If You Don’t Test Your Hair Dye Now, You May Hate Yourself Later
Posted Nov 02 2010 11:01pm
Marcy’s concerned…I’ve been dying my hair at home for years, and have never done an allergy patch test. I’m starting to wonder now if one of these days it’ll catch up to me. Unfortunately, I’m usually pretty impatient with my hair dye and don’t budget in time for a 48-hour-long test before wanting to color my hair. How common are such allergies, anyway?
Also, The instructions say not to cover the test patch on your arm for 48 hours. What if I need to wear a long-sleeved shirt or sweater? Will that alter the allergy test results somehow?
Ok, last question, I promise… I’ve noticed a new warning that those with tattoos may be more suceptible to experiencing an allergy from using hair dye. Is that true for a tattoo anywhere on the body, even though you’re only using the hair dye on your head?
The Left Brain’s Soothing Response
This is a great question! Allergies to hair dyes are not very common although they do happen. Exact figures are hard to obtain because most times people who have an allergy don’t report it (or don’t even notice). It’s most important to use the patch test the first time you try a hair dye. Otherwise, your scalp could become VERY swollen, sore, and red. However, if you’ve been coloring your hair for years you probably won’t have any problems. And if you do decide to try the patch test, covering with a long sleeve shirt probably won’t affect the results. Just make sure it is loose fitting.
Interestingly, I did find a reference in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association that describes how black henna tattoos can trigger allergic reactions to hair dyes. Henna tattoos are advertised as being safe and easily removable but the black dye that is added to henna to intensify the color and make the tattoo last longer contains a chemical known as contains paraphenylendiamine(PPD) which is a potent skin sensitizer. Therefore, it’s entirely possible that you can develop a serious allergic reaction to your hair dye after getting a henna tattoo. And if this does happen, it doesn’t matter where the tattoo is on your body.
What do YOU think? Have you ever hard an allergic reaction to a hair dye? Leave a comment and share your story with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
Marcy’s concerned…I’ve been dying my hair at home for years, and have never done an allergy patch test. I’m starting to wonder now if one of these days it’ll catch up to me. Unfortunately, I’m usually pretty impatient with my hair dye and don’t budget in time for a 48-hour-long test before wanting to color my hair. How common are such allergies, anyway?
Also, The instructions say not to cover the test patch on your arm for 48 hours. What if I need to wear a long-sleeved shirt or sweater? Will that alter the allergy test results somehow?
The Left Brain’s Soothing Response This is a great question! Allergies to hair dyes are not very common although they do happen. Exact figures are hard to obtain because most times people who have an allergy don’t report it (or don’t even notice). It’s most important to use the patch test the first time you try a hair dye. Otherwise, your scalp could become VERY swollen, sore, and red. However, if you’ve been coloring your hair for years you probably won’t have any problems. And if you do decide to try the patch test, covering with a long sleeve shirt probably won’t affect the results. Just make sure it is loose fitting.