Chemical Cocktail
Regular readers of this blog will know that I don't use chemical sprays on my home grown vegetables and that I am particular about the food that I eat, preferring organic food if available. Imagine my horror just recently when I discovered what a witches brew I have been using to colour my hair for the past few years!
I have coloured my hair for some time now switching to a permanent dye just over a year ago. About 2 months ago my head started to itch and feel a bit hot after I had got home from the hairdressers. I didn't pay it too much attention to be honest, and assumed that I had reacted to the new shampoo the hairdresser had used on my hair. The next time I had my hair coloured, I itched a bit more and when I went to the salon, I mentioned it to my hairdresser. It would seem that I was starting to develop an allergy to the colouring process and it is something that does happen to some people even when they have been colouring their hair for years. It was decided that I would change to another brand of colour thinking that the manufacturer had changed the colour ingredients. I wish I had done some research before taking this step because I have had a really horrible reaction to the colour. I have had a really nasty rash on my arms and legs for about two months now which is only just starting to heal. During this time the itching has nearly driven me mad, keeping me awake at night and making me thoroughly miserable. It would seem however, that I am one of the lucky ones. A full blown reaction can be much more severe! Swelling of the head, breathing difficulties even death is some cases can be a reaction to para-phenylenediamine, one of the chemicals in hair dye. There has also been lots research linking PPD to different cancers, bladder cancer in particular. Some of the statistics are horrifying, apparently 40 minutes after a dye is applied to your hair there are traces of it in your urine. I feel so completely stupid as I had not realised the danger I had been putting myself in. Thinking I was doing the correct thing I switched to a herbal hair dye that advertised itself as having 0% parabens to which I also reacted in the same way. Only after checking out their website, it would seem that clever marketing had made me believe that it was chemical-free only to discover that there are also parabens in the herbal dye in order for the colour to hold on to the hair!
Obviously I want to warn you all about the dangers of hair dyes and to consider very carefully your options if you decide to colour your hair. I would strongly advise you to do your research very carefully before you take this step. If I had not had a reaction I do not think I would have given it a second thought and I would still be gaily colouring my hair!
It would be really useful to know If any of you have had experience with any of the alternative henna-based dyes and whether or not you have found them effective. I would really appreciate some feedback so perhaps you could either comment or send me an email...
Have a wonderful weekend....
