Newly allergic to hair colour, after 25 years!

[overthinkersanonnymus]

I'm devastated.

The last two times I've had my hair done, I've come out with a rash. First time on the back of my neck, which was like little itchy spots and the second time, my face got what I can only describe as small lines of puffy, red skin.

The strangest thing is though, it takes about 48 hours to start developing.

What can I do! Is taking an antihistamine enough? I'm terrified I'm going to get a chemical burn from the reaction after googling and seeing a poor woman scarred for life after a reaction.

I have to say it does make my hair shiny. I rinse the colour out with cold water and then use a conditioner after. I also use colour preserving shampoo. I don't think you've got anything to lose. I think it helps that my skintone is quite warm and I wear make up so I don't look washed out with it. I'm 54 for reference.

Posting in solidarity! I was diagnosed with a PPD allergy about 5 years ago, via patch testing from a dermatologist after months of a horrible spotty rash all over my face and neck that just never seemed to heal.

A few points that might be of use to someone:

• allergies can and do develop after years of product usage so don't assume that because you've used something for a while, you aren't now allergic to it.
• the only truly PPD and PTD-free dyes I've ever found are Goldwell Elumen, but you have to be very wary of cross-contamination within a salon that uses PPD/PTD, and also remember that some hairdressers aren't very well-versed in this area and will merrily use an Olaplex 'conditioning" formula on you, post-dye, that they haven't checked the ingredients of...
• just because something is sold in Holland and Barratt doesn't mean it's allergen-free! There's literally no sign thing as allergen-free -people can be allergic to anything.
• some (non-pure) henna is sold mixed with PPD so is disastrous for people allergic to that.
• some people allergic to PPD also react to black clothing dyes - I try to avoid buying black clothes new, and if I do I wash them lots before I wear them.
• you might think balayage or foils will keep the dye away from your scalp but then every time you stand under the shower, the run-off will cover your body - in a million years I wouldn't keep using a hair dye (however it was applied) if it was making my scalp react, personally.
• Vanicream do a very bland shampoo that is free of a lot of common allergens and works surprisingly well as a shampoo, IYSWIM.

I have just had to embrace my grey hair (I'm 40) - I'm naturally dark blonde so I'm now a sort of silvery-ashy colour with darker (natural) bits and some old blonde left at the ends from years ago. I'm not going to say I love it but I can't put myself through the misery of those reactions again!

Edited for spelling.

@MaverickBoon thank you for that, your hair sounds lovely!
yeah I agree hairdressers are not always up on allergies etc unless they are colour specialists, I was told by one that the hair dye they used would be ok as it’s vegan !! Or similarly they say it contains no ammonia, it’s worrying and all the more reason why you need to do your own research.
@TheFormidableMrsC I have red cheeks most of the time so darker colour doesn’t usually wash me out, I’m 58 this year, I do wear make up too but not all the time now I don’t work as I can’t be arsed !

@MaverickBoon Thanks for posting so eloquently about this subject. I wish it was spoken about more. It happened to my Mum too (not hair dye but chlorine) after years and years of daily swimming. The body is an odd thing!

Oh god this has started happening to me too!

Commiserations , OP and PPs. This happened to my mum when she was in her late 50s. She had been tinting her prematurely grey hair for 20 years and no one was quick to connect her escalating symptoms with hair dye. Eventually she looked like she’d undergone a chemical peel. (She recovered and emerged with a baby’s skin)

I note that we’re assuming this is a PPD allergy or similar. Because it is potentially so serious I think it would be good to see a doctor to isolate the allergen properly. (My mum did)

I am aware of the need to stay ahead of this allergy, and time is marching on. I am older than you, OP, and not ready to go grey. But it’s our health. Damn this sexist society.

I wonder if this is linked to peri menopause? This can start up to ten years before menopause and as the average age for menopause is 50, is not impossible it’s linked.

Its most likely you've developed an allergy to ppd and tds.

Can I ask are you dying to dark brown, brown or black even?

Ppd and its derivatives are in all brunette colours and allergies can develop after years and then boom 💥

My mother had this and developed v bad excema all over her body . She stopped dying at 65 and is grey and proud.

I also have hair dye allergies so am multicolored as a result .

I have a PPD allergy and use Naturvital colour safe hair dye - it’s brilliant!

https://naturvital.co.uk/buy/ppd-free-natural-hair-dye-colour/coloursafe-no-ammonia-ppd-free-hair-colour/ppd-free-coloursafe-blonde-no-7-hair-dye/

It’s good to hear you have found something you can use safely. I just want to point out to others though that approximately 50% of people who react to PPD will react to PTD which is what Naturevital has as an ingredient.

@App13 it’s true PPD/PTD is present in higher quantities in darker shades however it is still present in some blonde shades too to add “tone”etc I recently reacted to a shade 12/1 which is a very light blonde with an ash tone. It’s also present in some toners that are put on blonde hair after bleaching

Sadly its got tds in it , but great news for you

@App13 Naturevital do colour masks too that are free from PTd/PPD these gave quite a bit of colour to my hair but I couldn’t find the right shade. Depending on how much grey or what colour your hair is might work to blend in grey, they have a blonde colour mask too.

Thank you for posting this. I mentioned to my dentist about hair dye allergy as had read somewhere there is a link, he wasn’t bothered and made a joke about not offering hairdressing services ! I’m going to print this out

I use the Patrice Mulato color one in dark brown, my hair comes out a type of yellow brown.. but I use it anyway because I have no other option

May i please ask what color you use and what colour it comes out ?

Its the only dye that doesn't give scalp stain and doesn't itch my face.

I've tried the black one and that's even more yellow!

