The work of hairdressers for styling, beautifying, coloring, and enhancing the look of their clients is very exciting yet tiring at the same time. Most hairdressers have to stand and work for hours, being it’s the nature of the business.Doing repetitive motions that include cutting, slicing, shampooing, straightening, curling, and blow-drying can cause pain and injuries. That’s why hairdressers should perform helpful exercises to remain firm and active during their work.

In this article, I’m going to share with you some helpful tips and exercises to make you feel as good as new. But first, let’s understand what causes pains and injuries among Hairdressers.

Pains and Injuries Among Hairdressers

Hairdressers work while standing. They stand for hours, using their hands in the air doing repetitive movements like styling, washing, and coloring. As per the research, almost half of the hairdressers suffer from shoulder and neck pain and about 2/3 from back pain. Also, about 71% of hairdressers suffer from work injuries by using almost every part of their bodies.

Some of the typical injuries’ and pains hairdressers suffer include:

• Leg and abdomen cramps
• Tennis Elbow
• Joint/Muscle tightening
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)
• Neck, shoulder, and back pain
• Nerve trapping
• Fatigue
• Migraines and headaches
• Stress, and anxiety
• Locked joins in spine or neck
• Tendinitis
• Varicose veins

The pain that hairdressers suffer in the neck, shoulder, and in their back is due to tension developing in their muscles and locking of the spine joints. The locking of the spine joints can lead the hairdresser to the risk of “Cervical Facet Joint Syndrome” which can cause nerve irritation. Since wrists are used repeatedly for styling, the median nerve in them can become weak, numb, or tingle, resulting in CTS. Also, hairdressers as mentioned previously, cannot take long breaks due to which, they usually avoid eating foods that contain nutrients, which can result in fatigue and low blood pressure. Moreover, due to continuous working, they began suffering from migraines and headaches, leading them towards stress and anxiety.

The Level of Dealing with Stress is High

Although a hairdressing job is quite interesting and exciting, it’s exhausting as well. Hairdressers have to hide their pain and put a smile on their faces every day just to make their customers happy. They have to leave their problems and personal issues behind. Sometimes, customers are quite rude and interfere with the hairdressers while they are doing their job. Hairdressers cannot argue with their customers because it will develop poor relations. Most hairdressers try to make the situation work. 
So any insults, taunts, interference, and arrogance from some of their customers can result in stress and anxiety, leading to depression. If you aren’t in a good state of health, and that means on every level emotionally or physically, your work will negatively be impacted.

If you’re a busy hairdresser in the industry, you can’t take long breaks. If you are already suffering from any pain or injuries, it can last for hours, days, and even weeks.

Let’s get to the reason you may still reading this. Especially if you feel like you yourself can benefit personally. Hairdressers also require self-care. They also require exercises that can help them fix their poor posture, avoid injuries, reduce back pain, eliminate fatigue and numbness, and get rid of stress.

Tips for Hairdressers

Here are some of the tip’s hairdressers can follow to avoid pains and injuries:

1. Don’t stand too long in one place. If you stood at one place for 30 minutes, make sure to walk around afterward. Don’t stand at one place for more than half an hour.
2. While dealing with clients, make sure to do stretching and hamstring in between your working hours. As soon as you get aside from your client, use a stress ball, and squeeze it to feel comfort
3. Join a gym and visit at least 3 times a week.
4. Develop a habit of doing stretching exercises in between your working schedule to avoid discomfort and poor posture.
5. Try to change hands while working. If you work from one hand for too long, it will result in pain and discomfort.
6. Keep yourself hydrated to avoid fatigue
7. Eat nutritional foods during breaks to strengthen your physics.
8. Go for therapy
9. Wear gloves while dealing with chemicals such as hair dyes, keratin treatment products, rebounding products, shampoos, and conditioners.
10. Keep Adjusting your position while working to avoid poor posture
11. Take deep breathes during working hours to avoid stress and anxiety.
12. As a woman, don’t wear high heels at work. As a male, avoid heel boots.

Exercises for Hairdressers

Here are 5 exercises that can do wonders for hairdressers. They are mentioned below:

1. Breathing Exercise

Breathing exercises can help you shake off stress and anxiety during working hours. The best time would be early in the morning. When you wake up early in the morning, go outside and breathe slowly. Inhale and exhale long and slow. This will help you start your day with a happy feel. The next exercise is resting the right palm of your hand on your chest and the other left on your stomach. Inhale slowly by breathing through your stomach, keeping your chest still. Do this 3-5 times in the morning or during short breaks.

2. Neck Exercise

Usually, it’s the neck that feels discomfort while working as a hairdresser. For neck stretching exercise, inhale by looking upwards and exhale by lowering your chin towards your chest. Afterward, inhale again bringing your head to the center, and exhale by lowering your right ear close to your right shoulder and then do the same with the left ear and shoulder. Repeat the process 3-5 times daily.

3. Spine Exercise

To avoid back pain and poor posture, spine stretch exercise can be of great help. Start by sitting on a chair and spreading your knees without lifting your feet. Once that’s done, exhale by leading forward while dropping your head in between your knees. Then relax your spine and shoulder for few seconds and come back to the center.

4. Upper Body Exercise

To avoid poor posture and muscle tension, do this exercise every day, especially during short breaks at work. Simply develop a good standing posture and slightly place one hand against the wall. Now your fingertips should be against the wall at this point. Once that’s done, now start stretching your upper body and your arm. Do the same process with another hand. Repeat 3-5 times daily.

5. Hand Exercise

A hairdresser’s hands would be used the most during work. If they don’t do any hand exercises, their hand muscles will begin feeling tightness, numbness, weakness, pain, and soreness. Therefore, hand exercises are very necessary to do. Simply grab your hand finger one by one and pull back very gently till you feel a good stretch. Once that’s done, release your finger and process on another. For the thumb, when you pull it backward, then move it in a circular direction from one side to another. Afterward, release your fingers and shake your hands vigorously for blood circulation. Now you are ready to go.

Conclusion

The job of a hairdresser is tough, therefore they must not only focus on their clients but for themselves as well. Health is wealth. If you won’t have health, then you won’t be able to do anything, meaning your dreams will not be fulfilled. That’s why it’s important to follow the above-mentioned tips and exercises for better performance and avoiding stress at work.