couches and extraction units in our classifieds, and we help you sell equipment you no longer need when you upgrade.

FAQs

Why do hairdressers get dermatitis on their hands?

Frequent wet work, shampoo and products such as colour and bleach break down the skin's protective barrier. Over time this leads to irritation and sometimes allergy. Gloves, thorough drying and regular moisturising all help.

What gloves should nail technicians wear?

Nitrile gloves are widely recommended for working with nail products. Change them often, around every 30 minutes when working with acrylates, and remove them without touching the outside. Avoid powdered latex.

Can nail technicians become allergic to gel and acrylic?

Yes. Repeated skin contact with uncured product can cause a lasting allergy to acrylates. Keeping product off your skin, using the right lamp and wearing gloves lowers the risk. See a doctor if you notice itching, redness or swelling.

Do nail salons need extraction?

Extraction at each station is the most effective way to reduce dust and vapour. Rules vary by country, so check with your local regulator, but health and safety bodies in Ireland and the US recommend capturing dust and vapour at source.

How can hairdressers avoid back and shoulder pain?

Adjust the chair height for every client, keep your arms below shoulder height where you can, use a cutting stool, keep your wrists neutral, take regular breaks and stretch between clients.

Protecting your body is a long game, and every small change counts. When you're ready to upgrade your setup, find quality used equipment in our classifieds. If you haven't yet, list your business for free and get a free visibility report.