To Dye or not to Dye?

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

To Dye or not to Dye?

Dyeing the hair has been a fashion trend for so many years and with music artists such as Beyonce and Rihanna with new colourful hairstyles on a regular basis, hair dyeing has seemingly become a fad with so many women.

Rihanna sporting her latest hair colour in blonde. Beyonce sporting a honey blonde hue.

But constant hair dyeing can be very damaging to the hair especially when not done correctly which can also cause allergic reactions to skin and may even cause blindness and other serious illnesses.

Know your Dye:

There are different forms of hair dye:

Permanent hair dye: has a hydrogen peroxide, ammonia, PPD (Paractive ingredient).

The benefit of this process is that the hair colour lasts longer, the down side is it can dry the hair which is then prone to breakage.

Semi-Permanent: This is a temporary colour fix to the hair with a short life span and normally lasts after 6-12 washes and usually comes in the form of an aerosol can or solution.

This would be the best option for those that want to experiment before using permanent hair colour.

Temporary: Temporary colouring such as henna has become very popular recently; henna comes in a dry powder form and is a more natural way of colouring your hair and normally lasts up to 3 weeks. Women have reported that using 100% henna has produced a better result than using Henna with metallic compounds.

Whichever method of hair dye you decide to use, make sure you apply it to the hair safely or seek the professional assistance of a qualified hairdresser.

A few tips and steps to take before dying your hair:

· Always carry out a patch test on a small section of hair before fully committing to dyeing all of your hair.

· Always carry out a skin allergy test 48 hours before dyeing the hair.

· Always read the instructions on the box carefully before applying dye to your hair.

Do check if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in the hair dye before commencing.

· If you have previously had a reaction to a hair colorants do not dye your hair.

· If you have damaged, sensitive or itchy scalp do not dye your hair.

*Alternatively, why not achieve a new hair colour with hair extensions which gives room for more bolder colours without worrying about damage to your hair and whether or not it's permanent, making it easier to switch up colours and styles!