Allergy to PPD?

[Cathie87]

Hi! I have been colouring my hair blond for 20 years using different products and brands available on the market.  I never had any problem until last time.  Around 24 hours later, my eyelids started to get itchy.  In the matter of 20 minutes, they had become very swollen.  The next day when I woke up, they were SO swollen I could not see a thing.  My lips wre also a bit swollen as well as my throat.  I was totally disfigured and stayed this way for 3 days!  HORROR!!... Have I suddenly become allergic to the PPD contained in most colorants?  Has anybody suffered such a reaction?  Do you know any alternatives to color hair safely, at least the time I go back gradually to my natural colour?  I'm stuck and very worried of what would happen if I had another episode... Please, help!

[Rosey37]

I am allergic to ppd - the best colour I have used which is totally safe is reflex naturtint- it's ppd ammonia and paraben free- its a semi colour lasts me about 3 weeks and I go swimming every week so it's not bad- costs £10 on holland and Barrett website - so works out under £20 a month- much cheaper than hair salon

[hanna197]

i have the same thing every time i dye my hair and this just started my head gets all swolled up and itcy and then this last about a couple days and also my neck get swolled up to and one of my eyes looks like it chinesse and i cant stop doing my hair

[conway14747]

You seem so well informed. I wonder if you have any new info or ppd free products to share.
Thank You,
Kathy

[keemi3]

Hi I have been dying my hair for 8 years and last week I came out in a bad alergy I had about 50 scabs in my head which were realy itchy and weeping all my face was swelld and scabed an all behind my ears... I for got about been alergic and tinted my eyebrows yesterday and I look like iv done 10 rounds with mike tyson

[blondeagain271]

I, too, had a terrible reaction in October after years of coloring my hair blonde, but didn't connect it for awhile because it occurred several days after coloring. My eyelids swelled up and stayed red and itchy for almost a month.  Benadryl was big help, along with hot compresses, but it was a miserable experience.  

I searched all over for an alternative to permanent hair dyes. It seems all the permanent ones contain ppd. Last week I tried Clairol Natural Instincts Creme, which is semi-permanent (there's an oxymororon).  It has no ppd.
Be sure to use the Creme, not the vibrant or the regular Natural Instincts--they do have ppd.  You only put on the mixture for 10 minutes and it's quite mild. (The color is mustardy in the mixture bottle and very yellow on your head, don't freak out, it turns out OK.) I've had no allergic reaction whatsoever and it left my hair in great condition. It covered my by then 1 inch of gray roots and matched the blonde Revlon color I already had.  It's supposed to last a month of shampoos, so we'll see, but I think this is a solution.  

By the way, I read that their color refresher, which you're supposed to use after two weeks, had mixed results.  Last year there was a recall of the kits because the wrong refresher colors were put in the boxes.  Not very reassuring; I'm just going to avoid the refresher for now.  I can't handle any more hair problems.

At least I don't have to make the choice between blonde or blind!  I hope my experience can help someone.
I think the Natural Instincts CREME is a solution--it seems safe, the color and conditioning are good and it is easy to purchase at Walmart or Target.  The eco/natural/vegetable etc. hair color products I looked at were expensive, not easy to find, and several postings said they washed out in a few days.

[tj2462]

Please read this story:
http://www.dbtechno.com/curiosity/2011/11/22/julie-mccabe-in-coma-reaction-to-hair-dye-photo/
People are actually going into comas and/or dying from PPD