You may want to color your locs but are hesitant due to hearing about it being bad for locs. I’m sorry to say, permanent hair dye is bad for your locs (as well as implications for your overall health). This is not to say you shouldn’t dye your locs. However, it is good to know about the potential impacts as well as ways to mitigate them.
Brief History of Impacts of Hair Products & African American Health
Before getting into the nitty gritty details, it’s helpful to have some context about hair products’ impacts in the black community. Many popular hair products used by black Americans actually are correlated with negative outcomes. A non exhaustive list of products and correlated/linked outcomes are described below.
- Relaxers: associated with scalp burns, hair damage, fibroids and uterine cancer)
- Hair Flat Irons: scalp burns, hair damage
- Popular Black Hair Products: there was a study of “hair products in 6 categories used by Black women: hot oil treatment, anti-frizz/polish, leave-in conditioners, root stimulator, hair lotion, and relaxer.” It included 18 products popular with black women and children, and results showed increased levels of endocrine disrupting chemicals. EDCs are associated with obesity, diabetes, preterm birth, and certain types of cancer. Another interesting finding was that “84 percent of chemicals detected were not listed on the product label.”
- Permanent Hair Dyes: links with multiple cancer types including blood, bladder and breast cancer. More impacts described further in the article.
Why Are Outcomes Worse?
Many of these products are used by other races as well, but usage among the black community tends to be higher for these products/services and all hair products in general. Moreover, some products marketed to black Americans are actually worse.
In the case of hair dye and locs, people may use more dye, need more time to properly apply it, and leave it on longer in order to dye their locs. That can exacerbate the impact of dye on your locs.
Alright, now onto why hair dye is bad for locs.
Hair Breakage, Hair Dye & Locs
Probably the biggest concern people have on dyeing their locs is if it’ll lead to their hair breaking off. Using dye/bleach on your hair increases the likelihood of breakage. That’s not to say you will have breakage. But hair dye/bleach most definitely does increase dryness/ brittleness, which often leads to breakage. This is due to the fact that as part of the dyeing process, your hair cuticle is lifted by strong chemicals in order to allow color to penetrate the strand.
Often, people are able to prevent breakage due to careful dye and moisturization methods. That may lull people into thinking they’ve avoided the worst of dye issues, but read on as that is not the only thing to be worried about.
**Why Your Locs Aren’t Growing**
Health Impacts, Hair Dye & Locs
Outside of the impacts on your locs, hair dye can impact your overall health. Common problematic ingredients in dyes/bleach include: hydrogen peroxide, ammonia, and coal tars. This is not to say if you regularly use hair dye your life is over. But, it can lead to increased risk of issues such as the ones below.
- Headaches: a common side effect of dyeing locs is headaches due to the chemical fumes. It may be brought on immediately or come on after hair dye application.
- Breathing Problems: particularly those already sensitive (eg., asthma sufferers), may have increased respiratory issues when dyeing locs. These could range from slight shortness of breath to full on asthma attacks.
- Allergic Reactions: while perhaps rare, allergic reactions to hair dye can happen and can be severe. That’s why it is recommended to patch test (ideally the minimum of hair dye instructions or 48 hours given that’s when most symptoms occur) before dyeing your hair and watch for reactions. Do this every time before dyeing your locs as new allergies can emerge and product ingredients may change. Be aware of the signs of severe allergic reactions (anaphylactic shock).
- Cancer: dyeing your locs puts you at increased risk of cancer. the results for black women are staggering. Permanent hair dye was associated with a 45% increased risk in breast cancer for black women and 7% for non-Hispanic white women (among women with a sister with breast cancer).
Prevent Damage From Dyeing Locs
There are a few ways to mitigate the damage from dyeing locs. Keep in mind there is no way to prevent damage though entirely. A few tips are as follows:
Wear Protective Gear:
Perhaps the most obvious and common one is to wear gloves. When you are dealing with chemicals, you want to protect your skin. Other protective gear includes masks. If you crack open the bottle of hair dye products (eg, dye, bleach) you’ll definitely notice the smell. As noted, that smell is not great for your health. Wearing a mask when applying dye product can help mitigate some of the impacts.
Proper Ventilation
Along the same lines as masks, proper ventilation is a must. If you have a HEPA air purifier with a carbon filter (like the Coway Air Purifier I use), keep that on at full blast during the entire due process and for a few hours after. Other ventilation ideas include keeping the door open to the bathroom, opening up a window/turning on the ventilation fan and staying outdoors/open spaces when possible for max fresh airflow.
Dye Timing Instructions
The next tip is to follow the hair dye timing instructions as the max time to keep product in your hair. Do not keep it on twice as long. This is tempting due to wanting the color to stick, but it’s best to not keep it on longer than necessary. If possible, try for less time on your hair. In general, when companies quote efficacy and safety ratings, it is for the instructions. Increasing dye/bleach time left on hair can increase the chance of an allergic reaction, damage to your hair or lead to other unintended consequences.
Less Invasive Dye Techniques
Dye options like semi- permanent dye or temporary dyes are alternatives to permanent hair dye. These include natural dyes or wax/powder color, which are much less associated with negative outcomes. These options are much less permanent than permanent dye, and may not all get you the vibrant color you want. On the plus side they are better for your locs and overall health.
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Overall, hair dye is bad for your locs and is associated with health issues. This is something important to note, particularly given the higher rates of some of these issues within the black community (eg, higher rates/more aggressive breast cancers). This article isn’t meant to stop you from dyeing your locs, but to at least allow you to consider the impacts to help you make an informed decision. Moreover, hopefully some of these tips can help you dye your locs more safely.
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