Hair Coloring FAQ #1 – The answer is an “NO.” There is no scientific evidence that hair coloring causes extra hair loss.

A bad color job, however, can cause hair breakage, which may be confused with extra hair loss.

The answer again is No. So many women (and men for that matter) with thinned hair and blame it on the color. It’s only when they started coloring that I have noticed my hair is thinner. This is coincidental; many women start coloring when their hair is turning gray, or when the color is not as vibrant.

They are often at the age, unfortunately, when the hair can begin to thin for other reasons, but they blame it on the coloring. Or, they start coloring their hair at a young age and notice the hair is thinner when they are in their 30s and 40s, again blaming coloring. But it would have thinned anyway.

Coloring can dry the hair — permanent color and bleach in particular.

While semi-permanent color doesn’t dry it out as much as permanent, repeated use can cause dry ends. Always use a moisture-balancing or moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. And a deep, moisturizing hair mask once or twice a week depending on the dryness. Always apply a leave-in conditioning cream (non-greasy) before blow-drying. And remember not to over-dry or over-brush.

Daily shampooing and conditioning will not dry your hair providing you choose the correct products.

Choose your color from the packet or swatch on display. Colors may change according to fashion, but the basic chemistry of coloring agents has not changed much over the years.

They all have similar ingredients, so there’s no point reading the label.

However, the best person to advise you is your hairdresser, and the best place to have hair color done is in a salon.

In the long term, permanent hair color is best, which may surprise you when you take into account the extra peroxide and ammonia it might contain. The reason is that permanent color should only be applied to the new hair growth at the roots, briefly overlapping with the previously dyed hair.

Semi-permanent color, on the other hand, is applied to the whole head each time, because of the more rapid fading.

Yes. All women want to look their best when they’re pregnant, and what better way to boost morale than to have your hair the way you want? We do recommend low-ammonia, paraben-free, and if you have access to a no-ammonia would be better.

There are recurring scares about hair coloring causing bladder cancer. The first was about 25 years ago and the latest in 2002. There were some studies that indicated a link, but none could be substantiated on humans.

Evidence that hair coloring is safe has been demonstrated in two major studies by the American Cancer Society and Harvard University.

There is a possibility, but not if you go about it correctly. All hair dye packaging recommends carrying out a skin patch test before using a colorant.

Apply the color to an area the size of a quarter, behind an ear or inner elbow. If, after 24 hours, there is no irritation, discomfort or redness, it is safe to color without risk of a rash or reaction.

When you read about people suffering severe allergic reactions, it is most likely that the patch-test warnings have been ignored in these cases.

Many women have existing flaky and itchy scalp conditions and blame their hair color. In my answer to question one, I mentioned an eight-month study I conducted to establish that hair coloring does not cause thinning or hair loss.

Coloring should definitely be avoided on scratched or very irritated skin conditions.

The obvious coloring agents to use in this case would be vegetable colors such as henna or chamomile. These have many disadvantages, though. The colors they produce are not natural-looking and they fade very quickly, leading to more frequent applications, unnatural colors and, ultimately, drier, brittle hair.

Also, in a similar way to semi-permanent colors, there is a continual overlap in application, leading to an unnatural appearance — particularly on the ends.