Sunday, 2 March 2008
Playing It Safe

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last six months, you will have no doubt heard the big debate about hair colour. The story has been aired on radio and printed in national newspapers, and also perhaps the most concerning, covered on BBC’s Watchdog.

But is it all a load of hype or should we be concerned for the future of the colour industry?

Before you come to any conclusions, it’s worth knowing exactly what the controversy is about.

The problem is based around the chemical Para-Pheneylenediamine. It is found in hair dye, and is more commonly known as PPD. Some people have experienced allergic reactions to it, and we are not just talking a small rash.

Despite manufacturers recommending patch testing when using home hair colour kits, isolated cases have still made the headlines. In one severe case, dating back to 2001, a woman died. Although a direct link to PPD was not proven, she had just used hair dye and it was later reported that the cause of death was most likely to have been a reaction to the dye.

Although this is an extremely rare case, in recent months the issue has arisen once again when severe allergic reactions to hair dye were reported on Watchdog. Symptoms included burning and swollen scalps, and open sores all over the body.

A reaction to PPD can occur, but rather than let this decrease a salons colour work, they should use the debate to their advantage by offering professional skin testing, many do, but there are still salons that do not.

The important thing to remember is that the majority of the bad press has been focused on home hair colours, which no professional hairdresser wants their clients using. The fact that a salon can offer expert advice and most importantly, a colour sensitivity test, should make clients think twice about dyeing their hair at home.

PPD (paraphenylenediamine) is the active ingredient found in permanent hair dye, which is proven to elicit allergic reactions in hypersensitive individuals.
As reported in the press recently, allergy to PPD can cause uncomfortable reactions, which may result in symptoms such as soft tissue swelling, blisters and infection. In rare and extremely severe cases the reactions can be life threatening.
These allergic responses can develop at any time.