One of the challenges of being a hairstylist is that you are often standing
for long hours at work. Like all jobs that you stand for a long time, you have to take care to have good health, wear the right clothing and shoes!
Before my hairstyling career, I thought it would be difficult for me to
have varicose veins because I sat at work most of the time. However, this presented another set of problems, as you developed what they called those days “secretary hips”. After entering the hair profession, standing became the new norm. As a participant on both sides I can assure you both have to be done in moderation.
If you are standing for long hours at work, the following are some of the actions you should take:
Wear proper shoes: many hairstylists like to wear trendy shoes, but believe me bad shoes give painful feet. I was not interested in heels because I had to bend over my clients and it would hurt my back. Good shoes are essential. They cost a bit more and you have to search to find cute ones but they are worth it in the long term.
Standing for long hours at work also causes varicose veins. If varicose veins run in your genes, you have to keep vigilant, they like to pop up in the most visible places on the legs. Some people recommend the compression stockings but you should speak with a medical professional to help with this.
Clothing: I like loose clothing so this often did not apply to me. What ended up happening was, clothing designers discovered stretchy materials. They also figured out how to put as little fabric in designs as possible. Avoid tight clothing when you work standing for long hours at work. Your blood needs to flow freely.
By Paula Barker, Silkie Locks Hair Design
Books: “Filling My Head”, “Talking Hair”, “Dreadlocks – A Hairstylist’s Manifest”.
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