hi Denise,

My thought is .. it's mechanical, not chemical at least that's my own experience.

When I'm in the salon for something quick like a trim or simple shampoo & cut, I don't have any increase in symptoms, even though I'm breathing in fumes from persons in the chairs beside me, which could be anything from dye to perm solution to colour-remover.

But any long procedure, and I'm crippled right up for at least a couple days after. I atribute it to the sink position, yes, and the long period of sitting still, often with your neck bent or held stiffly. Especially with a color, they stick you under the dryer, hand you a magazine and then warn you not to bend your head down or else the dye won't "take" along the front and forehead if it doesn't get heated evenly. So there you are trying to read with the mag held up high in front, which is really, really hard on the neck, shoulders, hands and wrists to hold them in that position for more than a few minutes without any kind of support.

If my neck & shoulders are really stiff at the time, I have asked to lean forward over the sink, instead of backwards. Nobody has ever blinked an eye, and it's quite comfortable to do it that way. And they give me lots of towels to hold over my face. (Just be sure to wear pants or jeans, not a short skirt )

Getting your hair done is one of those trade-offs, at least I think so. It just feels so good, and it looks really nice so you feel good about yourself. But, you know you're likely going to be out of commission for a while afterward, so plan for it. Don't schedule anything major for the next day.

My 2¢

Doreen