We often hear horror stories about home hair dye kits going horrifically awry. Television and newspapers reporting of victims suffering severe allergic reactions, their faces unrecognisably swollen.
There's usually one common theme interlinking each experience- they insist they have used the same brand so many times before without problem.
It's easy to dismiss it as a fluke. Perhaps they forgot the skin test, or maybe an important instruction was somehow overlooked.
The Hidden Poison, PPD
In some cases however, the blame lies entirely with an ingredient known as PPD. PPD - or Para-Phenylenediamine- is a poisonous chemical still found in some home hair dyes.
It can be applied to the skin on many separate occasions before prompting a potentially lethal allergic reaction. It has also been known to cause no visible symptoms for up to a staggering three days after use, until the body experiences a sudden and severe reaction.
It has the ability to issue the user with a false sense of security, and the blame for this lies partly with the individual's own unsuspecting immune system. PPD is a generally unrecognisable element for the body to have to deal with, often leaving it unsure how to react to the foreign toxin. Once it becomes aware of the poison it can develop a disasterous sensitisation.
Common Symptoms of a PPD Reaction
Sensitisation is what triggers the allergic reaction.
It can lead to vast swelling, both facial and bodily, redness, and an intensely burning, itching sensation spreading across the skin. It has been known to put individuals into A&E, or even on rare occasions prove fatal.
Sometimes the reaction starts with just an itching on the scalp or body, but as the days progress it can begin to escalate. Very rarely does a full-blown reaction occur immediately after use.
Found Mainly In Dark Hair Dyes
Most common in the darker spectrum of hair dye, black and brown shades prove common targets for PPD. Less widely known is it's presence in unassuming products such as black clothing, or even certain varieties of sun screen.
It is also the reason holiday-makers are advised against black henna tattoos. Yet again PPD is a main component of the colouring.
Black henna tattoos are the absolute antithesis to the mild, semi-permanent orange/brown variety.
Black henna has a distinctive blue-black colour and is not actually henna at all, but a concoction of harmful chemicals. Unlike the true orange Henna, it can cause permanent scarring.
How To Safeguard Against A Reaction
When it comes to getting a professional henna tattoo, any mixture that overly dark or ink-like, or claims it will develop immediately should be avoided at all costs as there is a great risk that it will contain PPD. True henna requires a three-hour development period.
The easiest way to avoid a reaction to a hair dye is to ensure a small skin-test patch is completed before every use, and to steer away from the common misconception that it is unnecessary when using the same brand and colour as so many times before.
There is still an extremely minute chance that reaction will still occur even with the test, experts have warned, but it remains the best protection available.
The only other option would be to avoid hair dye altogether, or if that proves too daunting perhaps opt for lighter colours in which the chances of finding PPD lessens considerably.
References
(i) Henna Warnings
