I don't dye my hair anymore, but when I did I never did the allergy test or the strand test. Like you, I always decided on the spur of the moment. Now I've let my hair go grey and I love it! Not just the color, but the freedom from that messy dye routine! uck!!!

I only still dye my hair b/c it gives it so much body. I've tried going grey and my hair was limp as a noodle. No, I never do the testing.

I get mine done at the salon so no. As for strand tests that would be impossible. My hairdresser uses the same basic formula for my roots but she is frequently adding highlights or lowlights. I probably have at least eight different colors on my head right now.

Thanks for the quick replies! I love this table!
I love the colour of my dyed hair (burgundyish/purplish), plus it
does give my hair body and softness.

I truly hope when my hair goes grey I get a full head of beautiful gorgeous grey hair. I see so many women who look stunning with grey hair. Then I wouldn't dye it.
I do think I'm going to go grey just at the crown, slowly and look kind of yucky though...

A reaction to P-Phenylenediamine (PPD) can occur even if you have been using the product for years. Every time you use something with P-Phenylenediamine in it you slowly develop a sensitivity. You may never get a reaction in your lifetime or you may be one of those unlucky.

Its the same with antibiotics and some other drugs. I took penicillin for years with no problem, until one time I got a reaction that sent me to the emergency room.

A *patch test* is different than a *strand test* that a hairdresser might use. Two different animals.

A patch test will test for allergic reaction since it is inevitable that dye will come in contact with the skin.

A strand test is to gauge how the product will work on different kinds of hair so that the timing and mix amounts are correct before doing the whole head of hair and voiding the possibility of ruining it or having all the hair fall out.

Here is a link that might be useful: A look at PPD reaction when dying hair.

wow dilly-dally, you're scaring me. The home packages do suggest both a patch and strand test. Hair falling out?? OMG.
So I should structure myself to know a couple days ahead of time and do the tests.

I've never done the allergy test at home and have never had it done at a salon either.

I'm not even going to click on the link-I don't want to know! Anyway, no pre-testing here. How about touch ups? Does anyone do that, or the full head of hair?? I do the full head always. It looks too complicated to do roots only.

Evatx brought up a good point. When a person gets their hair dyed at a salon, they certainly don't do a patch test 2 days beforehand. So why are they scaring us home-dyers?

Lisa....always do a full head of hair. With the cost of dyes, I want to use as much of the bottle as I can....not just the roots.

I go to the salon to have mine done. So no testing for me either.
Leslie

no I never pret-test but I have a question for everyone also.

Do you seem to lose more hair when you dye it than you would when shampooing regularly? I really need to dye my hair right now, but everytime I do, so much hair seems to fall out and it scares me, because I seem to lose alot of hair anyways! It always seems fine when it's all done and dry though.

I didn't mean to scare anyone, but to provide info so that one can make an informed choice with no horrific surprises.

I used to dye my hair and found that so much hair fell out the week following, that it was not a good idea for me to continue dyeing my hair. I remember reading Suzanne Sommers' autobiography where she tells how her famous off-center, top of the head, ponytail was actually created to cover a huge bald spot from hair coloring. I also had read that supposedly Ginger Rogers had to wear a wig because all her hair fell out from coloring and would not grow back. These gals had experts coloring their hair.

BTW, I never did a patch test and had no reaction to the dye.

The first time I got an allergic reaction was the very first time I went to a salon and had a professional do it. For years, I had been doing it at home with no problems but decided one day to treat myself at a salon.

My scalp blistered, my forehead, my cheeks, my neck. I looked like someone had thrown acid on me. It was awful and I ended up having to go to the doctor for some meds. I even posted about it on here.

Ever since that happened, I can no longer use hair dye. Thank goodness I am a redhead and can use natural Henna to cover the gray.

I didn't read the link but you can also go into anaphylactic shock and die in the most severe cases.

nope...never do the dye test...but i do rub on cocoa butter on my forehead and neck so the dye wont get to it!

I died my hair for about twenty years-every color, every brand, even double-process in a salon. Never did a dye test and never had any problems. I quit dying my hair because I got tired of all the fussing. Now I'm wash and wear.

