Dying to dye your hair

[2on2u]

http://www.drgroman.com/blog/

By Michael A. Smith, MD Permanent and semi-permanent hair dyes contain dangerous chemicals that have been linked to serious health problems — including cancer . As a matter of fact, the European Commission on Health recently labeled 22 hair dye chemicals as dangerous to humans and banned them for good. So, if you’re a hair dye enthusiast, you might want to take a closer look at your favorite brand. Hair Dyes and Bladder Cancer The most dangerous hair dye chemicals are Arylamines. They can be absorbed through your scalp or even inhaled during application of the hair dye.

Arylamines have been established as risk factors for bladder cancer by several clinical studies, including one conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1 Arylamines are used because they allow for hair dyes to resist fading during washing. However, hair dyes really don’t need them and natural-based companies are producing Arylamine-free dyes. Your DNA Doesn’t Like Hair Dyes Artificial colors — like Red 73 and Orange 24 — are the other dangerous chemicals found in hair dyes.

And there’s no way around it … these are nasty chemicals. They absorb through your scalp and into your bloodstream where they can attack healthy cells and tissues. Artificial colors directly damage your cell’s DNA and significantly increase your risk for many types of cancer. 2 I suggest using vegetable-based dyes. These work by coating the hair shaft with botanical extracts such as annatto, blackberry, boysenberry, saffron, paprika, red sorrel, black walnut and other natural colors. These substances do not penetrate the hair shaft or your scalp, plus some women claim that they actually give the hair more shine.

[Warpy]

1. One of the happiest days of my life

was when I stripped all the dye out of my hair and declared independence from the dye bottle. Dyeing had been necessary while I was working because nobody wants old women around, they make the place look shabby.

Thumbing my nose at the L'Oreal and Clairol aisle is just as satisfying as thumbing my nose at the fertility aisle in the supermarket.

If botanicals had worked, I'd have used them. However, they didn't work all that well 20 years ago.

[RebelOne]

2. Oh, come on, already.

I am 73 years old and have been bleaching and dying my hair since I was 17 years old, and I am still alive and kicking. That is a bunch of shit.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. No it is not

My aunt died from a very rare blood disease, which was linked to dyes... and this is over 30 years ago.

More and more studies are emerging pointing to this... albeit minor, very real risk.

Clients SHOULD be warned of them, doncha think?

[Stargazer09]

3. I gave up on my hair

I started greying at age 23, and 20+ year later, I'm around 50% grey. My natural color is dark brown, so I develop a grey stripe along the part in my hair within a week of dyeing my hair. Looking like a skunk just isn't something I enjoy.

I gave up dyeing late last year, and I'm gradually cutting off the dyed portion of my hair. It's difficult, because the grey does make me look (and feel) old, but I'm not going to play with chemicals every month anymore.

[peacebird]

4. I went natural three years ago, and do not regret it at all. Men are allowed to age, why not us?

[SoCalDem]

7. Same here.. I quit "worrying" about my hair ages ago

I cut it myself and it's graying..big deal.. I'm old

No amount of hair dye will fool anyone anyway

[monmouth]

25. Funny, in my neck of the woods, men with gray hair are known as "Silver Foxes."..LOL..n/t

[Stargazer09]

35. Exactly!

I just wish the double standard would go away. A man with greying hair is considered "distinguished" or "experienced." A woman with grey is usually just considered to be old.

[RebelOne]

5. Fortunately, I am a natural blonde and the grey

would blend in with the bleached blonde hair, so I had no dark roots, so I only have to color it every few months. But for years, I was dying once a month

[Stargazer09]

34. You're lucky

Blondes tend to be able to grey a little more subtly than those of us with dark hair.

[Taverner]

6. In California, they pretty much banned all the toxic dyes

And here there is no shortage of hair colorings

[senseandsensibility]

10. Really?

That's good news. No dyes in CA have these chemicals? I'd love more info about this if you have it.

Not that I'm interested in this at all for personal reasons....I have 100% natural hair color. Cough. Cough. Ahem.

[MuseRider]

8. I used to do that for fun

because my hair is kind of a mousy brown/blonde. Now that I am getting some grey, I wish it would hurry, I stopped because I like it. At this rate I won't be grey at 120 years of age but at least it is better hair than the fine mousy brown/blonde stuff.

Glad I have stopped that although it was really fun.

[K8-EEE]

11. I buy Naturcolor at Whole Foods

Honestly it does not last as long as the regular kind but it has a lovely herbal fragrance, no harsh chemical smell or burn.

http://www.naturcolor.com/

If you stay with the ""N" colors it covers the gray and makes your hair really shiny and full, but it starts fading in only 2 weeks. However I find using half a box every 2 - 3 weeks is not at all bad for my hair. Really my hair is a lot nicer looking since I started using it, not fried or frizzy like it started getting in my salon days.

I started going gray in my 20's and while I like it on some people, on me I don't! I use one shade lighter (Mueillin Blonde) so the gray strands look highlighted, it turns out really nice.

