Is Hair Dye Bad for You?
Lots of people choose to dye their hair at some point or other, maybe to try a new color or even as a form of teenage rebellion. Some people also may dye their hair because they start to notice gray hairs and want to look young again.
The concern that many people have, however, is whether or not using hair dyes can be harmful to their health. Using hair dye can be harmful if you are not careful and certainly getting the chemicals in your eyes or swallowing the chemicals can prove unpleasant and harmful (https://www.poison.org/articles/2016-sep/hair-dye). This is because some strong substances can be found in hair dyes.
Dyes can be based on natural or artificial substances and the way that they work is that the dye changes the color of the hair shaft. The shaft of hair is the non-living part of a strand of hair that extends above the skin. The shaft grows from the follicle of the hair, which is the root part where the living cells are found. In fact, when people get a hair transplant such as the FUE, it is extraction and grafting follicular units that are involved in the procedure.
Types of hair dyes
Natural dyes may be made of henna, while artificial types contain various chemicals. The dye can also be classified by how permanent it is, and there are thus temporary, semi-permanent and permanent dyes. Temporary dyes do not enter too far into the hair shaft while the more permanent dyes do move much deeper into the shaft and thus last longer.
Permanent hair dye does not last forever, despite its name. In fact, in just under two months the color does start to fade. This is partly because of environmental stresses and pressures that your hair is exposed to overtime.
The problem with using permanent dyes is that they contain more ammonia than temporary hair dyes. This ammonia is a harsh chemical that does penetrate the shaft and damage the hair. Over time this damage could add up and be harmful, and the ammonia may burn the skin. Anybody who has used hair dyes with ammonia knows that they also have quite a strong smell.
Other issues that you can experience with hair dye are that it can change the texture of your hair and can cost a lot of money to maintain if you have to repeat the process.
Is there a link between hair dye and cancer?
Permanent hair dyes contain more chemicals than temporary dyes, for instance, they have more phenol chemicals, amines and often contain hydrogen peroxide or ammonia. Scientists have done research to see if there is an association between the use of hair dyes and cancer.
So far, the results of the research have been mixed with some studies suggesting the chemicals could cause cancer, while others have disputed that they are harmful. It is best to probably minimize the use of hair dyes, or maybe choose temporary dyes that do not use as many chemicals since exposure to too many chemicals could cause health issues since such substances may be penetrating the skin and getting into the bloodstream.
