Can Hair Color Cause Hair Loss?

Luckily, a professionally done hair color is not the main cause of permanent hair loss or thinning out your hair. On the other hand, hair color products, be they permanent, demi-permanent, or temporary, are designed to alter the hair shaft (the part of the hair that is visible) and therefore they usually do not go deep enough to cause permanent damage to the hair follicle (the root located under the scalp).

However, even though permanent hair loss is very unlikely, you can definitely experience temporary hair shedding and breaking as a result of coloring if the process is wrong or you have a sensitivity that is not known to you.

Understanding Color-Related Hair Issues

The problems associated with hair coloring fall into two main categories: breakage and chemical reactions.

It is the most common reason for people to wrongly assume that their hair dye causes hair loss the most.

Apart from real hair loss (where the root is lost), this breakage is the result of a chemical damage which leads to the hair snapping, thus the length and thickness of the hair are getting shorter and thinner, respectively.

The problems that come with hair coloring can be divided into two major groups: breakage and chemical reactions.

Contact Dermatitis

For instance, some individuals may be hypersensitive to an ingredient like paraphenylenediamine (PPD) which is a common component of most permanent dyes. An allergic reaction on the scalp may cause severe itching, inflammation and trauma, which all can result in hair shedding (Telogen Effluvium).

Chemical Burns

The over-application of bleach agents directly to the scalp or leaving it on for too long can cause chemical burns that, in turn, can not only injure but also scar your hair follicles, thereby in the severest situations, the small bald spots that result from scarring can be the ultimate outcome of this kind of hair loss.

Preventing Color-Induced Hair Loss

If you are a die-hard fan of hair coloring, here is how you can still keep the damage at bay to a large extent:

• Patch Testing: In order to identify an allergic reaction to PPD, it is always advisable to test the dye on an area behind your ear or on your inner arm 48 hours before carrying out the full application.

• Professional Help: A skillful hairstylist is definitely aware of the ways to minimize the area of overlapping and employ the correct developer strength particularly when it comes to bleaching, thereby achieving an excellent result and prevention of damage at once.
• Deep Conditioning: Imparting the hair with bond-building treatments (such as Olaplex or other similar products) before, during, and after the coloring process is the best way for the hair to regain its lost internal structure.

Conclusion 

Even though the question of can hair color cause hair loss is absolutely reasonable to be asked, the possibility of permanent baldness is negligible. The major risk factor for this is hair breakage due to over-processing. Do not forget to be gentle with your colored hair, take care of the scalp so that it can offer you both color and ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌volume.