AI-Powered Shampooing Machines Take Over Chinese Hair Salons - Oddity Central

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A number of hair salons in China have introduced AI-powered shampooing machines that can reportedly wash and rinse clients’ hair in just 13 minutes.

The AI revolution is just starting, but it seems the hair care industry is already using artificial intelligence to automate the hair-washing process in hair salons. According to several Chinese news outlets, AI-powered hair-washing devices have been spotted at hair salons in various districts of China’s Guangzhou Province, with some referring to their growing popularity as an “AI-shampooing craze”. The innovative machines reportedly rely on infrared sensors to detect the user’s scalp and then select the right shampoo and shampooing method based on the person’s hair type.

According to a hair salon owner in Tianhe District, the AI-shampooing machines feature several built-in washing modes, like speed wash, normal, extra time, or water shower, as well as three different scalp massage intensity settings. The machines also have different modes for long and short hair clients.

When the automated service was first launched, the price for an AI-shampooing session was 9.9 yuan ($1.35), but it has almost doubled to 19 yuan ($2.60), because of its popularity. A normal hair washing session takes just 13 minutes.

Despite their growing popularity in China, AI-powered shampooing machines have been getting mixed reviews from users, with some complaining that the scalp massage is too painful, and others claiming that they don’t do a very good job.

“I tried it and it’s useless, my scalp hurts,” one person commented on Weibo, China’s version of X (Twitter).



“I’ve tried it, it just sprays bubbles and rinses with water, but it can’t even reach the back of my head, and it’s not clean enough, I have to do it manually,” someone else wrote.

Criticism aside, everyone agrees that, for this low a price, AI-shampooing machines are at least worth a try.