I have been coloring my hair permanently for 27 years and have never had any problems other than an itchy scalp. Clairol use to burn and itch so I switched years ago and never had a problem. Until this past week. After a visit to the salon they use redken products and did not change the formula I've used now for nearly one year. Approx. two hours after coming home my head began to itch really bad. Then it turned beet red, my entire head, hairline and back of neck. It was burning, trobbing and itching. I rinsed tepid water over my scalp, used coritazone cream and took a benadryl. The next day it was pink and still occassionally itchy. Four days later, my scalp is not red, a little itchy and sore. I am very nervous now that I may have developed an allergic reaction to dye. I do not want to go grey but I am 80% grey now and not sure what to do. Any advice would be most welcome.
Q: Hair Color Reaction: What to do in the future?
HI there... Allergies can develop at any time, and repeated exposures often lead to a sensitivity in allergy-prone people. So your experience sounds pretty routine. It could be that you will have problems with any kind of dye, but each formula could be different.
I think the best thing to do if you really want to keep dying is to have a patch test done before you get your whole head dyed. Go in the day before and have them expose a small patch of skin (on your scalp or somewhere else) to the dye and wait and see what happens. If you have a reaction, then don't use that dye! If you don't, it may be safe... for a while.
It may be that you'll need to get OK with going gray if you prove to be too sensitive.
Good luck,
Kathi
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