Sensitive scalp and a hardresser.

[Awalia]

Do you have sensitive scalp? I do.
I had a really bad experience today. I am practical nurse student and we have this substance where we learn to take care of a persons hair and nails and such. Our teacher in that class is a hairdresser. It was a total nightmare.
The teacher wanted to use me as a model for braid hairstyles. I tried to tell her that i have a sensitive scalp, and she should be careful or take someone else as her model, but she did not listen to me. That women has no idea about working with hair gently. She pulled and twisted my hair and braided so tight that i was nearly crying while whole class was looking at me. I was so ashamed. I still feel like my scalp is in fire. Nobody understood me, they thought that i was just pretending or something.
Now i feel so hurt, not only from my scalp, but emotionally too, because no one cared about how i felt. Like i would be just some kind of a doll that has no feelings.
I wanted to share this with you, because i dont know anybody IRL with sensitive scalp, and they just think i am whining for nothing :(

(Sorry for a bad english, it's not my native langue)

[Miss Murphy]

Awalia, (((hugs))) to you! That sounds just horrible. From the way you and your needs where treated, to the pain you are feeling now (both physical and emotional) - that was no way to treat anybody!

I hope you'll feel better soon :blossom:

[Shanarana]

That is horrible to be on display like that and and in pain. So sorry this happened to you.

[Anlbe]

Awalia,

That sounds awful. I know what you mean, I have the same problem though it does not as bad as what you suffered. When people do this to me (normally hairdressers) I now stand up, turn round and say "I'm sorry but you are causing me pain and damaging my hair, please be gentler or I will leave." Means they probably don't like me but they stop causing physical pain. But for years I just gritted my teeth and was polite but now I don't care.
It must have been so awful for you, particularly as it was a class and this was a teacher. People can be so thoughtless, I think doing someone's hair is quite a personal thing - when else would you let a stranger stroke your head and run their fingers through your hair? So when someone is rough and thoughtless it's particularly upsetting.

[savi]

Teachers can some times be so insensitive in more ways than one apparantly. Next time if she want's to use you as a model just walk out of the chair, even though it is your teacher. I've stood up to mine in the past too. (There are good ones out there too, but some...)
Your scalp's going to be better it just needs some pampering. :flower:

[Awalia]

Thank you everyone for kind words. I feel a lot better now when i know that somebody understands me =)

[florenonite]

Aww, hugs to you! It feels awful when people don't understand, doesn't it?

(And your English is great. Far better than my French, and I took that for twelve years at school!)

[Awalia]

Thanks florenonite :) I have been learning english in school for seven years now, but i must admit that most of my learning has happened in internet...

[Tabitha]

I can relate to you - I find most hairdresser's "scalp massages" to be downright painful, but I'm always too shy to say anything since it's always the junior who does the shampooing and I don't want to seem like a meanie or prima donna.

I would suggest that if you're asked again, you refuse, as you have a perfect right to do, especially as you've allowed it once. Next time, let them find another victim!

[SHELIAANN1969]

First off, Hugs for the embarrassment and pain, thats not a good experience, just dont allow that woman to ever touch your head again, you might also mention to her, that if it hurt you, how does she think her patients will feel?

Especially when one is sick/ wounded the nurse needs to be GENTLE, not like NURSE RATCHET on "One Flew Oer the Cuckoos Nest" (it was a move with Jack Nicholson being in an insane asylum)


That teacher really needs some people skills in my opinion.


I have a very sensitive scalp as well, as does my nephew and I rarely allow my sister to do anything to my hair, such as braid or henna. I allow my Boyfriend, he is the most gentle person I know and handles my hair so delicately, I allow him to fingercomb my hair as well, since its hard for me to reach it in the back, and he has never hurt me.

My sister on the other hand, doesn't seem to understand that I'm not just a baby and it DOES HURT!! (mean old Gretchen_Hair, lol)

[magicatt]

I'm so sorry to hear that this happened to you. I can understand how horrible it is to be treated disrespectfully--especially in front of a group of people. It's unfortunate you couldn't explain the pain better so that other people could understand that the people you will be caring for one day also might also have tender heads and also deserve respect and gentle treatment.

[Awalia]

SHELIAANN1969, totally agree with you. As a practical nurse, i will work in kindergarten too, and i was wondering am i supposed to cause pain to a child just to get a great and tight result? I think the point of doing kids hair in kindergarten is to give them not only a nice french braid, but give them some special attention and a nice moment with an adult.
And what about the elderly we allso take care from? I's just same thing for them, they dont want pain, they want attention and maybe not so perfect result but company of another person.
Our teacher is just a regular hairdresser, and i think that is why she has so different attentude towards making a persons hair. She sees it more as style and fashion.

[Anje]

Yikes. Sorry she hurt your scalp so bad.

In the usual snarky character that I wouldn't have thought to do had I been in your place, I would have likely slapped her hands, pulled away, and said something like "I hope you don't treat your patients this badly!"

[k_hepburn]

So this woman is supposed to train you to look after the hair of people who cannot do it for themselves, like small children, sick or elderly people? And her idea of doing that is to rip through your hair, ignore your request for gently handling, ignore that you pointed out to her you had a sensitive scalp and are becoming visibly upset, and go ahead and braid as tightly as possible.

I can imagine how horrible you must have felt during that procedure, but it is she who should be ashamed. If she had tried her methods on a child or on a sick patient she would, in all probability have caused a full scale tantrum. Neither children nor elderly people take well to being handled roughly, let alone being physically hurt for no reason. I do not know how much you will have to do with this woman as part of your training, but if there are going to be any repeats of this kind of performance, if she seems to be picking on you or bullying you, you should inquire about whether there are any procedures to complain about her or report her.


{{{Hugs}}}

katharine