Hair dye allergy - foils?

[Sunshinesea35]

I had a slight reaction to a patch test - skin was a bit sore. Hairdresser said I can still have it coloured using this dye with foils and she’ll avoid letting it touch my head. Anyone else with an allergy had this done?

Bump

Is it a dye containing PPD, or similar? If so I wouldn’t go near it again, not even as foils. The next reaction could be very serious.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/nov/28/could-hair-dye-kill-you

www.nhs.uk/conditions/hair-dye-reactions/

I'd not risk that.
Your hairdresser doesn't sound very professional. A professional wouldn't touch your hair with the dye if you'd had any reaction however minor.

I am allergic to PPDs and have quite a bad reaction, while scalp comes out in hives and is very red, sore and itchy, as is anywhere the water runs.

Going slightly against the grain, I do still dye my hair however I take anti histamines as soon as I dye it, I cover forehead, ears and neck with Vaseline to form a barrier and I apply as carefully as I possibly can to reduce how much gets on my scalp.

I do that fully in the knowledge that every reaction could be worse than the last and I am putting myself at risk of losing all hair, long term skin damage or worse.

I only dye my hair with a PPD containing dye once or twice a year when the roots have become insane, in between I use Manic Panic red dye to give the colour and just top it up very regularly as if washes out really quick.

Thanks for the replies so far. She said she’d not let it touch my head so it couldn’t cause a reaction

@Sunshinesea35

Thanks for the replies so far. She said she’d not let it touch my head so it couldn’t cause a reaction

She can't promise that and even the water that's running through when it's being rinsed off could be enough to cause a reaction.

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo true, but she seems very confident she can donor and works for a very respected salon.

I had a bad allergy to hair dye some decades ago. Hives, lip swelling etc. The first time I didn't realise what had caused it, but the second time it was clear.

I've been having foils done for nearly twenty years now, with no issues. My hairdresser is always careful and very prompt in getting the dye rinsed off when the foils are taken out

But ugh. I've just read that Guardian link and I'm not going to tell you to go ahead and do it now. And I'm a bit nervous myself.

[quote Sunshinesea35]@HalfShrunkMoreToGo true, but she seems very confident she can donor and works for a very respected salon.[/quote]
Difficult to see why you asked?

You can have a reaction without coming into direct contact with the dye.

That's what I was thinking @SparklingLime .

I think the OP should have been:

"Could people with a hair dye allergy who have foils done please validate that this is a good decision, responses that agree with me and raise no potential issues only please!

I had an allergic reaction to lightener about 5 yrs ago and since my hairdresser out right refused to lighten my hair or even do a patch test, and rightly so.

I hate having dark hair as I'm so pale and looked so much better blonde, but not as much as I'd hate to be dead

Google deaths and allergic reactions to hair dye op

Its not worth risking your life for

Your hairdresser sounds very unprofessional. Is she even insured to colour your hair if you’ve reacted on the patch test? I wouldn’t have thought so; the whole point of a patch test is to avoid injury.

It’s your choice OP, I don’t care either way. I just think you’re treating yourself like a guinea pig. Foils intensify the colouring process as it draws heat. There’s going to be significantly more colour at play than what was used for the patch test too.

Perhaps ask the director or head office of this very respected salon what their policy is after a positive reaction to a patch test?

I have a really severe PPD allergy. The dermatologist told me not to ever get my hair dyed again.
However, I do get highlights in foils. My hairdresser takes a lot of care to ensure that it does not touch my scalp and she is very careful in washing it out. I have not had a further reaction in years of doing this.
So it is not advised but it is your decision if your hairdresser is skilled and is willing to do it.

But is there PPD in the product used for your highlights, @duckcat?

@SparklingLime yes there is

Allergies are so unpredictable. As someone who has had anaphylaxis, I wouldn’t take the risk.

Thanks for the comments so far. As I understand it, there’s not much PPD in the lighter colours which I would use for highlights. I didn’t suffer an extreme reaction just a little itching after 3 days of the patch test. If the solution did touch my skin, it’d only be for seconds whilst being washed out.

No, I'm not allergic to such things and am very happy. I dye my hair very often because I like to have very light hair color, so I have to bleach my hair quite often. But I know a lot of situations like that. I studied at Northwest College School of Beauty and learned about these scalp reactions. Nowadays, more and more hair solutions are being developed to avoid such situations, but unfortunately, a good enough solution has not been found. That's why people with such problems are not recommended to dye their hair to avoid allergies.

It is normal and professional to recommend an off the scalp process for people with allergies. You are shampooing out the color and will help to prevent having a reaction as it is not processing sitting on this. I am a Hairdresser for 36 years, master color professional. If they are still having a reaction, then they must go without. People can have allergies to Henna as well.
Also, to have them not shampoo her hair for 48 hours prior and take nondrowsy anti-histamine the week before the color helps. This gives you some of your natural scalp oils to help protect your skin.

I have a ppd allergy but I'm fine with bleach foils & I suit being blonde thankfully! I think ppd is what makes the colour stick that's why some semi permanent dyes don't contain it. As bleach isn't a colour it doesn't contain that ppd chemical.

I got this allergy from a** dodgy henna tattoo on holiday as a child & have spent a good amount of time as an adult trying to find a safe permanent dark hair dye but so far no luck !

Wouldn't risk dark foils, I've done that before and it still managed to get on my skin.

I’ve had this done on more than one occasion with different hairdressers too. I am allergic to anything hair dye based (I found out in my early 20s when I went from blonde to chocolate and ended up in A&E)

This is a perfectly safe way to get a colour you want but the real question is would you feel comfortable having it done. If so then great. If not it’s probably not worth the worry.