I recently dyed my hair but came over feeling light headed and dizzy, why is this?

Hello,

I’m 21 years old and have been dying my hair since I was young but all of a sudden whilst I was dying it the other day I felt really light headed like I was going to pass out.

I've tried a few times now and I get the same feeling each time. I cannot leave the dye on for more than ten minutes because I am afraid I'm going to faint or something. Could this be the peroxide?

My roots are terrible and I would like to go back to my natural colour but I'm afraid of passing out. What can I do? There are no burning sensations or anything like that, just dizziness.

Please help,

Anon, America

You may have developed an allergy to something in the tint. Firstly, I would suggest, that if you still want to tint your hair you should head into your nearest salon and have a skin sensitivity test. This way you will know if it is an allergy. I would also tell the person who will be conducting the test to use the same percentage of peroxide that they would be using on your hair if they were to tint it. Also I would ask them if it would be possible to use quite a dark tint, (3/0 or dark brown) as this contains higher levels of artificial colour pigment and chemicals so you can have more of a true test.

Alternatively, and this is what I would highly recommend you do, you can opt for highlights/lowlights. If you seek a highly trained technician they can do back to back foils so that most of your hair is still tinted but everything remains in foils and off your scalp. You will not get the 100% of all the hairs covered on your head but with an amazing technician they can cover up to 75% and blend in the areas that are visible so that over time the transformation from a full tint to highlights blends and grows out into your normal set of highlights. This way you will not have to worry about sitting with the tint on your scalp with the fear of passing out. This way of applying tint is also a lot healthier for the hair and can create the most beautiful natural effects.

If there continues to be a problem, you should seek out professional medical advice through a doctor or a trichologist.

Joseph Koniak, Artistic Director of Joseph Koniak and Eleven Hair, London

Hi ,

The more you colour your hair, the more sensitized you can become to it. One solution would be to try a different brand to that which you usually use, although a complete break would be best for you and your hair!

There are oil-based alternatives to ammonia, so maybe try one of those. Whatever you do, make sure you patch test your skin whenever you colour at home so you know whether you're likely to react to it or not.

Alice Gazagnes, colourist and stylist, Simon Webster Hair, Brighton, www.simonwebsterhair.com

Any signs of faintness whilst colouring your hair should be a warning sign that your body is probably not compatible with hair colours. I think that you should consult a doctor before colouring your hair again and maybe take along the product that you use so they can see if any of the ingredients may be the cause. Peroxide is not generally the key allergen in hair dyes but a chemical called PPD is and also there are a few more that may be affecting you.

John Clark, Head of Colour at Brooks+Brooks, London