Hair dye and tattoos?
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Thursday February 7th, 2008 @ 7:23 PM
Filed under: Tattoos
Today, as I dyed my hair with drugstore dye from a box, I actually took the time to read the instructions - I honestly don’t think I’ve ever read the box from start to finish before. Anyway, there’s a little blurb on the side of the box (as in, visible without opening it and reading the instruction sheet) that says “USAGE ADVISORY - SAFETY WARNINGS”. Then, as follows -
IMPORTANT - Haircolor can cause an allergic reaction which, in certain rare cases, may be serious. Therefore, you must follow these precautions:
DO NOT USE IF:
-Your have already had a reaction to a haircolour product
-You have a sensitive, or damaged scalp
IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO, the risk of an allergic reaction may be increased.
Any idea what’s up with that tattoo part?
The rest of that is pretty standard, but that seems almost weird to me.
That certainly is a strange warning.
My guess is that there is something in their product that is a potential allergen. It’s also possible that that same product/chemical is found in some (all?) tattoo pigments. Since allergies build-up the more exposed you are to something, if the you had a tattoo with the allergen in it, and then used their product with the allergen in it, it could potentially increase the likelihood of an allergic reactions.
That’s really the only thing I can think of. Perhaps someone with a bit more knowledge about tattoos and/or hair dye can shed some addition light on the topic.
Was it red hair dye by chance?
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7 Responses to “Hair dye and tattoos?”
Yep - red dye.
laura on February 8th, 2008 at 2:35 amI noticed this a few weeks ago when I dyed my hair…my dye was hot pink (”fuschia” actually, I believe), but the warning was ALSO on the black I used. It was weird.
Sara on February 8th, 2008 at 10:35 amFigures! Studies show increased cancer
Karen MacTavish on February 8th, 2008 at 3:37 pmrisk when used without gloves and a cap.
as someone who dyes her hair regularly: this warning is on all permanent hair dye. presumably it does relate to the pigments that are in both ink and dye. i’ve never heard of anyone having an issue with it, but i’m not tattooed, so i can’t give a personal experience. i can say that i would not really worry about it.
AeChei on February 11th, 2008 at 3:15 pmThis is actually a question for a henna artist! Almost all permanent and semi-permanent commercial hair dyes use a chemical called Para-phenylenediamine (PPD). It’s a fantastic dye and can be manipulated to a wide range of colours, but unfortunately many people have allergic reactions to it. It’s also the sort of chemical that the more often you are exposed the more likely you are to have an allergic reaction. It is not impossible that PPD might be used by a company manufacturing tattoo ink. To cover their butts, the dye has to warn you against the potential that this will be the time it’ll finally set off a reaction.
The only big brand I know of that doesn’t use any PPD is Manic Panic. They’re henna friendly (as in, my red hair from years and years of henna reacted beautifully with the MP) and safe on just about anyone.
For more information about PPD and how much reacting to it can suck:
Patience on March 5th, 2008 at 2:22 amhttp://www.hennapage.com/henna/ppd/index.html
“It’s also the sort of chemical that the more often you are exposed the more likely you are to have an allergic reaction”
This is actually true of pretty much everything that is a potential allergen. The more exposure you get to the allergen, over time, the more likely you are to develop an allergy/sensitivity.
Derek Lowe on March 5th, 2008 at 11:14 amIve just had the worse reaction ever to a hairdye, its taken 6months for my hole body to recover. I have just read about the reaction with Tattoos. My arms are covered in tattoos so yes in rare cases it can cause serious reactions.
rachel on December 10th, 2008 at 8:35 pmI have just finished having a patch test to see what chemicals im allergic to and PPD is the main cause, Im not able to dye my hair again. Hoping to still get more tattoes though lol
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