• Question: Can dying your hair make your hair grey quicker than it should do when you get old?

    Asked by elliejayne to Akshat, Gemma, Judith on 23 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Akshat Rathi

      Akshat Rathi answered on 23 Jun 2011:

      It depends on many factors from the brand of hair colouring you use to the frequency of use. There have been reports of discolouration happening causing the hair to become a grey. But it need not be that grey hair are caused solely because of the dye. See this answer for other reasons hair could become grey: /sulfurj11-zone/2011/06/why-does-hair-go-grey

      My advice would be to colour your only if you need to. And if you want to do it for fun once then it is ok but don’t make it a habit.

    • Photo: Judith McCann

      Judith McCann answered on 23 Jun 2011:

      Hey,

      Putting a darker colour on shouldn’t affect the original colour, but when you lightening and bleaching you hair it be harsher on your hair! the ammonia or peroxide used to remove the colour can be toxic. I think dyeing you hair can reduce the quality of the hair-but generally we go grey because the cells in the hair folicles (roots) stop producing melanin (hair pigment)-i dont think this is caused by hair dye, but it could be a factor!

      While answering this i did some research and apparently the reason hair dye products are so stringently controlled is that they contain so many controvesial (potentially dangerous) chemicals-like akshat said dyeing you hair once for a bit of a change is ok, but doing it again and again can lead to serious problems!

      There are some great alternatives to dyes though, like hair henna!I once tried skin Henna (like a tattoo) and it came out awfully though, good job it wasn’t permanent-but it did last ages anyway!

    • Photo: Gemma Sharp

      Gemma Sharp answered on 23 Jun 2011:

      No, but the myth that it can make your hair grey quicker probably comes from the fact that grey roots show up against dyed hair. For example, I don’t dye my hair any more, and it’s naturally brown (I haven’t gone grey yet!), but I did used to to dye it, and as the natural roots were coming through they looked really grey! I was a bit worried there for a while, but it was fine 🙂 hehe

      I don’t think colouring would make your hair go grey because the colour of hair comes from pigment cells around the hair shaft, and hair dye wouldn’t affect those cells.

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