Hair damage at BBB

[castmember19]

The FGIT are not fully licensed cosmetologists.

Every little girl dreams of being a Disney Princess. Fairy Godmothers-in-Training at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique can make their dream come true.

Hostesses at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique transform our young Walt Disney World® Resort Guests into Disney Princesses by applying facial makeup, painting nails and styling hair in simple up-do looks. They must exhibit a positive, friendly, helpful attitude and respond to Guests’ special requests. Hostesses are also responsible for greeting Guests, answering questions, light cleaning and stocking supplies.

For performance theming, applicants for this role must be female and the minimum age requirement is 18 years of age. Applicants may also be required to attend a Company-paid training class with the State of Florida for hair braiding.

I copied that from the Disney hiring page. So you might get a FGIT that maybe went to cosmetology but they do NOT have to have a license to do the BBB. I'd imagine during the course of their training they're taught to at least look for scalp conditions and lice and all that. I'm very doubtful anyone ever tells them that such a thing as traction alopecia exists and it's all about the long lasting-ness (oh that's so not a word..)

I believe (just by what I've read from FGITs themselves) that those most likely to get FGIT positions either have a history in cosmetology, theatre, or future teachers. So yes, they're not all certified cosmetologists. The hairstyles are simple enough to do, apparently.

It's just a risk you take, I suppose, but like I said in another thread, but many more children come out of the BBB with positive experiences rather than negative ones with side effects. I'm not a parent, but the way I see it is that way worse can happen to a child than a bald spot. The OP stated on the other thread that her DD was taking it in stride, which is great!

I can understand the frustration of spending so much money on the BBB to walk away with a bald spot, though. Nobody should have to go through that. I'm sorry you and your daughter had to experience it, OP.

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

I stopped wearing pony tails because i started having hair issues. im 26 now.

 

[Sammie]

In fact ponytails can cause permanent hair loss. Any hairstyle that pulls on the scalp for a long period of time can cause hair loss. The hair loss can be reversed if the hairstyle is changed in time… but prolonged wear can lead to permanent loss. Styles to be careful with include tight ponytails & braids, cornrows, buns, chignons, and twists. You should also be careful with hair extensions that are glued or sewn into the hair, as well as with hair pins that secure hats for hours at a time. Women who wear ponytails report that their hair is no longer growing, when in fact it is repeatedly broken at the same distance from the scalp due to the trauma caused by the tight rubber band. Signs to watch out for include an itchy red scalp, tension headaches, hair breakage around the scalp, and random bald patches.

 

[DisneyLuver02391]

I've never understood what is supposed to be elegant or princess about those "dos". The extensions look ridiculous. The fact that every girl comes out looking the same is just weird too. I actually dislike them quite a bit.

I hate them, too. I would go into detail as to why, but I don't want to offend.

I believe (just by what I've read from FGITs themselves) that those most likely to get FGIT positions either have a history in cosmetology, theatre, or future teachers. So yes, they're not all certified cosmetologists. The hairstyles are simple enough to do, apparently.

It's just a risk you take, I suppose, but like I said in another thread, but many more children come out of the BBB with positive experiences rather than negative ones with side effects. I'm not a parent, but the way I see it is that way worse can happen to a child than a bald spot. The OP stated on the other thread that her DD was taking it in stride, which is great!

I can understand the frustration of spending so much money on the BBB to walk away with a bald spot, though. Nobody should have to go through that. I'm sorry you and your daughter had to experience it, OP.

Let me also state that many of the FGIT are CPs and are only there for a short period of time. They can range from any major (I'm starting my CP in August as attractions and I'm a bio major... lol) and from any background. Most of the time, they choose the girls who like to "gussy up" the most, but you honestly never know. I wish they would have licensed cosmetologists! Maybe the styles could be more varied and less ugly... (as well as safer!)

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

About 8 years ago my hair was long. Every morning when I got out of the shower I would twist it up TIGHT and secure it with a "claw" clip. I started losing a LOT of hair from the crown of my head. The dermatologist told me to use Rogaine! I did NOT use Rogaine, but I did cut my hair shorter. It is thinner than it used to be, but the scalp has filled back in. It isn't nearly as bas as it was. So yes, tension on the hair will cause it to do wonky things. I had no idea it would happen after a couple of days, though!

 

[Lynn5700]

As a hairstylist, I can tell you that they definitey make little girls' hair way too tight. You can see how slick the girls have their hair when they get out of the BBB. If the hair is pulled too tight, thenn the hair will definitely come out and there could be some balding caused from it. Normally the balding will happen right around the hairline, but it can happen in other places.

Personally, I love the concept of BBB, but I cannot stand the hairstyles that they give the little girls. They should really hire professional stylists who can give them real princess looking hair, lol.

