Dying your hair is one of the easiest ways to shake up your look. Put in a few hours at the salon and you can come out looking like a whole new person. Hair dye is so common place, people nearly forget that it’s composed of serious chemicals (just one whiff of the stuff and you know it’s strong). But is a fresh new ‘do worth subjecting yourself to these harsh chemicals? Is hair dye actually bad for your health? Click through the slideshow to find out.
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Formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, used to be a popular ingredient in hair dyes. Luckily, most hair dyes no longer contain the preservative. Another ingredient in hair dyes, coal tar, is also a carcinogen, but only in large qualities. However, ammonia and Para-phenylenediamine (PPDs), ingredients in today’s hair dyes, are often considered dangerous. They are rumored to cause dermatitis, swelling, itching, and blistering.
So should you limit your exposure to hair dye? The American Cancer Association says, “It’s not clear how much personal hair dye use might raise cancer risk, if at all.” For the most part, hair dye isn’t dangerous as long as it is used correctly. However, you might want to limit your exposure to hair dyes for other reasons. Some of the ingredients in hair dyes can cause serious allergic reactions in some people. Hair dye can also be extremely damaging to your hair.
As for ingredients such as ammonia and PPDs, StyleCaster says that the negative effects of these ingredients are often over-hyped. There’s also no serious reason to worry about getting hair dye on your skin. If you’re healthy, it’s very unlikely that any hair dye chemicals will be absorbed through your skin.
Bonus Tip: According to StyleCaster, salon dyes are safer for you because they contain higher quality ingredients. Since boxed dyes are inexpensive, they lack “nurturing” ingredients that protect your hair and skin. Which explains why you might experience adverse skin reactions after using store-bought dyes. Salon dyes, on the other hand, are specially formulated to contain ingredients that protect your hair and skin while preserving the color.
