Success Stories

Hair colour and cosmetics companies spend millions developing their products. One of the main reasons these products are so expensive to bring to market is the need to ensure that they’re safe to use. This brings up the question, is hair dye safe for professionals? These products have to pass all sorts of tests required by regulators. These are the people who control what can and can’t be sold to consumers in the markets for which they’re responsible.

Key questions

But just because a product is passed as safe for consumers to use, does that really mean that hair and beauty professionals are safe to use it too? Is hair dye safe for professionals in every context? And what exactly do we mean by ‘safe’? These were two of the key questions asked at a recent seminar. It was hosted by the well-known and highly experienced toxicologist David Basketter for an audience of hair and beauty professionals.

The focus of the event was irritation and allergy. The problems which some ingredients in hair and beauty products are causing for both consumers and professionals were discussed. A major concern was whether professionals using hair dye are safe under all conditions, and this remained a central theme of the discussion. When considering if hair dye is really safe for professionals, ensuring minimal exposure to allergens is crucial.

For example, we’ve reported before on the steep rise in allergic reactions to the preservative MI (full name: methylisothiazolinone). This preservative is found in many leave-on and rinse-off products.

David Basketter listed some basic facts about allergy:

• everyone is at risk
• cosmetics are responsible for about 10% of skin allergy cases in eczema clinics
• there are many chemicals that can cause skin allergy
• it takes time for an allergic reaction to show itself
• once acquired, allergy is for life.

And he identified some of the main causes of allergy – known as allergens – for hair professionals:

• • hair dye chemicals, particularly PPD and PTD
  • perming agents like ammonium/glyceryl thioglycolate and cysteamine
  • product preservatives.

Frequency of exposure

The problem for professionals is that they can be repeatedly exposed to these allergens. This raises the question once again: is hair dye safe for those in the profession under repeated exposure conditions? The frequency of exposure is not necessarily anticipated or tested by the manufacturers or the regulators. Also, the way that each person reacts to an allergen can be difficult to predict. Rarely, they may show an allergic reaction after just a couple of exposures. More often it may take many exposures to cause the reaction to show itself. That can give some people a false sense of security!

The seminar also focused on glove use in the profession, and how proper use of gloves can help limit exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. There was quite a debate amongst the delegates about the practicalities of glove use, and which gloves were best to use for which tasks in salons. Gloves are a significant part of ensuring hair dye safety for professionals.

See our stories on glove use:
It fits like a Glove
Working Hand in Glove

Is hair dye safe for professionals if it contains PPD

David Basketter’s central message was that the risk of developing allergy is a very real one. Avoiding or limiting your exposure to harmful chemicals is key to avoiding an allergic reaction. This seems obvious. However, we all know that in the heat of the salon, and on a busy day, it’s all too tempting to cut corners. Hair dye safety for professionals hinges on diligent protective measures.

So the message is: Be careful, be cautious. As David says: “Hairdressing safely is a challenge, but it can be done!”