Hair Bleaching, Dyeing and Brain Damage

Woman with bleached hair
Photo: B-D-S Piotr Marcinski/Shutterstock
Q: Can bleaching and dyeing your hair cause brain damage?
 
A: There has been no evidence to support any claims that the proper use of hair dyes and bleaching products cause brain damage of any sort.
 
However, the chemicals in hair color and bleaches ARE toxic and if ingested or otherwise introduced into the body, can cause brain damage and neurological damage. Therefore, it is extremely important to always follow the directions on your hair color products carefully and keep any hair color products out of the reach of children.
 
All of the studies of hair color products over the years have shown these products to be either safe or to have inconclusive results concerning health risks. One prominent among these was a study which claimed a link between the use of permanent brown hair color and cancer.
 
However, a study by Oxford University refuted these findings and pointed out that the initial study group was only 13 people and therefore the estimate was imprecise and results were likely to be chance findings.
 
According to current studies and findings, the use of hair color isn't in any sense a health risk, though there are individual reactions to hair color products which should be handled on a case by case basis. If you have any kind of reaction to a hair color product, you should consult your physician immediately.
 
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See also:
 
How to dye hair
 
How does bleaching hair work?
 
Bleaching hair and pregnancy
 
Where does the color go when you bleach dark hair?