When To Dye My Hair After My Hair Transplant

Before your hair transplant surgery, you should ask your surgeon when you can dye your hair after your hair transplant procedure. The best time to dye your hair usually varies depending on the individual’s treatment plans. Some people can recover faster within a month after the hair transplant surgery while others may take a longer recovery period. But ideally, it is recommended to wait at least 2 months after your FUE hair transplant Malaysia surgery before dyeing your hair.

Remember to be extra careful when colouring your hair as it can impact the future growth of your transplanted hair follicles.

Why Can’t I Dye My Hair Right After Surgery?

It is essential to know exactly when you can colour your hair after a hair transplant. To ensure the success of your hair transplant, certain precautions must be taken before dyeing your hair.  It is utmost important to avoid any damage to your newly transplanted hair so you have to wait until it is safe to dye your hair. You have to take into consideration 2 important factors such as the importance of waiting and the impact of dyeing on your newly transplanted follicles.

The Importance of the Waiting Period

Why can’t you colour your hair after your surgery? You can but you must wait at least 4 weeks after your surgery. It is highly recommended to all patients to wait 8 weeks to ensure a higher success rate of getting a full head of newly grown hair before you can safely colour your hair.  This is because most hair dyes sold in the market contain many harsh chemicals such as bleaching agents and harmful peroxides. If you dye your hair too soon after a hair transplant, you risk causing extensive damage to your scalp as well as your delicate and fragile hair follicles. To help you achieve the best results in getting a fully restored head of hair, you must follow religiously the correct aftercare and recovery guidelines including when you can dye your hair.

The Impact of Dyeing on Transplanted Hair Follicles

After a hair transplant, colouring your hair requires extra caution. The harsh chemicals in the hair dyes can inhibit the scalp’s natural healing process and irritate the scalp which has become hyper-sensitive due to the operation. Wait at least a month before colouring. Better still to be on the safe side, wait until 2 months have passed. Use safer, organic and less harmful hair dyes as recommended by your doctor. Research products that are compatible with your skin type and scalp condition. Remember to be extra careful when colouring your hair as it can impact the future growth of your transplanted hair follicles.

What About Dyeing Your Hair Before Hair Transplant Surgery?

Can you dye your hair just before your hair transplant surgery? If you regularly dye your hair for instance every month, you might want to colour your hair just before your surgery. Well, all specialists will never recommend you to do this. In fact, you should avoid dyeing your hair at least 4 weeks before your surgery. Why is this so? The main reason is most hair dyes are harmful to your hair and scalp. All the more you should not colour your hair before the surgery.  If you still insist on doing so, you may use an organic and peroxide-free hair dye with the consultation and knowledge of your surgeon.

The Best Time to Dye Your Transplanted Hair

After your hair transplant surgery, the donor area (where the hair follicles have been grafted for your hair transplant) will be very tender and sensitive. Moreover, the grafted hair follicles in the recipient area will be extremely fragile. So you must religiously follow all the aftercare guidelines such as how and when to wash your hair but especially when to even colour your hair.

When should you dye your hair?  Once your transplanted hair starts to grow back, it is safe to colour your hair. Wait until 4 weeks after your surgery. Preferably, wait until 8 weeks have passed. Ideally, avoid dyeing your hair as long as possible. Why such a long waiting period? This is because your hair transplant takes about 7-14 days to heal. During this healing period, no chemicals should be applied on your head. Your scalp will be irritated by these harsh chemicals. Your fragile transplanted hair will be badly affected as it is still weak and vulnerable.  So, the best time really depends on 2 important factors such as the type of hair transplant technique used and the condition of your hair and scalp before dyeing.

Considering the Type of Hair Transplant Used

After a hair transplant surgery, the best time to colour your hair will depend on the type of technique used for your hair transplant. For instance, if Follicular Unit Transplantation [FUT] is used, then it is quite safe to dye your hair after 4-6 weeks post-surgery. This is because FUT does not damage the existing hair follicles. But if Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is used, it is recommended to wait at least 8 weeks before colouring your hair.

Furthermore, it is advisable to use ammonia-free dye or Henna-based hair colouring products for extra safety and precaution. Even prior to the surgery, all patients are advised not to bleach or dye their hair for a few weeks as an additional precautionary measure.

Examining the Hair and Scalp Before Dyeing

It is crucial to examine carefully your scalp and new hair growth before colouring it post-surgery.  It is advisable to wait at least 4 weeks for the settling, healing and strengthening of the hair follicles before dyeing. Check to see if there are any cuts or wounds on the scalp. Consult a dermatologist on the type of hair dye that best suits your scalp condition. Avoid using any harsh chemicals that can cause irritation or allergies. Follow the dye application guidelines. Take utmost care while rinsing your hair. Should there be any negative reaction, quickly rinse off all the dye. Seek help from your specialist.

