If you ever find yourself having a quiet business period, there are a few different ways you can utilise your time to set yourself up for success, such as taking stock of all of your products – and uncovering those that might be expired. This begs the question: do expiry dates on hair products matter? We decided to do some digging...
All hair products have an expiry date, also known as a shelf life. Marz Cielen, Director at Billi Currie, explains: "Once this shelf life has passed, products can start to lose their potency and effectiveness, meaning they will no longer create the intended effect." However, in addition to products no longer performing to a high standard, there are others risks with expired hair products. Marz adds: "Hair products are vulnerable to microbial contamination; if they are not used up within a certain amount of time, bacteria can start to form and make the products unsafe for use. In most hair products, water is a major portion of the formulation, and hence provides a breeding ground for the growth of these microbes." As such, this is why it is also important to ensure you always close your products after use.
Farah Naz, from Farah Naz Hairdressing, explains that checking the expiry dates on your hair products is easy: "Remember to regularly check the logo on the back of the product – it's a small picture of an open lid, and will normally tell you how long, in months, it will last for."
She also recommends: "Store your products in cool, dark places, as the environment your products are kept in will make a huge impact on their lasting power."
Marz also discusses the negative effects of using expired hair products, noting: "In some cases they can cause itchiness, redness on the scalp, and dandruff. The worst case scenario is that they might cause infections or hair loss – so always make sure you regularly check, and keep track of, the expiry dates on hair products, and if you are ever unsure, just throw it away."
Meanwhile, when it comes to avoiding expired stock, Marz also adds: "I never buy products that are on sale, as they are usually priced as such because they are about to expire. If you have multiples of one product, make sure you are going back to the same one each time, so only one is open at a time. This will ensure you get the most benefits out of your products."
Managing expiry dates on hair products is just one way you can prepare your barbershop for the new year – why not check out these tips from Jim Shaw, too?
