A Client With a Fresh Scalp Wound Wants a Relaxer
A client books a chemical relaxer and a blow-dry. During the consultation and scalp check you find a 2 cm scabbed area at her crown and a few smaller red, broken spots near her hairline. She says she scratched herself with a comb 'a few days ago' and that it is 'basically healed'. She also mentions she had a relaxer eight weeks ago and that her scalp 'always burns a little' during the process. She is going to a family event in three days and does not want to reschedule. The salon has a written policy against applying relaxer to broken skin, but the receptionist has already taken her deposit and told her the appointment was confirmed.
1. Identify the risks of proceeding and decide what you do.
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Risks of proceeding:
- Relaxers are strongly alkaline. On intact skin they are tolerated; on broken or scabbed skin they cause stinging, chemical burns, and slower healing, and they create a route for irritation and infection.
- Her history that her scalp 'always burns a little' is a pattern, not a one-off. Repeated burning indicates the product or the timing is already at the edge of what her scalp tolerates.
- Scratching and recent breakage mean the barrier is compromised even where the skin looks healed. A scab is a sign of repair in progress, not completed repair.
- If a burn develops, she will be in discomfort for the family event she is trying to look good for - the opposite of her goal.
Decision: Do not apply the relaxer. The salon's own written policy exists for this reason, and a deposit does not override it. The receptionist's confirmation is an administrative error, not clinical authorisation.
Handling the booking: Apologise for the mixed message about the deposit, refund or transfer it per policy, and offer what can be done safely - a gentle cleanse and conditioning treatment, a heat-free style, or a rebooking once the scalp has settled. Suggest she see a pharmacist or GP if the spots spread, weep, or become painful.
Document: the scalp findings, her history of burning, the decision, the alternatives offered, and the deposit resolution.
2. The client says she will 'just put some cream on it' and asks you to do it anyway. How do you respond, and how does this differ from a situation where the skin is intact but sensitive?
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Responding to the request:
- Thank her for being honest and explain the specific mechanism - alkaline product on broken skin causes burns and delays healing - rather than just quoting 'policy'.
- Point out that a cream does not create a barrier that makes a relaxer safe on broken skin; it may mask the problem while the damage happens.
- Hold the decision calmly. Offering an alternative service and a rebooking shows you are solving her problem, not refusing her.
- Note in the record that she asked to proceed and was declined, with the reason.
How this differs from intact-but-sensitive skin:
- Intact, sensitive skin is a matter of adjusting the service: choose a gentler formulation, shorten processing time, use a protective base, keep the product off the scalp, and monitor closely. The barrier is present, so the risk is manageable and the client can consent to a modified service.
- Broken or scabbed skin is a contraindication: the barrier is absent, so no adjustment makes the product appropriate. The answer is to postpone.
- The key judgement is whether the skin's protective function is intact, not how the client feels about it. A 'basically healed' scab is still a break in the barrier.
If in doubt: Treat uncertainty as a reason to wait. Rescheduling costs a few days; a chemical burn costs weeks and can leave pigment changes.