A recent study out of England has linked hair dye with progressive liver disease. Published in the international gastroenterology journal, aptly called Gut, British researchers revealed the findings of over 5,000 people who were surveyed about their risks for primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) — an early form of liver cirrhosis and long-term progressive autoimmune disease. PBC is thought to be caused, at least in part, by certain environmental factors such as chemicals found in hair dye. Of those surveyed, women who color their hair were 37% more likely to develop PBC than women who don’t. Respondents were not asked how often they dyed their hair, so it’s not clear how much of a role this played in the liver disease, but the report states past research has shown a correlation between PBC and chemicals found in cosmetics, particularly octynoic acid, which is found in hair dye and nail polish. Other factors, such as genetics, pre-existing autoimmune diseases, smoking and certain skin conditions were also found to increase the risk for PBC.
Hmm… I feel like random studies come out claiming one thing or another is dangerous ll the time. Still, this is kinda freaky. We put a lot of chemicals in and on our bodies… Perhaps, it’s time to include more natural beauty products into our regime?
What do you guys think?
I try to use as little as I can on my body, however being that I am a hair colorist it is hard to read things like this. I am using color most days of the week and the concern for my health is frequently in the back of my mind. Woman have been coloring their hair for so long and living long lives so I take it with a grain of salt. I think we have much more to worry about with the chemicals in our food than something that goes on our hair/body. Thanks for posting this, it’s interesting to hear about it.
Thank you for posting this story. I think it’s important to be aware of the ingredients in our hair dyes and cosmetics. I try to minimise toxins by choosing more natural cosmetics and by having my hair foiled instead of having the dye directly applied to my scalp.
Speaking of natural dye….have you ever done a story on Hennaed hair? That would be fun!
jocelyne: I agree. Women have been coloring hair and having their hair colored for years and if there was a super direct correlation, it would have come out by now… That said, I think it’s a good idea to be aware of this kind of thing? … I don’t know where to go from there though. I think about *all* the chemicals in processed food. I mean, what about that? But still the chemicals in products we put in/on our bodies must have an effect. Makes me think of that movie “Safe” with Julianne Moore…
Suzanne, I don’t know too much about Hennaed hair but I think you don’t have very much control of the color…
There is definitely something to be said about the chemicals in the hair dye (there are people severly allergic to them, for example). Of course there are many ways for us to be exposed to chemicals like food and air itself, still, the less risks we take, the better. That’s one of the reasons I decided to stop coloring all together (also because my hair is sensitive and it takes only one dye job to ruin its moisture – that single fact shows dye is not harmless).
It’s bad news for women who like to play with their hair – most of them 🙂 – though there are lots of brands who are trying to come up with chemically less harsh dyes.
About hennaed hair: I used to henna some months ago after I decided to stop chemical dye. There are a lot of combinations of plants you can do to achieve different shades, like indigo, amla… In fact, beibg a brunette, I used a combination of henna and indigo. It’s gentle on the hair but dying hair with natural dyes is definitely a commitment and a tedious process. Still, some people love it. Have a look here, that’s where I learned tons about natural hair dyes: http://www.hennaforhair.com/mixes/index.html
gi: thanks so much for that info!