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UK hairdressers warn of post-Covid allergic reactions to dye

September 24, 2021

Hairdressers in the United Kingdom are reporting an increase in clients experiencing rashes or burns from hair dyes if they've previously had coronavirus. 

Gemma Mitchell has been going to the same hair salon for years but despite choosing the same hair colour and dye, she says her skin changed after she contracted Covid-19. 

"It was really itchy, really sore and it started to get worse. I was thinking oh my goodness, I'm actually reacting to this patch test," she told BBC. 

Mitchell's reaction to the hair dye progressively worsened over time, eventually resulting in her losing layers of skin. 

Another hair salon said reactions have been so severe that one client had to be rushed to hospital, prompting her to start patch testing all clients who have had the virus.  

"The rash was on her neck and it started to creep upwards until it was actually quite aggressive," Techniques Hair and Beauty's Charlotte Baker said. 

Woman changing hair color

Some scientists believe the reactions could be linked to coronavirus but say many other illnesses can affect your immune system and cause reactions. 

"Now we need to start thinking about long Covid and somewhere down that list we have to start thinking about these changed allergic responses," Imperial College London's Professor of Immunology Danny Altmann told BBC.   

"What it means is that you may have been reprogrammed, if you like, compared to what you knew before... All bets are off and you have to rethink what your allergies might be."

Whether it's hair dye or maybe something else, studies are now being carried out into whether allergic responses are being affected by Covid-19. 

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