Is this a hair dye allergy?

How worried should I be about the allergy warning on hair dye boxes?

• I have a lot of allergies, but most of them stem from my severe allergy to trees. I'm allergic to a lot of foods because of it. I have purchased hair dye, but there is a warning about allergies and to do a 48 hour test blah blah. How can I keep the hair dye in my inner elbow area, when I need to shower and live regular life. It's not going to stay, and I don't feel like waiting that long to find out that I'm not allergic. How severe is this warning? Is it something to worry about? I assume most people buy hair dye and don't even notice the warning. It also mentions tattoos...I have over 20 hours worth of tattoos...so does that mean I'm at a greater risk? This doesn't make sense to me. Should I just dye my hair and not worry? Note: My mother and Grandmother don't have allergic reactions and they dye their hair 1ce a month. I've also HAD dye in my hair at one time (and highlights another), and I never had a reaction. It says "even if you have never had a reaction, you can still have one now" Why are they scaring me so much lol...sigh.

• Answer:

  If its a dye you've never used before I would do the patch test, esp if you have other allergies. Allergic reactions to hair dyes are fairly common and can be very severe so in my opinion its not worth the risk. Now I use the same product every time so I don't bother with testing anymore, even though I probably should. But if I changed brand or shade I would test.