- Probably the worst idea ever . .

[RedheadMistress]

- I have a bottle of something an italian friend forgot while she was living here and it's a red liquid which, if you put a drop on your hand and rubb it, it stains your entire hand red. If you then try and remove it, it remains pink.

It says neomercurocromo on it, seems to be some kind of local treatment for damaged skin. .

Now I've done a really weak bleach in my hair which lifted it a few shades [wanted to do the honey and conditioner brightening but being freegan and not wanting to buy honey makes it difficult] and I'm considering mixing this rly red thing into my henna, that I want to put in my hair tomorrow . . rly bad idea or what do you think ?

Almost feel inclined to just rubb some of this onto my hair, heh but mixing in henna feels like a better idea . .

[lapushka]

If I'm not mistaken it's neo-mercurocrome. That would be a disinfectant that stains red and disinfects wounds.

Hmm. :hmm: I dunno. I wouldn't go chucking that all over my hair. :shocked:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merbromin

[ravenreed]

I wouldn't. Just because it is a medicinal treatment for your skin, doesn't mean it will be good for your hair. If you really want a pink stain, go for kool-aid or food dye or something.

[Allychan]

Sounds like you got your hands (and hair) on some red mercurocromo. It is purple over here in Australia. Back in the 80's all the mums used to put it on their kids school sores. It was especially good for mozzie bites gone feral. Be careful it doesn't stain your scalp!!

[christine1989]

I wouldn't reccomend it. Who knows how it may react with the henna. You don't want to end up with green hair or something ;).

[omnivore]

omg! mercurochrome! dh has told me about the stuff, but i'm not old enough to have ever seen it. when i read your post to dh he said, 'really?!?! tell her to send it here!' :gabigrin:

so um...yeah, i'll throw this out there...cost of shipping and i'll take it off of your hands! that would make his day!:D

edit: hmm, Sweden/England...don't know if one is even allowed to ship mercurochrome to the united states; you certainly can't buy it here...must research this!

[sweet*things]

Plus, aside from the potential safety issues, it would be very hard to dye your hair without dying the rest of you pink too, lol. :D

[RedheadMistress]

omg! mercurochrome! dh has told me about the stuff, but i'm not old enough to have ever seen it. when i read your post to dh he said, 'really?!?! tell her to send it here!' :gabigrin:

so um...yeah, i'll throw this out there...cost of shipping and i'll take it off of your hands! that would make his day!:D

edit: hmm, Sweden/England...don't know if one is even allowed to ship mercurochrome to the united states; you certainly can't buy it here...must research this!

- I'm new to the terms, what does "dh" stand for ?

Why does he want it ? ^^

I'm in London now, I live here, heh . . I added it in the henna mix, well, some drops, but most of it is left if you want it :P

Let me know what the research tells you !

[spidermom]

I don't know what freegan is.

I'd be concerned that the mercurochrome would dry out my hair. I don't know anything else about it except that my mother used to use it on scratches and cuts. It sounds like it might have mercury in it, which is toxic. I don't think they sell it here in the USA anymore.

[RedheadMistress]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeganism

- Baah, damnit, hope I didn't ruin this batch by putting mercury in it . . I'll check it up . :/

I like to experiment with my hair, which is usually a good thing . . but I don't want to die . :P

[Allar]

You guys are right, this was a disinfectant very common in Italy some decade ago, i was a little child when my mother used it to treat my wounded knees after i fell on the ground while playing :D

I don't really know when it happened, but it was withdrawn from the market because, containing mercury, it was considered dangerous (just like what happened to mercury thermometers).

That would be a good enough reason to keep it away from my head, even without considering that you can't know what the effect of putting disinfectant on your hair and scalp could be.
It may contain other elements that may be unhealthy for hair.

Doesn't seems an appealing idea anyway :?

[spidermom]

Thanks for the help with the definition of Freegan. I'm kind of that way (maybe 50%).

[RedheadMistress]

- Damnit :/

Sounded like a good idea . . aah, such a waste of 200g's of henna !

I might do a strand test . idk . aahh ! *swears at herself*

[ravenreed]

I remember mercurochrome from when I was a kid. Apparently it is the same stuff. It stung like the dickens. It is considered unsafe by today's standards and I wouldn't use it on my scalp for something that is going to sit for long periods of time. Mercury poisoning is icky stuff!