 

[treehugnmama]

We have done bbb 3 times ny dd has a ton of hair. We have not had a problem but she leaves in not quite 48 hours. If it is done Monday Tuesday night she washes it before bed. No bbb this trip. She wants to be repunzel for mnsshp

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I think a lot of it is there's just a bigger pool of people to work there if they don't require a full liscense. They'd also have to pay a fully liscensed person more.

 

[Eljay]

I think a lot of it is there's just a bigger pool of people to work there if they don't require a full liscense. They'd also have to pay a fully liscensed person more.

In theory, this makes sense. At BBB, you can't get your hair colored, a haircut, perm, or even a shampoo. The service they provide doesn't fall into the category that would require the stylists to be licensed.

But, reading these posts shows that even pulling hair into a ponytail can be done incorrectly and can cause damage. By now, I'm sure someone at WDW has seen this thread, so maybe the problem has been addressed. I'm not a fan of the rock hard gel used on delicate hair. The gel combined with a super tight band is the problem. If a girl sleeps with her hair like that, pulls a shirt over her head, or the bun gets bumped in any number of ways, there is a good chance of causing a chunk of hair to be pulled out of the scalp. It would be interesting to hear exactly where on the head the hair loss is occurring. Does there seem to be a common spot?

Solution: softer gel and more importantly, looser ponytails!
There is an easy way to make sure the band is not too tight.
After banding the hair, but before the gel hardens, slide the tail of the comb between the scalp and the band and gently lift up a tiny bit, this will ever so slightly loosen any spots that are too tight without wrecking the style.

 

[mom2rtk]

In theory, this makes sense. At BBB, you can't get your hair colored, a haircut, perm, or even a shampoo. The service they provide doesn't fall into the category that would require the stylists to be licensed.

But, reading these posts shows that even pulling hair into a ponytail can be done incorrectly and can cause damage. By now, I'm sure someone at WDW has seen this thread, so maybe the problem has been addressed. I'm not a fan of the rock hard gel used on delicate hair. The gel combined with a super tight band is the problem. If a girl sleeps with her hair like that, pulls a shirt over her head, or the bun gets bumped in any number of ways, there is a good chance of causing a chunk of hair to be pulled out of the scalp. It would be interesting to hear exactly where on the head the hair loss is occurring. Does there seem to be a common spot?

Solution: softer gel and more importantly, looser ponytails!
There is an easy way to make sure the band is not too tight.
After banding the hair, but before the gel hardens, slide the tail of the comb between the scalp and the band and gently lift up a tiny bit, this will ever so slightly loosen any spots that are too tight without wrecking the style.

Given that I have seen many folks on the DIS discuss how to maximize their "investment" in the boutique by trying to keep the hair up as long as possible, I honestly don't expect to see Disney change a single thing they do. If they start making the pony tails more loose, I'm sure they would have a fair number of people complaining that it didn't last long enough.

I think the best thing to do is make a personal note, ask if you want YOURS looser and go on about your business. If this was a widespread problem, I think we would have heard about it before now.

 

[Pumpernoodle]

My dd10 has a hair loss issue right now. She woke up one morning with a bald spot at the crown of her head that was about the size of a quarter. I took her to the pediatrician and the dermatologist right away. The dermatologist said that this is similar to "cradle cap" that happens to babies, but it can happen again at the onset of puberty. She is on a medicated "mousse" of sorts that is growing the hair back, but spot has also expanded (which he said is to be expected. He said it would take months for the hair to grow back completely.

We have done BBB with both of our girls 3 times. The last time was May '10, so obviously that has nothing to do with this. We havealways left the style in at least overnight (once for 2 days) with no problems. I do think they make the hair extremely tight, and I would certainly question any hair loss that I found immediately upon taking the hair out. I just wanted everyone to know that there can be another reason for this.

 

[EloiseHarper]

We haven't tried the BBB because my girls don't have enough hair, lol, but my younger sisters got the hair wraps that they did at the water parks years ago, and one ended up with a bald spot in that place.

 

[rainydayplay]

So sorry that these little princesses had a bad reaction to the up dos. The poor things! I tried to interest DD in this but she will barely let me brush her hair so no way would she let them do all that. We looked at a few videos and pics before she said "no thanks" and it seems like they maybe changed the hairstyle a few years ago? The older pictures do not look so tight and uncomfortable as the newer pics. Maybe the BBB was getting a lot of "returns" to fix buns that were falling out so they went with a tighter style???

My DD doesn't like it when I comb/brush her hair. There are days when she screams and cries through the experience. However, anyone else can do her hair and she doesn't complain.

