Monday 16 January 2017

How to Hide Greys When You're Allergic to Hair Dye - My Experience With Goldwell Elumen

If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll probably know that I'm allergic to hair dye, or more specifically, to PPD, the active ingredient in hair dye. I don't want to waffle on and on about the ins and outs of hair dye allergy in this post (although if you're interested in that, I waffled on and on about it here!) Instead, I want to share a recent experience with you - one that could be helpful to anyone who's looking to disguise grey hairs, especially if you happen to be allergic to dye, like me.

Goldwell Elumen Review 1

The fact that I couldn't dye my hair was never really an issue for me until I started to develop greys. I wasn't interested in going all the colours of the rainbow, but when the greys came along, I wanted them gone quick sharp. Remember that L'Oreal advert where Julianna Margulies says, "I will ALWAYS be too young to be grey"? Yep, that. I'm sure plenty of people can relate!

So what do you do when you have grey hairs but can't colour over them? Well, as a matter of fact, for anyone with greys, it's always going to be more effective to get highlights rather than trying to dye them. As a hairdresser once explained to me, grey hairs are funny little buggers, completely different in texture to pigmented hair, and even strong, permanent dyes have a tendency to wash out of them within just a few weeks. Of course you can keep re-dyeing them if you want to, but it's high maintenance.


Highlights, on the other hand, create depth and dimension within the hair, and as soon as you get that mix of shades, the greys just seem to blend away. With nothing to wash out of them, you're basically sorted until the roots grow through. You can lighten hair with bleach - a completely different chemical process to dyeing and one which I am happily not allergic to. So for a good few years now, I've used bleach only highlights to disguise my grey hairs.

At first, this was fine, but there were always a few little niggles at the back of my mind. For one thing, most people who have highlights don't have them with just bleach, and there are very good reasons for that. Bleach will lift your natural colour, but not usually to a shade you want to be. With "normal" non-allergic clients, hairdressers use toners or dyes over the top of bleach to achieve the desired shade, and some won't even want to touch your hair if they have to work with bleach alone. I was very fortunate that I found a talented and experienced colourist who would, and that bleach - at least in his expert hands - seemed to lift my hair to quite a nice shade without the help of toners or other colourants. However, not having any sort of choice over your own hair colour is still not ideal.

The second problem, which is potentially a lot worse, is what happens if things start getting a bit too blond? Most people can just add some lowlights or even dye the whole lot back to their natural colour, but if you have a PPD allergy, you can't do this. My first colourist, Shane, understood this issue, and was always careful to give me just enough highlights to disguise my greys. This is what my hair used to look like when he was in charge of my colour, and I was always very happy with it.

Goldwell Elumen Review 3

Then Shane left. Left the salon, left town, left the bloody country. Walked out of my life and abandoned me to deal with my hair issues on my own.

Damn you Shane!

My next colourist, unfortunately, was not in the same league. She freaked out about not being able to use toners on me, and decided that the only way to keep my hair from being brassy (a common complaint when you lift with bleach alone) was to make it as light as possible. She did this by leaving the bleach on a lot longer than Shane had done, and was also not very careful about only doing my roots. I, stupidly perhaps, did nothing to stop her, and I ended up looking like this.

Goldwell Elumen Review 4

Now I'm aware that a lot of people might actually prefer this colour. It's cooler toned than what I had before, which is always infinitely more fashionable. I, however, hated it. I felt it looked harsh on me, and I really missed my warm, caramel tones. It was also a lot more damaging to my hair, impossible to manage, and the worst thing was it got blonder and more damaged with every appointment, because she just wasn't careful enough with where she was putting the bleach. Also, just look at those roots!

I was now in my nightmare situation, with hair that was too light, and unable to do anything about it. 

But then, I heard about Goldwell Elumen. (Just to be clear, I heard about it from my own research and paid for my appointment with my own money - this is not a sponsored post.) Elumen is a kind of dye that colours hair physically instead of chemically (don't ask me how this works, but it does! If you're interested, you can read all about Goldwell Elumen and the science behind it here.) Because it uses different technology, there's no nasty active PPD contained within it, and as a patch test confirmed, I'm not allergic to it! Yay!


