Working behind a chair and standing all the time can make you prone to

getting work-related back pain.  Service jobs are notorious for this although you can have this problem sitting at a desk!  Other things such as maintaining your weight and a proper diet also play a crucial role.

Some of the areas covered in training at cosmetology school include posture and suitable footwear. 

At the time, being young and invincible, wearing sensible shoes is the farthest thing from your mind.  That is until you start going up in age and gain a clientele or work somewhere that is busy.  You stand sometimes the full eight hours or more with a small break in between clients.  Sometimes, a five minute break so you can sit and take the weight off your feet feels incredible.

As a hairstylist, work-related back pain can happen in these instances.

• Bending at odd angles to do a service – as a tall person, I know bending to do a wash at a low sink or being much taller than your client can take a large toll on your back.
• Reaching up for long periods while doing a service – e.g. forgetting to lower or raise the chair as you go to different areas of the clients’ heads.
• Wearing shoes that do not cushion the feet – being fashionable is good but you will develop foot issues if you do not get proper footwear for standing long hours.
• Fail to invest in fatigue mats that soften the work area.
• Not exercising or staying in the same position doing longer jobs such as braiding can ruin your flexibility.

To have a long and pain free career, we have to monitor our body and make our work behaviors help us avoid work-related back pain.

By Paula Barker, Silkie Locks Hair Design

Books:  “Talking Hair”, “Filling My Head” & “Dreadlocks – A Hairstylist’s Manifest”.