Do you color your hair at home? Have you ever used one of those progressive dyes that changes your hair color gradually to look more natural? I know you have seen the commercials on TV. These dyes are metallic and the colors are produced by a reaction between metallic salts and the sulfur in keratin producing sulfides it then oxidizes and reduces the metal salts. Basically the metallic salts interact with the sulfur in the hair keratin and then turns the protein brown.
This is only a surface color and does not penetrate the cortex, but it builds up on the outer surface over a period of time. I know a lot of older men use these products because they don’t like going to a salon and they don’t like people thinking they are so vain. They get embarrassed easily. The younger generation really do not care. They love changing their hair color.
Professionals do not use these products because they do not work with other oxidized solutions we use in salons.I know a lot of people have found out the hard way by giving themselves home perms on top of metallic dyes. They do not mix. If you color your hair at home and decide to go for a professional perm, your stylist should ask you what brand of color you have been using. If she doesn’t then make sure you tell her because there could be a very bad chemical reaction.
Always read the label and if you do use metallic dyes it is very important to make sure you cleanse your hands thoroughly if you ingest any orally or contaminate food it can be fatal. People using these dyes (copper, lead, silver) have experienced hair loss and breakage, lead poisoning, headaches,and scalp irritations just to name a few.There are also some brands other than the progressives that use metallic salts so be very careful if you are a home colorist.
Judy Andrews is a licensed cosmetologist in York, Pa. She is currently putting together an informative beauty blog called the Beauty Denominator
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heres a question….
I’ve just bought a red hair dye to cover my dark brown hair,it has peroxide in it and says do not use if i had used any henna or matallic dyes. However it was only about 5weeks ago i used another red dye by garnier and it only come on as like a reddish tint. I have no clue if it contained any metallic or henna. SO wat would happen if i was to use this hair dye if the last dye did have metallic or henna in it??
Hi Victoria,
It could melt your hair so be very careful.
I have a question about metallic salts. What are the salts called when you read the label? What should I be looking for. I dyed my hair last night and it is bright orange so I am thinking of bleaching(I have bleached 4 times before and loved the outcome). I have read the label over nad over and have no clue what I am looking for as far as ingredients? I don’t want to turn my hair to mush! Please help!
Amy
lead acetate and bismuth citrate should be listed if it has metallic salts added, but when in doubt always call the manufacturer to make sure it would be safe. Also if your water has minerals in it using any home product could produce in unforeseen results.
To determine if hair has been colored by a metallic dye, mix 1 oz. of 20-volume peroxide with 20 drops of 28% ammonia. Submerge 20 strands of hair in the solution and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. If the hair lightens rapidly, the hair contains lead. If there is no reaction after 30 minutes, the hair contains silver or bismuth. If the solution starts to boil and emits a foul odor, the hair contains copper. Hair that has no metallic salts on it should lighten only very slightly.