Hair coloring is the trend of the time and most people love to flaunt their tresses in various colors. But, have you ever wondered if all those chemical-laden hair colors do affect your hair? The answer is YES. Chemical hair coloring or hair dyeing while imparting color does result in some harmful side effects.
Most hair dyes contain ammonia (or ethanolamines in the case of ammonia-free products), p-phenylenediamine, and hydrogen peroxide. The ammonia separates layers of hair proteins, allowing the dye to reach the hair shaft. Following that, hydrogen peroxide bleaches the hair and aids the trapping of p-phenylenediamine, one of the primary coloring agents, in the hair. Apart from these some dyes also contain toluene and resorcinol. Another component is lead acetate is another common ingredient along with harmful chemicals like methylisothiazolinone, and DMDM hydantoin.
According to research, more than 25,000 women using chemical-laden hair dyes had breast cancer incidence. Let’s see some of the side effects of chemical hair dyes.
- Ammonia – Respiratory and asthma irritant along with being an endocrine disruptor. Ammonia sticks to the environment.
- P-phenylenediamine – Skin irritation, birth defects, liver and blood toxicity, and allergic reaction. Moreover, it is restrained from using in the European Union.
- Toulene – A well-established neurotoxin and is associated with pregnancy loss, birth defects, and allergic reactions.
- Resorcinol – disrupts the body’s normal hormonal functioning and signaling.
- Lead acetate – neurotoxicity
These are some of the side effects caused by the chemical ingredients present. Other side effects are
Coloring hair should be done with extreme caution and the chemicals might make contact with the sensitive parts of the face, especially the eyes leading to conjunctivitis or pink eye. It also causes inflammation and severe discomfort.
Permanent hair dyes had carcinogens earlier but were replaced with other chemicals eventually. The carcinogenic property of these newly introduced chemicals is still debated. There is a need for more studies to establish the same.
In hair coloring, the opening of the cuticle is a vital step and can weaken the hair and result in hair breakage. Some hair colors also weaken the hair from its roots by taking out the moisture from the scalp. Obviously, weakened hair roots result in hair fall.
What can be done?
You can switch on to natural hair coloring options like henna leaves, tea/coffee, beetroot juice, black walnut, etc. And if you wish to avoid the hassle of using all these you can always opt for natural hair dyes like Shesha Ayurveda’s Nilini Ayurvedic Hair Color Kit.
Coloring the hair is cool but when it is with chemical-laden dyes the price is too high, damage to health topping the list. It is always better to make an informed and wise choice.