Reactions to Hair Products
Reactions to Hair Products
Author: Jenna White | San Francisco Hairstylist
June 29th, 2022
June 29th, 2022
Shampoos contain cleansing agents, preservatives and fragrances that can sometimes cause irritation. This can occur simply because they were not rinsed out well enough, if you have sensitive skin or if a certain ingredient causes an allergic reaction. People who have experienced the latter two scenarios may also find that some hair styling products irritate their skin as well. Symptoms usually appear within 48 hours, but can take up to a week after exposure to appear. When this happens, it's a sign that you should start searching for new hair products. In this post, I give an overview of common ingredients that cause irritation and what to do when it happens to you.
What are common hair product ingredients associated with irritation?
According to Medscape.com, common irritants include:
Common Irritants |
Purpose |
Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) |
Cleansing agent |
Propylene glycol |
Chemical solvent and emulsifying agent |
Vitamin E (Tocopherol) |
Antioxidant |
Benzophenones |
Absorb UV light |
Methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (MCI/MI) Dimethylol dimethyl (DMDM) hydantoin Diazolidinyl urea Quaternium-15 Imidazolidinylurea Lodopropynyl butyl carbamate (IPBC) Methyldibromoglutaronitrile/phenoxyethanol (MDBGN/PE) |
Preservatives with antifungal and/or antibacterial affects |
Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) * |
The dye agent in many permanent, and some semi-permanent, hair coloring products |
Fragrances * |
Product smell |
* most common irritants
Ingredient: Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) Purpose: Cleansing agent Ingredient: Propylene glycol Purpose: Chemical solvent and emulsifying agent Ingredient: Vitamin E (Tocopherol) Purpose: Antioxidant Ingredient: Benzophenones Purpose: Absorb UV light Ingredient: Methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (MCI/MI) Dimethylol dimethyl (DMDM) hydantoin Diazolidinyl urea Quaternium-15 Imidazolidinylurea Lodopropynyl butyl carbamate (IPBC) Methyldibromoglutaronitrile/phenoxyethanol (MDBGN/PE) Purpose: Preservative with antifungal and/or antibacterial affects Ingredient: Paraphenylenediamine (PPD)* Purpose: The dye agent in many permanent, and some semi-permanent, hair coloring products Ingredient: Fragrances* Purpose: Product smell |
* most common irritants
What are the symptoms of a reaction?
People can have different adverse topical reactions to shampoos and other hair products, but the most common ones occur on the skin of the eyelids, face, neck, scalp, ears and/or upper back. The symptoms may include any of the following:
If you know your skin is sensitive to fragrance, avoid synthetic fragrances, or search for fragrance-free products. Fragrances are often considered trade secrets, therefore their specific ingredients are not required to be listed on the packaging in the US. The EU differs in this practice and requires a complete list. Avoiding a specific chemical can become impossible if you don’t know it’s there. To be completely risk-free, choose products that are labeled fragrance-free. You can learn more about assessing ingredients in products in my post Ingredient Lists.
- Red discoloration
- Burning and/or itching
- Swelling
- Blisters
- Hives
- Scaly patches
- Sun sensitivity
If you know your skin is sensitive to fragrance, avoid synthetic fragrances, or search for fragrance-free products. Fragrances are often considered trade secrets, therefore their specific ingredients are not required to be listed on the packaging in the US. The EU differs in this practice and requires a complete list. Avoiding a specific chemical can become impossible if you don’t know it’s there. To be completely risk-free, choose products that are labeled fragrance-free. You can learn more about assessing ingredients in products in my post Ingredient Lists.
What should I do immediately after noticing these types of symptoms?
- Wash skin that came into contact with the product thoroughly with hypoallergenic or mild soap and water as soon as possible. Wash your hands before touching any other part of your body.
- Remove and wash clothes, jewelry and other accessories that the product may have touched.
- Connect with your doctor or dermatologist to assess if you have a condition that should be monitored more closely. To help determine what may have cause your symptoms, take note of the following questions:
- What products were you using before the irritation occurred?
- How much of the product were you using, and how often were you using it?
- Where on your body did you use the product?
- How long have your symptoms been occurring for? When did you first notice symptoms?
- What were you doing during the days and/or hours before the reaction?
- Have you experienced skin irritation before? If so, what treatments, if any, have you undergone to address previous reactions? What symptoms did you have, and for how long?
According to verywellhealth.com, health care providers often recommend the following:
- A consultation and patch test with an allergist. The test involves applying small samples of potential irritants on your back and monitoring your skin's reaction. However, there is a high rate of false positive results.
- Treating current reactions with aloe vera, calamine lotion, antihistamines and/or cortisone-based ointments.
- Leveraging prescription medications in the case of more severe reactions.