Choosing Safe and Non-Harmful Hair Dyes

There are various brands of hair dyes on sale. It is very important to choose a safe and non-harmful hair dye for your newly transplanted hair. In order to keep your newly transplanted hair healthy and secure, you have to consider 2 important factors. You need to know what ingredients to avoid in hair dyes and how to follow hair dyeing tips.

Ingredients to Avoid in Hair Dyes

Choose your hair dye carefully. You should avoid using these chemicals in the hair dye of your choice:-

• Ammonia which causes eye and skin irritation.
• Parabens which disrupt hormones and can cause cancer.
• Resorcinol which can damage the scalp.
• SLS [Sodium Lauryl Sulfate] which strips the hair of its natural oil.
• PPD [Para-phenylenediamine] which can cause skin irritation, blisters, redness or rashes.

So be extra careful in choosing your hair dye. Read the ingredients listed on the label carefully.  Look for natural ingredients such as plant-based hair dyes, Henna products or organic hair dyes. These are milder and gentler on the scalp and less likely to cause any skin irritation or allergies. Furthermore, observe strict timelines between applications (usually 8 weeks) in order to safely maintain your dyed hair.

Safe Hair Dyeing Tips for Transplanted Hair

Buy a safe, non-harmful and organic hair dye with natural ingredients such as plant-based dyes for dyeing your transplanted hair. Follow these guidelines:-

• First test a small area on your hand before applying the dye on your scalp. If no adverse reaction occurs, then only start colouring your hair. Avoid washing your hair before dyeing as this can cause irritation. When applying colour, be gentle. Do not pull or tug at the roots of your hair.
• Wait at least 4 weeks if not 8 weeks post-surgery before colouring your hair. This is to avoid any infection and to get the best results.
• Recommended to use Henna as this is a natural hair dye. Henna provides vivid shades of reds and browns. Furthermore, it can effectively nourish and strengthen your hair simultaneously.

Post-Dyeing Hair Care for Transplanted Hair

After dyeing your hair, you need to use proper washing techniques and know how to further protect your scalp and hair follicles to ensure the success of your hair transplant.

Proper Hair Washing Techniques After Dyeing

Use the following hair washing techniques to ensure your newly transplanted hair remains strong, shiny and healthy.

• Wet your hair with lukewarm water. Do not use hot water. Do not scrub or rub too hard when washing your hair. This can damage the fragile hair follicles and make them fall out.
• Rub gently a tiny bit of shampoo into your scalp. Use a safe and eco-friendly shampoo without any harsh chemicals.
• Thoroughly rinse off the shampoo.
• Finally, use a silicone-free hair conditioner to condition your hair from mid-shaft to the ends of your hair for a few minutes before rinsing again.

Protecting the Scalp and Hair Follicles After Dyeing

Here are some tips on how to protect your scalp and hair follicles enabling them to grow faster and healthier after dyeing your hair:-

• Choose and use a safe dye that is gentle on your scalp.
• Use a mild and gentle shampoo and a silicone-free conditioner.
• Stay away from strong, direct sunlight for long periods.
• Only redye your hair at least 8 weeks after your first application. Frequent dyeing can damage drastically your scalp and hair follicles.

Conclusion

It is advisable to dye your hair at least 4 weeks if not 8 weeks after your hair transplant surgery.  The longer you wait, the better and safer for your newly grafted hair to become stronger, enabling it to grow faster and healthier. The post-surgery scalp is very sensitive to the harsh chemicals in hair dyes. Your sensitive scalp will become irritated and itchy due to the allergic reactions to unsuitable hair dyes. Severe itching can cause rashes resulting in longer recovery times. Another risk is the chemicals in the dye can damage your transplanted hair and follicles.  This can lead to unnecessary hair loss and scalp irritation. Eventually, all healing is slowed down. Hence, do not dye your hair before your hair transplant surgery. Neither should you dye your hair soon after your surgery. You are advised to dye your hair at the earliest which is 4 weeks after surgery. Better still, if you can wait longer than 8 weeks to colour your hair. The longer you wait, the higher the chances of success you get from your hair transplant. So why not wait? Do not take unnecessary risks. Exercise caution and wait. For more important information and details on hair transplants and hair loss treatments, you can visit https://www.thehairtransplantmalaysia.com/