On December 1, 2024, World AIDS Day, George House Trust launched the UK’s first HIV and Beauty guide for professionals working in the hair and beauty industries.
Understanding HIV: A Guide for Hair and Beauty Professionals is a collaboration between HIV charity George House Trust and top beauty industry expert and educator, Sam Marshall.
It is designed to empower hair and beauty professionals to become fully HIV-inclusive businesses.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks and weakens the human immune system.
Medically, HIV is classed as a long-term manageable health condition because HIV treatment keeps the immune system healthy.
The guide provides up-to-date HIV facts and science with best practice guidelines to support and educate hair and beauty practitioners about HIV and how to eliminate HIV discrimination in hair and beauty settings.
How to be an HIV-inclusive business
Know the facts
- HIV cannot be transmitted through everyday contact or non-invasive treatments like massages, pedicures and manicures.
- There has never been an HIV transmission from piercings, tattoos or any other cosmetic beauty treatment, according to the British HIV association.
- Although it is possible to transmit HIV and other blood-borne viruses via needlestick injuries, this is extremely rare when following universal basic hygiene. There have been no confirmed cases of HIV infections from needle stick injuries in the UK since 1999.
- It is illegal to refuse people living with HIV a hair or beauty service or treat someone living with HIV differently.
- Collecting information about someone’s HIV status must be justifiable by law.
Practical steps your business can take
- Remove questions specifying HIV from all consultations and questionnaires.
- Continue to follow universal hygiene protocols as endorsed by the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority and in accordance with licensing and health and safety standards to eliminate the risk of any blood-borne illnesses.
- Ask every client about medical conditions and medication to check for contraindications, so as not to single out clients living with HIV.
- If a client chooses to share their HIV status with you, assure them that the information is held in confidence.
- Check the language you use in conversation about HIV. Understanding HIV: A Guide for Hair and Beauty Professionals offers alternatives to problematic words and phrases.
Darren Knight, chief executive of George House Trust, said, “We are proud to partner with Sam Marshall to develop this important guide for the beauty industry. Someone’s HIV status must never be a barrier to accessing beauty services.
“We want to support the beauty industry to improve understanding around HIV and provide an effective toolkit for the whole industry.
“We found from our research that 52% of people have been refused a treatment due to their HIV status and this shows there is still unnecessary and unacceptable stigma attached to living with HIV, and a lack of awareness around the advances in treatment and what that means for people living with HIV.
“We hope that by launching this HIV and Beauty Guide, we will bring the issue to the forefront, across this sector and beyond.”
Marshall commented, “I’m delighted to have spearheaded the UK’s first HIV beauty guide alongside George House Trust. It will help us move towards a more inclusive industry, something I’m extremely passionate about.
“I implore all beauty professionals to put the guide into practice, in particular removing the HIV status questionnaire from the consultation process.
“Beauty practitioners do not need to know someone’s HIV status to undertake beauty, hair, or cosmetic procedures, even those that produce blood or are considered invasive.
“Thanks to effective treatment, people living with HIV cannot pass it on. Additionally, universal hygiene protocols (which should be standard practice in any professional salon) will eliminate the risk of any blood-borne virus being transmitted.
“As an inclusive beauty salon, we would never ask clients for their status as it is irrelevant and unnecessary.”
Marshall concluded, “Beauty is for everyone, and we believe that everyone who wants to access beauty services should feel comfortable in doing so.”
Read the full guide here.
