if you ever need a reason NOT to use chemical dye

[Evie]

Just saw this on the news - she used Boots hair dye, and even after doing an allergy test, this happened....poor woman! It is pretty shocking, she has quite bad burns, just to warn you.

I can't believe how bad the reaction was for her....

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20091030/tuk-boots-hair-dye-puts-woman-in-burns-u-45dbed5.html

[bunnii]

I've used the boots one, it's really vicious :( I don't think i can dye my hair anymore because every time I do the reaction gets that little bit worse :( :(

[KarpatiiSiv]

Luluj brought this to the attention of the Renegrays on the Salt & Pepper thread. The reaction the poor girl had was horrendous. shudder: I'm so glad I don't dye. It was reported in the Daily Mail as well http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223746/Woman-suffers-horrendous-burns-reaction-Boots-hair-dye.html

[KiwiLiz]

I saw a documentary about this sort of thing, you can be using the same dye for years and years and never have problem and then all of a sudden have a serious reaction to it :S
A lot of the damage seem to come from when they would notice the reaction on their scalp and jump in the shower to wash it out, then the chemicals wash over their body... at least in a hair salon they have those basins to wash your hair in and there's some one to help you get it out quickly, and they're trained to know what to look for (you'd hope). I'd only ever have my hair dyed on a salon.

[Flynn]

This is also why it is SO important to wait at least that recommended 48 hours, and to make sure you patch-test on an area of particularly sensitive skin -- inside of the elbow, or behind your ear.

Even with all that, with anything this can happen. Not just dyes, (though dyes are particularly harsh, and when something goes wrong, it tends to go wrong pretty dramatically...)

If you notice ANY discomfort with ANY product you're using, DO NOT put up with it; rinse it out IMMEDIATELY. A reaction can continue to develop long after the product has been rinsed, but the longer you leave it, the worse it will get.

I imagine that this poor young lady might have noticed discomfort and put up with it, because she didn't want a shoddy dye job. Pleas, please, please don't do that.

If you do react to a product, rinse with copious amounts of water, take an antihistamine, and monitor how the reaction proceeds. Be prepared to get yourself to hospital.

[Celebrian]

Thanks Flynn for that clear advice. ;)

[Longlocks3]

I'm so glad I've never touched the stuff!

[Flynn]

Thanks Flynn for that clear advice.


^__^ 'Salright. It's important, and people often seem not to realise just how important. The only unusual part of the above story is just how bad her reaction got. Allergic reactions -- even to the point of chemical burns -- to products are not at all uncommon. (Even to natural products, so don't get smug and say "I use all-natural, this won't ever happen to me"! There have been several threads in the past few days about just that!)

[kwaniesiam]

EEK! I hope she will be okay.

Allergic reactions to hair color are very serious. I had a bad reaction to Goldwell's Demi Permanent color that we use at my school. I started getting itchy and sniffly, then I checked the ingredients and noticed it contained something I was allergic to so I had to be sent home and to the doctor. Thank goodness I didn't put it on my head, but was just practicing on a mannequin head.

[RocketDog]

Oh, my goodness... that poor woman! I used to get a tingly, almost sore scalp when I used cheap boxed dyes, but 'sucked it up' for the results. I can imagine this happening to me had I kept using boxed dye... urgh. So scary!

[halo_tightens]

I've said this before on here, but it always bears repeating, IMO.

This happened to me. I used the same boxed dye that I'd been using for years, and I did the patch allergy test exactly as recommended on the box. I got no reaction whatsoever on my inner arm, so I had no fear of slathering it on my head as always. This particular time, though, I had a terrible reaction. Mine came more in the form of swelling than burns. The skin was somewhat red and raw, but the worst part by far was my enormously swollen head, face, and neck. I did end up having to go to the hospital for treatment. (We also monitored the patch test area-- no reaction ever did develop in that spot. Some test, huh.)

