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  • Allergies and Hair Dye

    Posted by polefairy on March 25, 2012 at 2:28 pm

    Heya Ladies!

    This is just a quick note to see how many people dye their hair. My hair is naturally very, very dark brown to black but in the summer for whatever reason it lightens which I don't like. So once I year I put in a dark brown or black dye, I pretty much dye it my own hair colour but I just like the boost it gives while the sun is trying to lighten my hair.

     

    However, I am scared of hair dye after my mother reacted to it last year. Her eyes and face swelled up and she got massive, oozing blisters on her scalp, neck and ears which would burst and sting. She needed to get an antihistamine to prevent the reaction from becoming very serious.

     

    I went into a health shop and bought the Naturtint hair colour because I believed they were pretty much chemical free. However, upon taking the box home I saw that it still actually contains PPD (Paraphenylenediamine) which is the chemical that causes most allergic reactions to hair dye.

    I put the colour in anyway since I never reacted to hair colour before and did not react badly to the patch test but of course, regardless of a negative patch test, you can still react! So there is always a risk. Anyway, just curious if anyone has any non PPD containing alternatives? I don't like Henna as I find it coats the hair too much and is far too messy. 

    lucyjohn9871734 replied 4 years, 8 months ago 6 Members · 7 Replies
  • 7 Replies
  • marle777

    Member
    March 25, 2012 at 8:23 pm

    The only alternatives that I am aware of would be other herbs that are varying shades such as indigo, oak gall and woad or chamomile, calundela and tumeric for blondes, (or most any other dye bearing plants) but if you are sure you are using pure powdered herbs with no additives besides basically other edible things then it should rinse pretty clean. Perhaps I'm not too clear on what you mean by 'coats the hair'. You could follow up with a diluted apple cider vinegar rinse to clarify.

    The only other safe 'natural' hair color I know of is temporary but looks amazing – is called hair chalking. Basically you use chalk pastels  (not oil!) and a bit of water to color the hair. Like I said, it washes out though.

    Good luck on your hair journey, I'm sorry to hear your mother had a bad reaction but I'm glad to see people becoming open to something other than the norm. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cool.gif

  • karebearstare

    Member
    March 25, 2012 at 11:33 pm

    Hi Polefairy,

    My mom and dad both had the same problem.  My parents have always dyed their hair but until the last couple of times did it get worse.  It's very strange.

    In my teens I always dyed my hair, even bleached it to highlight it and had no issues.  Now, I like my hair pitch black.  I recently dyed it a few months ago and my scalp was very irritated, itchy and red.  Thank god it didn't get any worse than that though.  I don't think I'm willing to do it again.

    I don't have a solution or recommendation but if you happen to figure something out – please share 🙂 Good luck!

  • chemgoddess1

    Member
    March 26, 2012 at 7:19 am

    http://www.hennaforhair.com/

     

    I have been using henna on my hair for the last several years.  My hair has never been healthier and the color STAYS (basically you cannot get it out).  I know if you mix indigo in the with henna it will give you a dark brown color.  They have a book of how to's and also a lot of pictures with mixes.  It is not a quick process but I assure you the end result is gorgeous.  I highly recommend the company that runs this site.  They are local to me and she has the best quality henna you can buy.

  • chemgoddess1

    Member
    March 26, 2012 at 7:23 am

    Sorry, I just read your last statement about henna.  What do you mean by coats the hair too much?  Henna does not coat but rather stains the keratin in your hair.  It really is no more messy than normal hair color if you do it right.  My hair is down to my bra strap and yes it takes a good part of the afternoon to dye it but as I said, it last longer than any color I have used and my hair is no longer brittle and unhealthy.

  • Jenny99

    Member
    March 27, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    If you don’t have any grey, you could make a rinse with black walnut powder. Steep overnight. Strain and pour over clean, wet hair 10 or so times. I have read that it can stain, but have never had it do so. Had to switch to henna to nab my grey.

  • Jenny99

    Member
    March 27, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    If you don’t have any grey, you could make a rinse with black walnut powder. Steep overnight. Strain and pour over clean, wet hair 10 or so times. I have read that it can stain, but have never had it do so. Had to switch to henna to nab my grey.

  • lucyjohn9871734

    Member
    July 26, 2019 at 7:23 am

    Well said Merly777

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