I tried elumen a couple of years ago and boy it stained my scalp like tar

@App13 i have used brown no 4 Patrice Mullatto and dark brown no 3. My hair is only 15 to 20 percent grey but I have two patches of grey at temples and these come out lighter than the shade I use and wouldn’t say it was yellow but when I used the light brown no 5 first of all this definitely came out yellow on the grey. My hair is very ash with very little warmth. I order from The Elemental Beauty company and they are very helpful and knowledgeable about the colours. I spoke to Erica there and she said if my hair was coming out yellow with the light brown it meant I didn’t have a lot of natural red pigment so I’m guessing yours is the same ? I then tried the darker shade mid brown and this was ok. You can also add the “Chromatic “ colours (these are much smaller bottles and cheaper) to add a tone )warm/cool etc. I've tried this adding the Red chromatic to dark brown to add a little warmth and it looked nice on my brown hair but was a bit too red for my liking on my grey. Because I don’t have a lot of grey the dark brown looked very dark on my hair. I also found that similar to other PTD/PPD free colours they didn’t completely cover my grey just sort of blended it in but my hair is very resistant to hair dye anyway. But like you say it’s better than nothing ! I wonder if you used the black and added a very tiny amount of red whether this would be better if you wanted a warmer shade. You can also mix the base shades dark brown with black etc. I find it expensive as I need two tubes and I don’t find that it lasts that long that I can get away with just doing re touch ups. It generally fades over the rest of hair too and leaves very faint root line so I really need to re do whole head each time but I do the roots first then leave on lengths for reduced time. Sorry for long essay !

@667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast Hello 667,
You're very lucky if yore getting away with it as well as you are.

i have no other option but to use Patrice Mulato. My hair is v v dark brunette. i spoke to the same Erica lady and she recommended the blue Chromatic to me ,maybe i need to take the plunge with that.

Im about 15-20% grey, and yes temples largely.

What i hate about it is that you have to do it on damp hair, my greys are very fine and so when i apply it to damp hair, you cant see them, as they're dotted around.

I was thinking on applying it to dry hair and leaving it 2 hrs. atm i leave it 1 hr.

I shouldn't complain as atm i think at least theyre camouflaged.

@App13 ah ok you are like me not a lot of grey then however it does notice more doesn’t it on dark hair? I don’t see why it would hurt applying it on dry hair, I think maybe they say wet so it’s easier to blend but I totally get what you mean about not being able to see the grey when wet. I find as well that the grey at my temples is quite resistant and washes out quickly too even though I only wash it twice a week. I also use a batiste brunette dry shampoo to blend in grey as I have a few right on the crown of my head and have straight hair so it’s very noticeable.
I hate my natural mousy ash mid brown this is why I am
dyeing mine I’ve been doing it various colours since age 13!
I think grey mixed with very dark hair can look really striking but it’s how you feel in yourself isn’t it ? Have you tried any of the “grey blending” shampoos ? I would try a little bit if the chromatic blue on a bit of your hair if that’s what Erica suggested. I know that purple is the opposite on the colour correction chart for yellow tones so I’m guessing this would make it less yellow. It’s all such a lot of faffing about isn’t it ? !

@App13 do you use the Patrice Mullatto shampoo before colouring ? I just use a clarifying one as it was so expensive.

@6667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast I use the charcoal one as they said it had to be neutralising .

My post dye shampoo is the oribe colour shampoo.

What prompted you to use color one ?

Mine was mother's allergy and a pre emptive strike.

Please don't ever dye your hair again, that reaction you're having can be fatal in extreme cases, if it's an allergy to PPD which is in almost all dye even the blond ones (although they contain less of it). You'd surely rather be grey than die from anaphylaxis. The reaction can escalate quickly so it's no good trying different dyes to see what happens. Until you try, you won't know if you had an option of "next time" or if this will be the one that kills you. It's not worth the risk.

Bleaching your hair might be ok as long as it's not a colour and just a bleach.

Just popping in to recommend leganza, been using it for years. 31 bitter chocolate works well for me and I only use it on my temples and crown so it must be a close match to my natural colour. My hair is in much better condition now than when I was using box dyes all over.

@App13 i had been dyeing my hair for over 40 years since I was 13, I hadn’t always done a skin test but in recent years I had as my skin had become more sensitive to skin care products etc, I had always tried to use lowest PPD products possible even 20 years ago due to a possible link with cancer but after using only semi permanents for about 18 months which didn’t contain any PPD I then got a reaction when I tried to use normal hair dye again , Wella demi permanent Colour touch. It was fairly mild itchy skin and redness but because I knew about the possibility of anaphylaxis I didn’t risk it! Strangely it had always been on my mind since my mother’s friend told me in the 80s that her head had “swelled like a football” after using hair dye.
I may try the pre shampoo to see if it helps my hair to take colour better, it just works out so expensive. For what it’s worth I would love to swap my mousy ashy hair for a very dark brunette with a bit of grey ! I’ve seen photos of Demi Moores hair looking beautiful with some grey strands.

Do you mind me asking you what your natural colour is and this is a cooler brunette shade isn’t it Bitter Chocolate?

@LadyFrumpOfFumpington yes i agree its very worrying. I went to a very reputable salon to get tested with a couple of different dyes recently and I was a bit alarmed that they suggested using foils for brown toned lowlights/highlights, seems irresponsible as this must go on your skin when washed off and they don’t know what sort of reaction you are going to get that particular time.

@6667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast that makes total sense. I had to educate myself so much about ppd and its derivatives and other carcinogenics that frankly nothing so far has seemed clean.

Randomly I can use nice n easy as it contains an me-ppd or some such that isn't a major allergen.

I keep that for super special occasions and only 1 a year