There's no reason in the world for this to happen to anyone. I understand that we as humans are willing to put up with quite a lot for our little vanities, but seriously! I'll never put that toxic waste on my body again.

Please be careful with this stuff if you choose to use it!

[hennaphile]

Oh my god that poor woman :(

Henna <3

[kittensoupnrice]

Yikes!

Good reason to not use cheap box dye! Out of curiosity, has there been any cases of people being allergic to henna?

[Flynn]

Yikes!

Good reason to not use cheap box dye! Out of curiosity, has there been any cases of people being allergic to henna?

I think so. There was a thread on here recently about someone who had a reaction to indigo, too.

[AnaGeorgette]

Alot of people have problems with allergic reactions to l'oreal casting creme gloss. I used it recently and had large painful blood-filled cysts everywhere that my hair fell(forhead, shoulders, backs or arms, cheek, back etc). It was terrible...

[WaimeaWahine]

There are risks associated with any and all chemical substances from aspirin to hair dye.

My chemical hair dye has worked for me for 27 years. :shrug:

[Shermie Girl]

Eeeeyowch! That poor gal. She is lucky that she is going to be okay.

[ktani]

This is a very good explanation of why 48 hours is better than 24 for alergy tests and I agree, at the first sign of discomfort, wash off the offending substance.

"Conclusion: These data confirm that the overall concordance of results after 24 and 48 h of application is high. However, clinically relevant allergens would have been missed in 16 patients if only the 24-hour occlusion test was performed. In the light of these results, we consider that the standard 48-hour application remains appropriate for diagnostic patch testing."
http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowFulltext&ArtikelNr=78696&Ausgabe=230140&ProduktNr=227090

[liseling]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20091030/tuk-boots-hair-dye-puts-woman-in-burns-u-45dbed5.html

[Flynn]

(thread already running on this: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=36040 )

"What could cause that" is an allergic reaction. If a product causes you any itching, burning, or other discomfort, WASH IT OFF IMMEDIATELY. That is why.

[Deemeeuh]

On her face though? Doesn't that seem weird? Especially as she said she did the allergy test

[Deemeeuh]

So scary......

[liseling]

it looked like it was all over her head at least, and extends down further below her clothes. I can just imagine how uncomfortably painful it must be! I've had much less severe reactions and I was really suffereing

[hela]

:boohoo: That has to be painful, poor gal!! Weird how in the allergy test she got no reaction, and then the next day she woke up like that. Ouch!

[Cherry_Sprinkle]

There are risks associated with any and all chemical substances from aspirin to hair dye.

My chemical hair dye has worked for me for 27 years. :shrug:

Ditto. I chemically dye in a salon but I have used over the counter boxes before and I have never had any reactions but you can have an allergic reaction to anything from things as simple as grass to as harmful as shellfish and peanuts. I have issues with grass.. if I am barefoot I break out in a red rash with bumps that itch terribly yet hair dye and henna do not bother me.. and things as simple as the sun gives me a reaction much like what she's got here. It's all highly relative to the individual using the products.. be it hair dye or peanut butter.

I don't think this should be turned into a bash-bottle dye products thread as there are plenty of us on the boards who use them even with henna, but instead should be a warning to make sure you patch test with anything you are using and the reason to wait 48hrs is even better. :flower:

[liseling]

Yeah and I love how the Boots spokespeople made it their main point that one must do the allergy test 48 hours beforehand. It seemed like that poor woman probably did the test only a day before (although it doesnt say).

[lillithnight]

ok i'm glad i dont use dye any more. Well i do henna, but i have never reacted to it and i get pure henna,so not much chance of chemical reaction for me. poor woman, i hope she gets well really soon.

[Bene]

Okay, that's shudder:

I'm sooooooooooo glad that I don't dye

[Fethenwen]

Ouch!

