Allergies are a growing problem, both for us hairdressers and our customers. Approximately 10% of the Swedish population has some form of contact allergy.

A contact allergy is not something you are born with, but rather something you develop through exposure to a substance. An allergic reaction can occur either the first time you are exposed to the substance or the hundredth time. An allergic reaction to hair dye does not occur until 24 hours after you are exposed to the substance and often manifests as swelling in the throat and face.
Just as we have different resistances to infections and viruses, we have different immune systems against allergens. The best way to avoid allergies is to avoid exposure to the substances we know cause them. The EU advises young people up to the age of 16 against dyeing their hair with traditional hair dye because the risk of developing an allergy is greater the earlier they are exposed to the substance. At Green Heads, we choose to exclude them completely.

Allergens are most often found in dyes, preservatives and fragrances. Many fragrances are allergenic, it does not matter whether they are naturally or synthetically produced. With the exception of the 26 most allergenic substances, fragrances do not have to be reported on a product's ingredients list.


Endocrine disruptors are exactly what they sound like, a substance that disrupts the body's hormonal system. Hormones control, among other things, metabolism, growth, salt and water balance, stress and reward systems, and reproduction.

Links have been found between endocrine disruptors and type 2 diabetes, obesity, hormone-related cancer, difficulty having children and brain development. When you hear that, it feels a shame that endocrine disruptors are not included in the EU's chemicals legislation.

They are also a bit extra complicated as they are much more difficult to set limit values ​​for than other substances, as low levels of the substance can more easily trigger physiological processes in the body, while higher levels do not.


Environmentally harmful substances negatively affect the environment in various ways. They can be toxic, persistent in nature or bioaccumulative (taken up and stored in living organisms).

Many of the substances used in hair care products are harmful to the environment and when they are rinsed out, they end up in city sewage treatment plants that are not built to receive and break down these harmful substances. When harmful chemicals end up in our waters, it disrupts the ecosystem in many different ways. Some substances can interfere with the reproduction or sexual development of certain species. Some substances do not break down but can be stored in animal tissues and then spread up the food chain.


 THE TOPICS WE AVOID ARE:

In the paint tube:
1-naphthol, substances with aminophenol in the name, 4-amino-2-hydroxytoulene, 3-nitro-p-hydroxyethylaminophenol, 4-amino-3-nitrophenol, substances with phenylenediamine in the name, substances with recorcinol in the name, substances with toulene-2,5-diamine in the name, 1-hydroxyethyl-4,5-diamino pyrazole sulfate, 4-amino-m-cresol, hydroxyethyl-3,4-methylenedioxyaniline HCl, HC red no1, HC red no3, Basic Blue 124, HC Orange no2

Preservatives:
 Formaldehyde and formaldehyde fractionates (DMDM Hydantoin, Quaternium-15, Diazolidinyl urea, Imidizolidinyl urea, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, 5-bromo-5-nitro-1,3-dioxane, Methenamine, Paraformaldehyde, Benzylhemiformal, Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate) Methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone

BHA, BHT. Substances with paraben in the name.

 Other topics:
 All substances with phthalate in the name,
Microplast, (Polyethylene (PE), Polyethylene Tere-phthalate (PET), Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) 6-,hydroxyindole, benzophenone-2, Dihydroxyindole, hydroxyethyl-3,4-methylenedioxyaniline HCl, isatin, isopropyl cloprostenate, octyl methoxycinnamate, phenyl methyl pyrazolone. Cyclotetrasiloxane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Cyclomethicone, Thioglycolic or thioglycolate, Octyl methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate