Hair Dye

Throughout the world many individuals dye their hair a different colour. It could be because they're looking for a change in their life, find that their original colour is very blatant, want to be noticed in school or by their peers in general, are feeling insecure about who they are, or because it seems like the "cool" thing to do. Whatever the reason(s) many people partake in this activity and I was wondering what your views on this subject were?


Cons-

--Hair dye can cause many skin or allergic reactions amongst the person who uses it. The most fatal reaction being Anaphylaxis which causes the tongue to swell and your airway to constrict. (But of course this can be avoided if you check to see if you are allergic to any of the chemicals in the dye, or if you are unsure it's never a bad idea to ask a doctor.)

-- Another interesting fact I found was that exposure to the chemicals in hair dye causes asthma; this applies to people who self dye their hair monthly or stylist who dye people's hair on a regular basis.

--Dying your hair monthly (Or more frequent which is not suggested) also damages your hair causing it to become dry, and when it progresses it can even make your hair brittle and fall out. For your information in order to avoid this always use shampoos and conditioners that are specific for people with coloured hair, and to dye your hair every 4-6 weeks helps.

-- Also recent studies have indicated that there is perhaps a link between people who regularly dye their hair and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Souce- Does Hair Dye Cause Cancer? | Health For You

I've looked for the American Journal of Epidemiology of May 26th, 2006 that was mentioned in the above quote, but frankly I had no idea on how many articles relating to this subject there would be; so after looking through the first three pages I decided to go with this study. (It is also an American Journal of Epidemiology except it is of 2004)

Source- Hair Dye Use and Risk of Adult Acute Leukemia ? Am J Epidemiol

I bolded the parts that I considered the most important in that paragraph, the rest was basic data that brought upon the conclusions. The fact that it is carcinogenic to animals is significant because people of course have many similarities towards animals which is why so many products that are used by humans are tested on them; to see if the toxins have any harmful effects that might translate to people when they use the product. <To a sad degree>

On the topic of hair dye causing cancer, against popular belief there have been NO links as of yet to hair dye causing breast or bladder cancer; it is only suggested that it increases the risk of leukemia and multiple myeloma.

Pro-

The positive side towards hair dye is that it can increase self-esteem; something that many people lack now a days. Self worth is important and if anything does give a person the extra confidence boost they need it is normally an ideal essential. Basically the only positives to hair dye consist of how a person feels about it since it doesn't have any positive health effects.

So I was wondering if you believe that dying your hair is honestly worth it considering that it may cause harmful effects later on. It is true that older studies are continously being re-evaluated and new results seem to contradict old beliefs so perhaps years from now statistics will say other things, but for now it is a general concern. So do you think that people should dye their hair? Or do you believe that it is the reason behind why someone does change their colour that effects whether or not it's a good idea? Or perhaps you think in general it is just a bad idea. And is it fair to let a stylist dye your hair even though it effects his/her health?

 

I actually believe that everything will cause cancer in one way or another in todays society; cell phones, certain foods, having incorrect bowel movements , and now using hair dye. The list could probably go on for ages, and as a person we are choosers; there's a choice that will be made on whether or not you'll let these things stop you from pursuing whatever it is you want to do.

I find the above is well said, because it is true that we all will die at some point or another so we might as well have a great time and live our lives instead of worrying about what's going to kill us.

Yes, if they know the risks that come with their job then you can't stop them from using potentially dangerous chemicals on a regular basis. However, I would never see a stylist to dye my hair because I wouldn't want him/her to experience health effects later on over the fact that I wanted to cosmetically change the colour of my hair. I mean, it wasn't like getting my hair dyed was a life or death situation; therefore it only would serve a more selfish reason on my part.

I actually permanently dye my hair and I never knew it could cause cancer which is why I made this thread. Mind you I should have realized it because basically you're letting chemicals sit in your hair for a half hour or longer depending, wash it out, and then magically your hair is a different colour. <Talk about a chemical reaction> However, it seems that people who dye their hair a darker tone are more at risk of getting non-Hodgkins lymphoma than people who go lighter; so dying your hair white wouldn't cause as much damage But it is a good thing to know all of the risks involved, and then deciding on whether or not you consider it worth it.

Another thing is, I wonder how many people do know that dying their hair is a serious matter. It makes me wonder if people who dye their hair for ther sake of dying it actually know that it has its own cons?