The colourful world of hair dye

By Ian Farrell2021-12-09T08:35:00

Red hair dye being applied to a woman's hair with a brush

Source: © PowerOfForever/Getty Images

How synthetic dye alters our natural hair colour

Humans have been colouring their hair since the stone age, according to some archaeologists. This article explores what gives us our natural hair colour, the historical origins of paraphenylenediamine (PPD) – still the main component of today’s permanent hair dyes – and how PPD works with other ingredients to produce the many hues available to us. And is this Victorian dye chemistry safe to use on our skin?

Thanks for using Education in Chemistry. You can view one Education in Chemistry article per month as a visitor.

A photograph of a teacher standing in a white lab coat, speaking with a class of children in a laboratory, is superimposed on a colourful background. Text reads "Teach Chemistry means support for classroom and staff room".

Register for Teach Chemistry for free, unlimited access

Registration is open to all teachers and technicians at secondary schools, colleges and teacher training institutions in the UK and Ireland.

Get all this, plus much more:

unlimited access to resources, core practical videos and Education in Chemistry articles
teacher well-being toolkit, personal development resources and online assessments
applications for funding to support your lessons

Set up your Teach Chemistry account

Already a Teach Chemistry member? Sign in now.

Not eligible for Teach Chemistry? Sign up for a personal account instead, or you can also access all our resources with Royal Society of Chemistry membership.