Dyeing My Hair With Psoriasis

I just renewed my wedding vows of 25 years. Of course, I had to be cleaner than the board of health. The most important thing believe it or not was my hair. This was a very important part of the event for me.

I am in my sixties, so I do have “some” gray hair. Unfortunately, I have had scalp psoriasis for over 6 decades. Some episodes have really been a doozy where it has brought tears to my eyes. Almost as bad as getting a perm, which I gave up years ago.

One thing I have said for years is that the only thing I liked old is money, so seeing gray hairs is not for me. Of course, this is me. I want to give you a few tips on coloring your hair. This might not work for everyone, but it did for me. These are a couple of things I do to help stop a flare-up. Trust me, it’s no fun getting a flare-up and having scalp irritation on top of that.

Dyeing my hair with psoriasis

First off, I never dye my own hair anymore. I did this in my younger days and didn’t have good results at all. I have a stylist who is familiar with scalp psoriasis. If you don’t, make sure to tell them you have psoriasis. Maybe you’re not having a flare, but not doing this properly could cause a flare. My stylist puts Vaseline on my scalp, so the dye won’t irritate it too much. Make sure she hits your neck and ears as well.

If you have ever had problems with hair dyes in the past, look up the ingredients in them. Some of these can cause bad reactions. Years ago I remember getting my hair dyed and it burned so bad that it had to be washed out immediately. I believe the product I used had peroxide in it and boy did it burn.

What I've learned about hair dye

Something that I do now and didn’t know we could do back in the day is a patch test. We need this. My stylist had me put a dot of dye on my forearm, put a band-aid on it, and wait 2 days. If you don’t see anything after a couple of days, you should be okay. I would not try putting color on your scalp if you are having a flare, under no circumstances. It can burn. Been there, done that.

I tried henna but was told not to get black henna. I learned this the hard way. It turned my hair red. Some boxes say natural on the box, but they can contain chemicals. Make sure you read the label. One other important thing to keep in mind; if you are counting on having your hair colored for a specific event (say, before a wedding), make doubly sure to follow the above steps to prevent a flare that could spoil your good time.

Finally, if you’re not currently under a physician’s care for your psoriasis, now may be a good time to make an appointment.  A number of new, more effective medications are available for psoriasis now, especially if your doctor has been unsuccessful at managing symptoms in the past.