I'm so glad I have stopped using hair dye for a long time ago, I never even did a patch test back then :shudder:


There are more and more studies coming up all the time about the risks of chemical hair dyes, cancer and what not.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlight/2001-04-10-blasi-dye.htm
But if this study was true, a high number of hairstylists and home colorists should have bladder cancer by now :confused:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1934496.stm


Anyway, this doesn't really surprise me, I mean the amount of toxifying chemicals in those products is alarming! (not to mention environmental issues).
I don't think those can be compared to a simple peanut.
Gladly it seems there is new sort of dyes developed that are way less harsh, I think there was an article around here about Loreal coming up with some super dye.

Henna can of course give reactions too, but I don't think they can give anything as severe as this.
I've had some itchiness from it, but that was because I used it on dry hair and didn't rinse properly :o

[Isa-belle]

This is really scary... That poor woman.

I have a couple of questions though - having never coloured my hair other than with henna, I have no idea of how things are carried out in salons.
1. Do colorists perform an allergy test on every customer's arm?
2. Do they tell them to go home, wait 48 hours, and if nothing bad happens come back and have their hair dyed? I highly doubt that. :ponder: How do the same rules not apply to salon dye?

If anything, this really confirms me in the idea of embracing my grays whenever they decide to crop up. Although, indeed, everyone here should do as they feel best, provided they take the necessary precautions :flower:

[JCFantasy23]

Poor thing, that's terrible! Sometimes these sorts of things are so unpredictable.

[pelicano]

I saw her TV yesterday and she said she hadn't done a patch test, but that she had used similar products many times etc. She said she didn't put it anywhere near her face. They had a doctor on the programme, who said he suspected she might have had a cut on her scalp or something at some point that had let the chemicals in, causing a hypersensitivity.

[Bianca]

Poor girl :( I'm glad I dont dye my hair anymore.

[PhillyGirl1978@]

Man...that's awful, if I WAS ever gonna dye when I get more gray...I definitely won't now! That is awful. And I know myself, I never follow the allergy test directions...never have when I dyed previously. Nope it'll only be vegetable dye for me that will gradually wash out. I mean can you imagine loosing your sight from something so trivial...I will never be that vain again...wow...good article!

[young&reckless]

After years of wearing minipads I had a terriable reaction to them about a month ago. Allergies can start at anytime, better safe then sorry.

[KiwiLiz]

^__^ 'Salright. It's important, and people often seem not to realise just how important. The only unusual part of the above story is just how bad her reaction got. Allergic reactions -- even to the point of chemical burns -- to products are not at all uncommon. (Even to natural products, so don't get smug and say "I use all-natural, this won't ever happen to me"! There have been several threads in the past few days about just that!)

This. People look at me so bizarrely when I say this! Especially when it comes to natural medications, natural is not equal to safe!

[Paliele]

Wow, I had heard about allergic reactions to dyes, but I never imagined it could be that bad!

[Juanita]

My girlfriend almost died due to an alergic reaction recently. She is alergic to peanuts, but this night she touched the peanutbutter jar while getting the apple juice had a drink and went into shock from the apple juice. she had drunk this juice for years no problems. The type of apples used may have changed due to seasonal times or buildup of sensitivities in her body. She must now avoid all apples and products with them in. The peanutbutter jar and juice combined lead to the massive reaction. She's fine now.

[heynormy]

Wow..that's really eye opening. Its been over a year since I've dyed my hair and I don't plan on doing it anytime soon...especially after reading this! But referring back to allergic reactions from other items..I had a horrible experience with some topical acne medication about a month ago. I developed a rash all over my face and it swelled up. I couldn't see out of one eye and I had to go to the hospital ASAP! They put me on steriods for a week and told me that the reaction may last a lot longer. Thankfully after three days of being on meds, my face started to look normal! My point is, you should be carefully with items like that! Always do a sensitivity test first!

[Flynn]

This. People look at me so bizarrely when I say this! Especially when it comes to natural medications, natural is not equal to safe!

