Search Results: Sophia Emmanuel
You get your hair colored regularly, but it’s almost Christmas time and you need to cut back on certain costs. So you head to your nearest grocery store to get a box hair dye and do your own touch-ups at home. Your goal is “healthy hair color,” so you know for sure you want to go with the ammonia-free, PPD-free color.
What is PPD and is it really toxic?
Para–Phenylenediamine (PPD”> is a chemical found in permanent hair dye. According to DermNet NZ, PPD may also be found in “textile or fur dyes, dark colored cosmetics, temporary tattoos, photographic developer and lithography plates, photocopying and printing inks, black rubber, oils, greases and gasoline.” It is used in permanent hair color because it has long lasting results. PPD allows hair dye to remain in the hair without being shampooed out. PPD allows one to wear a perm to achieve waves or curls without the hair color being faded. It is also known to create natural-looking color on the hair.
Para–Phenylenediamine (PPD”> is a chemical found in permanent hair dye.
Allergic and autoimmune reactions from PPD
Contact dermatitis is defined as ‘an allergic reaction to something that you touched.’ Reactions to PPD are typically mild and include red, itchy swollen eyelids or ears, or inflamed and swollen skin and scalp. An allergic reaction to PPD can also occur all over the body, and in severe cases cause contact urticaria and although not very common, anaphylaxis. According to DermNet NZ “contact urticaria reactions appear within minutes to about one hour after exposure of the offending substance to the skin.”
You may not get an allergic reaction to PPD the first time you color your hair; it can happen after using a hair dye several times.
An allergic reaction to PPD could in rare cases trigger an autoimmune issue like as alopecia areata or psoriasis. One of these skin problems can occur if you have a genetic predisposition. Alopecia areata is defined as an autoimmune disease that causes small, round patches of hair loss. The hair loss can occur on the scalp or anywhere else on the body. Psoriasis is another autoimmune problem of the skin and results when the skin cells on the body or scalp shed at an abnormal speed causing silvery gray patches to develop on the skin, or scalp. These patches tend to flake, itch, burn and feel dry.
Other common names for PPD
Be aware of permanent hair color companies calling their dye “PPD-free”. It is important to read labels! These are common alternative names for PPD:
- PPDA
- Phenylenediamine base
- p-Phenylenediamine
- 4–Phenylenediamine
- 1,4 Phenylenediamine
- 4-Benzenediamine
- 1,4-Benzenediamine
- para-Aminoaniline
- Orsin™
- Rodol™
- Ursol™
Northwestern Medical Center of Chicago says “finding alternative hair dyes for individuals allergic to para-phenylenediamine (PPD”> has been difficult. Newer permanent and demi permanent hair dyes that have replaced PPD with para-toluenediamine sulfate (PTDS”> are now available.”
People who are not able to tolerate PPD in permanent hair color may be able to tolerate PTDS instead. PTDS is a substitute of PPD so there is still a possibility that you may have a reaction to PTDS.Can you find PPD-free hair color?
Clairol Professional Beautiful Collection Semi-permanent Advanced Gray Solution will help blend in gray hair, and is safe for the skin because it contains no peroxide, ammonia or PPD. Because this product is semi-permanent rise the color fades after each shampoo.You can ask your stylist about new Koleston Perfect Innosense. This permanent hair color was designed for people who are sensitive to chemicals such as PPD and PTD in permanent hair color. Koleston Perfect Innosense is a permanent hair color that is formulated with new ME+ molecules. ME+ molecules reduce the risk of an allergic reaction and trap pigment into the hair so that you get long lasting, permanent hair color results. Koleston Perfect Innosense does not contain PPD or PTD.
How do I know if I’m allergic?
The only way to know if you are allergic to PPD is to have a permanent hair color applied to your hair. Many permanent hair color companies, like Wella, encourage a 48-hour Skin Patch Test prior to permanent color service. A negative skin patch test does not rule out an allergic reaction to PPD or any other ingredient in hair dye. Wella.com states that even though its hair color is PPD-free and PTD-free, there remains a risk of allergic reaction that can be severe. If you have ever experienced an allergic reaction to any hair colorant ingredient, including PPD and PTD, you should not color.
Tone represents how warm, cool, or neutral a hair color is. Tone is the underlying pigment that peeks out from our hair color. The level of a color refers to the lightness and darkness of a color; this is also called depth or shade. Light, medium, and dark blonde are examples levels. Levels go from one to ten.
Level one being the darkest color black and level ten being the lightest blonde. Each level of color distributes a different undertone as the level of color increase. A level one black could have a blue undertone. Although you see black hair color with the eyes, a blue tone is the underlying pigment that peeks through. Examples of warm colors are red, yellow, orange, and gold. Cool colors are blue, green, or ash. Violet is a neutral color and falls somewhere in between warm and cool. A level six is a dark blonde hair color that can have orange, neutral, or ash undertones depending on the desired result. Undesirable tones can be corrected by understanding the relationship between colors.
What is toning shampoo?
