"I highly recommend NOT using lightener on a child. Four years old is TOO young for this type of hair process. Its not a walk in the park type of chemical treatment. It's a minimum of two hours! The hydrogen peroxide is touching his scalp, and the fumes from the bleach plus toner are being exposed in the air he breathes.

"Most definitely his natural curls are now compromised. The long-term effect? Well, his hair won't feel or look the same until they decide to cut it. Hair color in moderation is OK—but on a child, that's poor judgment." — Hairstylist of eight years Samantha Padilla of Slope Suds Salon, based in New York City. 

"So, I do have a bit of experience with this. I used to color my client's 4-year-old son's hair fun colors. Amber did the right thing by doing a patch test first. If their skin isn't sensitive, then have at it! His hair looks very thick and strong as well. You can see in the photo that there isn't even any damage from the bleach. I approve completely." — Hairstylist of 20 years Naté Bova, senior stylist at Warren Tricomi Salón at The Plaza in NYC.

"Dyeing a child’s hair is OK, as long as the child doesn’t get skin irritations. I would be sure to test the child’s skin before taking a risk of coloring their whole head. I’ve seen young kids highlighting as young as 2 years old, but as long as the color doesn’t get on scalp, it should be OK because of allergies, etc.

"Highlights do not touch the scalp. So the scalp is untouched. The key is to maintaining a healthy style and avoiding breakage is a really good conditioning regiment." — Celeb stylist of 25 years Kiyah Wright of Muze|Hair by Kiyah Wright, based in Beverly Hills.

"Dyeing hair changes the texture of your hair no matter your age. So, if you are dyeing hair too young, you are changing their texture while their bodies are still growing—and the hair may not be able to repair like an adult.  In my expert opinion, 16 is a safe age for permanent color." — Hairstylist of 15 years Keka Heron based in Atlanta. 

"I'm my opinion, 5 years old is a bit too young but as long as it was done by a licensed hair professional, that’s important and all that matters." — Celebrity hairstylist of 13+ years Tym Wallace, based in Los Angeles. 

"The research on hair-dye impact on overall health is inconclusive, so it's tough to say definitively that it's going to cause harm to a child. However, the mere fact that you don't know and that it's a fact that  hair dye is tested on animals and adults—not kids—that is enough for any responsible parent to say let's wait.

"Also, a child's head, scalp and brain is still developing and can be sensitive to harsh chemicals that are found in semi- and permanent hair dyes and bleach. If you want to color your kid's hair, use temporary hair dyes that can be washed out and it should be put on the shaft and ends of the hair. As a hairstylist, I would NEVER color a kid’s  hair until after puberty." — Salon owner and hairstylist for 15 years Leona Wilson of LW Salon, based in New York City. 

"Children’s bodies are still developing and I recommend avoiding all on the scalp/skin chemicals until after puberty. This goes for relaxers and bleach as well. There simply is no good reason to introduce these chemicals into a child’s developing system.

"On the other hand, I am a big fan of encouraging children to express themselves. A similar look can be achieved by highlighting the hair (within foils) without allowing the chemical to touch the scalp." — Hairstylist of 16 years and American board certified hair colorist Monaé Everett, based in NYC.