The Toxic Effects of Chemical Hair Dye

If you’re one of the millions of people who dye their hair… you’ll want to read this.

Whether we’re covering up grey roots or experimenting with a new hair color, most of us who use chemical hair dye think nothing of it…

But did you know that chemical hair dye is one of the most TOXIC cosmetic products on the market?

It’s true — many of the permanent hair coloring products sold in stores contain an incredibly long list of toxic ingredients, ranging from chemical preservatives to poisonous gases.

Even salon-quality hair dye is full of dangerous chemicals with severe health risks.

In other words — these hair coloring products are doing your body more harm than good… and the side effects can be deadly.

See for yourself…

In 2011, 17-year-old Tabatha McCourt was coloring her hair at her best friend’s house.

The dye had only been in her hair for about 20 minutes when Tabatha started screaming in pain. She immediately began pulling her hair and vomiting before eventually collapsing on the floor.

She was rushed to the hospital… but died not long after she arrived.

That same year, 38-year-old Julie McCabe fell into a coma after coloring her hair at home.

For the following year, Julie remained on life support with only an 8 percent chance of surviving. She died in the hospital in 2012.

These are two incredibly devastating stories… and they’re situations that could have been avoided.

You see, medics suspect that Tabatha and Julie both died of a rare allergic reaction a chemical ingredient in the hair dye.

The chemical — known as PPD (p-Phenylenediamine) — is found in almost every brand of permanent hair dye.

PPD allergies usually cause itchy, swollen skin on the scalp… but in very rare cases, the side effects can be much more severe.

And in the cases of Tabatha and Julie, they were deadly.

Their stories are an important reminder of how dangerous these hair products can be…

Because when you dye your hair, you’re exposing your body to a long list of potentially toxic ingredients.

These toxins can lead to severe health risks, including:

scalp itching or burning, skin or eye irritation, asthma or allergy attacks,  gastritis, renal failure, vertigo, tremors, dizziness, convulsions, coma, pregnancy complications, birth defects, cancer…

And these are from products sold on shelves.

Which is why it’s crucial to do your research before applying a potentially toxic hair dye… your life could depend on it.

So what ingredients should we avoid?

There are far too many to list here…

In fact, more than 22 ingredients found in hair dyes have been banned in other countries.

Here are just some of the major toxins found in most hair dyes:

Ammonia / Ammonium Hydroxide
Purpose: Opens up the hair cuticle

Potential risks: weakens hair strength; irritates skin, eyes, throat, and lungs; causes watery eyes, itchy scalp, coughing, and burning

Resorcinol

Purpose: used as a dye ingredient

Potential risks: scalp irritation; endocrine (hormone) disruptor; toxic to the immune system

PPD (p-Phenylenediamine)
Purpose: used as a dye for darker shades

Potential risks: carcinogenic (cancer-causing); long-term exposure can lead to asthma, gastritis, renal failure, vertigo, tremors, convulsions, and coma

Ethanol Alcohol (isopropyl alcohol)
Purpose: dye absorber

Potential risks: dries out hair; causes scalp irritation

Parabens

Purpose: prevent growth of bacteria and fungi in products

Potential risks: can cause severe allergies and skin irritation

As you can see, these ingredients are more dangerous than you might think. They’re in almost EVERY permanent hair dye, and their side effects can be deadly.

And as long as consumers continue to purchase these products, the ingredient lists aren’t likely to change any time soon…

Luckily, there are a few steps you can take when choosing hair coloring products…

And it starts with choosing safe ingredients that are not harmful to your hair — or your health.

Here are some important guidelines to keep in mind…

CHOOSE hair dyes that are:

• free of ammonia, PPD, and parabens
• enriched with certified organic ingredients
• formulated to protect hair color against UV radiation
• made with high quality ingredients

AVOID hair dyes that are:

• made with ammonia, formaldehyde, sodium laurel sulphates, and parabens
• formulated with PPD (para-phenylenediamine)
• full of  herbicides and pesticides
• tested on animals

Remember — hair dye doesn’t stop at your hair.

Each time you use chemical hair dye, you’re exposing your entire body to a long list of toxic ingredients.

So next time you’re considering a new hair color… do your research.

Take a second look at the list of ingredients on your box of dye, and avoid any toxic chemicals.

Your hair (and your health) will thank you.

Sources:

https://www.madison-reed.com/blog/5-hair-damaging-chemicals-in-hair-color

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2040018-avoid-these-7-toxic-chemicals-found-in-most-hair-dyes/

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/myths/hair-dyes-fact-sheet

http://www.proconsultants.us/blog/?p=145

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3927172/

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2011/10/20/hair-dye-allergy-suspected-in-teen-death/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2238115/Mother-dies-spending-year-coma-following-collapse-using-home-dye-kit.html