If you have wondered whether the hair dye you use is dangerous, here below is the answer.
According to the researches of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, barbers and hairdressers are at great risk of getting bladder cancer due to their persistent exposure to hair dyes and to the content of harmful toxins.
This also applies for the people who dye their hair on regular basis. Namely, the human scalp is consisted of plenty blood vessel, which can easily spread the toxins throughout the body. Most of the hair dyes contain chemicals that can cause bladder cancer, and also can trigger other severe ailments, like lymphoma and leukemia.
How these chemicals can affect your body?
EWG created the Skin Deep cosmetic database which reveals the existence of 456 various hair dyes, and 400 of them have in their content particularly harmful chemicals which can trigger the following illnesses:
- Intoxicated immunity and as well as large number of body organs
- Respiratory, ocular, and dermal inflammation
- Allergic reactions
- Intoxicated nervous system
- Cancer
- Intoxication of the development and reproduction systems
The most common hair dyes used are “Chestnut brown” or “Ash blonde”, but you will not believe what they have in their content.
Found chemicals in “Chestnut brown” or “Ash blonde” hair dye:
- The DMDM Hydantoin, preservative intoxicating the immune system.
- The common carcinogen, coal tar, and 71% of it is contained in the hair dye.
- Eugenol, which intoxicates the immune and nervous systems, and also cause allergic reactions.
- Formaldehyde, a preservative associated with cancer development and intoxication of the reproductive systems.
- Para-phenylenediamine and tetrahydro-6-nitroquinoxaline, both chemicals trigger cancer in animals or damage the genetic material.
However, these chemicals are only a few of the many toxic substances that hair dyes contain. Therefore, make sure to check the listed ingredients on the label and if you are not sure what exactly they mean, then check them online.
The question pops up, is there any safe hair dye available on the market?
In order for the hair coloration to be successful it has to contain chemicals, and because of that the best solution is to avoid its use, particularly if you are with a child or breastfeeding since the toxic chemicals can be transferred to the baby and trigger health issues.
You can limit the risk by taking the following steps:
- There are more natural hair colors available on the market, like the ones that have in their content veggie dyes, henna, and organic dyes.
- Hair colors which claim high irreversibility are more toxic. Therefore, choose colors that are short-lived or semi-permanent dyes.
- Darker shades contain more chemicals; therefore go for a lighter shade.
- Be careful in the choice of your hairdresser and make certain that he or she uses herbal dyes. Likewise, make sure that his/hers saloon is kept free of odors and toxins.
- Women with gray hairs before of 40 are advised first to consult their doctor before they start any hair coloring as grayness may result from hypothyroidism.
Try to avoid coloring your hair
Many studies have confirmed that exposing yourself to hair dye for a longer period of time can cause the occurrence of some serious health issues.
According to a research involving 900 participants divided in two groups, where the first one regularly colored their hair, and the second group did not color their hair at all, revealed that the participants that regularly used hair dye were at higher risk of developing bladder cancer, up to 50% .Furthermore, it was found out that long term exposure of hair dye like for over two decades, can cause other illnesses as well, like rheumatoid arthritis.
Nevertheless, if you do not like those hair grays, or simply want to make a change of your hair color, there are options to do it naturally.
For instance, if you want to have natural highlights, you can use fresh lemon juice on your hair, either by spraying or brushing it onto your hair, and then leave it to stand for a couple of hours, but exposed to sun.
You can achieve natural brighter color by using chamomile tea, and for that purpose you need to blend strong chamomile tea (about half a cup) into 2 cups of water and then spray it all over your hair. Let it stay for one to two hours and for better results get exposed to sunshine.
Likewise, chamomile tea is great for restoring the softness and the shine of the hair. You can use it as a hair rinse after you have washed your hair.
For acquiring red hair you can use herbs, but in what shade it will be it depends on the color of your hair. For darker hair, you will get an auburn tint, but for lighter hair, you will get a strawberry tint.
Recipe for Organic Dye
Needed Ingredients:
- Half a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Half a cup of strong calendula tea (for more golden tones)
- 2 cups of strong chamomile tea
Instructions:
All you have to do is to mix all of the listed ingredients and then transfer the mixture into a spray bottle. Shake everything well and spray your hair with it. After that, nicely brush your hair and let it stand like that for a minimum of 1 to 2 hours.
For optimal effects, stay exposed to direct sunshine. You need to repeat this procedure few times a week and in that way you will gain brighter hair. By using this mixture you can improve the shine and vitality of your hair, just in this case you are not supposed to let it stay for a longer period of time, you need to rinse it quickly.