You can get a stroke while having your hair washed.

Horrifying statement – we know but it is actually possible.

This is what happened to Elizabeth Williams, a mother of two residing in California, back in 2013.

She visited a hair salon to get her hair cut and washed. All was well until she started experiencing stroke like symptoms such as weakness on her left side, a few days after her salon visit.

After seeing her doctor, Ms. Williams was diagnosed with a rare condition known as vertebral artery dissection from hyperextension of the neck, otherwise known as the beauty parlor stroke syndrome.

The beauty parlor stroke syndrome could be either due to a sharp twist in the neck or the head movements caused by the hair dresser while having your hair washed.

The actions performed while washing someone’s hair can cause a tear in the vertebral artery which is responsible for supplying blood to your brain.

“When one of those cervical arteries is damaged in some sort of way, you can get what’s called a dissection, which is damage of the inside of the blood vessel, leading to abnormal flow and clotting and then those clots can shoot north into the brain and cause a stroke,” Head of Stroke research at John Hopkins, Dr Steven R. Zeiler told BuzzFeed.

Other cases of beauty parlor stroke syndrome have also been recorded in the past couple of years but that is not to say that people should avoid having their hair washed at the salon completely.

The beauty parlor stroke syndrome is rare and not all salon visits will definitely lead to strokes but it is important to ensure proper neck care is taken when having your hair washed.

You can have your legs elevated for extra comfort and ensure to let your hairdresser know when you are experiencing any discomfort during your wash.