Can You Use Coffee to Dye Your Hair?
Believe it or not, over 50 million United States women dye their hair regularly, and even more women have confirmed that they will start to dye their hair when they go gray. Nonetheless, what these women need to realize is that there are serious risks associated with chemical hair dyes, especially since many of the chemical ingredients have been banned in several European countries.
Additionally, hair dye chemicals have caused harmful affects in laboratory experiments, being linked to respiratory disorders, allergic reactions, and cancer. So what is the solution to this issue if you want to naturally color treat your hair?
If you are a brunette, you can use the very natural alternative of soaking your hair in espresso or strongly brewed coffee to provide a slight stain to the color. This is a nice option for brunette hair colors since you can gently rinse with brewed coffee to add shine, vibrancy, and softness to your hair. Coffee contains powerful antioxidants to revitalize and nourish dry and damaged hair, and it will also keep the scalp protected from free radical damage. Some research has shown that coffee has mild sun protective benefits, so you can experience this added payoff by using coffee to treat your hair. As a rule of thumb, this should not be used for blonde or light brown hair colors since it will only make it look dingy or drab as a result. However, when coffee is used as a rinse for brown hair colors, it will add gloss and shine to lifeless locks!
Unfortunately, many of the chemical hair dyes out there can cause allergic reactions, so that they pose a great risk to the user. It is difficult to determine exactly how many users of hair dyes have had allergic reactions since many do not get medical attention for this issue. Still, in some instances, chemical reactions to hair dye have been quite severe and even fatal. Mild reaction symptoms to chemical hair dye include irritation on the ears and eyelids, or more severely, irritation to the whole head and body.
A fatal allergic reaction is caused by anaphylactic shock, where the mouth and tongue swell to constrict the airways. In rare circumstances, anaphylactic shock can become fatal because of a chemical hair dye allergic reaction.
To reduce your risk of having a reaction to hair dye, first off, try the coffee substitute above, or patch test your skin before using hair dye. Applying a small amount of dye to the skin will desensitize the immune system to minimize the risk of an allergic reaction. Keep in mind that working as a hairstylist can increase your risk for these allergies, and one statistic reported that 70%-80% of all hairstylists had regular allergic reactions to their use of hair dye at work!
About the Author
Mark Ramos is a coffee geek. For a great selection in all things coffee, espresso machines and
BUNN coffee makers
, check out
The Coffee Bump
.
How-To Make Your Own Natural Dye with the EtsyLabs
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