This might be a daft one.

[Utterlyclueless]

I suffer from anxiety mostly health anxiety but also social.

Anyway this might sound daft and I'm fully aware it may not be logical in fact I know it's not but if you suffer from anxiety you will understand I can't control my thought process.

I'm getting my hair coloured Thursday I do this every 6-8 weeks yet this time I have the worst anxiety over it, I normally am anxious about it but for some reason this time it's more intense. I'm convinced I'm going to have a severe allergic reaction and go into anaphylaxis, it's giving me panic attacks but I don't want to cancel my appointment as anxiety has stopped me doing so much already!

Has anyone else been like this over something similar? How did you calm yourself?

you could be me!

Once a thought lodges in my stupid brain, it festers like a bloody tumour all logical thought goes out of the window.

So let me be logical for you.

The fact that you have had this work done every 6-8 weeks suggests that you are not allergic to the chemicals used in the hair dye. To develop an allergy to something you are exposed to regularly does happen, but extremely rarely.

So that just leaves a change of chemicals - do you have the same colour every time? is it blonde or dark? The culprit for the reaction is paraphenylenediamine (PPD) and it is more commonly used in darker hair dyes. You are more likely to have a reaction if you have had a henna tattoo at any time.

I dye my own hair and have never had an issue or done a patch test but you probably should.

If if it going to worry you then why not call your hair dresser to discuss it. She can put your mind at rest about the chemicals (so if she has changed brand or the composition has changed at all from the manufacturer) used and if you are still worried, let you pop in a few days before for a patch test.

Its not daft - daft is cutting your own hair because you can't face walking into a hair dressers at all (that'l be me then).

Good advice theoriginalLEM
I am the same and go years inbetween cuts then go mad and get it highlighted knowing full well i will not keep up with the appointments needed to keep it that colour. Total waste of money on my part.

Oh LEM yesterday I shaved half my head and hacked off a load of hair at the back because I couldn't even face making the phone call to book a hairdresser appointment!

OP I understand those intrusive anxious thoughts, it is not daft. Not daft at all. When I did some CBT for anxiety (not overly helpful, but a few bits were ok) we looked at the nature of our thoughts, etc. We had to identify the feeling (anxiety) and give it a score out of 10 of how bad it was. then write down why (I am going to have an allergic reaction to the dye, I am going to end up in hospital, I might die from anaphylaxis, it is going to make me very Ill etc) then we had to kind of reason with ourselves and write the for and againsts - so for would be you know that hair dye can cause a severe allergy, and against would be you have never suffered an allergy before so it is high,y unlikely to happen this time.

Then we re scored the feeling.

I find it a bit helpful when I have my irrational "THIS BUS IS GOING TO CRASH AND I AM GOING TO DIE" moments and I can argue myself out of it iyswim.

Anxiety is so debilitating and it has stopped me doing a lot too :(

I hope you can find a way to get to the hairdresser, I find once I actuakly get through the trauma that is the hairdresser I feel much happier with myself when I have happy hair (unlike right now with my hacked at half shaved head, waaaa!)

I have a mobile hairdresser because I can't bring myself to go to hairdressers at all (it also helps not having to look at my face for hours)

I'll try writing my thoughts karaoke hopefully it will help. Really hate anxiety especially when people don't understand it and just say 'behave'

Ps how is your hair looking?

utterly my hair is ok, DH helped sort out the back for me and I'm actually very pleased with the shaved bit (I wanted it not quite as short as shaved to a number zero but it as all I had to hand lol) it will grow quickly and I have a nice asymmetrical hair do now. And I can't see the back so it doesn't really matter what is going on back there haha

A lot of people don't understand anxiety at all. My mum always tells me "you are such a worrier!" And ive had all sorts from people "why on earth would you worry about that?" And my favourite ever was "just choose not to worry"

I will think about you on Thursday, I really understand how this can turn into such a huge thing. I pick my skin when anxious and my thumbs are currently a shredded mess :(

You will feel great with newly coloured hair. I change my hair colour regularly (at home, myself, obvs!) and I love a new colour. Makes me feel like if I can change the outside its only one small step to change the inside...

Waiting for the hairdresser now and can't stop panicking don't half get frustrated with myself when it comes to the likes of this!

Your hair sounds quite 'cool' hate to use that word but my brain won't allow me to think of another one!

Hope I like my hair after this or the anxiety will have been for nothing!!

I'm currently sat at home willing myself to go out the door and drive to my hair appointment, my palpitations are through the roof, I don't want to talk to anyone or explain why my hair has become so thin I have to wear a 'hair piece'. However if I want to continue to fake my hair I need the colour matched in. I'm off work with serious anxiety and a dose of depression, I feel like tearing my skin off, its ridiculous that I cannot control these thoughts and feelings. If I could stay in bed in the mornings I wouldnt get up all day, but I have a family to care for so I do it for them. I'm waiting on CBT and am hoping beyond hope it will help. I Hope your apt went ok Utterly xxxx