Hair dye allergy and going grey - please help!!

[Randomuser9876]

In my late teens I had 2 severe reactions to hair dye, I'm prone to eczema and facial skin flared up severely for 6 months each time. I looked terrible and it was agony.

A few years ago I had a full patch testing done as was having some skin issues - bizarrely the patches for PPD and other dye ingredients were fine so have come to the conclusion it is a severe sensitivity rather than allergy. I certainly wouldn't risk it again.

Now I'm 42 and starting to go grey - I have lovely dark brown hair and it's so upsetting to think I haven't got the same choices as others in whether to keep this or not. I do see some lovely looking women with grey hair so try to keep positive but I'd love to think there were options if I chose not to.

So - what are they? Anyone else in the same boat? I like the idea of the colour build up shampoos which blend them in. Henna seems to be a bit marmite and doesn't work for everybody in grey coverage.

Any other ideas? TIA

I would be very interested to know this too!

I have severe psoriasis on my scalp and can't use hair dye but at the grand old age of 39 have many (what my DD affectionally calls) silver highlights!

Sali Hughes - Guardian beauty editor - had a really similar situation and chose.to go grey all at once on purpose
She wrote about it so if you Google Sali Hughes grey hair you'd get the article
May not be for you, I also have dark brown hair that I love and am watching the encroaching grey wondering whether an all at once approach could work but it would be a big step!

I have gone grey due to an allergy to hair dye, I have however bought a wig a really decent one and when I’m wanting to not be grey I wear it. My friend is completely grey and it’s a lovely silver colour mine is still salt and pepper. When it’s all totally the one colour I will feel a lot happier.

The thing about Sali Hughes is she can afford the upkeep which is quite substantial, as she says herself

Is there not some sort of allergy / sensitivity testing you can privately pay for to find out the route cause of the issue?

I'm in the exact same position. I had my hair coloured dark brown at the hairdressers for years with no problems. Then, after lockdown, I decided to colour it myself. I purchased a semi permanent well known make and it looked fantastic, till a few days later when my face blew up like a balloon! I'm now too scared to go to the hairdressers and too scared to try another at home permanent/semi permanent again. I've even previously posted on here about it and the general consensus was to go gray, which I don't want to do. I've recently discovered Marion temporary hair colours available on ebay. Its about £6 for 3. I used no. 58 Medium brown and use 2 at a time as my hair is quite long. They are easy to apply and I leave them on longer than the recommended 45 mins. It looks great when I've just done it, it's quite dark at first but lightens every time you wash your hair. I get the desired effect about 3 washes later. Unfortunately, it only lasts a couple of weeks so I just tend to do it if I'm going out somewhere or have something on. It's not ideal but it's better than risking a dangerously swollen face which I'm terrified of getting again.

Have you looked at the Leganza colouring conditioners? I always recommend them on here - you’d need to check the ingredients as I’m not sure what they have in them - but essentially they are hair masks that cover grey and last for 10 washes or so. I redo every couple of weeks. I also have dark hair and they cover the greys well.

This might be stupid but are highlights a possibility - it's different dye and doesn't directly touch your scalp.

I use IT'S PURE from Holland and Barrett.

It's henna and is a faff but it is the only thing I can use.

I tried highlights but am allergic to the toner.

I had dark brown hair. It started going grey when I was 30. By tye time I was 30 it was completely white at the front. It's now grey and I stopped dyeing it in my early 40s. I'm now 53. I like not having the faff, but I would say you have yo change both the colours you wear and your make up. I'm really happy now.

It does take some getting used to.

Sali Hughes got huge amounts of bleaching and dying for free from various salons. And it often looks so damaged in photos. I think she's putting a brave face on a tricky situation.

The root cause is an allergy or sensitivity to PPD and likely related chemicals. The only solution is to avoid them.

I get foils for highlights in but nothing painted on my roots or touching my scalp. I don't get puffy but do itch intensely if I get dye on my skin and no reaction after foils. It obv doesnt cover it all but does blend it in and lift it to look blonde.

I had a massive reaction to brown hair dye after lockdown (lowlights) that I tried to do myself. Also reacted recently to a patch test for eyebrow tinting. I now just get my hair done with blonde highlights, as far as I'm aware bleach doesn't contain ppd.

I'm very allergic to ppd.
I can use Wella Color Fresh toners , leave on dry hair for an hour , shampoo out and the colour fades over a few weeks . The red one is the best to cover greys. I would have preferred a dark brown but the finished result always looked a bit artificial, there was a purple tinge to it.

Allergy to PPD so I use this too, though I get it from Amazon. It comes in different colours - eg natural brown, dark brown etc

Most direct dye semi permanent colours don't contain PPD. These are the colours that you apply directly to the hair from the tub and aren't mix with hydrogen peroxide.

Also, anyone using Henna must make sure that they tell their hairdresser before they book in for highlights/permanent colour etc. as the henna will react with the peroxide and cause hair breakage. The Hairdresser needs to do a test for the presence of Metallic Salts before proceeding. The metallic compounds can remain in your hair for months after using Henna.

As a former hairdresser/colourist, I'm surprised that there are still some hairdressers who will apply highlights to clients with a known PPD allergy. They are acting recklessly because their Insurance company won't cover them if something goes wrong and you have a reaction and sue them.

I developed a PPD allergy so no longer work in the profession. 🙁

I’ve used Daniel Field Watercolour hair dye but I don’t know if that’s an option for you?

I'm in the same boat and just let my hair go grey.

I was a dark brown originally and found my first white hair at 19, and now at 41 I'm very grey, especially at the front. I dyed it until 2018, when I had a severe bout of facial eczema aged 36. I tried Josh Wood colour a couple of years later, which my skin tolerated well, but the roots were obvious after only 2 weeks and I couldn't be bothered with the upkeep.

I'm happy with it most of the time. Occasionally I feel sad that I went grey so much earlier than most women and convince myself I must look 87. I get over it though!

Look up rosemary water, OP - it's an infusion made with rosemary and boiling water. You can just take bits off a bush in your garden. It genuinely does work to keep grey at bay - it did for me anyway.

I am grey, but I found my first grey hair at 12. It runs in the family. I dyed my hair myself or professionally until my late 30s, but once ia home dye didn't take properly and gave me an itchy scalp, and gave up. I grew out all the dyed bits and I am now mostly grey at the front, and mostly my natural mid-brown at the back. My hair is just past shoulder length.

I use a moisturising shampoo to keep it shiny. I've found most purple shampoos to be too harsh on my hair, but it's course and wavy, and prone to frizz. I use a heat protection spray on the roots.

But my mum kept dyeing her hair until the pandemic, and she was 69. Originally brown like me, she went blonde! She is now completely grey. So it depends really. I like the Jonathan Van Ness (I know he's not popular here, but he knows hair) maxim, are you wearing it, or is it wearing you? My dyed hair was definitely wearing me.

Heat protection spray on the ends, I mean.

Like a PP I also use the it's Pure Henna. My hair is in great condition and I get lots of compliments on it. I only do it about 2 or 3 times a year. Worth a try if you are not ready to embrace the grey just yet.