Knowledge and practices of, and attitudes towards, the use of hair dyes among females visiting a teaching hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Use of hair dye is extremely common worldwide. However, our literature search failed to find studies concerning the knowledge and attitudes of the public with regard to hair dyes. We sought to explore the knowledge and practices of, and attitudes towards, the use of hair dye among females. A cross-sectional survey conducted on females who attended various outpatient clinics at King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a tertiary referral hospital open to the general public. A self-administered questionnaire about the use of hair dyes was distributed randomly among females attending the outpatient clinics at a university hospital in 2008. The response rate was 87.2%, with completion of 567 of the 650 distributed questionnaires. The mean [SD] age of respondents was 32.0 [10.2] years. Among respondents, 82.6% [464/562] had at some point dyed their hair. Furthermore, 69.3% [334/482] had dyed their hair in the past 12 months. The mean [SD] age of the participants when they first dyed their hair was 22.2 [7.1] years [range, 7-50]. Of the participants, 76.8% [354/461] used permanent dyes, and about the same percentage of participants believed such dyes were the safest hair dye type. However, 52.4% [278/531] of the participants believed that hair dyes are harmful, and 36% [191/531] believed that hair dyes could cause cancer. Younger females tend to dye their hair less frequently [P<001l], whereas those with less education tend to dye their hair more frequently [P=.013]. Use of hair dye is very common among females. Because the practice starts at a very young age, we conclude that hair dyes are overused and misused. The public should be informed about the risks associated with excessive hair dye use