Safety warning for those who DIY with hair dyes
Video report by ITV News Meridian's Lauren Hall
People are being urged to take care when dyeing their own hair, with reports that some are experiencing irritation, hair loss and other bad reactions.
Manufacturers have seen a boom in sales of home colouring kits during lockdown.
Any hair dye sold over the counter has to comply with strict safety standards, but they contain chemicals and other ingredients which should be treated with caution.
Comedy blogger Stephanie Aird regularly dyes her hair and admits she has had a few disasters.
She has videoed some of her mishaps which includes an incident where she lost some of her hair.
She joked: “People kept saying to me: ‘don’t keep bleaching your hair, it will fall out’, and I thought: ‘It won’t! Fall out? Your hair doesn’t fall out’.”
A lot of people have been colouring their locks during lockdown. Many will achieve the desired effect, but, for some, it doesn't always go to plan.
Katie Hancock is the owner of The Chair, a hair salon in Canterbury.
She said: “During the first lockdown I had one lady in, she’d managed to colour her hair six different colours in one day. Going from light to dark, dark to light and all things going wrong. So I’m really hoping we don’t come back to the same thing again but, unfortunately, it will happen."
With hair salons still closed, people are being reminded to take care.
Hair dying can go wrong for a number of reasons - sometimes it’s a case of not following the instructions and doing it properly.
Dr Shabina Qayyum has treated a number of patients who have been injured while using hair dye and she has noticed more coming to her during lockdown.
“Some of the worst case examples that I’ve certainly seen are that you can get permanent scarring of the skin, you can also suffer from permanent hair loss as well” she said, adding “you can develop an extreme hypersensitivity of the skin to future products.”
Raoul Perfitt, is the Managing Director of Herb UK, a hair dye manufacturer based in Lymington, Hampshire.
They specialise in natural ingredients to limit the number of chemicals but warn that there is always an element of risk when using any hair dye.
Mr Perfitt explained that it is vital for customers to follow the instructions and use products responsibly: “The home colour is fully kitted out with gloves, hat and instruction leaflet and, actually, we make it as fool-proof as we possibly can. However, you have to follow the instructions and realise that you’re not a professional using the product … Used properly, it is perfectly safe”.