YES! Ugh, it drives me insane. "Here, try this, it's all-natural, it won't give you a reaction!" "Oh, no, our product will be fine, the fragrances are all natural!"

A friend who was trying to convince me to use some bloody LUSH product tried both of them on me, and refused to believe that the LUSH product was going to be worse for my skin than a synthetic alternative. So, I showed her. Put a tiny scratch on both my inner forearms, put the LUSH product on one, put a synthetic equivalent on the other, put a packet of claratine in my pocket, and waited.

She learned a lot that day.


Wow, I had heard about allergic reactions to dyes, but I never imagined it could be that bad!

Not just to dyes. A contact allergy to anything can be that bad.

[halo_tightens]

It seems to me that a lot of people think they are safe, too, because of the many times that they've used a certain product without problems. Heck, I used that dye for years with no ill effects before having the kind of reaction I did.

Even patch tests aren't foolproof, either. I had done the test on my inner arm, and my arm never did react in any way. There was only a spot where the dye had stained the skin-- no redness, swelling, itching, nothing. Before that experience, I would have thought that a negative allergy patch test was a green light to go ahead with a full application. Somehow, though, there I sat with a red and swollen head, and a totally non-reactive patch test on my arm. It goes to show that you just never know!

[Flynn]

It seems to me that a lot of people think they are safe, too, because of the many times that they've used a certain product without problems. Heck, I used that dye for years with no ill effects before having the kind of reaction I did.

Even patch tests aren't foolproof, either. I had done the test on my inner arm, and my arm never did react in any way. There was only a spot where the dye had stained the skin-- no redness, swelling, itching, nothing. Before that experience, I would have thought that a negative allergy patch test was a green light to go ahead with a full application. Somehow, though, there I sat with a red and swollen head, and a totally non-reactive patch test on my arm. It goes to show that you just never know!

A patch test on broken skin will be much more indicative, but yes, patch tests don't always work.

I'm going to say it again, because of your experience, even though I've said it several times, and I know you know,





REGARDLESS of your patch test results, if you develop any itching, irritation, sensations of heat or burning, or other discomfort while using ANY product, WASH. IT. OFF.

[halo_tightens]

REGARDLESS of your patch test results, if you develop any itching, irritation, sensations of heat or burning, or other discomfort while using ANY product, WASH. IT. OFF.

--- AMEN! ---

[JCFantasy23]

This is really scary... That poor woman.

I have a couple of questions though - having never coloured my hair other than with henna, I have no idea of how things are carried out in salons.
1. Do colorists perform an allergy test on every customer's arm?
2. Do they tell them to go home, wait 48 hours, and if nothing bad happens come back and have their hair dyed? I highly doubt that. :ponder: How do the same rules not apply to salon dye?


From my experience, no. The same dangers can happen with professionals applying dye, since it's your body reacting and not always a case of incorrectly applying the dye at home or not doing a patch test at home.



REGARDLESS of your patch test results, if you develop any itching, irritation, sensations of heat or burning, or other discomfort while using ANY product, WASH. IT. OFF.

This is good advice but there is a small issue with this. My friend and I were just talking about this the other night. She hasn't dyed her hair for awhile but has dyed it quite a bit with different brands. I dyed for five years straight in my twenties, and dyed for about four years straight in my teens. We were talking about how we did get a bit of a burning and itching from the dyes. Nothing severe but noticeable for sure. I think it's just the chemicals. My scalp (and hers) never swelled, turned red, or had bad effects, it was just the normal feeling of dye for me and I imagine a lot of people. It doesn't feel like you have nothing on your hair unfortunately, like shampooing and conditioning.

[Francoise1606]

Poor girl :( I have already decided that I am NOT going to chemically dye my hair again and this post just made me feel so much better about my decision. But that poor girl :'(

[Evie]

I agree that the "if it is natural then it is safe" approach has some fatal flaws....

