Terrified to dye my hair.

[KeeKee]

I bleach my hair Blonde and want to re-touch it again as my roots are a joke but I am so scared to dye my hair in case I have an allergic reaction. I know with light hair dyes you are less likely to have a reaction but I am scared all the same. I did do a skin allergy test about a month ago with no allergic reaction but I did get a slight bit of irritation where the dye was (I have sensitive skin except on my face).
Needless to say I didn't dye it but my roots are now 6 month old (last dyed my hair I December, I am so ashamed). I am naturally Blonde so my roots aren't 'that' bad, but against the bleach they look so much darker than my hair actually is.
Any tips? Is a hair dye reaction extremely rare? Will the fact I am allergic to Penicillin make me any more likely to get another allergic reaction? Is irritation on the skin (bearing in mind you have to keep the dye solution on for 48 hours underneath a plaster - surely that is bound to cause some skin reaction?)
I'm so scared.

[healthanxietygirl]

try highlights..? then the product isnt actually touching the scalp..?
i was worried about the same thing and this is all i do :)

[KeeKee]

Thanks. Is it easy to highlight at home? I cant go to the hairdressers not even for a trim.

[healthanxietygirl]

yeah it is :D and they come with instructions

[almamatters]

I post regularly about my ongoing anxiety with hair dye. Like you I have been getting a bit of itching from the allergy test but have taken this to mean I am going to have a massive reaction to the dye. I have quite dark hair and am worried about putting a dark dye on as I know these have more chemicals in than the lighter ones. I have had highlights at the hairdressers and was fine and they don't touch the scalp. I have not tried a home highlighting kit so not sure how they work. I am also allergic to penicillin and a painkiller and worry this does make me more prone to reactions (probably no connection in truth). Hope it goes ok whichever way you decide to dye it. x

[KeeKee]

Hi Almamatters, it's awful isn't it? I wish you could get a cheap test to determine for sure if you are allergic to it. I know penicillin is a very common allergy but that still doesn't put my mind at ease. I went to the docs for these red dots I had on my skin (very normal apparently) and mentioned hair dye. He said you can become allergic at any given time and things such as different batches or changes in the ingredients can spark it! Mind you, he never warned me not to dye my hair so I don't think a reaction would be likely.
I do know though that for at least 12 hours I will be checking my skin for reactions and no doubt looking in the mirror every 5 minutes to see if my face is swollen if I do decide to go ahead with it.
I feel silly risking my life for a hair colour but then its the same as peanuts. It's like saying if you have a few peanuts you are risking your life, which isn't really the case. You could then go on to say that crossing the road is risking your life as is answering the door as it could be a Vampire hehe (Incidentally I am also scared to eat peanuts at the moment hahahahahah I have issues!)

[almamatters]

Hi Keekee, this is a really frustrating worry, I used to love dyeing my hair, did it every month for 15 years and no problems. All it took was me reading one story (won't go into it on here) and that was it, convinced hair dye was going to kill me. I brought some temporary dyes (last 6 washes) and have used them with no problems, I'm hoping this will build my confidence up to use a semi permanent one. Can you get tested for this allergy privately do you know? I am willing to try that if I have to. I have been worrying about this for nearly 2 years now. Since January I have done approx. 15 allergy tests trying to get the courage to do this. Does itching mean you have suffered a reaction ? I have loads of allergy issues, I think most things are going to poison me. I'm glad I am not alone on this. xx

[KeeKee]

Hi Almamatters,
I have no idea about going to an allergist but I will ask my doctor next week as I too am desperate. I have Ash Blonde hair naturally and it is the worst natural hair colour ever! Doing 15 tests to work up the courage sounds like something I would do! I have no idea if itching means you are allergic but I do know that I suffer from contact dermatitis on my hands and this causes them to be distressfully itchy and crack but that is not an allergic reaction, rather an irritant or something around those lines if that makes sense. So I assume itching is normal. I used a gorgeous coconut butter on my legs the other day and woke up during the night mad itchy, I just think I am sensitive to it.
I do know my aunty had a reaction to hair dye after dying her hair for at least 30 years and she was told to try an allergy test on 6 different areas, behind both ears, on her wrists and on the inside of her elbows. She had a noticeable reaction to them so I'm guessing you would know if you were allergic but I know I am not allergic to peanuts but it doesn't stop me from getting the butterflies when my boyfriend offers me Reeces Cups (my fave ever sweet but I only ate 2 out of 50 packs because I was too nervous I just wasn't enjoying them!)
Anxiety is truly a monster!

---------- Post added at 21:02 ---------- Previous post was at 21:01 ----------

xx

[almamatters]

Thanks KeeKee. Good luck. :hugs:

[KeeKee]

You too :D

[Consider]

KeeKee,

When dying hair its important to try a test patch, to see for allergic reaction. I dye my hair a lot, and this is the normal procedure for me. Try it out. :)

[KeeKee]

Hi Consider,

I did that and under where the plaster was it was quite itchy and red. I always get itchy when I leave a plaster on for too long but I cant remember if it usually goes red too?
Is that normal do you know?

[Consider]

That is an allergic reaction. Itchy and red. But keep calm, it will pass. If its a test patch, its not a huge ordeal.

[KeeKee]

It did after a few hours. It was about 5 weeks ago now.
So does that mean I am now allergic to hair dye? Can you be allergic to specific brands?

[Anxious_gal]

It often is the ppd you have the allergy to but might be the ammonia or something else.
You never know if you'll react, but the first reaction often won't be too bad, maybe some itching and sores/scabs on your scalp.

It's hand to get some allergy meds / antihistamines on you as if you do react they will help :) I know doctors will often prescribe steroids for bad reactions as well.

You can get a test to see if you have a ppd allergy but you can develope the allergy later on.

Darker hair dyes have a higher amount of pdd, but then basic bleach for highlights n that has little or none.

If you get a pdd alergy they say you'll also become sensitive to things like mascara n black rubber like bike handle bars so the pdd type chemical is used in a lot of stuff.

I wonder if they are any stats on how common the allergy is?
I know it's rare but I'd still be interested in how often it happens.

Personally I don't Know anyone who's had a reaction to hair dye.

But you can develope a reaction to pretty much anything, I've a bit of fear in that regards lol but you do only tend to worry about the reactions you've heard of.

I've read about people with PDD allergy a using highlighting caps, or dying their hair so the hair dye didn't touch the scalp, eventually though they did have mild reactions such as sores, swelling on their ears so they had to stop using hair dye n just those wash out ones instead.

But if you're fearful, you could try colouring your hair so the dye doesn't touch the scalp :)