I have had a couple of people asking me about methylisothiazolinone free hair dye. The answer is that although I don’t know a lot about hair dyes, I don’t think that many of them contain methylisothiazolinone or methylchloroisothiazolinone in either the colour shade or the activator. But quite a lot of them also include a conditioner, and this is often preservered with our troublesome friends.
A good example is the big selling nice’n easy range from Clairol. The conditioner that comes with the pack is really good, so I wouldn’t advise the majority of people who don’t have a problem with MI/MCI to avoid it. But if you are unlikely enough to react to them, there is nothing to stop you using another conditioner that suits you when you get to that stage.
This advice of course applies to all hair dyes, not just the Clairol one. That just happened to be on my desk when the query came in.
I am getting quite a few posts about methyisothiazolinone free products. Here are few more.
Methylchloroisothiazolinone/Methylisothiazolinone (aka Kathon CG)
Methylchloroisothiazolinone/Methylisothiazolinone free products
Hi Colin,
Thanks for the tips. I like hair dye free from this powerful preservative agent. I’ve heard that there was a study showed that MIT causes allergies and considered as cytotoxic. It’s really scary.
Hi Laura, thanks for the comment. Most preservatives look scary when you look at their properties, but it is important to remember that they are used at vanishingly small levels. MIT doesn’t really cause many people much of a problem which is why it gets used so much. As to its being cytotoxic, well it has to kill the germs somehow. Cytotoxic simply means that it kills cells, so on that basis jam (or jelly if you are in America) is also cytotoxic. There are quite a lot of other cytotoxins we come into contact with everyday. The level of this preservative in a product is likely to be in the region of a few tens per million at most. It really is very safe.
I agree, Colin – the conditioner in the Clairol Hair Dye is totally fantastic. The best one of all the non-natural hair conditioners by far. If you have very dry, frizzy hair then this will make your day and leave your hair soft, manageable and glossy.
I HAVE BEEN USING ON A REGULAR BASIS THE AUSSIE RANGE OF SHAMPOOS AND CONDITIONERS AND ALSO THE NICE AND EASY CONDITIONER YOU MENTION. IN THE LAST 2 WEEKS MY SCALP HAS BEEN QUITE PAINFUL FROM NEEDLE LIKE SENSATIONS AND EXTREMELY ITCHY AND CONSEQUENTLY GETTING INFLAMED FROM THE ODD MOMENTS I LET MY GUARD DOWN TO RUB THE AWFUL SENSATION AWAY. WHAT CAN I DO TO ALLEVIATE THIS PAINFUL PROBLEM/ALLERGY THAT HAS BEEN CAUSED BY EITHER OF THE ABOVE?
MANY THANKS.
AS ABOVE
HAVE BEEN USING OVER SEVERAL YEARS AUSSIE RANGES OF SHAMPOOS AND CONDITIONERS AND JUST RECENTLY THE CONDITIONER BELONGING TO THE NICE AND EASY COLOUR RANGE. FOR THE LAST 2 WEEKS MY SCALP IS INFLAMED, STINGING AND EXTREMELY ITCHY WHICH IS QUITE PAINFUL. WHAT CAN I DO TO ALLEVIATE THIS PROBLEM. HAVE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURES AND THEY ARE NOT ACCEPTING ANY RESPONSILITY FOR MY PROBLEM.
MANY THANKS
I have just received an email from Procter and Gamble ( who make Clairol Nice N Easy hair dyes).. The email states that ” Checking the ingredients in our Nice n Easy Colour Activating Cream MI is listed in the ingredients so we would not recommend that you use this”. They also say we can ” confirm that MI is included in the Clairol Nice’n’Easy hair dye conditioner in permanent and non- permanent products. As the conditioner is the same in all shades of each range , unfortunately this means that they are not suitable for you to use.
What I have found out is that our Aussie Miracle Color Insurance conditioner is MI free. If you really want to use a Nice n Easy dye, you could try this as an alternative to the Nice’n’Easy conditioner. It has not been specifically designed for this purpose and is not as intensive a conditioner as the colour seal gloss ”
I’m guessing this means the only thing that does not contain MI in the Nice N Easy packet is the dye itself ( although if you cannot “activate” it – I am not sure what use even this is!)
As stated you cannot use the hair dye without the cream activator, which contains
Methylisothiazolinone, which I think has caused my face and hair allergy,
Do hope clairol come up with a solution soon.
Please let me know if there is a perm that does not have the Methylisothiazolinone in it. I have a severe allergy to this, it took over a year to finally find out what it was. Also, is there a possibility that with the allergy to this does it age your skin more rapidly?
Thanks,
Annette
Loved Nice n Easy, but the fact that MI is in the activator explains why I cannot use it even with another conditioner…… Anyone got any hair dye without MI? Belle Color was okay, but now discontinued……