Natural products contain chemicals too - and the reactions can be just as awful. I still do patch tests for henna and indigo, I'll admit maybe not as often as I should, but I still do them. And if it ever, ever itched / hurt / stung I'd wash off my 'natural' mud, as soon as possible!

I guess we are all so different, and our bodies react so differently. It really does pay to be so careful.

[2peasinapod]

:blueeek::blueeek::blueeek: EEEEEEEK!!! And to think I dyed my hair for years! NEVER AGAIN!

I picked up the darkest, cheapest dye i could find. And I never did a patch test, strand test of anything. I would just leave it on there (sometimes for a little longer than the directions said to - I thought it would make the color better). Sometimes it tingled or even burned a bit, but I just took that as a sign it was working and stuck through it. Then I ran a fine tooth comb through my ends to get the color all the way through.

What was thinking! Now that I think about it, it's a miracle I have any hair left, much less healthy hair with no damage that needed to be cut off. And I used to wonder why I could never seem to grow nice looking long hair :doh:

That poor girl, though. The burns are bad enough, but blurred vision? Over hair color? I hope she gets better (then again it is kind of hard to be worse). I just couldn't imagine.:(

[QueenMadge]

I stopped dyeing my hair for a number of reasons, but the main one was the older I get the more I seem to react to things that did not bother me before. A sore itchy scalp was becoming a constant with hair dyes and I also react to the chemicals in some shampoo and conditioners....

[fleurdelis]

Poor girl...:(

[enfys]

Hey, I just used a semi-perm dye from that range. And I'll use it again before my sister's wedding.

If I avoided everything other people were allergic to I'd have a rather dire life.

[Flynn]

This is good advice but there is a small issue with this. My friend and I were just talking about this the other night. She hasn't dyed her hair for awhile but has dyed it quite a bit with different brands. I dyed for five years straight in my twenties, and dyed for about four years straight in my teens. We were talking about how we did get a bit of a burning and itching from the dyes. Nothing severe but noticeable for sure. I think it's just the chemicals. My scalp (and hers) never swelled, turned red, or had bad effects, it was just the normal feeling of dye for me and I imagine a lot of people. It doesn't feel like you have nothing on your hair unfortunately, like shampooing and conditioning.

And if you are feeling that, you are taking a risk. It's that simple.

[ademtce]

its really horrible what happen to her, but really adds steam to my stance against boxed hair dyes.

[Bonkers57]

Yiiiiiikes! :agape: At least a good reason to trust a professional, anyway!

[Toadstool]

We were talking about how we did get a bit of a burning and itching from the dyes. Nothing severe but noticeable for sure. I think it's just the chemicals. My scalp (and hers) never swelled, turned red, or had bad effects, it was just the normal feeling of dye for me and I imagine a lot of people. It doesn't feel like you have nothing on your hair unfortunately, like shampooing and conditioning.


I too find dye itches and burns. But now i am getting scared about why does it do this??

[halo_tightens]

This is good advice but there is a small issue with this. My friend and I were just talking about this the other night. She hasn't dyed her hair for awhile but has dyed it quite a bit with different brands. I dyed for five years straight in my twenties, and dyed for about four years straight in my teens. We were talking about how we did get a bit of a burning and itching from the dyes. Nothing severe but noticeable for sure. I think it's just the chemicals. My scalp (and hers) never swelled, turned red, or had bad effects, it was just the normal feeling of dye for me and I imagine a lot of people. It doesn't feel like you have nothing on your hair unfortunately, like shampooing and conditioning.

This, what you just described, is what I experienced when I used dye on my hair-- back before the major reaction. This is the beginning, don't you see???? It starts like that. It may stay like that for years and years. Then any old time, out of the blue, for no apparent reason-- well, you end up like the poor lady in the article.

An extremely minor reaction is still a reaction. It can get worse without warning. Believe or disbelieve at your own peril. It's your body.