Goldwell Elumen Review 6

Image Source

Goldwell Elumen is usually used to create rainbow colours, so if you're into mermaid/unicorn hair, it's well worth checking out. However, they also have a range of regular shades, including warm honey blondes. I found a salon near me that worked with it, and explained my situation to my new colourist, Lauren. She chose two shades - one to act as a low light to break up the excessive lightness throughout my hair, and the other slightly lighter to use as a toner on the rest. The finished result looked like this, and I couldn't be happier with it.


While Goldwell Elumen is apparently not the best at covering greys, it holds on to bleached hair beautifully, so it's perfect for me to use as a toner. A completely unexpected bonus is that my hair is also a lot softer and shinier after using this, and it seems to be lasting really well too.

I'm definitely going to keep on using Goldwell Elumen, and would recommend that anyone who's allergic to PPD or is just looking for a gentler hair colourant gives it a try.

Do you colour your hair? What's your preferred brand?

Kate x
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44 comments

  1. Despite not greying (just yet) this was such an interesting read! I've never tried dying my hair but I have super sensitive skin so I expect my skin will flare with it too! Your hair is looking gorgeous... who needs Shane?! haha!

    Style Sunrise☀

    :)
    x

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    1. Aw thanks Karen - there is life after Shane! Glad you found it interesting and who knows, it might prove useful one day too! x

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    2. Kate,This is great for someone who has true gray hair… Steel gray etc. but what do you suggest for someone who has white hair? You cannot bleach white hair And I am super frustrated trying to find a solution. I to believe I am allergic to PPD. I dyed my hair black for 20 years. Suddenly became allergic. Then tried a blonde dye since it has the least amount of PPD. That worked for about a year and then I started having itching and burning with it so I stopped. Then I tried full head highlights which was OK on the first time but the second time the colorist used lighter blonde and I left with 1 inch of white roots. Nobody wants to figure out the solution for you… No one wants to be bothered because it’s not their problem. It’s super frustrating. I was about to try Henna but I am worried that it won’t cover my gray - and it didn’t with a few gray hairs are use a solution on for four hours. I also think I was allergic to that. I’m just super frustrated. Any ideas? I would try Elumen but a colorist also told told me like you said that it doesn’t work well in grays unless you do crazy colors.

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  2. I am not devoted to one brand, but I started Olaplex about a year ago and it has made a big difference in keeping my hair healthy despite the bleach.

    Linda, Libra, Loca: Beauty, Baby and Backpacking

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    1. I keep hearing good things about Olaplex - I really must look into it! x

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  3. This was so interesting to read. Your hair definitely looks much better in last picture.
    Nina
    Nina's Style Blog

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  4. You look amazing! So glad you found a product you can get on with! Woohoo!
    Angie
    www.chocolateandlipstick.com

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  5. I think your hair looks great but it must be so difficult to manage without being able to use dye <3

    Gisforgingers xx

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    1. Thank you! I'm used to it, but I must admit I do get envious when I see people browsing the hair colour aisle in Boots - I can't use any of that! x

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  6. I remember you writing about this issue before Kate, I could never find anyone else who would relate to my issue! I'm severely allergic to PPD, too and can't color my hair anymore. My dermatologist suggested I try dyes from health foods stores that are PPD-free, but I'm so paranoid. It's strange because I didn't always have the allergy, I just developed it after years of going to the hair salon. I can also relate to the struggle of finding a good hair stylist who really understands how to deal with my allergy. My current one who cuts my hair is the best one I've ever had, but she has yet to color my hair, as I don't think she knows too much about dealing with such severe allergy.

    Thank you SO much for this post, I just looked them up and they have a salon about 4 miles from my house! I don't really miss coloring my hair but I'm craving going a little darker so it's so nice to know that it's possible without me choking and my entire head and eyes swelling haha! Thank you so much for sharing your experience!!

    Paula
    Thirteen Thoughts

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    1. Paula I'm so happy if this was helpful to you! I didn't start out allergic either - my allergy developed quite quickly, but the very first time I used a dye it was fine. I've tried a couple of dyes from health food stores. The semi permanent was fine, but more of a colour wash than anything else and rinsed out super quickly. I was allergic to the permanent one - it didn't contain PPD, but a different chemical that is very similar.

      Let me know how you get on if you do try the Elumen - really hope it works well for you! x

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  7. I have started getting a few grey hairs recently and have found myself having to dye it more often. Thankfully my hairdresser is really good at looking after the condition of my hair too as I know from experience how quickly it can deteriorate! Your hair looks lovely and the colour is perfect :) I'm glad you have found a brand and a hairdresser that works well for you x

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    1. Good hairdressers are worth their weight in gold! Thank you so much! x

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  8. This was a great read. Although I don't have that allergy I still find the article quite interesting as I have a few annoying little greys too. I'm glad you found something that you are able to use. Your hair looks great btw!

