After a hair colour, some (very few) clients notice that they have an itchy or flaky scalp. This may or may not be an allergic reaction. If you have reproductive body parts, hormones may play a big part in how sensitive your scalp is at certain times of the month! A reaction can also be heightened during pregnancy or if you are taking medications.
Hair dye allergies are caused by an immune system response to certain chemicals present in the hair dye. The most common symptoms of a hair dye allergy are itching, redness, facial swelling and blisters. In severe cases, hives and difficulty breathing may occur.
Many hair colours contain 2 ingredients that may cause this a sensitivity: PPD and Ammonia. Ammonia is a natural gas which dissipates from the colour as it oxidizes (in the bowl and on your scalp). This means, unlike man made chemicals designed to make hair colour work the same way (MEA), ammonia loses its strength and is actually less irritating than “ammonia free colours” (which contain MEA instead). Nevertheless, some people do experience an adverse reaction to ammonia-based hair colours. The lighter you want your hair to be, the more ammonia will be present in the colour. If you experience a reaction, we suggest having only OFF THE SCALP hair colour services such as highlights or balayage.
Another ingredient that some people are allergic to is PPD. PPD is found in 90% of hair colours and is the most common explanation for hair colour allergies. It is predominantly used in darker levels of hair colour. With increased usage, you can become more sensitive to the chemical and therefore develop an allergy over time.
It is rare to have a reaction to hair colour but, if you do, take Benadryl and contact your health care professional.
If you have EVER had ANY reaction to hair colour, it is very important to tell your stylist so they can perform a patch test before a colour service. A patch test should be done 24-48 hours prior to your appointment. This is the only thing we can do as stylists to ensure you will not have a reaction to the hair colour we use. If you’re wondering, leaving the hair colour on “too long” is not a contributing factor to reactions (hair colour loses its potency the longer it sits on your scalp, and it also times out after it’s done what it needs to). We, at JOY, NEVER use peroxide levels on your scalp higher than necessary or other that what is recommended by the manufacturer. We also use a top-of-the-line colour brand that is manufactured in Italy (Europe has the highest standards of ingredient allowances in the World). Our colour line uses ULTRA LOW ammonia (0.2% which is reduced further when mixed with peroxide) and is derived from more than 90% natural ingredients.
