What is PPD?

Paraphenylenediamine or PPD is a chemical used as a permanent hair dye. PPD is most used in hair dye because it is a permanent dye that gives a natural look. In addition to hair color it is also found in textile dyes, cosmetics, temporary tattoos, printing inks, black rubber, oils, greases, and gasoline. Beautiful color can be created through the process of using and mixing dyes to create the perfect shade, but for some people this isn’t achieved without suffering from an allergic reaction.

Paraphenylenediamine can create an allergic reaction usually during the stage of oxygenation.  The industry claims the percentage of users who react to this chemical is tiny but more sensitive cases have been observed recently. Symptoms include irritation where the dye comes in contact including the scalp, ears, forehead, neck and eyelids. In some cases the irritation can be quite severe and can morph into allergic dermatitis or eczema, hives, or reddening and swelling. On rare occasions the reaction can turn into a full, and sometimes fatal, anaphylactic attack.

In my expert opinion there is really not much you can do if you have a PPD allergy. Permanent hair color cannot touch the scalp whatsoever. There is no way to get around it because one mistake can cause your guest problems, hence leading to your own. At my recent color forum I hosted at Salon Ratay I talked about PPD and the few alternatives out on the market. There is one product called Henna which is an all-natural alternative to hair color. Although it may not cause an allergic reaction, it only comes in one shade, which is a red orange color. Another product was just released from Proctor and Gamble called ME +. It claims it has less cases of sensitivity, but it is not a definite alternative to PPD reactions. I recommend to patch test every guest before providing a color service. It will also show if they are allergic to the ammonia, fragrance, or anything else in the dye including PPD. This test may give you an idea but it is not always 100% true because you are testing a small portion, opposed to the entire head.  The only way to be truly safe is to not dye your hair permanently.  You may not love the look of dying your hair naturally through henna but it is the only way you can be sure you’re safe.

Take a look at a video I created where I colored a very important guest's hair who has a PPD allergy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akLzGe_2vHY&list=UU6hXHZZDdiq9_z4pnnvvYZQ&index=3