    Face to Curls | http://facetocurls.com

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    1. Thanks Ann-Marie, glad you found it interesting! x

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  9. Thank you thank you you..i found this after googling for the last 8 weeks pretty much. Have acquired a dye allergy (contact irritant dermatitis only so far) at 40..lucky me...just patch tested original mineral that has tds but no good still reacted. My stylist who is amazing and very understanding has recommended foiling going lighter ( im a level 5 i think with ombre lower down) . I have probably 60-70% greys through my top part and not as much ever where else but is very noticable on my dark hair. Foiling and toning with elumen once i patch test and all is ok is my only real next option. This is freaking me out as ive never been blonde but she does try to convince me they have more fun ha ha....really is a very annoying thing to become allergic to !!!!!

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    1. It certainly is, and I'm so glad if this post was useful to you! I'm allergic to TDS too - apparently something like 80% of people who are allergic to PPD are also allergic to TDS, so they offer it as a PPD free option but it's not helpful to the vast majority of people who need one. I couldn't be happier with the results using Elumen so I really hope it works out for you too. x

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  10. Would you happen to know the colors your hairdresser used to achieve your final look? It is stunning.

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    1. I don't I'm afraid, but I will ask her next time I get my hair done, and report back, hopefully within the next couple of weeks! x

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  11. To Anonymous, not sure if you will see this as your comment ended up as a reply to someone else and I'm not able to reply to you directly. However, in case you check back and do see this, I'm sorry you are experiencing hair dye allergy, it is no fun whatsoever!

    I'm not sure how much white hair you have, but all grey hairs are white really, we just call them grey because that's what they look like mixed in with the rest of our hair. When I talk about bleaching and using elumen as a toner, it's over my natural mid-brown hair as highlights, and the highlights are what disguise the greys (or whites!) in my hair, just because of the mix of tones. I hope that makes sense.

    However, it's true that if your hair is mostly white, you are then looking at needing to lowlight rather than highlight, and applying elumen to white hair (as opposed to bleached pigmented hair) is apparently not so effective. I would say that it is worth experimenting with though. The colour might take, and it might take better after a few applications. I have no experience of this situation myself, but my personal feeling is that every avenue is worth exploring. Maybe one of the darker natural colours would be more effective? I'm sorry that I cannot be more helpful as I don't yet have that level of unpigmented hair to disguise. I really hope you find a solution. x


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  12. Hi! I'm wondering what color your hair stylist used for your lowlights. My stylist just gave be really blonde highlights and toned with sv@10. I know eventually she'll need to add in some lowlights. PS-I heard a rumor that they might be discontinuing the "natural" colors of elumen. I really hope not!!!

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    1. I don't I'm afraid, I keep forgetting to ask her. It's a mid brown shade if that's any use - close to my natural colour which is kind of chestnut brown. I haven't heard that rumour - I too hope it isn't true but of course this is always a possibility with any brand or product. If it did happen I would go back to my bleach only highlights, and make sure I had a colourist who took really good care to keep them minimal! And in the meantime I would look for an alternative product. x

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  13. Thank-you for this! I am searching still for something I am not allergic to. My hairdresser used Chi and I found I am just as allergic to ptd and the ppd. My daughter's friend is a great hairdresser and she tried ppd free Natulique. It has the lowest amount of ptd in it. But, I am still itching from that but not as bad. I am really tired of itching. I am so paranoid now but in the next couple of weeks will need a touch up so really need to decide what to do. I read about Elumen in the past. I am thinking this might be worth trying.

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    1. I really hope it works for you Joanne - good luck! x

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    2. Hi Joanne,
      If you try and send us a message of have your hairdressers do it, we have a few tips and tricks for people with extra sensitive scalps. We cannot have you run around with your scalp itching – that's just not sustainable.
      Elumen might also work for you – but be careful about the 'Lock' part since you sound quite sensitive.
      All the best <3

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  14. Hi Kate was just wondering how you are going with Elumen? I am looking at a ppd free hair dye and was going to give it a go. Any news of Goldwell discontinuing the natural Range?