 

[lilmissdisney216]

I am a current FGIT at the BBB and whenever I get a princess in my chair I make sure that she is comfortable and most of all that [before she leaves the chair] she doesn't hurt or that she doesn't feel as though anything is too tight. The last thing I wanna do is hurt my princess so I try not to make the pony tail so tight and I kinda add my own touch to the hairstyles (even though they tell us not to deviate from them as much as possible) but I feel the parent is paying so much for this experience why not make it a little more special for the princess...I digress. In other words, I am so shocked to hear that this is happening to princesses....definately not magical. Its gonna make me think extra hard about how tight the ponytail is each time I have a princess today at work and from now on. So glad the DIS is here to make us aware.

 

[Eljay]

I am a current FGIT at the BBB and whenever I get a princess in my chair I make sure that she is comfortable and most of all that [before she leaves the chair] she doesn't hurt or that she doesn't feel as though anything is too tight. The last thing I wanna do is hurt my princess so I try not to make the pony tail so tight and I kinda add my own touch to the hairstyles (even though they tell us not to deviate from them as much as possible) but I feel the parent is paying so much for this experience why not make it a little more special for the princess...I digress. In other words, I am so shocked to hear that this is happening to princesses....definately not magical. Its gonna make me think extra hard about how tight the ponytail is each time I have a princess today at work and from now on. So glad the DIS is here to make us aware.

Thank you for chiming in here, LilMissDisney216.
I'm glad you read the thread and that you might be able to help avoid some of the issues a few of the BBB princesses have had with their hair.

 

[cschulte]

LilMissDisney216-- I appreciate your comments. I am the OP and my daughters loved the experience. The FGIT that did my daughter's hair (the one that lost the hair) was great and did a great job.

I kept meaning to call BBB and tell them what happened, not to complain but just to make them aware of the issue. I think it is not a common situation, but has obviously happened to more than just us.

Thanks for chiming in and I hope you can pass the information along.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I feel sorry for all your little girls but I am still having a hard time understanding this - I teach preschool and I can tell you that many African-American girls have their hair pulled into braids and ponytails MUCH tighter than they could achieve at BBB and I've never seen any of their hair fall out I'm not saying it could never happen, but I've been teaching about 10 years now, let me tell you that some of those styles are so tight the skin of the scalp is pulled away from the head, and I have actually seen some skin tearing but no hair loss due to tight pulling.

Our hair texture is different and therefore can handle things like tightly pulled styles much easier that softer, finer hair. That said, there are many Black women who suffer from aloplecia due to wearing their hair in tight braids for extended periods of time.

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

I am a current FGIT at the BBB and whenever I get a princess in my chair I make sure that she is comfortable and most of all that [before she leaves the chair] she doesn't hurt or that she doesn't feel as though anything is too tight. The last thing I wanna do is hurt my princess so I try not to make the pony tail so tight and I kinda add my own touch to the hairstyles (even though they tell us not to deviate from them as much as possible) but I feel the parent is paying so much for this experience why not make it a little more special for the princess...I digress. In other words, I am so shocked to hear that this is happening to princesses....definately not magical. Its gonna make me think extra hard about how tight the ponytail is each time I have a princess today at work and from now on. So glad the DIS is here to make us aware.

*applause!*

I hope you are our FGIT when we come to the BBB in June. Do you work DTD or MK???

 

[nkereina]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but the hair wraps do this same thing. Granted it's a much smaller section of hair, but if you leave it in for too long it kills the hair underneath and needs to be cut out. Happened to me when I was there as a kid. Not as severe as the other ones mentioned but something to remember!

 

[mydisneykids]

My dd10 has a hair loss issue right now. She woke up one morning with a bald spot at the crown of her head that was about the size of a quarter. I took her to the pediatrician and the dermatologist right away. The dermatologist said that this is similar to "cradle cap" that happens to babies, but it can happen again at the onset of puberty. She is on a medicated "mousse" of sorts that is growing the hair back, but spot has also expanded (which he said is to be expected. He said it would take months for the hair to grow back completely.

We have done BBB with both of our girls 3 times. The last time was May '10, so obviously that has nothing to do with this. We havealways left the style in at least overnight (once for 2 days) with no problems. I do think they make the hair extremely tight, and I would certainly question any hair loss that I found immediately upon taking the hair out. I just wanted everyone to know that there can be another reason for this.

Never having done BBB as my girls were older when it opened I had to comment on this one.
My DD now 18 had this same thing. It was along her part line and along the front of her hair. They said it was a form of alapicia and my have been triggered by hormones as she was just entering puberty at the time it happened. At the time they said it was a 50/50 chance of growing back or not.
The dermatologist gave her cortisone injections once a month for six months in the area of the scalp affected and our hairdresser reccommended Nioxin shampoo and conditioner which we still use. Her hair is great now and it did grow back VERY slowly but has a very different texture where it grew back.