Thursday, March 28

Hair dyes: what should you keep in mind if you wear them regularly?


Dying is not just a matter of covering gray hair. For a long time, dye and highlights have been, above all, a matter of play or aesthetic pleasure. A custom that, linked to a greater awareness of health and the effects that consumer products can have on it, makes those who dye themselves regularly question the composition of the dye with which they do it.

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Further

According to a European Commission documentamong European women, 60% dye their hair several times a year, while among men the percentage drops to 10% and, in total, approximately 70% of EU citizens have dyed their hair on some occasion.

Regarding the concern about the possible toxicity of these dyes, the document ensures that “the European Commission commissions its Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) to carry out risk assessments on various types of consumer products, including hair dyes and other cosmetics are found. These evaluations are carried out on the basis of studies carried out according to strict scientific standards”. Given the lack of knowledge about possible risks in all types of ingredients, the commission carries out strict periodic reviews, even in ingredients approved for commercial use that, if any risk is discovered, could be automatically prohibited.

What do the dyes contain?

Modern hair dyes are classified as permanent, semi-permanent, and temporary. Permanent dyes achieve hair color through oxidation and represent approximately 80% of the products currently on the market.

They have the advantage that they are more stable and durable, but are more complex to apply. They consist roughly of two groups of reagents called “dye intermediates, colorless” and “dye couplers.”

In the presence of hydrogen peroxide (hydrogen peroxide) the intermediates and couplers react with each other to form oxidatively pigmented molecules.

Normally each component comes in separate bottles and is applied progressively with a brush on the hair and on the oxidative base of hydrogen peroxide so that the coloring reaction occurs. Darker colors are formed using higher concentrations of intermediate compounds.

Semi-permanent and temporary hair colors are non-oxidative and include color compounds that dye the hair directly, but lose strength over time.

In addition to the reactive and coloring substances, there are others in the dye that have different functions, such as fixing the color, stabilizing it or allowing it to penetrate the hair. More than 5,000 different chemical substances are calculated in the dyes. Some of the most common compounds are:

  • Paraphenylenediamine (PPD): is the quintessential intermediate. It is an aromatic amine. It is used as a dye for dark color tones and is made from coal tar, a chemical derived from petroleum.
  • Hydrogen peroxide: is the oxidative base, which is applied to the hair so that the rest of the compounds react in a high presence of oxygen. It is hydrogen peroxide and therefore additionally has a clarifying action on the hair.
  • Ammonia: used to open the hair cuticle and thus facilitate coloring.
  • DMDM hydantoin: it is a disinfectant preservative that releases formaldehyde and protects the leather from small wounds that may have been caused by an overly aggressive application of the dye.
  • Parabens: as in shampoos or moisturizing creams, they are used as preservatives.
  • lead acetate: it is used in dark hair dyes; Its use in cosmetics is prohibited in Europe, but it may exist in a game purchased over the Internet in third countries.
  • Resolcinol: It is an alcohol derived from benzene that is used as a skin antiseptic.

Can they contain toxic components?

In principle none of the components of a dye is toxic, at least they are not considered as such by strict European legislation, which is what concerns us.

Parabens are one of the most controversial substances due to their supposed action as endocrine disruptors, but the truth is that those that are allowed are periodically subjected to reviews and for the moment there are no indications that they are problematic. In 1984, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), an independent panel of scientific and medical experts, established that its use in cosmetics does not pose risks in amounts of 25% and in 2012 reassured that they were safe.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) ensures that there is no reason for consumers to worry about the use of cosmetics with parabens. In the EU, the maximum total concentration allowed is 8 grams per kilo of cosmetic productprovided that no individual paraben is present in a concentration greater than 4 g/kg.

Hydrogen peroxide can be aggressive for the scalp and even make hair more fragile, but it does not cause allergies. Neither is ammonia, which is recommended to avoid contact with the skin and not to inhale it, so it is necessary to apply it well.

Regarding DMDM, which releases formaldehyde, it is advisable to avoid breathing it, but there is no evidence that it affects the skin or remains in the hair after washing. The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) considers it safe.

Yeah it is verified, on the other hand, the potentially allergenic power –causes allergies– of PPD. In fact, it is a prohibited product for hair dyes in some neighboring countries, such as Germany, France and Sweden, since it was associated with a supposed carcinogen in the mid-1970s.

However, it is not prohibited in Spain or in the European Union in general, which does apply the Directive 76/768/EEC of the Council of July 27, 1976according to which its presence in dyes may not exceed 6%.

Is there a relationship between PPD and cancer?

PPD can also be a sensitizer, meaning that once it has caused an allergic skin reaction due to overapplication, it can be done again with a minimal amount the next time. That is why European legislation obliges to include on the label that “it can cause allergic reactions” and “do not use to dye eyelashes or eyebrows”.

Regarding a potential carcinogenic action of this substance, the National Cancer Institute, dependent on the Government of the United States, declares it as a compound of concernalthough he acknowledges that for the moment the studies on the matter are contradictory.

In fact, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) believes that “possibly increases the risk of cancer” – the most likely are lymphatic, breast and bladder. in hairdressing workers and beauty salons, although the clearest evidence is found in experiments with animals. Regarding reviews of data obtained in humans the results are contradictory.

In the domestic sphere, always according to the IARC, it cannot be concluded at the moment that the dyes have an incidence on any type of cancer. In fact, the largest study to datein 2020, with a significant cut of 117,200 North American women over 36 years, showed no evidence of a strong relationship between these substances and the increase in any type of cancer.



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