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    1. Hello Pia, it's still working great for me, and I haven't heard anything about it being discontinued. I last had my hair coloured a month ago and my hairdresser didn't mention anything. x

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    2. Thanks Kate. I was also wondering if your colourist uses the lock on you and if you find it ok on your scalp? Loving your blog x

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    3. Thank you! It's funny you ask this as until my most recent visit I had no idea what the "lock" was, and didn't know if they used it on me, however I can now confirm that they do and it's fine for my scalp! x

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    4. Just came across this and as you a from the UK I thought you might be interested it in. The company is also looking at coming up with a natural hair dye using ribena
      http://drcraft.co.uk
      https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2018/05/200478/dyeing-hair-blackcurrant

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    5. This was really interesting Pia, thank you for sharing! In the years since I discovered my allergy, and even more since I wrote this post, it seems that there is much more of a trend toward natural products than there used to be, and this can only be good news for us allergy sufferers. x

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  15. Hi, I was wondering if you could provide the salon name or contact details for the salon that provide the elumen service. As not many salons do. Would be very helpful. Many thanks.

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    1. Hi there, the salon I use is Salon Boutique at the Dome leisure centre in Doncaster. However, there is a salon finder on the Goldwell site - https://www.goldwell.co.uk/salonfinder/ - and there is an option to search for salons that work with Elumen. x

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  16. Do you foil the Goldwell in or do you use it all over? My stylist foiled it in for the first time 6 weeks ago and I had no problems but I think I want more coverage this time so I am having her do it all over. I'm a little nervous since I haven't had any color added directly to my head in a very long time but I have done the skin test and I had no reaction. Also does your stylist use heat? I've read it both ways.

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  17. Did you find out what shades your hairdresser used? Allergic to ppd/tds also

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    1. Hi there, so sorry it has taken me so long to reply on this. It’s such an old blog post now and I sometimes forget that the comments are still active here. I have BK@9 as the blonde shade and BG@7 as a lowlight. Having had the combination for some time now, my hair looks a little darker and more golden than in the photo here. X

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  18. Hi Kate, I'm so glad that I found your blog. I discovered recently that I'm allergic to PPD. I have been dyeing my hair for 20 years. I was looking into the option to use Elumen. But in darker colors. Your idea of using it as a toner is brilliant. I have found a salon near me that do use Elumen line for Goldwell.
    Fingers crossed it will work for me. I have tried so many semi-permanent eyes but nothing cover greys. Going lighter would be the best route for me too.
    I will keep you posted.

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    1. Hi there, I'm so glad if this post was helpful! Best of luck with the Elumen and do stop by here again and let me know how it goes! x

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  19. Hi Kate, dunno how to thank you cuz I've been going through a lot in the past few years, and I've being doing my researches on google but dunno how I've never found this amazing blog before!! Kate you have no idea how much this blog means to me and everyone who suffers from PPD allergy, I'm only 29 and already 30% of my hair is grey!!!!!! I've been avoiding friends gatherings weddings and even going on dates, and I try to hide my hair as much as I can cuz people won't stop feeling sorry for my grey hair and giving me suggestions that I've already tried but they just embarrass me by asking me over and over! And I hate henna so so so much I made it my last choice with this struggle. My question is: with Elumen hair dye, why did you choose the blonde color? Is it because you're allergic to the dark colors or you just like the blond hair? I'm gonna give it a try pray for me :(

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    1. Hi! I know just what you're going through and I'm so happy if this has been useful for you. I don't know why Elumen isn't pushed more as a great PPD free alternative, but I suppose so much of it has to do with the fact that the vast majority of people don't need one.

      As to why I went with blonde - yes, I do like having blonde hair, I find it is the most flattering on me as I age (I'm 40 now) and I also find it's the best way to disguise grey hairs. You can dye over them with dark colours if you prefer, but even the strong permanent ones tend to wash out of grey hairs within a few weeks, which would make it a bit too high maintenance for me. Highlights produce more of a mix of colours which keeps the grey hairs disguised so all you need to worry about is the roots.

      When I first wrote this post, my hair was quite a bit lighter because prior to discovering Elumen, it had been bleached to within an inch of its life! Now, it's a little darker. My hairdresser puts highlights through my hair using bleach (gentler than I was having before) and alternates this with a mid brown lowlight, before using a honey blonde shade as a toner. I have had no problems with reactions to either shade although I have never been tested for anything darker than mid brown.

      Best of luck trying Elumen, my fingers are crossed for you! x

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