The Cosmetic Mask: Perms to Dye For

Articles

Kristin Ebbert
The Green Guide #31
Last Updated: Thursday, July 05, 2007

Color or perm your hair with gentler, natural ingredients.

Anyone who’s ever had a perm or dye job can testify to the harsh effects these products have on our eyes, nose and skin. Perm and hair dye solutions contain APEs and highly caustic chemicals like ammonium hydroxide that can irritate mucous membranes, burn skin and go through rubber gloves. Nellie Brown, M.S., director of the Chemical Hazard Information Program at Cornell University and author of Hair Dresser Hazards, found that about 20 percent of hairdressers must leave the profession because of health problems associated with chemical use.

Permanents work by using chemical compounds called thioglycolates to break the protein bond in the hair without destroying the hair itself. The protein bond then reforms while the hair is rolled and the permanent solution is neutralized. Aubrey Hampton, founder of Aubrey Organics, writes in What’s In Your Cosmetics? (Odonian Press, 1995) "...the strong detergents used to degrease the hair and allow penetration of the thioglycolates into the hair shaft also enhance absorption of this corrosive, caustic chemical into the skin."

Nancy Summers of The Living Source, a company that sells natural personal care products, says that many perms marketed as natural "may be deodorized – which simply disguises the odor – but may not be free of the toxic chemicals."

Temporary hair dyes can trigger allergies, and permanent coal-tar dyes increase the risk of some types of cancer. The good news is that women using the lighter colored permanent hair dyes are not generally at increased risk of fatal cancer, according to a 1994 American Cancer Society study. But, prolonged use of dark – particularly black – permanent hair dyes may have increased risk of two cancers, fatal non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

There are hair colorants available that stain the hair cuticle without damaging it, made from henna (derived from the herb Lawsonia alba) or other plants like beets, rhubarb and walnuts. Use these dyes with care as well, as they can be allergenic.

NOTE: Doctors advise avoiding permanents and chemical hair dyeing processes during pregnancy and nursing, to avoid passing chemicals along to the fetus or infant.