Latest Fact Sheet

Season 3, Ep 4 - Hair Dye

· It’s estimated that over 60% of women and 5% of men dye their hair.

· Hair dyes can be temporary, semi-permanent and permanent.

· When dyeing our hair, we most often use permanent hair dyes.

· P-Phenylenediamine (PPD) is a very effective hair dye, which is why it is used in many permanent hair dyes, but it is considered a potent skin sensitiser.

· For a sensitiser like PPD to cause a reaction, a threshold needs to be reached. That threshold varies from person to person, so some people will never react. But if your threshold has been reached and you’ve had a reaction, when you’re next exposed to that sensitiser – even at a lower amount – your body will remember the chemical and you will react again.

· “Black” henna products also contain P-phenylenediamine.

· To see if you are sensitised to the chemicals in your hair dye, do a patch test before you dye your hair.

· When dyeing your hair, keep the dye off your skin as much as possible.

· If you’re dyeing your hair yourself, use gloves and get someone else to help you.

· Oxidative permanent hair dyes contain ammonia to swell the hair shaft and open it up so that hydrogen peroxide can get into the strands of hair and break down the existing colour. The dye chemicals then penetrate the hair shaft and react to form the new colour.

· Melanin is the pigment our bodies produce that gives our hair its colour. There are two types of melanin: eumelanin is brown and black and pheomelanin is red. Our genes determine which colour combinations our bodies produce.

· We found hair dyes containing the banned ingredient lead acetate. Lead and its compounds have been banned for use in cosmetics in NZ.

· We also found hair dyes containing the banned ingredient m-phenylenediamine which is not allowed in cosmetics in NZ. These dyes have been withdrawn from the market and should no longer be for sale.

· We also found eyelash and eyebrow dye kits containing m-phenylenediamine. The kits also contained p-phenylenediamine which is only allowed to be included in eyelash and eyebrow dyes used by professionals.

· The cornea is the most sensitive part of your body - about forty times more sensitive than the tip of your finger.