Can You Dye Your Hair After Having a Hair Transplant?

Most people realize that a hair transplant requires some recovery. Namely, it can take around one year before you can admire the full results of the surgery. Many are willing to commit to this timeline because a hair transplant is the only way to enjoy natural-looking and permanent hair growth. You can go from being balding and self-conscious to having luscious hair and confidence. This is all in the space of one year.

You might be aware that there are certain things you are not allowed to do when you are recovering from a hair transplant. For example, you should not smoke during the process or exercise strenuously for a few months. But, what about dying your hair? Is this something that is banned under 12 months down the line?

Are You Allowed to Dye Your Hair?

There are a number of reasons why you might want to apply hair dye. Perhaps you like experimenting with new colors and having some fun. It is a way to express your personality. Alternatively, you might like to cover the grey hair and feel younger again. It gives you a confidence boost. Either way, you are going to want to know whether you can dye your hair after having a hair transplant. The answer is yes, but this should not be done straight away.

Think about the process of a hair transplant. You are moving hair follicles from one part of the scalp to another. They need time to settle into this new spot and to heal. The first few weeks of your recovery will be crucial. You need to allow swelling to reduce and for the hair grafts to heal. You do not want to do anything during this time that can affect the results. You even have to be careful when you are washing your hair and what products you use. So, dying the hair right now is going to be off the table.

Imagine this scenario. You have travelled all the way to get men’s hair transplant surgery in Turkey with an experienced surgeon. You are excited to finally change your life and have the procedure done. But, you use hair dye too quickly after having the transplant. All of this money, time and excitement will go down the drain. You will damage the hair grafts and have to start all over again.

You must realize that permanent hair dyes can have strong and abrasive chemicals. If you use these chemicals on new hair that is still growing and getting stronger, you can risk harming them. Indeed, if your grafts are still healing, you are definitely going to do some damage. They are delicate for a long time after the surgery, and you must be careful what you apply to your scalp. You might think you are being careful and are nowhere near the new grafts. But, even a splash can be detrimental. 

You Must Wait

This is not to say that you can never use hair dye ever again. It just means that you should wait a while after having a hair transplant before you do. You want to ensure that the hair grafts have healed properly and that the hair has had time to grow. This allows the hair to get thicker and strong.

Generally, this is going to happen after you have experienced shock loss. This can occur around one to three months after having the surgery. When you have lost the hair, the hair that grows in its place is going to be better than before. Indeed, you can start to see good growth.

So, how long must you wait until you can dye your hair again? Well, a good guide would be around six months. This is when you can consider using a hair dye, depending on the results you have by this time. If you are in doubt, make sure that you ask your surgeon. They are going to give you a more accurate answer and one that is specific to your hair transplant. Thus, they can advise you when it will be safe to use products.

Always Watch the Ingredients

Even when you have the all-clear to proceed with dying your hair, you want to be careful with the products you are using. Again, there are strong chemicals in some hair dyes and they can damage your hair over time. So, you want to be careful in the future what products you are using on your new hair transplant. After all, you are going to love the results. You want to ensure the new hair stays healthy.

For example, you want to ensure you are avoiding ammonia. This is one that is known to damage the hair, and it can cause irritation to the scalp. Thankfully, this is something that is well-known now in the industry. Consequently, brands are bringing out variations that do not include this ingredient. Thus, you want to ensure it says something about this on the packaging. You can always double-check the ingredients list if there are no suggestions on the front of the product.