There may be cause for pause if your hair color comes from a bottle.
According to a new study conducted by the National Cancer Institute, using permanent and darker-hued chemical hair dyes may be linked to contracting lymphoma, an immune system cancer. The study, published in the July issue of the American Journal of Public Health, was conducted on about 600 cancer patients. Silver and blond shades don`t appear to raise the risk, according to Shelia Zahm, who conducted the study.
Still, the institute has not called for discontinuing the use of dyes. And while they acknowledge there is reason for concern, the Food and Drug Administration, as well as most medical experts, have said that further study is needed before a definitive link is established.
What should you do if you`re among the estimated 40 million women and men who use hair dye? It`s premature to stop coloring, but it`s wise to be well-informed about what`s being used on your hair, and to take steps to minimize possibly harmful contact with dyes.
Several methods are commonly used to color hair. They include: temporary dyes, which shampoo, rinse or spray on, coating the hair and washing out with the first shampoo; semi-permanent, which shampoo in and partially penetrate the hair shaft and wash out with repeated shampoos; and permanent, in which the dye is painted on the hair and produces a chemical change within the hair shaft that remains until the hair shaft grows out.
Dyes are absorbed into the bloodstream through scalp contact. The less dye that touches your scalp and the less time it spends there, the smaller the amount of dye that initially will enter your bloodstream.
The Cornell University Chemical Hazard Information Program Health Hazard Manual, which includes safety guidelines for cosmetologists (To order a copy at $4.50, call 716-842-1124.), suggests switching to temporary or semi-permanent dyes that aren`t painted on.
If you`d like to eschew chemical dyes altogether, the Cornell program recommends trying a botanical dye such as henna, or salon-quality vegetable dyes and alternating them or henna with semi-permanent dyes.
For do-it-yourselfers interested in subtle color, cosmetologist and author Zia Wesley Horsford (”Being Beautiful,” Whatever, $8.95) offers these herbal methods:
– To lighten: Mix 2 ounces of freshly squeezed lemon juice with 2 ounces distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle. Shake, then spray along hairline or all over, and comb through hair. Sit in the sun to dry or use a hair dryer, then shampoo and condition as usual.
– To enhance red highlights: Add 3 ounces rose hip or hibiscus tea to 1 cup boiling water. Cool, then add one-half ounce lemon juice and a slightly beaten egg white. Apply at hairline or all over. Dry in the sun or blow dry.
– To darken: Shampoo. Combine a handful of dried sage leaves and 1 cup boiling water. Steep for 15 minutes. Mash leaves with wooden spoon against side of cup. Strain, then work into hair, comb and style.
