How to Protect Hearing Aids During a Salon Appointment

How to Protect Hearing Aids During a Salon Appointment

Quick answer

Tell the stylist that you wear hearing aids and agree on when they will be removed. Bring the correct protective case, switch the devices off as instructed, and store them away from sinks, sprays, chemicals, heat, towels, pockets, and loose hair. Use a backup communication method while they are out. Reinsert them only after the ears, hair around the devices, and hands are dry and free of product.

Follow the hearing-aid manufacturer's and hearing professional's instructions; water resistance and care steps differ by model.

Platinum Fades Berwyn Route 66

BerwynCook CountyIllinois

6905-A Ogden Ave, Berwyn, IL 60402, USA

Make a device plan before the service

Tell the salon whether you use behind-the-ear, receiver-in-canal, in-the-ear, or another device and whether you also have a cochlear implant processor or other hearing technology. Ask when shampoo, color, spray, heat, and clipper work will occur.

Decide whether the devices can stay in for consultation and dry cutting, then be removed for wet or product-heavy steps. Do not assume a water-resistance rating makes exposure to shampoo, dye, hairspray, or sustained moisture safe.

KCY Hair Salon

ChicagoCook CountyIllinois

2900 N Laramie Ave, Chicago, IL 60641, USA

Remove and store hearing aids safely

Wash and dry your hands as appropriate before handling the aids. Turn them off or open the battery door according to device instructions. Place both aids immediately in a rigid, labeled case you control. Use separate compartments for left and right if confusion is possible.

Do not wrap them in tissue, hide them under the cape, place them on a wet counter, hand them loosely to the stylist, or put them in a salon apron. Keep the case away from children, pets, heat, direct sun, and spilled liquids.

Keep communication working

Before removal, confirm the haircut, color, length, price, and key safety instructions. Tell the stylist how to get your attention—such as a light touch on the shoulder after consent—and which side is easier to hear.

Use face-to-face speech, written notes, speech-to-text, or a companion as appropriate. Keep visual contact before the stylist turns on clippers or dryers, reclines the chair, applies product, or asks for consent to a change.

Manage water, spray, heat, and tools

FDA and NIDCD guidance advises keeping hearing aids away from moisture, heat, hairspray, and other hair products. Remove devices before shampooing or product spray unless the manufacturer and hearing professional have provided different model-specific instructions.

Ask the stylist to keep the case outside the splash zone. When trimming around the ears, point out tubing, earmolds, implant components, sensitive skin, or retention accessories before removal. Hair dryers should not blow directly onto stored devices.

Check before reinserting devices

Wait until the ears, hair near the devices, and your hands are dry. Check that dye, spray, powder, oil, loose hair, or moisture is not on the device contact areas. Inspect the aids and earmolds under good light.

Reinsert using your normal method, not the stylist's, unless you have explicitly trained and authorized assistance. Confirm sound and comfort before leaving. Keep small batteries secure and never set them on the salon station.

Respond to moisture or product exposure

If a device gets wet or coated, remove it from use and follow the manufacturer's incident instructions. Do not rinse it, apply alcohol or solvent, use a hot hair dryer, microwave it, or improvise with heat.

Contact the hearing healthcare professional or manufacturer for device-specific steps, especially if sound is distorted, intermittent, absent, unusually loud, or uncomfortable. Document the product and exposure time if damage is possible.

Hearing-aid salon checklist

• Tell the stylist about hearing devices before service.
• Confirm when water, products, clippers, and heat are used.
• Bring a rigid labeled case.
• Agree on backup communication.
• Store devices outside the splash and heat zone.
• Dry ears, hair, and hands before reinserting.
• Inspect and test devices before leaving.
• Follow manufacturer instructions after exposure.

Limitations and safety notes

• This guide does not replace device-specific instructions or audiology care.
• Hearing aids, implant processors, and water-resistance ratings differ.
• Do not use an aid that is hot, damaged, painful, or producing abnormal sound.
• Sudden hearing change, ear injury, severe pain, bleeding, or chemical exposure to the ear needs prompt professional assessment.

Frequently asked questions

Can I leave hearing aids in for a dry haircut?

Ask your hearing professional and stylist. Loose hair, clippers, spray, and accidental contact can still affect the devices.

Are waterproof hearing aids safe during shampooing?

Do not assume so. Check the exact device instructions; soaps, products, heat, and exposure conditions matter.

Can the stylist hold my hearing aids?

It is safer to place them directly into your own secure case and retain control of it.

What if I cannot understand the stylist without them?

Arrange writing, speech-to-text, face-to-face confirmation, an interpreter, or another effective communication method in advance.

Should I use a hair dryer to dry a wet aid?

No. FDA guidance warns that heat can damage hearing aids. Follow manufacturer instructions and contact a hearing professional.

Official device-care notes

The FDA hearing-aid care guide advises avoiding water, solvents, alcohol, heat, hair dryers, hairspray, and other hair products. NIDCD similarly recommends keeping aids away from heat and moisture and removing them around hair-care products.

Pack one labeled device case

Put a rigid hearing-aid case in your salon bag now. Before the first product or water step, confirm the service plan, switch the aids off correctly, and place them directly into that case.