[Siwsan]

13. I'm hard pressed to come up with something they say DOESN'T cause cancer

I pay absolutely zero attention to these 'studies'. Just a bunch of people trying to justify the grant money.

[K8-EEE]

30. Yes but I did develop some kind of allergic reaction to the dye

that they used at my salon -- after having used it for years, the "sting" from it was getting worse and I felt like I would have an itchy/scaley scalp for days after coloring, they did not change any of the formula and nobody else seemed to have a problem so who knows.

I really like the naturcolor product and it was a revelation how easy it is to color your hair at home -- and how much CHEAPER! All my scalp issues have gone away, I save money, and my hair is in better shape so it's been a good change for me.

[senseandsensibility]

14. Do you apply it to your whole head that often?

It must be really gentle. The colors look interesting.

[K8-EEE]

29. I do the roots for 20 minutes and then comb it through for another 10

This is how they did the chem color in m salon days too, but typically I would go 5 weeks (the last two weeks wearing a cover up on the roots though!)

It's really very gentle - like many people my gray hair is a different texture and tends to get frizzy this stuff sort of coats your hair for a couple of weeks and calms the grays down!

I have gotten really good at putting it on so it doesn't seem like a big hassle. I put it on and do a load of laundry or something, wash it out in the sink and voila'!

Other tips from the salon; put vaseline around your hairline so any stains will not absorb, and at the beauty supply they sell mascara-type brushes for getting the areas close to your hairline. Since dry ends (on long hair) absorb more color you can put a little conditioner on the ends first to keep them lighter (as they would be naturally.)

[Aerows]

12. I'm a natural dirty blonde

And my parents are, respectively, my father with hair so white he'd have to pump brillcreme into his veins to stop having white hair, and my mother who is also reddish/blond.

Can't help it. We all have grey eyes, blue eyes and green eyes in my family.

Mom gets perms, I even my blond out so that I don't look weird. My father doesn't need to do either because he's flaming white haired.

It's genetics for some folks.

[Cairycat]

15. I wish more women were at peace with their gray hair

When I see my gray hair and sigh about looking older, I remember how many women on the earth don't even live to be older than I am now (55). Having gray hair means to me that I am privileged to live in a place where a 55 year old still usually has decades to live.

Besides that, my pattern of graying is very like my mother's, so that's a sweet reminder to me of her.

[senseandsensibility]

16. That is so sweet.

I don't mean to sound patonizing. It really is sweet that you like to be reminded of your mother instead of worrying that you look old. And your attitude about aging is healthy. I suppose it stands out because we rarely hear such ideas in the media, although they are obviously right and true.

[RebelOne]

17. My mother was a blonde until the day she died at the age of 78.

I am as vain as her and now 73 and plan to be blonde until I die whenever that may be.

[HappyMe]

20. I dye my hair 2 -3 times a year.

I have some gray. When I'm good and ready to let it go all gray, I will.
I'm not blonde, I'm more reddish medium brown.

[monmouth]

26. They'll have to pry L'Oreal LB01 out of my cold, dead, hands..n/t

[graywarrior]

18. I ain't graywarrior for nothing!

[flamingdem]

19. Sometimes highlights works, you can ask them to keep it off the scalp

I used to get a headache when it was on my scalp.

Very dark colors are the worst I think.

[cali]

21. My mother is 93. She's been dying her hair for 50 years.

I, oth, love my very shiny silvery white hair.

[Worried senior]

22. My blonde hair is going gray,

Have been getting it hi-lighted 3x a year but probably will have to quit. Getting too expensive for me to keep up with.

[RebelOne]

23. It is really inexpensive to do it yourself.

I have been doing my own coloring for over 50 years. Salons could never get it right for my satisfaction.

[Marrah_G]

24. Where do you find the vegetable based dyes?

[missheidi]

27. Lush, Vitacost, herbal shops...

Lush's henna is great...kinda pricey, but I liked it when I used it. Vita Cost sells different brands, as well as Sally Beauty Supply, though I'm not sure how well they work. A little independent health-food shop in my town sells a few types, too.

[angel823]

31. Avigal Henna

Avigal Henna is pretty good if you like red - I haven't tried the other colors.

Smells a little funny (not bad exactly, but distinctive) at first, but that goes away after a couple of washes.

You can order it on the internet from several places.

Angel in Texas

[no_hypocrisy]

28. I've been rinsing my hair with applie cider vinegar.

Good results.

My hair doesn't get dried out as I don't use soap/shampoo for periods of weeks (as opposed to using corn starch and a hairbrush).

[Jazzgirl]

32. About 20 years ago I got major tired of straightening, dying, curling and

blowdrying my hair. I got some tired of it that I shaved it all off. People sometimes ask me if I'm going through Chemo. I say nope it's elective and I'm not going back. People at work can't imagine me with hair because they are used to it. I have also had people ask me if I was gay because of it. I just roll my eyes. Stupid people.

[MattBaggins]

33. What is the nonsense that your DNA doesn't like arylamines?

That is crap.

People have different levels of the enzyme that removes arylamine but that does not mean that it is altering DNA. Genetics affects arylamine reduction not vice versa.