Hair Dye

[dwlegalsec]

I have been dyeing my hair on and off for about 10 years and within the last 2-3 years I have noticed that every time I dye my hair at home, or at a salon, my scalp, behind my ears and neck burn and itch severely.  I know I have some sort of allergy to it, because they more I dye the worse the symptoms are and my lymph nodes around the base of my neck swell to the size of large walnuts.  It does help if I take a shower and completely scrub my hair for 20 minutes with shampoo (but this in theory exposes the rest of my skin to any residue).  I also put hydrocortizone cream on the skin and in the hairline as much as possible, but I can still tell my scalp is fire red when I seperate my hair.  Will this just continue to get worse?  My mom cannot dye her hair (she's 61, and cannot as of the last 3 years) because she gets chemical burns on her scalp that weap and itch for weeks.  Is this my fate?  I also have a weakend immuse system from a drug I take for psoriatic arthritis.  Is there anyway around this?

[borut]

Official allergy treatment similar to mine is called sublingual immunotherapy,
but allergen is put under the tongue instead.
see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sublingual_immunotherapy

[dwlegalsec]

Thank you I will try that...but I got a henna tattoo in Cancun, Mexico on my back, and within 1/2 hr my back was all swollen up around the tattoo, it looked like I was branded with a big aerosmith logo, instead of the henna.  So is hair henna different that henna for tattoos?  Or maybe just poor quality in Mexico?  Your thoughts?

[allmymarbles]

P.S. I should mention that I have used henna myself and that I am a very allergic type.

[allmymarbles]

Natural henna will not harm your skin. There are some henna preparations that have additives so that there are more colors available thant red. In the Middle East, where henna is used regularly, it is considerate healthy for the skin and hair, and is often used for its healthful qualities alone. Just make sure you get the pure product