Other than in cosmotology, I never did a patch test, and have never had one in a salon. In fact, I go tomorrow morning. Yes, you can loose your hair. Dilly dally is correct in everything she said. I have not kept up my license, so I am not up on the current stuff, but I doubt things have changed that much in regard to the chemicals they use. I loose a lot of hair all the time, and if I can remember to take Biotin, it helps. It has been recomended after surgery when the anesthetic has caused hair loss, also.

If you dye the whole head every time you do your hair, you are creating a tremendous build up on the hair shaft that doesn't need coloring. Get someone to help you do it if you don't want to pay for it at a salon, then every four or five times you do it, you can do the whole head if the color in the rest has faded a lot, if it hasn't faded, don't do it. A bottle with a pointed applicator tip makes it easy for a friend to do it. Just squirt it on and rub it thru the roots in small parts.

Tami

Tami, what can you tell me/us about Cellophane hair coloring products? They only coat the hair right? They do not lift color correct? No metallics? Do they cover gray? Build-up? I can't get a straight answer at the hair supply shops when I ask about them. The new salon I go to to get cut, has tried to talk me into Sebastian Colourshines but could not explain them to my satisfaction. I would prefer to color my hair myself due to the expense $$$$ and the fact that I trust myself better than a stranger to do it right. I've Googled for info but nothing comes up with the answers I need to make a decision.

I never have,never had any problems.

I'm not Tami nor am I a hairdresser but Cellophanes are generally colorless or barely tinted clear glazes. They will not cover gray as they are translucent. What they do is plump up the hair shaft,smooth the cuticle and give hair a shiny, healthy look. When hair color starts looking drab or dull but you don't want to recolor just yet, the glazes give it some new life. On uncolored hair they do the above. They do penetrate the hair shaft so they are not something that just washes away.

About 10 years ago I decided to color Main Man's hair. I just combed a little color in and left his side burns grey. I didn't cover the whole head. It looked great. Very natural.

Next time we decided to do the whole head. Oops! He woke up the next morning with his head stuck to his pillow. It was awful. His whole head was covered in blisters. It was awful. He had to go to the Doctor and get Meds.

Gayle

Dilly Dally, I can't answer your question. I've been out of the loop to long to even know what it is. Maybe Stacy or someone else will know. What Wildchild said makes sense, tho.

Tami

What wild child said is true. But even cellopanes have some degree of peroxide in them...something has to open the hairshaft up to get some color to stay. usually it is just like 5 or 10% in volume so not much...Stacy

Thanks for responding Tami. I don't like to put anyone on the spot or sound demanding.

Thanks Stacy, I did not know that about them having peroxide in them. I've Googled and Googled and get conflicting writing. Some say Cello is for vibrant color and some say it is subtle. Some say cover gray and some say it will take to gray differently than the rest of the hair. The sales people are no help even in the professional retail outlets.

I had one experience with Cellophane in a salon in the 80s. The hairdresser and I communicated well. The owner came over and tried to tell her she was doing it all wrong and to make a long story short my hair came out Ronald McDonald orange instead of burgundy. The hairdresser seemed irked with the owner and was mum about it. I was horrified with the results but the owner insisted it was perfect. I went back to complain since my job told me they were going to fire me unless I got rid of it (as if I liked it any better than they did). They couldn't get it all out and tried numerous things. I had faded dull orange hair until it grew out.

Despite that experience, I was thinking that if I did it myself I could do a good job of it. I just want the gray to blend in better and I thought a translucent color would do it. I tried researching it. I was thinking of a cool blond color to match my highlights.

I've never had a reaction, but I don't like using it. However, I hate grey hair even more, so I do it.

Yes, I do root touch ups. I guess I want to believe it's somehow better for your hair not to do the all-over all the time, but I really don't know.

Jenn - yes, I always seem to lose more hair when I'm washing out the color in the shower. It always scares me a bit.

I would love to believe I'd look good grey, but I'm pretty sure, by the looks of my roots, that it wouldn't be flattering at all. Plus, I have very thin, fine hair that seems to perk up after I color it. My MIL has the most beautiful silvery white, thick hair.

Sheryl

Been dyeing my hair for years with all different brands. Never done a pre-test or allery test. Never had a problem. I guess it would depend on if you have sensitive skin.