Dying to dye your hair [View all]

[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.