MacTavish Lanolin develops cancer-free hair coloring cap

A US company has developed what it says is a groundbreaking, off-the-scalp, hair color highlighting process. Involving the use of computerized tonalities, it has been developed to reduce the risk of cancer from exposure to hair coloring products, reports Simon Pitman.

According to Dr. Shelia Zahm, Deputy Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), their latest studies show that regular hair dyes can cause leukemia and other cancers with the findings of alternative studies are being analyzed. In addition, hair dye studies at the USC Medical School show a five-time increased risk of bladder cancer.

Designed by hair colorist, Lorenzo Caruso, this new weaving technique allows body heat to deliver results through the use of color-coded software and a customized cap called CompurCap.

The designer claim that this process means less preparation, and hair color excess, less skin reaction, and cleanup, which can effectively camouflage gray hair and roots.

In Zahm's opinion, this technique is a "prudent alternative to the scalp-direct, dye application."

Presently, hair color companies supply gloves, but no caps, with hair color products. The company is hoping that recognition of the dangers involved in coloring hair might eventually lead to scalp protection being enforced for all hair coloring procedures.

The company says that the FDA has attempted to require a warning notice on the packaging for hair color products, but has so far met with little success with this. The FDA is continuing to monitor the risk posed by hair colorants.

With the baby boom generation now beginning to turn into a graying population more and more people are turning to hair coloring products in an effort to maintain youthful looks. In line with this rising popularity there has also been an increasing number of studies to investigate the supposed link between cancer and various ingredients found in such products.

Although there is a lot of conflicting information over studies performed in this area, a number of them have indicated that, in particular, applying dark-colored hair dyes to the scalp may increase the risk of cancer because of the strength of the formulation.

However, many studies have pointed out that the incidence of higher cancer in individuals dying their hair may simply be related to the fact that the majority are older people concealing gray hair, and that given their age they have a much higher chance of developing cancer.