The Terrible Danger of Commercial Hair Dyes

In 1996 I opened a box of Clairol hair dye – a gorgeous shiny black – and proceeded to color my long brown hair as I had previously done for the past several years.  Except that time, it was different.  I couldn’t sleep well that night.  My skin felt like it was crawling, itching, burning.  My scalp and ears became hot to the touch.  Within hours, welts began to appear on my forehead, neck, ears, and all along my hairline.  I felt sick, queasy and drawn out.  The welts traveled down my back to my waist – the length of my hair – and didn’t subside.  As days passed, the welts began to weep.  I finally went to the doctor, who recognized that I was having an allergic reaction.  I was given a shot, topical ointment, and a regimen of pills.  The symptoms subsided, but I was never healed.  My ears wept for most of the year – I was constantly dabbing them with tissues and always changing pillowcases.  My skin would rash and swell when I came into contact with things that never bothered me before:  makeup, moisturizer.  I was changing eye shadow every few weeks, as what worked for me for a time would suddenly cause an eyelid to swell shut.  In 2003 I spent three days in the hospital when my eye and chin mysteriously swelled relentlessly.  While there was no official determination of the cause, the consensus was that I had rubbed my face while wearing a new pair of black leather gloves.  Even now, in 2011, I am severely restricted in what beauty products I can use.  My skin never recovered – I am constantly battling dry patches and horrendous flaking that had never been an issue before.  It has been fifteen years, and my body, my skin, isn’t the same.

What happened?

Para-Phenylenediamine (or “PPD”) is a chemical omnipresent in commercial hair dye:  it helps the color penetrate the shaft of the hair.  It is also a known allergen, and if some experts are to be believed, extremely carcinogenic.  PPD can be sneaky:  many people dye their hair for years with no reaction, only to react severely without warning (which is why the instructions included with hair dye advise the user to do a strand test to check for an allergic reaction even if you have used the product before).  Perhaps even sneakier, PPD can go by many different names, making it difficult to recognize in an ingredients list:

• PPD or PPDA
• Phenylenediamine base
• p-Phenylenediamine
• 4-Phenylenediamine
• 1,4-Phenylenediamine
• 4-Benzenediamine
• 1,4-Benzenediamine
• para-Diaminobenzene (p-Diaminobenzene)
• para-Aminoaniline (p-Aminoaniline)
• Orsin™
• Rodol™
• Ursol™

I am not alone in my PPD allergy.  The news in recent years has recounted story after story after story after story of severe allergic reactions to PPD.  In other countries, this has led to calls for banning its use in hair dye.  Allergic reactions have prompted Germany, France and Sweden to ban the use of PPD in hair dyes.  In the United States?  Not so much.  While the FDA has not approved PPD for use in topical skin products (such as the henna used in temporary “black henna” tattoos), it does approve its use in hair dye.  Interesting that they allow that distinction, even though by necessity hair dye will touch your skin no matter how carefully you apply it.

The initial allergic reaction isn’t the only problem that people with a PPD allergy face either.  Cross-sensitivity has been found in individuals who have PPD reactions.  For my part, I have reacted to a pair of leather gloves, and on an unfortunate trip to Las Vegas I discovered that I had also become allergic to sunscreen.  This site has an extensive but terrifying list of things that PPD-sensitive people can react to, including orange peels and anesthetics.

I have spoken out against commercial hair dyes for a long time.  They are an absolute danger, and most users are blissfully unaware of the terrible chemicals that they are putting on their bodies every six to eight weeks.  Unfortunately, for people who want to dye their hair, there just aren’t a whole lot of alternatives.  While articles on the topic state that PPD is found in “most” permanent dyes, in practice that’s an understatement.  Except for henna-based dyes (which frankly I find hard to use and a poor substitute) and extremely temporary “one-week” hair colorants, I have yet to find a semi-permanent dye that doesn’t contain PPD.

What can you do?  I’m a firm believer that no beauty is worth the price of your health.  For me, that means I don’t dye my hair (and frankly, I couldn’t if I wanted to – at this point, my allergy is much too strong).   I have also contacted hair dye manufacturers with my story and implored them to look for alternatives.  I have tried a number of different dye alternatives, and while I’m still looking for a reasonable substitute  I’m sure one has to come along eventually.  Ultimately, if you do decide that you want to dye your hair, always do a patch test.  Every single time.  The consequences are terrible.

Looking for more information?

The dangers of black henna (with great but graphic photos of PPD allergies from henna tattoos).

Study linking hair dye use with bladder cancer (link is a PDF file).

Suggestions for all natural ways to color hair.

One woman’s recent and personal story about her PPD allergy.  (With photo and good research).