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Original poster

Dying 3 year olds hair...

55 replies

Loupenny25 · 04/05/2023 18:55

I know in a normal situation you wouldn't dye a young child's hair but this isn't a normal situation.

My nearly 4yo Daughter is losing her hair after a critical illness left her in ICU at the beginning of this year. Apparently its pretty common amongst ICU survivors and hits about 3 months after the illness.

Over the past week she has lost about 50% of her hair and it is just falling out like mad, there's nothing we can do to stop it/improve it. She loves her hair so much (not going to lie so did I), it was long thick blonde ringlets. We're going to give it another week or so and then we're both off for radical mummy/daughter haircuts together, I'm hoping there'll be enough left for pixie cuts but we'll see!

To get to the point - before we cut or shave her hair she wants purple hair. Specifically lilac.

I have never dyed my hair so I have no knowledge at all.

Are there any gentle or suitable products we can use to give her purple hair? She has quite light hair and even just a touch of purple she would be happy with.

I'm very nervous about chemicals etc on her scalp but we could dip dye the ends maybe?

Are there any good temporary wash in and out type things we could use? To be completely Frank it doesn't have to last very long. It does however need to be something I can lay my hands on quickly via amazon, boots etc, we have a Sally beauty in town too.

This is just the shitty icing on a really shitty layer cake so anything I can do to do something fun I'm going to grab with both hands.

OP posts:
Pearfacebananapoop · 04/05/2023 19:50

Look at Maria Nila. I have used the pink for my daughter before. Think they do a purple and it's all organic. It can be darker than you want so weaken with conditioner. Good luck!

Pearfacebananapoop · 04/05/2023 19:53

Maria Nila Color Refresh 100 ml - A Nourishing Color Bomb That Contains Temporary Color Pigments That Quickly Refresh The Hair Color. 100% Vegan. Sulfate-free and Paraben-free amzn.eu/d/ilEmjym

plywhytrybuy · 04/05/2023 19:54

No advice on hair colour but wanted to say you sound like such a wonderful mama. It's a really lovely idea. Sorry to hear you've been through a really hard time. Sending well wishes to your daughter Flowers

tobi21 · 04/05/2023 19:59

These could be good.

Revolution Rainbow Drops Lilac Rays www.superdrug.com/hair/hair-colourants/hair-toner/revolution-rainbow-drops-lilac-rays/p/804233

Princessfuckingpeach · 04/05/2023 20:15

There's was a little girl in my DC school who had issues with her hair and her mum used to always have her some lovely accessories, including fake hair that was rainbow coloured that was easy to clip in, I think she got them from Claires.
That might be fun for her?

Youre a wonderful mum, the way you've worded your post, it just shines with love.

Good luck with your hair styles!

KatyS36 · 04/05/2023 20:19

You sound like an awesome mum and huge hugs to you and your daughter. Your approach sounds fantastic.

Can I share what happened to us in case it is of use? My 7 year old had an extreme bout of gastroenteritis (obviously nowhere near what your daughter went through), lost lots of weight and a few weeks later the hair loss started.

Then fortunately it stopped. And I'm wondering if there is a chance the same may happen to your daughter? If it did, would your daughter be happier with maybe very thin long hair, or a short pixie?

I'm sure you'll know what is best for you both xx

BarkyMatherson · 04/05/2023 20:22

Hair chalk is great on blonde hair, gentle and non-toxic.

afrikat · 04/05/2023 20:28

This sounds so hard I'm so sorry!

I've used Directions on my daughter for the past few summers, highly recommended

gogogogogogotime · 04/05/2023 20:34

Direct dyes or vegetable dyes do not contain peroxide or ammonia. Crazy Colour, Directions, Stargazer, Manic Panic brands to name a few. I have had purple hair for years and I use Stargazer Plume. It's essentially a stain so it can be messy to apply but is not damaging. The only thing to think of is the fade, so a deeper purple will often fade to blue, then green on the way out. If you wash with a clarifying shampoo in warm water it'll go a lot quicker if you want to get rid of it. I use a box dye every now and then to help the purple 'stick' so it's more vibrant but it was very vibrant in my then 4year old's hair when we did her tips a few years ago. All the best to your dd!

NannyGythaOgg · 04/05/2023 20:36

I opened this to say WTF don't do it - and now feel ashamed.

Brilliant idea and you have had some excellent advice on how to do it safely. (BUT GO AS BRIGHT PURPLE AS POSSIBLE - let her have her purple hair)

Makingamess4212 · 04/05/2023 20:37

You could use a purple shampoo and condition, leave them on like hair masks.. If your daughters hair is light enough it will lighten!