Toning shampoos get rid of unwanted yellow, orange, or brassy tones on permanent hair color, natural hair color, highlights, and gray hair. You can also use toning shampoos to reduce color fading and enhance hair color. Toning shampoos work by following the complimentary color theory. Complimentary colors are located directly across from each other on the color wheel. The color wheel is a tool hairstylist use to understand how colors relate. Complimentary colors are also known as neutralizing colors and are used to cancel out unwanted tones.
A violet toning shampoo, such as Clairol Shimmer Lights Shampoo, is violet because it neutralizes unwanted yellow tones on gray, silver, and blonde hair. You would use this violet shampoo to achieve a cool or ash tone for your hair color.
Violet and yellow are complimentary colors. Joico Color Balance Blue Shampoo can help get rid of unwanted orange tones on naturally dark brown hair that has been lightened with permanent color or lightening powder. Blue is on the opposite side of orange on the color wheel and cancels orange or brassy tones.
Why do you need a toning shampoo?
Toning shampoos work much like temporary rinses and remain in the hair until the next shampoo. Toning shampoos deposit color on to the outer layer of the hair. They can temporarily stain porous blonde or gray hair, leaving a violet tone on the hair if the shampoo is left on the hair for too long. Unless you want violet hair color, which is a popular hair color today, timing with toning shampoos is everything. Leave your toning shampoo on the hair for three to five minutes and rinse.
You can use a toning shampoo two or three times a week, alternating with your regular shampoo. Rub the shampoo into the palm of your hands to dilute the shampoo before you apply it to your hair to avoid a purple or violet cast on the hair. Toning shampoos can also be used to enhance or preserve hair color as well. Try Joico Color Infuse Red Shampoo to reduce red hair color from fading, as red permanent hair color is the fastest color to fade.
Why does the scalp flake?
The scalp sheds dead skin cells. This is a normal process called desquamation. The stratum corneum makes up the outer most layer of the skin called the epidermis. The stratum corneum is made up of 15 to 20 tightly packed cells that are keratinized. Keratinized cells are hard and dead. It is on the stratum corneum that desquamation or skin shedding takes place. Problems, such as dandruff, arrive when the cells of the stratum germinativum, which is the deepest layer of the epidermis, are pushed up to the stratum corneum, the epidermis to soon.
3 Dry Scalp Myths
Now that you know why the scalp flakes. Here are the myths of treating a dry, flaky scalp.
Myth #1: Use an anti-dandruff shampoo
The cause of dandruff is unknown, but an excessive amount of the yeast Malassezia globose could play a role. Anti-dandruff shampoos are formulated with ingredients such as zinc pyrithione and ketoconazole to slow down the division of bacterial and fungal cells. If you have been using an anti-dandruff shampoo two to three times a week for four weeks or longer, and do not notice a change, dandruff may not be the problem.
Some scalp disorders create flakes that are stubborn and not easy to remove with an anti-dandruff shampoo, for example, scalp psoriasis. The flakes associated with scalp psoriasis look like dandruff because they are a similar silvery gray color. Scalp psoriasis is an auto-immune problem of the skin. This means that the body’s immune system tells skin cells to shed and produce new skin cells too soon. Instead of the cells shedding off of the scalp, they pile up on top of each other on the outer layer of the skin. When the skin cells pile up, they form a psoriasis patch. The patches are red and inflamed. Scalp psoriasis can be found on the ears as well as the back of the neck. Patches may burn and feel sore.
The cause of scalp psoriasis may be linked to foods with gluten, malabsorption, which is not being able to absorb nutrients by the small intestine, viral or bacterial infections, stress, and trauma to the skin. Dry scalp is associated with scalp psoriasis, which may cause the scalp to feel tight and itch.
There is no cure for psoriasis, but a dermatologist can create a treatment plan that can keep problems associated with scalp psoriasis under control. Treatments may include medication, medicated shampoos, scale softeners, topical steroid creams or injections.
Myth #2: You can remove flakes by scratching
Scratching the scalp will not help remove flakes. Don’t use a comb or any other sharp tool to remove flakes. With scalp psoriasis, scratching the patches can cause bleeding, temporary hair loss, and increase flakes. When shampooing the scalp, never use your fingernails or rub the scalp vigorously, instead, massage your scalp gently using your fingertips to help lift the flakes off the scalp.
Glycerin can help soften flakes. Glycerin is used in a variety of cosmetics because of its lubricating and moisturizing properties. Glycerin is easy to remove from the hair. You can use glycerin as an overnight scalp treatment. Apply glycerin to your scalp at night and the next morning shampoo the glycerin out of your hair.
Myth #3: Nutrition plays no role in inhibiting flaky, dry scalp
Often people think of their scalp as a problem with the surface of their skin, but the real cause could be much deeper. Nutritional deficiencies affect our hair, and excessive shedding of hair can occur until the imbalance in the body is treated. Your dermatologist can help you determine if your dry, flaky scalp problem is related to a nutritional imbalance. Be proactive and try to eat fruits and vegetables that contain B vitamins and zinc. B vitamins and zinc can reduce the auto-immune response to the skin by keeping flakes under control and combating itch. Eat an adequate amount of yogurt with the label “live and active cultures” or take a probiotic supplement for the benefits of the good bacteria. Good bacteria can help reduce the over production of yeast associated with some flaky scalp disorders.
How do you care for your flaky scalp?
