Hair Dye Allergy: How to Make A Smart Choice

A few weeks ago, a gentleman in his late 50’s came into the office with puffiness and swelling of his face, crusting and scaling of his scalp and small blisters around the hair line.

While discussing with him what had taken place, he revealed that he had recently dyed his hair a couple of days before this problem started.  After I asked if he had used black hair dye, he stated that he had and the mystery was solved.

Black hair dye is a common cause of a type of skin rash called allergic contact dermatitis. 

This condition develops when a susceptible individual has skin contact with a substance that is associated with contact sensitivity.

After exposure, an immune reaction is triggered which is usually followed in 48 to 72 hours by a rash known as allergic contact dermatitis. 

Permanent black hair dye contains an ingredient called paraphenylenediamine, (abbreviated PPD or PPDA) which is usually responsible for the allergic sensitivity.

Once you become allergic to paraphenylenediamine, the sensitivity lasts for life.

For example, one patient who knew he was allergic to black hair dye avoided the product for 5 years.  For some reason, despite prior warning he thought that the sensitivity might have gone away and he decided to do a test by sticking his finger in a bottle of black hair dye.  Needless to say, the finger became swollen, blistered, cracked and secondarily infected with bacteria requiring medical intervention.  He now wears his gray hair gracefully and has accepted the fact that his sensitivity is lifelong.

If you find that you are allergic to black hair dye then there are some other things that you will need to be on the lookout for.

First of all, in addition to the presence of paraphenylenediamine in black hair dye, it can also be found in some dark-colored cosmetics, black rubber, printing inks, oils, and gasoline.

If you are allergic to paraphenylenediamine, you may also react to the following:

• PABA based sunscreens

• Sulfa drugs

• Other dye chemicals

• semi permanent hair dyes

• some caine drugs such as benzocaine

You will be better off avoiding any exposure to these types of products.

The following are examples of hair dye products that are free of paraphenylenediamine and you can try instead:

• Henna hair dyes

• Vegetable based dyes

• Metallic dyes formulated for men.

In some cases it has been determined that reactions occurred to henna type hair dye products, only to find out that they were contaminated by the presence of PPDA. So, it is best to test any product that you plan to use to dye your hair on a small area of skin before applying it to your entire scalp.

So, the usual way to check for PPDA allergy is by doing a patch test. This process involves your applying a small amount of the product twice a day for 3 days to an area about the size of a quarter to the forearm or behind the ear.  If a rash or bumps or itching occur at the test site then you are most likely allergic to an ingredient in the dye product.  If no rash or itching occurs, then you have a very low risk of allergic sensitivity and should be ok to go ahead and color your hair.

So, be smart about coloring your hair and follow the precautionary guidelines if you think you have allergy to the hair dye or to any of the other ingredients that might cross react with the dye.

If a reaction occurs, seek medical attention right away.  Most cases can be treated with oral and topical steroid medications, but severe reactions can require treatment with hospitalization and IV medications to reverse the reaction to the dye.