Pray, Hairspray

This is scary, darlings. Microbiologists, busybodies each one, have finally dredged up the ultimate scare for coquettish (now, there’s a word for you) estheticians and cosmetology license clients: germs in your hairspray!

Microbacterium hatanonis, the new species of bacteria that contaminate and live in hairsprays, was first identified in 2008 by Japanese scientists and is currently under scrutiny to ascertain its possible impact on health and hairnets. It is related to another microbacterium, the Microbacterium oxydans, which originally (originally because it now lives in hairsprays, too) was found in milk, cheese, beef, eggs, on catheters and in bone marrow, and even in the blood of leukemia patients.

While the jury is out on the health hazard that M. hatanonis poses, as always, the whole cosmetology universe should err on the side of lotion, er, caution. That is, wash your hands thoroughly, then use hair lotion instead of hairspray. As always, our shameless plug for the week: check out the best cosmetology school online, www.cosmetologycampus.com, for the best online courses in cosmetology CE (continuing education). Mwah!