Hair coloring is the application of color to the hair to provide people with a whole new look and personality. There are many reasons why people resort to hair coloring. While some do it to cover grey hair caused by ageing, others resort to hair coloring to look fashionable and give themselves a colorful personality. Pop artists and musicians can be spotted coloring their hair in various colors and shades. Hair coloring includes tinting, highlighting, low lighting and bleaching of hair. These are all different processes to which the hair is subjected to.
There are chemical processes that you can subject your hair to, including processes that involve discoloration due to excessive bleaching by the sun and other processes that involve changing the texture.
The process of hair coloring involves the use of harsh chemicals that are capable of covering or removing the natural pigments that can be found in the hair shafts. The continued use of these hair colorants can cause untold damage to the hair and the effects are harmful.
Some of the adverse effects that people experience include skin irritations, allergies, hair breakages and skin discoloration. Recent research has shown that lead poisoning also occurs due to hair coloring and this type of poisoning can result in serious health damage. There is an ongoing debate on this issue.
Skin Irritation and Allergy
Some people are prone to skin allergies when using hair colorants. The symptoms of skin irritations and allergies include redness, sudden itching, and hives, a burning sensation on the skin other signs of discomfort. If you experience any of these symptoms, you’ll need to alert your hairstylist immediately. It is better to stop the process of hair coloring immediately or there will be consequences that can cause much pain and anguish.
These symptoms can occur much later too. It’s always recommended that you conduct a patch test 48 hours prior to applying any hair color. If no irritation occurs then it’s safe for use on your hair. Medication is the only solution to this problem.
Hair Breakage
When your hair has been subjected to various chemical processes like perming, straightening, and hair coloring extensively, then it can lead to hair breakage. The results of hair breakage are dull, fragile, rough and damaged hair. Your hair will have lots of split ends and it will look terrible unhealthy. Deep conditioning of the hair is recommended for such cases. The only solution to this is to stop using all chemicals on the hair and allow new hair to grow back.
Skin Discoloration
It is keratinized protein that is found on your skin, hair and fingernails. Any extra drips of hair color that falls on your scalp or skin can cause patches of discoloration. The discoloration fades off as the skin renews itself in a few days. The use of Vaseline or any oil based cream around the hairline will be of help. It’s important to wear latex gloves over your hands for protection.
Health Concerns
The medical fraternity is debating on the health hazards of using hair colors that lead to serious health problems. It’s been found that lead acetate found in hair colors is extremely toxic and can cause lead poisoning. Lead acetate is a major ingredient in hair colorants of darker shades.
Other medical problems that arise due to excessive use of hair colorants include cancer of the blood and bladder, multiple myeloma, leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It’s been established that excessive and continued use of permanent dark hair colorants can lead to various types of blood cancer.
Now that you’ve educated yourself about the adverse effects of hair coloring, ensure that you stay away from the process. It pays to look the way nature intended you to look, rather than bringing upon yourself unnecessary problems.