If not, just use a semi permanent lilac dye.. I dyed my twin nieces hair pink for the summer holidays, they loved it, no reactions, and it washed out great!

You sound like an awesome mam 💞

Wellthatwasodd · 04/05/2023 20:42

Bleach London are excellent. You can get colour shampoos and conditioners or just use their toners, maybe diluted with a bit of conditioner.

Manic panic are also brilliant again just mix in with conditioner, until you get the colour you want then put on. It’s very easy. No nasties.

Srin · 04/05/2023 21:02

Sounds like a great idea. I would be a bit careful with food colouring though. It is runny, so can drip or dribble a lot and some types really stain your skin.

Londontown12 · 04/05/2023 21:08

Boots stock bleach London temporary toners this wud work well !
Hope your daughter is on the mend x

TolerateIt · 04/05/2023 22:09

I used a couple of the Loreal Colorista wash out dyes on my DD in lockdown when she was 5. The colours were vibrant but the dye was very gentle and washed out after maybe 4-6 washes.

Original poster
Loupenny25 · 04/05/2023 22:22

Thank you all so much for your recommendations and well wishes, so glad to hear the positive experiences. I googled dying childrens hair to see if there were age restrictions etc on hair products and everything was shouting "DONT DO IT!" that it made me a bit nervous!

I'll go on the hunt tomorrow with all your recommendations and see what I can find.

And yes thank you she is on the mend, she's come so far that it seems like some cruel little twist of the knife to now have to deal with this. I would describe our current status as a family that is just putting one foot in front of the other and finding that a little bit easier to do everyday.

If someone had told me 6 months ago I would brush DDs hair one day and it would all fall out in my hands I would have said that would be one of the worst things I could have imagined - now that's such a relative non-event!

OP posts:
ChiefWiggumsBoy · 05/05/2023 01:12

If you're in the Liverpool area, I have some blue Directions hair dye going spare, I wouldn't even mind dropping it off tomorrow if you like as I'm at a loose end. PM me if that would work!

ItWillWash · 05/05/2023 02:16

Pretty much any "true" semi-color will be fine i.e. a color that does not need to be mixed with anything else. All of the suggestions on here will work (Maria Nila, Directions, Bleach London, etc) Renbow's Crazy Colour, Wella Instamatic and Wella Colour Fresh and Revlon Colour bombs are also true semis. In these circumstances I wouldn't bother pissing about with food coloring or hair chalks, you are unlikely to get the vibrancy you are wanting. Bleach London is probably going to be the easiest to get hold of. Directions, Maria Nila and the ilk are mostly sold in goth-type shops, hairdressing supply shops, or online whereas Bleach London is sold in Boots.

I'm a qualified hairdresser. If you're anywhere near me I'm happy to come to you and do something fun with multiple colors and/or a cute/fun style.

I would advise a skin test 24 hours prior to application, especially as she's been having medical treatments. Some medicines can heighten skin sensitivity.

Original poster
Loupenny25 · 05/05/2023 05:53

@ChiefWiggumsBoy thank you that's so kind, however I'm so far from Liverpool but that's really such a lovely thought.

OP posts:
MrsPerfect12 · 05/05/2023 05:59

Have a look at infuse my colour. It's a shampoo.

D20 · 05/05/2023 06:01

Teen DD tried the lavender Maria Nila last year on dark blonde hair and it wasn’t a very strong colour. We’ve also tried the UG flowerologie in teal and that was much deeper so I’d go for UG in purple. Hope it looks super whatever you go for!

Cantchooseaname · 05/05/2023 06:01

Coloured wax- you can get them from Amazon, just apply to damp hair like any wax. My daughter has dark red hair, and we can easily turn it bright green/ purple etc with wax. Then it just comes out in one wash.
sounds like a really lovely way to turn round a shit situation

Original poster
Loupenny25 · 05/05/2023 06:04

@ItWillWash thank you so much, we're in Kent? If I could just pick your brains it's changing the whole layout of her hair, it's hard to explain but it's like she's lost her natural parting and it's all hanging like forwards into her face and it looks like she's been playing with electricity. Is that because of the thinning? Is it like removing the weight of her hair which is then making it puff up and lie differently?

I've decided to grab the argos hair chalk this morning because I realised I was taking the word of a 3 year old who SAYS "cocopops in my pink bowl" when I should have known she MEANT "peanut butter toast in triangles". So "purple like rapunzel's dress" might mean "blue like Dory" and then if she likes it I'm happy to move to something more permanent.

OP posts: