Permanent Hair Dye - Ingredients

Synthetic hair colour contains various amounts of chemicals to achieve the desired lift, intensity, cover and hold for permanent hair colouring. The amounts can vary with different brands and therefore results vary as well as the impact that it has on your health and the environment.

The following discussion of chemicals looks at the ingredients that are most dominant, most common, or most toxic, or simply raise concerns with consumers. I hope it will help you to understand what really is a problem and what isn't. However, there are gray areas, which is why these products are still on the market, and it is up to you to make an informed choice.

1) Ammonia

Ammonia is considered to be an occupational hazard and also hazardous in the household environment as it is used in cleaning products. It is the most common and most offensive ingredient in permanent hair colour as it gives off strong fumes that are irritating to the eyes, lungs, and to a lesser extent, the skin.

In industrial uses, the ammonia vapour from concentrated ammonia solutions is severely irritating to the eyes and the respiratory tract, and protective measures are required for safety.

Source: healthandbeautyace.com

In hair dye, ammonia is used to open the cuticles (outer layer) of the hair in order to deposit the artificial colour pigments within the hair structure. It is extremely alkaline (ph 9 - ph 12.5) and is particularly damaging to the hair's natural protein structure. Ammonia-treated hair becomes very dry and coarse which is usually masked by the addition of silicones (synthetic softeners) to the hair dye. Over time the silicones wash out, the colour fades and the true condition of the hair becomes apparent.

2) PPD

p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) is an ingredient in hair dyes, most dominantly used in darker colours and is known to cause allergic reactions; it was even voted Allergen of the Year in 2006. It often causes redness on sensitive skin and can also be found in "black" or dark henna mixes (Natural henna only produces a reddish colour).

All permanent hair colour products require PPDs to alter your natural hair colour. Though the research is inconclusive it has been suggested that PPDs are potentially harmful. The current European legislation allows for PPD's to compromise up to 6% of a hair dye product whereas most brands contain a maximum of 2.1%. The safest products would be those with less than 1% PPD. However, it is recommended that pregnant ladies and people undergoing chemotherapy do not use any permanent dye that will be in contact with the skin whilst it is processing.

I also want to reinforce that the darker the hair colour the more PPD is in it so ladies who frequently dye their hair dark brown or black are more exposed to it than others.

For more information on PPD allergy see: http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/paraphenylenediamine-allergy.html
With regards to the safety of the chemical see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-Phenylenediamine#Safety
Another good article, indicating the use of PPD in dark henna mixes: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-para-phenylenediamine-ppd.htm

3) Resorcinol

A common ingredient in hair colours and bleach, resorcinol is a skin irritant that is toxic to the immune system and a frequent cause of hair dye allergy, however  there are no regulations limiting the amounts of resorcinol in personal care products and it is even used for medical purposes including the treatment of acne, psoriasis and eczema. See Wise Geek for more information.

4) Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen Peroxide (H202) is not a serious hazard. It is simply oxidised water that breaks down to oxygen and water during the colouring process. At low volumes it is not harmful or volatile (up to 12% is used in hairdressing) and is environmentally-friendly as it occurs naturally. It does however dry the skin out and will whiten the skin temporarily, so gloves should be worn when handling H2O2.

Very low levels (3-6%) are needed for the deposit of hair colour on the same or darker level as one's natural hair colour. And higher levels are used for lift (lightening) and speeding up the colouring process.

Tips

Essentially, PPD and Ammonia shouldn't have contact with the skin, but with the process of colouring the roots of the hair, especially to cover gray, it is impossible to avoid this. When other options for hair colour are not available here are some tips for safer colouring:

1. Always use protective gloves when applying.
2. Apply vasoline around the hairline to prevent the colour from getting on the skin next to your hairline.
3. Do not inhale the hair dye directly and ensure that there is good ventilation once the colour is mixed.
4. Do not exceed the manufacturer's maximum processing time. Be careful to time it and keep to those limits.
5. Ensure that the hair dye cream/paste is removed 100% from the hair and scalp after processing.
6. It would be recommended to use a shampoo with the following characteristics: clarifying, ph balanced (the hair/scalp is 4.5 - 5.5) or slightly more acidic (3).

For more information see the blog post Hair Dye Allergy, Henna & Pregnancy.