hair colour and psoriasis

I colour my hair without problem. My scalp was clear of psoriais for around 30-35 years, but flared up in February/march of this year. Before going to my usual salon I called them to warn them that I had psoriasis, I did not know if they knew what it was, and I did not want a problem. They asked me to come in before making a full appointment, and their senior stylist quickly inspected my scalp. They were familiar with psoriasis and I was not the first customer with it. The stylist noted that the scalp was very dry and flakey, but that there were only a few plaques. Particularly as they use ammonia free colour for me, they said they were happy to colour my hair, and I was comfortable to go ahead. I made an appointment and had my hair coloured a couple of days later by my usual stylist. I had no problem and no discomfort from the product, then or since. In addition I take my own shampoo in and asked them to use that to wash my hair (Alphacade). I can imagine that if your scalp is very raw, then depending on the product you might get discomfort or further irritation. Hopefully some other users will relate their own experiences also.

Thank you for your reply. I have had my hair coloured for many years and recently my psoriasis became irritated. I will discuss ammonia free hair colour with my hair stylist .

I was immediately reassured that the girl on reception and the stylist were fully familiar with what psoriasis was, and needed no particular explanation from me. Things have changed a lot compared to 35 years ago when I had to explain to people what it was and that it was not an infectious disease. I forgot to mention - they did carry out a patch test just behind my ear. Given that my skin had obviously changed recently they wanted to make sure that there was no particular reaction or change in sensitivity from previously (there wasn't). Good luck. I hope it works out well for you.

I've had psoriasis on my scalp since i was 18 (I'm now 63). My hair hasn't been it's natural (boring) colour since i was 13. In all those years hair dyes of all sorts have NOT affected the psoriasis. Obviously, as the skin can be a bit "raw", the dye might sting a bit more - but certainly not anything you can't cope with. In my experience, hairdressers are one of the few groups of people who actually know what psoriasis is and what it means - which makes life easier! The only "problem" with hair dye and psoriasis is ... the flakes that fall off for the first few days are hair dye colour instead of skin colour. But after a few days and a hair wash it's usually back to normal. Trying to feel as good about yourself as you can when you've got psoriasis is really important - and if having your hair a colour you like helps i think it is absolutely essential! Go for it!

Hi Sue, I have had my hair coloured for many years and I have had no problems until recently my scalp became irritated . My doctor advised me not to colour my hair until the psoriasis calms down. I have psoriasis in my scalp only. I am using a steroid cream at the moment so my scalp is getting better . Thank You

I've always noticed that my scalp looks and feels so much better after getting my hair dyed - especially if it's done at the hairdressers. It seems to tone my psoriasis down for a few weeks, for some reason.

Hi rose, I also have psoriasis in my scalp but get my hair coloured at the salon regularly normally just highlight but when I get a full head of colour my (with or without ammonia) my scalp usually clears up for a good few months. It does sting sometimes if I have raw broken skin but not for long and the end result is absolutely worth it! Not having to itch or scratch for a while 😃 and having fab hair!