Rose Vintage

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....

Is it hot in here....

or is it me.....?

This phrase which has been uttered I am sure by many women over the generations, and now by me over the last couple of months, has become my mantra! Yes, it would seem at the tender age ( to me) of 47 I am going through the menopause! I was really not sure about posting about this issue but as it has become a such a part of my life at the moment I felt I should. Not one for taking tablets at anytime unless absolutely vital, I now have the dilemma of finding an alternative to HRT.  This has not been an easy decision. What women would not be influenced by the recent research about the long term effects of taking HRT?  A series of worrying studies – linking HRT to breast cancer, heart disease and strokes – have led to a significant drop both in the duration of time that women are staying on HRT and the number of women taking HRT. So what options are there out there? I started at my favourite site for all things alternative Victoria Health and checked out one of their best sellers, MenoHerbs 2. They suggest  that roughly from the age of thirty four, the ovaries begin to gradually shut down and this phase is termed the perimenopause. Now that explains a lot!  No wonder I've felt like c**p on and off for years! And as Mother Nature ups the anti in the form of hot flushes I find myself seeking out 100% cotton clothing like a women possessed! The merest suggestion of Lycra brings me out in a cold hot sweat! So its goodbye Magic Knickers (but not without some sense of relief ) they always feel a bit like an instrument of torture. Getting the darn things off after an evening out and a glass of wine did involve quite a few acrobatic movements especially when in the bathroom, not wanting my darling husband to see me in them! Finally it would also seem that menopausal symptoms are not all physical. There is a huge change mentally, mostly revolving around how you view yourself as a women. Ugh!