My husband tried dyeing his hair for the first time about eight years ago. He ended up in the emergency room in the middle of the night with severe pain, itching, and burning sensations on his head, neck, and mouth. He had swelling all over his face, mouth, and hands. He could not move his neck from one side to another. His eyelids seemed like small sized balloons. He stayed in bed five days after that and took the strongest antibiotics and allergy medicines. He swore that he would never use any kind of hair dye again in his life. He chose to go gray graciously rather than suffering from allergies.
Recently, on his visit to India for a wedding he was encouraged to try the brand of hair dye that his friend uses. He was assured that this particular hair dye was safer and milder. Since he had one experience already he opted for a test prior to the actual dye. Even though he only let it be on his skin for a few minutes, my husband's arm ended up having severe allergy where the dye was placed. It looked like a third degree burn with blisters all over. It was awful to look at and he was in severe pain. His arm was completely swollen and a fine liquid like matter was oozing out of the blisters. He was lucky that he tried only on a single spot of his arm. I could only imagine what would have happened if he had not tested the dye on his arm that day. He would have burnt his whole scalp and ended up in the emergency ward again. I used hair dye the same day and was fine except for a little itching on my scalp. I was horrified looking at his arm and did not dare to dye my hair another time.
The primary purpose of hair colors is :
a. to cover the gray hair
b. change colors of existing hair
Hair color is also changed by use of tints, relaxers, and sun bleaching.
There are several different types of hair colors available in the markets:
1. Temporary hair colors: available as rinses, shampoos, gels, sprays, or foams. These are not absorbed by the follicles but the molecules attach themselves to the hair shaft resulting in easy removal through washing. They damage the hair and make it dry. These kinds of dyes are used for temporary occasions such as Halloween parties.
2. Semi-permanent hair colors: These colors have low or no developers (peroxide or ammonia) at all. The solution has smaller molecules making it partially absorbed by the hair shaft. They usually survive repeated washing for up to five shampoos. They are safer to use than most hair color with low amounts of developer. They may contain toxic compound P-phelylenediamine, the main chemical that's used in most darker shades. The increase in hair color shade depends on how porous the shaft of the hair is. Gray hair is not hidden as well as the time goes by. Semi permanent hair colors cannot color lighter hairs.
3. Demi-permanent hair colors: These colors contain alkaline solutions other than ammonia. They have less concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the developer than permanent hair colors. These are not used for lightening of hair. They do not come in lighter shades. They are less damaging to hair than permanent hair colors. They cover the gray hair much better than the semi-permanent hair colors. These kinds of hair colors are more natural looking , much safer and gentler on hair than permanent hair colors. They usually wash out after about 20 shampoos. Since they come in darker shades the roots are less visible when coming out of the shades.
4. Permanent hair colors: All or most of these colors are lighteners that contain a developer and oxidizing agents such as ammonia. When ammonia and the developer are mixed in equal amounts and applied a reaction occurs causing a swelling of the hair shaft which allows the color to go into the cortex, thus changing the melanin in its color or replacing it with a new shade. This color will not wash out but fades over time thus allowing the new hair growth to look closer to the natural color. The permanent hair colors usually last up to eight weeks. They require bleaching to turn dark hair into lighter shades or to get rid of the dark dye.
5. Hair lighteners and bleaches: Hair lightening or bleaching requires decolorization of the hair by diffusing the natural pigment of the hair or artificial hair color from hair and makes the hair more porous which allows easy coloring of the next shade.
6. Natural henna : Henna comes from a kind of tree leaves that is mostly available in India. The leaves are dried either naturally by sunlight or heated dryers and made into powder form. Henna powder is mixed either in natural yogurt with some lemon juice or with egg white and applied for several hours to overnight. The resulting hair color is reddish orange to dark red in shades. Henna is used for its cooling effects in summer and to avoid allergic reactions caused by commercial hair dyes. After application of henna for several years a complete bleaching process is required to get back to other forms of dyes as it adheres to hair shaft for a long time. Henna has qualities that gives a silky texture and keeps away from adverse affects. Black henna is promoted as natural henna but it does contains carcinogens since this is not a natural shade. Severe allergic reactions could occur with this colorant. Long time usage of black henna may result in developing different kinds of cancers.
Application techniques include highlighting, low lighting by using foils, a cap, or balayege method (taking strands of hair and coloring it without foils or caps).
Besides all the above mentioned hair dyes there are hair colorants that do not contain developer at all but have the tint. These need bleaching of the hair before coloring. Resulting colors are bright and extreme. They come in all colors including red, blue, gold, and silver among others.
Allergic reactions to hair dyes include: skin irritation, hair breakage, skin discoloration, lead poisoning, sores, itching, burning sensation, discomfort,dry and rough hair texture, and anaphylactic or systemic reactions that could lead to death. Most of these allergies happen within hours to a day. A patch test 24 - 48 hours before the actual application is strongly recommended and is written as a warning on many colors packages. A person could be using hair dyes for years before he/she develops allergic reactions. The main chemical PPD or P-phenylenediamine is recognized as the toxin that causes these reactions in almost all the hair dyes. More so in hair dyes that result in darker shades. Lead acetate in some hair colors are believed to be doubling the risk of blood cancers,multiple myeloma, non-hodgkins lymphoma, and bladder cancers among others. 4-Aminobiphenyl or 4-ABP in some hair colors is a known human carcinogen.
A thin layer of vaseline or moisturizing lotion is recommended to be applied over the face, neck, ears to prevent skin discoloration, swelling or burning of the eye lids, burning before application. Latex gloves should be worn by hair dressers as well as the persons who color their hair at home. Washing the scalp with ice cold water, applying olive oil or baby powder could help reduce itching or burning sensations. Benedryl could help with mild reactions but a stronger prescription medication is a must in severe cases.
Use of henna, shampoos and conditioners that are designed for use with colored hairs, chlorine, salts and minerals, and prescription drugs are some ways of avoiding allergic reactions in most cases. It took a long time and several strong antibiotic and medical treatments for my husband to come closer to normal with his allergic reaction. But the white, ugly spot remains as a reminder of what could happen with hair colors. Every one who ever used hair colors or are interested in using in future should keep in mind a small patch on the skin to test can save a life because, "OUR LIFE MATTERS."