Health Risks of Chemical Hair Dyes

Dyeing hair seems to be a trend nowadays. Everyone dyes their hair regardless the age and the gender. Humans just tend to be not grateful of their natural hair colour.
There are risks associated with using these products. One of the main chemicals in most hair dyes has been banned in several European countries, and hair dye chemicals have been shown to have a variety of harmful effects in scientific experiments. Use of hair dye has been linked to allergic reactions, respiratory disorders and even cancer.

Urticaria, a kind of skin rash notable for pale red, raised, itchy bumps.

Skin and other allergic reactions pose the biggest risk to hair dye users. Signs of a mild reaction may only be irritation of the upper eyelids or rims of the ears, but in more severe reactions, the whole head or body may be involved. A severe form of allergic reaction is anaphylactic shock. When this occurs, the mouth and tongue swell and the airways constrict. Anaphylaxis can be rapidly fatal, and there have been isolated cases of hair dyes causing anaphylactic shock.
Skin reactions can occur on a person's first exposure to hair dye, or can suddenly occur in a person who has been using them long-term. A patch test before every dyeing is important to help detect skin allergies, but everytime dye is applied to the skin, the immune system may become sensitized, increasing the risk of future allergic reaction.

Lymphoma, a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system.

Cancers develop due to a combination of many factors damaging the DNA of a cell in the body. While there is proof that hair dye chemicals do cause cancer in laboratory animals at high doses, it is still debated whether the low doses from hair dyes are sufficient to cause cancer in humans. Most studies have focused on a possible increased risk of bladder cancer. Some studies have found that women who had consistently used hair dye long term had higher levels, and other studies did not. 

If hair has been dyed many times, it becomes 'over-processed', which leads to brittle, dry hair that lack shine. Since hair only grows slowly (about 1.5cm/half an inch a month) longer hair can end up receiving multiple dye treatments. If other chemicals such as hair relaxers are used, the damage can be even worse, and over-processed hair easily breaks and splits. Unfortunately, there is really no solution to hair damage from dyeing, other than to stop dyeing. Using a deep conditioner and products specifically for dyed hair can help to reduce the damage and also maintain the colour. Try to dye only the roots, to reduce the number of times the length of hair dyed. 

P-Phenylenediamine (PPD) is the chemical that causes allergic reactions. PPD is present in over 2/3 of chemical hair dyes, and is known to be toxic to the immune system, skin, nervous system, respiratory system, liver and kidneys. It is the most toxic chemical in hair dyes. PPD is a skin sensitizer, meaning that it can stimulate the immune system to cause a variety of allergic reactions. The skin may become red, blister, itch and burn on exposure of PPD. Allergic reactions may also cause breathing difficulties and can even be fatal. Laboratory experiments have shown that PPD damages the DNA of human cells. Accumulated DNA damage leads to cancer. However, it is not conclusive whether the exposure to PPD from hair dyes is enough to cause cancer in women who dye their hair, although hair stylists who color hair at work do have higher cancer levels. Breathing in PPD fumes can cause the airways to narrow, making breathing difficult. This can be a transient reaction, or can cause long-term asthma. Severe lung problems and deaths have been reported after accidental ingestion of PPD. Hair dyes should always be kept out children's reach to prevent accidents.

Boxed, chemical hair dyes marketed as 'natural' typically do not contain resorcinol, ammonia or peroxide. However, they still contain at least some PPD, just a lower level. Lower levels are obviously better, but using these dyes does not completely remove the risk of suffering an allergic reaction or other side effect. 'Natural' hair dye manufacturers include Naturtint and Herbatint. Therefore, always look at the ingredients of any 'natural' hair dye to check out just how 'natural' it is.

There are some ways of minimizing the potential health risks. 

1) Darkest color hair dyes carry the most risk, due to the types of chemicals they contain. Try to use a lighter and warmer shade instead.

2) Minimize exposure and damage to the hair by dyeing it as infrequently as possible. 

Finally, investigate some of the more natural, less chemical hair 

dyes available on the market today!