Is there really a big difference between a 200 yuan and a 2,000 yuan hair perm and dye at a barber shop?

Expert of this article: Wang Wenxiang, professor and doctoral supervisor at Fujian Medical University

After the Little New Year, the New Year is getting closer.

Many people start preparing to buy new clothes and stock up on New Year's goods early.

Of course, for many female friends, perming and dyeing hair are the most indispensable "three-piece set" for the New Year.

Dyeing and perming hair can make you look beautiful, but there are also many concerns.

What is the difference between a 200 yuan hair perm and a 2,000 yuan hair dye? Will it cause cancer? Will it cause hair loss? Let's learn the truth today.

200 yuan and 2000 yuan perm and dye

What's the difference?

I believe many people will ask: Is it less harmful to the hair to choose more expensive perm and dye?

Pharmaceutical ingredients

More expensive hair dyes are mostly based on plant ingredients, which cause less damage to hair, while cheaper ones are basically based on chemical ingredients, which cause more damage to hair.

Final result

For many hair dyes, the more expensive ones have a better control over the color and the better the color and luster. The more expensive perms will also have better effects and durability.

The most important factors that determine price: experience and technology

Generally speaking, experienced hairstylists can control the duration of dyes and perms and the dosage more accurately, which plays a key role in the damage to hair and the final effect.

In addition, the geographical location of the barber shop, the city’s consumption level, and the target consumer group of the barber shop are also important factors affecting prices.

If you have poor hair quality and are financially well-off, you can choose more expensive dyeing and perming services. If the hairstylist is experienced enough and people with good hair quality can also choose services of average price.

But no matter what the price of dyeing or perming, it will cause damage to the hair, and it is best not to do it more than twice a year.

Which is more harmful, perming or dyeing hair?

There is another question that everyone is more concerned about: Can perming and dyeing be done at the same time? Which one is more harmful?

Let me first say the conclusion: hair dyeing and perming cannot be done at the same time. Both are very damaging to the hair quality and should be done at least two weeks apart. The harm of hair dyeing is greater than that of perming.

The harm of hair dyeing to the human body mainly comes from hair dyes. Some light-colored hair colors need to be bleached first, which contains chemical ingredients such as p-phenylenediamine and hydrogen peroxide. Hair dyes directly contact the scalp, which may irritate the scalp, damage the health of hair follicles, and cause hair loss. The oxidants and alkaline catalysts contained in bleaching agents will damage the hair scales, causing the hair to become damaged and dry and frizzy.

Hair dyes contain a variety of carcinogens such as heavy metals, aniline, phenol and hydrogen peroxide. So far, there is no clear conclusion on the carcinogenicity of hair dyes, but the trend conclusion is that hair dyes have potential carcinogenicity and long-term and frequent contact may increase the risk of cancer.

A 2008 report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer showed that occupational exposure to hair dyes may cause cancer, and related animal experiments showed that long-term use of hair dyes can cause sperm deformities in mice.

The harm of perming is related to the way it is permed: perming only the ends of the hair or perming the entire hair from roots to ends.

Different methods have different harms on hair. When hair grows out of the follicle, it becomes a hair shaft, which is actually dead keratin cells that do not consume nutrients. Therefore, perming the ends of the hair only affects the hair quality of the ends and does not harm the scalp. However, if you perm the roots of the hair, it may affect the health of the hair follicles and cause dandruff or hair loss.

In addition, the harm of dyeing and perming to hair is also related to the hairstylist. For example, the method of applying the agent, the amount of the agent and the residence time all require the judgment of the hairstylist. If it is not controlled well, the damage to the hair will be much greater than normal use.

Which groups of people are not recommended to perm or dye their hair?

People with unhealthy scalp or hair quality

People with scalp injuries, boils, folliculitis and other skin lesions, people with severe hair loss, and people with dry, split and easily broken hair (including outdoor workers and those who have just recovered from serious illness) should not perm or dye their hair.

People with allergies

People with allergies such as urticaria, eczema, allergic rhinitis and asthma should not perm or dye their hair. In addition, people who are allergic to the ingredients in hair dyes and perms should also not perm or dye their hair.

Women during pregnancy and within six months after giving birth

The endocrine system of women undergoes major changes during pregnancy and postpartum, and they are prone to hair loss and have fragile hair that cannot withstand damage from perming and dyeing agents. In addition, some chemicals are not good for the health of the fetus and may cause fetal developmental disorders or malformations.

Minors

Minors are in the growth and development period, dyeing and perming their hair will affect the normal growth of hair. Children and teenagers are more sensitive to heavy metals and chemical components in hair dyes, so perming and dyeing their hair is not recommended.

In addition, it is not recommended for patients with hypertension and heart disease to perm or dye their hair.

What are the precautions for dyeing and perming your hair?

About choosing hair dye

You should try to choose hair dyes that are less toxic and irritating, such as plant-based hair dyes.

If you need to choose a synthetic hair dye, try to choose products with a p-phenylenediamine content of less than 2% (a p-phenylenediamine concentration of 6% is still likely to cause allergies).

Choose qualified products with complete packaging, clear information printing, and relevant quality certification. If imported products are used, they must be labeled in both Chinese and English.

Things to note before dyeing or perming your hair

Skin allergy test

You should apply a small amount of hair dye or perm agent on the inside of your arm or behind your ear. If there is no abnormal reaction such as itching, pain or blisters within 48 hours, you can dye or perm your hair.

Hair Care

You should start taking care of your hair two weeks before dyeing or perming to ensure that your hair is in good condition during dyeing or perming.

Don’t wash your hair two days before dyeing it

The oil secreted by the hair can protect the hair and scalp, and these oils and dust adsorbed on the hair will not affect the effect of hair dyeing.

Choose a strand of hair to test perm

The damage that different perming agents cause to hair varies from person to person. You can first test a strand of hair to see if the hair changes color, becomes sticky, hardened, or broken. If this occurs, you can delay perming or choose a milder perming agent.

In summary

Whether it is hair dyeing or perming

It is harmful to human body

If you can avoid dyeing or perming, don’t do it

Or control the number and interval of dyeing and perming

No more than 2 times a year

The interval should not be too short

Take good care of your hair after dyeing or perming

Repairs damaged hair

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