Hair Dyes Essay

Dying hair is a practice that has been around for thousands of years. Ancient civilizations began dying hair through use of plant pigments that many cultures continue to use today. In Western culture, hair dye usage has increased steadily from the 1960s, and is now widely popular, as well as socially accepted. Despite the significant percentage of the human population that uses hair dyes on a regular basis very little research has been done on the effects of the dye on human health (Nohynek 2010). What studies have been conducted indicate that significant correlation exists between hair dye chemicals, specifically para-phenylene-diamine (PPD) and para-aminophenol (PAP), and harmful health effects, such as cancer and organ damage. Additionally, the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) also listed benzene …show more content…
Similarly, since EU health risks of hair dye are based on oral consumption there is not enough information from current studies to confirm serious health issues as a result of topically applying hair dye (Nohyhek 2010). Additionally, the responsibility of monitoring hair dyes falls to the Food and Drug Administration that has currently not found reason enough to warn hair dye users of PPD beyond citing that an allergy to the substance can be developed from repeated exposure (Hair Dyes 2015). That being said, it is because hair dye use is as extensive as it is that, “From a public health perspective, such exposure deserves special attention” (Couto 2013). All genders and nearly all ages are exposed to the chemicals in hair dyes, and while there is a general lack of studies on the health risks of these chemicals many studies that do exist support the correlation between hair dye use to cancers, and organ