How to Safely Color Your Hair When You Have Scalp Eczema

Ever since I was in high school, I have always admired rainbow-colored manes. I went through a spectrum of colors myself, going from red highlights to brunette, and even as bright as sapphire blue and royal purple. Coloring your hair can be a super liberating and fun way to express your personal style. But when you have eczema and especially when rashes are on your scalp, face, and neck, it can be a daunting thing to experiment with because of all of the harsh chemicals and processing needed to be done to the hair to get it to the color that you want.

Here are some of my top tips for safely coloring your hair if you have sensitive skin and active flare-ups. I hope you will try them out and see if coloring your hair is something you want to do, or wait until the rashes are more healed and closed up before taking the plunge.

Finding the right hair stylist for sensitive skin

One of the first things I would check when choosing a hairdresser is whether they have worked with clients with sensitive skin before. This is something you can contact them about ahead of time, either by email or over the phone; just make sure they are a stylist who can work with you and is very cognizant of avoiding harsh chemicals and processing as much as possible. To a degree, there will be some irritation no matter what, because we need to strip some of the proteins from your hair to get it light enough to show the hair dye as accurately as possible. So it's not completely without some level of discomfort, but it can be greatly minimized if your hairdresser is willing to work with you.

Avoid bleaching the roots

Something your hairdresser can do to make the bleaching and dyeing process more comfortable is to not apply bleach or dye directly to the scalp. I have often opted not to have my roots completely bleached out. And colors that are deeper, like blue, purple, or green, can work well with this, creating a deep ombre effect if you have dark hair like me.

Using oils to protect the scalp

Hairdressers can also make the hair dye process easier by putting some sort of vegetable oil on your scalp before putting on the bleach to create a protective barrier and prevent the chemicals from potentially irritating any rashes that may already be on your scalp, the sides of your face, forehead, or neck, basically anywhere that the products might touch. Coconut oil, olive oil, and sunflower oil are also good options.

Hypoallergenic hair dye brands

Lastly, here are some hypoallergenic hair dye brands that I have had good experiences with. It is important to check them out for yourself and see if your hairdresser either already carries them or is willing to use them, even if you have to provide the hair dye for them. In my experience, they usually more than willing to try a new brand and may even discount you the price from the service for providing the dye.

• Pravana
• Arctic Fox
• Organic Colour Systems

I hope this article has been informative for you and just know that even if you have eczema, it does not have to hold you back from enjoying rocking all the colors of the rainbow whether you apply them to your face with your makeup or your hair. Enjoy and have fun!