Why Are Metallic Dyes Bad for Your Hair?

Do you color your hair at home? Have you ever used one of those progressive dyes that changes your hair color gradually to look more natural? If you did, then most likely these are metallic dyes which are usually bad for your hair. today, we’re going to learn everything about these metallic dyes and specifically why are they bad.

Metallic dyes are sometimes made using harmful metallic salts like silver, copper or bismuth. These metallic salts can do a lot of harm to your hair, but also your skin if they interact with certain substances. Anything from hair loss, strange hair or skin coloring or allergic reactions can be side effects of using metallic dyes.

Not all the metallic salts are harmful and most only activate their “bad site” if they interact with other products, but since you can’t really keep track of all the ingredients of all the things you use on your hair, it’s probably better to stay away from metallic dyes.

I know you have seen the commercials on TV and you probably think that it could be a good idea to use one of these innovative dyes. They are metallic and the colors are produced by a reaction between metallic salts and the sulfur in keratin producing sulfides (your hair), giving you various, long lasting colors.

This is just a surface color and does not penetrate the cortex, but it builds up on the outer surface over a period of time. I know a lot of older men use these products because they don’t like going to a salon and they don’t like people thinking they are so vain. They get embarrassed easily.

The younger generation really do not care. They love changing their hair color and are generally using safer products. So, yes, we can all learn a lesson or two no matter what our age is. Like using one of the best oil based pomade out there – it can do wonders!

IMPORTANT: When we’re talking about “metallic dyes” we are talking about those that are manufactured using the potentially harmful metallic salts. You can usually identify these easier by their promise: that of gradually changing the color of your hair.

The hair dyes that promise you a metallic effect – one that is obtained instantly, usually don’t have the potentially harmful metallic salts.

So these two are different things, with the dyes that promise a metallic effect (usually silver/grey ones) being the safe ones. Definitely, you should still check the list of ingredients, just to make sure they are!

Professionals do not generally use these products because they do not work with other oxidized solutions that are used in salons.

I know a lot of people have found out the hard way by giving themselves home perms on top of metallic dyes. They do not mix! (By the way – read how to get that perm smell out of your hair!)

If you color your hair at home and decide to go for a professional perm, your stylist should ask you what brand of color you have been using. If she doesn’t, then make sure you tell her because there could be a very bad chemical reaction!

Always read the label and if you do use metallic dyes it is very, very important to make sure you cleanse your hands thoroughly (if you ingest any orally or contaminate food it can be extremely dangerous for your life).

People using these dyes (with metallic salts like copper, lead, silver) have experienced hair loss and breakage, lead poisoning, headaches, and scalp irritations just to name a few of the potential side effect.

There are also some brands other than the progressives that use metallic salts, so be very careful if you are a home colorist: always read the list of ingredients!

If you do use one of these metallic dyes, make sure you know what type of metallic salt it contains and make sure to never use any ingredients that could interact with them and do a lot of damage to your hair, skin or general well being.

And since this is a bit more difficult to do than just not using metallic dyes, we recommend skipping them altogether and either go all natural or use regular dyes instead.

Bottom line: if used correctly, metallic dyes are not extremely bad for your health, but long term usage or using these dyes without being extremely careful can result in hair loss, hair damage and can even lead to more complications.

So if you’re not sure what you’re doing, better go to a salon and let a pro do the job for you.

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