[omnivore]

- I'm new to the terms, what does "dh" stand for ?

Why does he want it ? ^^

I'm in London now, I live here, heh . . I added it in the henna mix, well, some drops, but most of it is left if you want it :P

Let me know what the research tells you !


dh=dear husband

quite honestly, i believe it's a (very rare) fond memory from his childhood. he tells me of using it to make 'war paint', and that it stung terribly when used in the intended manner on cuts and scrapes.

still researching the ins and outs of shipping...

[RedheadMistress]

- Yeah it would probably make me go insane haha, I threw it out and my housemates are lauging at the whole thing . . heeeh .


Thank you all for not encouraging me to put it in my hair hahah I want to keep my sanity !

[kwaniesiam]

Yeah, don't put that in your hair. If you want a red/pink stain get some Manic Panic or Special Effects dye.

[dropinthebucket]

Mercurochrome contains mercury, hence the health concerns.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2518/what-happened-to-mercurochrome

[MandyBeth]

And on the other side, it's a metallic salt. Which may be a problem leading to green or breaking hairs.

[madeline_]

I remember that stuff, here it was called just "rood" (red). I always had it on my knees and elbows, being a bit of a tomboy. I thought it was the same as desinfectant alcohol.

I second the Manic Panic statement. I haven't tried it myself, but I'm researching ways to make my henna more vivid without darkening, and both Manic Panic and Elumen are routes I'm considering. Elumen seems nice to me because of the thick silicone coating it apparently offers. I miss the fake conditioning shine I got from chemical dyes.

[BranwenWolf]

I wouldn't. Just because it is a medicinal treatment for your skin, doesn't mean it will be good for your hair. If you really want a pink stain, go for kool-aid or food dye or something.

Yes. It used to have mercury in it but the more recent versions don't. We have one that appears to be from Mexico but it's mercury-free. I'd worry about foreign versions still having mercury.
It also turns an obnoxious pink color in a few days. Unless you're after bubblegum pink hair, I wouldn't use it.

[kwaniesiam]

I remember that stuff, here it was called just "rood" (red). I always had it on my knees and elbows, being a bit of a tomboy. I thought it was the same as desinfectant alcohol.

I second the Manic Panic statement. I haven't tried it myself, but I'm researching ways to make my henna more vivid without darkening, and both Manic Panic and Elumen are routes I'm considering. Elumen seems nice to me because of the thick silicone coating it apparently offers. I miss the fake conditioning shine I got from chemical dyes.

A thick coney serum like Paul Mitchell Super Skinny, Regis Design Line Silk Drops, or CHI Silk Infusion will give you that shine you're looking for if you like cones.

[GRU]

In my memories, mercurochrome didn't sting on open wounds, but merthiolate did like the dickens!

This thread definitely brings back memories!

[NouvelleNymphe2]

If I'm not mistaken it's neo-mercurocrome. That would be a disinfectant that stains red and disinfects wounds.

Hmm. :hmm: I dunno. I wouldn't go chucking that all over my hair. :shocked:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merbromin

Yes I agree with lapushka that neo-mercurocrome would be something you put on a scab to dry it out and promote the healing process. I would NOT put that on my hair.:confused:

[Dolly]

In my memories, mercurochrome didn't sting on open wounds, but merthiolate did like the dickens!

This thread definitely brings back memories!

Brought back memories for me too! If we were injured in the act of "being bad" when we were kids, we were always worried that our mother would break out the merthiolate as punishment!

[alligatorbaby23]

Glad you decided to ditch the experiment. You have such pretty hair, I would feel terrible for you if it turned out poorly, not to mention the effects it may have had on your body.

I believe mercury is similar to lead in that once it is in the body it doesn't come out. And it absorbs through pores VERY easily.

I remember when I was a child breaking a mercury thermometer & playing in the stuff. Not with my hands though. Anyways, I think I got swatted for that stunt.

Freeganism seems like an interesting (albeit utopian)concept. I try to recycle products & make the most of what I have, so I'm ( like Spidermom) on board somewhat.