Fashion + Beauty

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Related Topics:

Would You Sue a Salon for $50,000 if They Screwed Up Your Hair?

Time to play armchair jury, and have I got a doozy of a case for you. A woman in Oregon, who has been bleaching her hair for 25 years, is suing her salon for $50,000 because her hair started snapping off after her most recent bleaching session.

The woman, Sarah Jane Ward, blames an inept stylist and says she suffered humiliation, depression and had to pay for hair extensions. (She should have checked out this video on doing hair extensions at home, would have saved her some cash.)

The salon claims that Ward ignored a stylist's recommendations and damaged her hair with teasing and flat ironing (I wonder if she was using one of these flat irons?). They also say that since she didn't go bald or suffer a mental health crisis, they shouldn't be responsible.

While we can't give a verdict (we'll leave that up to the jury … and any of you who'd like to comment below), we can give some advice on keeping color-treated hair from turning into a disaster like this:

Avoid heat styling whenever you can and don't use scorching hot water in the shower.

When you do heat style, always use a product to protect hair (like one of these).

Stay out of the sun (or wear a hat when exposed to sun). And look for hair products that contain SPF and are formulated for color-treated hair.

Wash hair less -- it will keep hair from drying out and help color last longer. When you do shampoo, make sure it's with a quality product, like one of these. And always follow up with a good conditioner.

Leave a weekly deep conditioning treatment (these ones are fantastic) on strands for at least 15 minutes to allow it to reach down to your hair's cuticle.

Use a large-toothed comb in the shower while deep conditioning to distribute the product evenly through hair.

Image: The Oregonian
Syndication:

From the Community…

Comments 1-10 of 104
  • sugar fiend's Avatar
    Posted by sugar fiend Fri May 8, 2009 8:13am PDT

    She sounds like a crazy person to me!! Though I can't say I'd be thrilled if my hair started snapping off after a dye job. Yikes!

    Report Abuse
  • Cheyenne's Avatar
    Posted by Cheyenne Fri May 8, 2009 11:24am PDT

    In this case, the stylist, knowing how bad this woman's hair is and how long she's been bleaching, might have considered saying, "No." On the other hand, how simple do you have to be to not understand that after 25 years of bleaching, your hair is going to be FUBAR? Especially with beauty mags and blogs everywhere telling us just that? That woman is nuts if she thinks she's actually going to get any restitution for this.

    Report Abuse
  • 80'sgirl's Avatar
    Posted by 80'sgirl Fri May 8, 2009 12:08pm PDT

    maybe depends on the situation. My hair is my pride and glory but I wouldn't hold anyone responsible if I demanded the service. Now lets say for instance I bleached my hair and she left it in too long by accident then yes the stylist is reponsible.

    Report Abuse
  • Zeplin522's Avatar
    Posted by Zeplin522 Fri May 8, 2009 12:26pm PDT

    I was at the salon recently and while there this older lady came

    in for a perm. The sylist said she would trim the womans hair

    but would not pern it as it was in bad condition and she should

    wait for at least 6 months. And why if this woman has been doing

    it for 25 years(her hair had to like straw YIKES)would you not

    be going to the same salon, if they were still there? Who does

    that to their hair these days.

    Report Abuse
  • Elle's Avatar
    Posted by Elle Fri May 8, 2009 1:49pm PDT

    http://www.examiner.com/x-6732-SF-Health-and-Beauty-Examiner~y2009m5d8-A-case-where-not-all-blondes-have-more-fun

    They decided that she didn't deserve a dime for this... this lady is loco!

    Report Abuse
  • Elizabeth's Avatar
    Posted by Elizabeth Fri May 8, 2009 2:06pm PDT

    This lady is crazy. It's her own fault that her hair started falling out I mean after 25 years of bleaching your hair is going to be in horrible condition. One of my friends has only been dieing their hair for about 12 years and their hair is so fried that it isn't even funny. So why would she not expect this to eventually happen.

    Report Abuse
  • Elizabeth's Avatar
    Posted by Elizabeth Fri May 8, 2009 2:06pm PDT

    This lady is crazy. It's her own fault that her hair started falling out I mean after 25 years of bleaching your hair is going to be in horrible condition. One of my friends has only been dieing their hair for about 12 years and their hair is so fried that it isn't even funny. So why would she not expect this to eventually happen.

    Report Abuse
  • Linda W's Avatar
    Posted by Linda W Fri May 8, 2009 2:30pm PDT

    I don't know that I would sue, I'd be sure to stop bleaching for a while and let my hair rest. I don't know how blonde celebs keep there hair from falling out. I have a friend whose been blonde for over 20 years and she's not loosing any hair over it. Hmm.

    Report Abuse
  • Angela's Avatar
    Posted by Angela Fri May 8, 2009 2:36pm PDT

    Well, I didn't read the linked article saying that she didn't win the case, but thanks for posting that info just the same.

    Really, the only way this woman would have had a case is if her hair would have started breaking right there in the salon, which can actually happen. Once she's gone, anything could have been the cause for the damage, so there's no way that she can prove anything. Even if she could have, there's no way she would have gotten $50,000 FOR HAIR, when people don't get that much money FOR ARMS AND LEGS, or even WRONGFUL DEATH. GET REAL!

    People should know, however, that using chemicals in your hair is still not a risk free process. There are risks involved in perming and coloring your hair. That's why home kits tell people to do a skin test before you use them (because they can actually harm your skin), and if you use them wrong, they can destroy your hair. I get my hair professionally dyed all the time, and depending on what hormone levels are on the day I go (I have thyroid disease) sometimes the chemicals really bother my skin and sometimes I don't notice them at all.

    Still, these products have come a long way. My grandmother, who is now 87, was the head nurse at a skilled nursing/retirement home. There was a female patient there who was bald, and had a collection of wigs. Her story was famous around the facility. When perms first became popular, she went to get one. The chemicals burned her head and burned off all of her hair. The salon apologized, put her hair in a shopping bag, gave her a scarf to cover her head, and sent her home. Her hair never grew back. The lady said she sat in front of her mirror and cried for days. Maybe that sounds shallow to some, but remember, this was back in the days when women had little more to look forward to than being pretty and finding someone to marry them. She never sued, because back then, you coulnd't sue for such a thing. Today, she would own that place.

    Report Abuse
  • martza's Avatar
    Posted by martza Fri May 8, 2009 2:38pm PDT

    i would sue to!! omg! losing my hair!! no way!!

    Report Abuse
Comments 1-10 of 104

leave your comment

You must sign in to post a comment

Sign In for personalized information

New User? Sign Up

Remove More Dirt and Make-up

Olay Deep Cleansers get dirt that some basic cleansers leave behind.