7 Things To Consider When Buying A Hair Dye

Highlights

• Avoid cheap hair dye products that contain ammonia, paraben, PPD, and resorcinol.
• Go for hair dye products that are unisex. (Learn why below)
• Check for cost per use. Some products may look cheap but may contain smaller quantity, cheap and harmful ingredients.
• How to calculate cost per use
• A good hair dye product should last for at least 20 hair washes on 
• Buy the product that comes with the complete hair dye kit.
• When buying online, check for companies that offer free shipping.

While deciding which hair dye to purchase, it is common to look for the lowest priced product which also happens to be from a popular brand. 

However, the process of choosing a hair dye product is more personalized than that. Factors that are less spoken of are hair length, allergies, safety, cost per use and more.

Personalizing your hair dye

One may argue that hair is an external appendage, and applying color on it would not affect the rest of the system. That is false. People who use hair dye regularly would know that the roots are an important part of the hair that needs coverage. This means that the color would have to be applied to the scalp. Although, the scalp is recognized as the accessible part of the head below the mass of hair, it actually consists of five layers. 

Fact: Your scalp consists of 5 layers of tissue, and is rich in nerves and blood vessels.

Below the visible region, are layers of connective tissue which contain nerves and blood vessels. 

The ingredients in the hair dye are not just absorbed by the hair shaft, but also the surrounding scalp which comes in contact with it.

This is a major safety concern for people who are allergic to certain ingredients in hair dyes. Individuals who do not immediately have reactions could risk sensitizing their system to those substances which may subsequently result in an allergic reaction. 

Considering the above explanation, here are some pointers that will help you choose the right hair dye product:

1. Safety
2. Sensitivity
3. Hair length
4. Frequency of washes
5. Cost per use
6. Accessories
7. Other freebies

1) Safety

Hair dye products are made to make you look good. In pursuit of making it long-lasting and natural, companies use ingredients that are cheap to lower their cost of production and give seemingly good results. 

The truth is that several of these chemicals have negative health implications, and are banned in other regions like the European Union.

Some of these are ammonia, paraben, PPD, and resorcinol. Not only are some of these ingredients known for their link to cancer, they can also cause allergies (or in some an anaphylaxis). If you find these names on the product label, do not buy the product.

Fact: Products that contain ammonia, PPD, and paraben are more likely to cause an allergic reaction.

Do not compromise between beauty and health. Always buy safe beauty products, and perform a patch test on yourself to see if your system accepts the product.

2) Sensitivities

Sometimes the ingredients in the hair dye product may not show a visible reaction in the first use. However, the chemicals still get absorbed, enter the system through the blood vessels in the scalp, and bind to the antibodies in the blood. 

This leads to sensitization of the immune system, which may produce a quicker and stronger response during the second exposure.

3) Number of washes

This is an important consideration. Hair washing is an important part of a hair care routine. Most hair dye products do not specify the number of washes which is usually around 4-5. A good product should typically last for more than 20 washes. This means that even if you wash your hair everyday, one application of hair dye is enough to last for a month.

Fact: A good hair dye product would last for at least 20 washes.

This eliminates the need to dye your hair frequently, and reduces chemical contact on the hair and scalp.

4) Hair length

It is not unusual to find separate hair dye products for men and women. Are hair colors for men and women (excluding beard hair) chemically different? The answer is no. The sole reason for this segregation is based on the hair length, and the generalization that women have longer hair than men and hence need a higher quantity of the dye. And men cut their hair more often, and hence need to use smaller quantities of hair dye frequently.

Fact: Hair dye products for men and women (excluding beard hair) are chemically the same.

However, think of the cost saved when you can use the same product irrespective of the gender. 

Quick tip: Go for a brand that sells unisex hair dye product. This way you can avoid the need to buy multiple products, and keep track of them.

While we are at it, it is worthwhile to mention here that it is not recommended to use hair dye on the beard. This is because facial skin is more sensitive than the scalp.

5) Cost per use:

Don’t be fooled by the low sticker price. In most cases, you get what you pay for. Cost is low, probably because of lower quality ingredients used to manufacture the product or because the quantity is low. 

For example, a hair color that costs Rs. 500 which you can use only two times, is far inferior to that which costs Rs. 2000, which can be used 10 times. In the case of Rs. 2000 color, you get more number of uses as compared to that which costs Rs. 500.

6) Accessories: 

It may not be convenient to show up at the salon every time you need to color your hair. 

Some reasons why it may not be a good idea to visit a salon regularly: 

• Due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 infections all saloons are shut.
• Even post-lockdown it may not be a good idea to visit saloons on a regular basis.
• Personal hygiene of the staff
• Maintenance of everyday equipment like scissors and hair brush which are likely to be used on multiple visitors.
• Salon furniture and floor hygiene.
• Most importantly the salon products may contain substances like paraben, PPD that could sensitise your system and cause allergic reactions.
• Not to mention the high cost that regular salon visits could incur.

Salon visits cost time and money. This is why hair colors that come with good quality kits make it considerably easy to do it yourself, hence saving you money and time, from the comfort of your home.

7) Other freebies: 

Hair dye is a product that you may use repeatedly. Ensuring that you have the required stock for ready use at all times can be challenging. Going to the store to restock your supply of hair dye every time can be cumbersome. 

What if you could just place an order online for a 1-month supply of your favorite hair color with free shipping?

Check out Atbro's safe hair dye which is free of ammonia, paraben, PPD, and resorcinol. Use coupon code SAFE25 for a 25% discount.

FREE hair dye kit worth Rs. 399/- included.