Beloved readers, every so often I get to warn you about potential hazards to your health.
This has one of the most TOXIC levels of PPD you can find in most dyes on the market!!
It can dry your hair out, as it DOES have peroxide in it –it forms during the process when two of the ingredients mix– thus they don’t have to list it on the box.
It WILL give you jet black hair but, it will be matte, with no tone what so ever, and this dye does not like to be mixed with bleach or chemical dyes. It stains the cuticle, instead of “invading” it so, it cannot be lifted.
Again, even if this is a Holy Grail beauty product for you –PROTECT YOUR HEALTH!
Cute hair is not worth slowly poisoning yourself and multiplying your risk for a disease as emotionally and physically cruel as Cancer.
With that typed and read, I can gush about one thing: The gorgeous design of the box. I just love the clash of colors and retro look.
Ingredients: sodim perborate, cellulose gum, P-Phenylenendiamine sulfate, m-aminophenol, sodium carbonate, disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate, magnesium stearate, fragrance, O-Aminophenol, P-Aminophenol.
oddly enough my mom uses this dye all the time with no problems. on the other hand, her hair is loc’d and her main reason for using it is to cover the stray grey hairs on her head (she has jet black hair).
that toxic issue is something else though. thanks for the heads up.
Glad to be of service. ^_^
Thanks for all these thorough reviews
When I went on their site they were claiming that the product has no ammonia and the process doesn’t “require” hydrogen peroxide. There are also claims that there are no harsh chemical smells (not that scent is everything…).
I was skeptical because I heard that PPD is in a lot of commercial dyes, but I thought…maybe this will be a good way for my mum to cover her grays… I guess not?
P.S. I will e-mail them and see if I can get an ingredients list and compare it to the one you posted above. I know that packaging has changed dramatically but I don’t know about the formula *frown*
I’d love to know their reply! Keep us posted, dear!
I asked them for an ingredients list and mentioned I had heart that their product produces hydrogen peroxide when it is mixed with water.They didn’t answer the question of whether hydrogen peroxide is produced during the mixing of powder and water…
>>> For Bigen permanent hair color (Powder):
>>>
>>> The main ingredients of Bigen are:
>>>
>>> Phenylendiamine: Oxidizing colorant
>>> Gets oxidized and takes on color of choice in hair shaft
>>>
>>> Sodium Perborate: Oxydizer
>>> Oxidizes colorant, No bleaching power
>>>
>>> Cellulose Gum: Viscosity Controller
>>> Gives mixture moderate viscosity to prevent drip-off
>>>
>>> Sodium Carbonate:Ph Adjuster
>>> Balance ph value of mixture to mild alkali.
>>>
>>> Full list of ingredients are at the bottom of the boxes depending on each individual color.
>>>
>>> Ammonia and Hydrogen Peroxide are not contained in Bigen. However, the ingredients of Bigen permanent color does contain Phenylendiamine, which can cause an allergic reaction to some skin types. It is recommended that you perform a 48 hour skin /patch test every time before usingv this product, to see if your skin is allergic to the ingredients or not.
>>>
>>>
>>> For Bigen semi permanent hair color: (Liquids)
>>>
>>> The main ingredients are:
>>> Honey
>>> Beewax
>>> Sun Flower
>>> Shea Butter
>>>
>>> The ingredients are listed on the back of the bottle. There is a “peel tab” on the lower right side of the label, peel it back to see the ingredients.
>>>
>>> Bigen semi permanent hair color blends the color of the hair with les than 50% Gray, usually last 2 to 3 weeks. It is recommended that you perform a 48 hour skin /patch test, just in case your skin is allergic to one of these natural ingredients.
This is great to know. I have found other sites noted that Hydrogen Peroxide is produced when this is mixed, allowing them to technically say they do not use Peroxide. Either way, the amount of Phenylendiamine in this is worrisome enough. Thank you, for taking the time to do this! Take care!
No problem! Would you like another?
I asked them again (politely of course!) to address the concern of hydrogen peroxide being formed when the powder is mixed with water. Btw how exactly is the hydrogen peroxide a concern (I know that honey can from hydrogen peroxide and lighten the hair, but I mean… it HONEY) is it the potential damage to hair strands. I have heard concern about hydrogen peroxide before but never looked into why exactly it’s a problem
Here was their response:
> Thank you for your response and concern.
>
> Hydrogen peroxide is not produced by mixing the powder and water, The instructions shown on the box indicates “No Hydrogen peroxide required”.
“No hydrogen peroxide required” isn’t as clear as they make it seem. Putting that phrase on the box implies to me that the consumer doesn’t have to add hydrogen peroxide it does not mean there isn’t any formed by the product :S
Would you please be able to show me the websites that talk about this? My mum really wants to cover her grays in the next week or so (no openings at the salon and she is getting braids) and she was not impressed with how long the last box colour we tried was. (I think it was Garnier or was it Clairol…)
So are they lying to me?
FOUND ONE! You can read all about it here.
Whoops! I didn’t read your previous response properly. Does this mean that drugstore box colours have less Phenylendiamine. I hope at some point to use henna and indigo on her hair. However we would have to ship it in so due to the time crunch we have to use a store bought colour this go around.
Thanks for your response
See my other reply, for a link for more information!
Thanks =)
Aarrgh!!! I was going to try using it for my gray strands. Dodged a bullet. Thanks for the warning!
Is there ANY safe way to colour hair aside from indigo and henna?
My mum might end up going with Bigen or some other box colour because she needs it within a week and stuff ordered online won’t come in time :S
I responded to your post here. Take Care!