As Cambodia has opened up to other countries, globalisation  has occurred. This has caused big changes in our country; a lot of trends have flowed in, including  hair dyeing.

Young Cambodians like to change their hair colour from black to other shades to make them look distinctive and, hopefully, more attractive.

Changing something you were born with isn’t always a good idea, and you may have problems once you dye your hair a different colour.

Using cheap dye can make your hair look rough rather than smooth. You can end up with split ends, your hair can fall out, and your scalp can develop an allergic reaction.

Dr Tuk Hout, owner of the International Skin Clinic, says not everyone suffers from using hair dye. It depends on the type of hair and scalp they have.

Most of Tuk Hout’s patients suffer from irritation and allergic reactions, often caused by poor-quality hair dye that can also damage the outer part of hair strands, leading to rough hair.

“If you can, you should avoid having your hair dyed,”  he suggests.

Thay Mardy, a senior-year student at the Vanda Accounting Institute, dyed her hair red a month ago but isn’t happy with the result.

She says it has affected not only her scalp but also her hair. Every time she has a shower, a handful of hair falls out, and her hair has lots of split ends.

“When I washed my hair after the dyeing process, it hurt, as though there was an open wound on my scalp,” Thay Mardy says.

According to Sun Heang, owner of the Christina salon, who has 10 years’ experience and has taken several training courses in hair colouring in other Asian countries and the US, Thay Mardy’s problems occurred because of the poor quality of the hair dye she used and a lack of dyeing technique.

She says low-quality dye contains a large amount of pH, a measure of basicity and acidity, which raises the temperature of the scalp, increasing the likelihood of an allergic reaction. It also contains a high level of ammonia, which causes hair to fall out.

Most young people in Cambodia still depend on their parents, so when they want to change their hair colour, they tend to use a cheap product because they can’t afford to go to a professional hair salon.

Using a high-quality hair dye is important; adverse side-effects can still occur, but they will be less severe.

To avoid causing further problems, after changing your hair colour you should wait between three and six months before changing it again.

Quite apart from the problems listed above, having too many people changing their hair colour will have an adverse effect on the nation’s culture. Black hair is part of the Cambodian identity, so it is a precious thing for our culture.

Young people thinking of changing their hair’s colour should have its health checked by a professional hairdresser beforehand, and they shouldn’t think just about the colour – they should also think

of their hair’s health before its condition deteriorates.

Furthermore, they should think twice about using a low-quality hair dye.

Changes for beauty’s sake that are made carelessly will cause regret in the future.