Apparently your spacer is not supposed to whistle

I've had my spacer, a holding chamber of sorts that allows me to inhale more of my asthma medication (and have less of it stick to my mouth and throat), for well over a year now.  In that time, I've been using using it incorrectly.

I would pop the mouth piece of my inhaler into the fitted chamber slot thing, depress the medication thing, and inhale.  It would make a weird whistling sound and I would think "oh, don't mind me.  Just me and my asthma meds.  No harmonica solos to see here."

Apparently, if you hear a whistling sound, it means you're inhaling too quickly.  If you don't hear a sound, it can mean that you're doing it correctly, though some spacers don't have this mechanism, so it could just mean that your spacer isn't the whistling type.

If you're unsure of how to use any of your medications, be sure to get clarification for your doctor.

Getting a haircut

Getting a decent haircut is hard enough, but when living with asthma that is triggered by certain fragrances and chemicals, it can be fraught with potential hazards.  Here's what I've figured out so far to get a killer haircut...that won't kill me (ha!).

Finding safe products
Work with your stylist to find products that work for you.

• Try before diving in.
   - If you can hack it (haha!), take a small whiff of whatever your stylist would normally use before he or she gets to lathering (or spraying, or what-have-you).  Ask them to use something else if you find it will cause problems. 
• Bring your own products.
   - If you have doubts or know something your stylist usually uses will be a problem, ask for recommendations and see if anything else would work for you.  See if your stylist would be willing to have you supply the shampoo (or other product) for your appointment.
  
   Note: sniff at your own risk as preventing flare ups and attacks is the whole point!  This is how I shop for deodorant, lotion, body wash, etc., and have to be very cautious when doing so.  Any better methods would be very welcome!

Reducing the impact of products
If after an appointment you find that you're having trouble (as I did...after two or three appointments), in addition to taking your meds as needed,

• Put your hair up if possible, and be sure to wash your hands after handling your hair.  Getting it out of my face and away from my mouth and nosed helped ease some of my discomfort until I could get home and wash my hair. 
• If you have a mask, putting that on can help, too.  

Skip the products
 If you have difficulty with strong scents or certain products, it may be best to just skip them altogether.

• Wash your hair at home instead of having your stylist do it at the salon. 
   - It sucks to skip the lovely scalp massage, but it beats a flare up. 
• Ask your stylist to refrain from putting product in your hair.
   - If you're like me and don't regularly use a hair dryer or hot tools or color your hair, your hair should be fine with occasional (i.e., once every 6-8 weeks) styling without using something to protect it from the heat.
   - Straightened hair doesn't require hair spray to stay in place while tighter curls can relax into beach-y waves without product (plus, who likes crunchy hair anyways?).
• Go when the salon is less busy.
   - If your salon is slower at a certain time in the day, going then can reduce the number of products being used (and breathed in by you!). 
• Look into which services a salon provides.
   - If you're like me, acetone and nail polish, not to mention acrylic dust, are no-goes.  Some salons provide additional services, fumes from which can trigger attacks.  Be sure to consider this when choosing a salon. 

Any other tips for avoiding or minimizing exposure to triggers?