Did you know that Pauley Perrette of NCIS is 45 years old? That always blows my mind. She looks so young on that show, and part of that is her goth styling and bubbly personality, but it’s also her trademark jet black hair. Pauley has been dyeing her hair black for 20 years. She’s naturally blonde, which is something I just learned today. I would have guessed that she was maybe going grey (I am, I dye my hair out of necessity) but I never would have thought she was a blonde. The black just suits her so well.
Pauley has always used chemical hair dye, but she will be switching to a more natural alternative or to a wig after she suffered a frightening allergic reaction and had to go to the emergency room. The actress tweeted a scary photo of her swollen face (that’s below), and told an LA news station that she wanted to spread the news about the dangers of hair dye. Apparently she had warning signs about six months ago that she was developing an allergy to the dye. Doctors warn that people can use the same hair dye for years and then suddenly become allergic to it.
CBSLA’s Kristine Lazar spoke with Perrette, whose character, Abby Sciuto, is known for her raven locks.
A natural blonde, the actress has been dying her hair for 20 years.
But her beauty routine landed her in the hospital when she broke out in a rash and began to experience severe swelling.
“The other half of my face had become twice the size of my head,” she said.
Perrette posted a photo of her swollen face on social media, warning her half-million Twitter followers about the dangers of hair-dye allergies.
“The most important thing to me is that anyone out there that dyes their hair, particularly black, you need to be aware of the symptoms,” she said.
There are warning signs, according to Jacob Offenberger, an allergist at Northridge Medical Center.
“If you have hair dye, and the next day or the day after you start to have itchiness and you start to see redness or [an] eczema-type of lesion, it is telling that you that you are having an allergic reaction to that dying,” Offenberger said, warning, “If you would do nothing, the next time you do the hair dye, it’s going to get worse.”
That is exactly what happened to Perrette.
Six months ago, the actress broke out into a rash all over her neck and scalp but ignored the symptoms, she said.
Perrette says she’s now looking into natural hair dye and also into wearing a wig.
You can see the interview with Pauley they’re referring to here. She just called into the show, she wasn’t interviewed on camera. The good news is that Pauley says she’s doing better and has tweeted a new photo of herself with some of her cocast on the NCIS set.
A similar thing happened to my colorist. He’s been doing hair for over 20 years and he used to work for Clairol. He became so sensitive to the chemicals in the dye over the years that he has to wear gloves every time or his hands will swell up. If even a small amount of dye touches his skin, it itches him terribly. Like Pauly, I’ve been dyeing my hair for nearly 20 years. I feel so lucky that I’ve never had a reaction like this.
Here’s the photo that Pauley tweeted from the hospital. I put it at the bottom as it’s a little shocking, but it’s not that bad. Thank goodness she’s ok now.
This was me at hospital today and it got worse #Allergy #AllergicReaction PLEASE read my next tweet http://t.co/AYf4GfM3sm
— Pauley Perrette (@PauleyP) July 19, 2014
She looks like Ginnifer Goodwin’s older sister!
totally! or like ginnifer and martha plimpton had a baby
Maybe mixed with some Anna Farris? Lol
I feel this. I never dyed my hair until my early 40s (grey), but wouldn’t touch the regular dye when I started–that ammonia smell alone sends me shrieking. I’m already sensitive enough to additives and smells after a couple years working at Crabtree & Evelyn in my youth (developed a sensitivity to perfume being in that very scent-y place). I use ammonia-free Olia which does a great job and makes all the ammonia brands seem redundant as heck. However, I know Olia still has many of the other allergens found in regular dyes. I may eventually have to move to henna, because Olia has made my head itch…
Whichever color a person uses, you have to change it up periodically or your skin will start reacting to it.
If you see a stylist for color, he or she should keep track of the product and formula used and the date you started on that formula and schedule the date when you will change. He or she should also be checking how your scalp reacts during the process and how it has held up between treatments.
I have blonde hair and I have always wanted to dye it black or brown. Haven’t had the courage yet, but it will happen one day. I know it won’t suit me at all, and I’ve always had this fear that it won’t be the same if I went back to blonde.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a good, temporary hair dye?
I’ve been using garnier olia for awhile and I love it. I have blonde hair too and I dyed my hair brown. I actually bought the olia haircolor specifically because it doesn’t contain PPD (Paraphenylenediamine ). http://www.dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/paraphenylenediamine-allergy.html
For my hair, which is porous, there is no such thing as “temporary” hair dye.
Also, I would like to say electively covering your grey hair is not dying it out of necessity, CB!!
If you have virgin hair, you might consider keeping it that way. My sister was a natural strawberry blonde and she dyed her hair red for Halloween or something one year, and it ended up not washing out, so became permanent. She stayed dark red for quite a while, but then decided to go really blonde. All that processing really destroyed her hair; it was like straw. I used Natural Instincts for a while. With my dark hair, though, it didn’t matter if it became permanent or not. (No idea if it has toxic ingredients.)
I use the brand Sebastian Cellophanes. Amazon carries it. Semi-permanent hair color. Slightly more expensive than your run of the mill boxed color but the results are a lot better in my opinion…my hair is always glossy and smooth after I use…plus the bottle lasts me several dye jobs and it you don’t like the color it starts to fade and wash out in a few weeks.
LOL, the grass is always greener…I’m a brunette who has always wanted to be blonde. 🙂
For a temporary hair color I like Clairol Beautiful and Clairol Jazzing.
Gotta change it up! I’ve been dying my hair for about 15 years and have sensitive skin and I tend to change my color routine up every 2-3 years. I’ve found Demi permanents tend to be more upkeep, but my hair and scalp stay healthier and pretty predictable.
If there’s an actress who looks like an “avarage woman” is Pauley, she is cute but not stunning, it seems like she has her original face, she is not a size -4, the makeup is not overdone, and this is why she looks so good at 45. Nowdays actresses start to mess with plastic surgery very young, and it’s crazy, because you can’t know how your face is going to old.
BTW I am happy she is well now.
I agree and she looks great for an “average woman”. Much better than a lot of celebrities who are considered to be sex symbols. First of all, she isn’t bone thin. A bit of meat makes her face fuller and more youthful. It is also her bubbly personality and staying true to herself. She doesn’t get botox, plastic surgery, or give b*tch face in every photo. Being a relatively happy and healthy person comfortable in one’s own skin can take years off of a person’s face. Good for her for not giving into Hollywood expectations since joining NCIS.
I’m so glad she’s ok! I love her on NCIS! But forget about her hair- I want to know what she puts in her face!! Her skin looks amazing!
this happened to me about a year ago. it’s crazy waking up and not being able to open your eyes properly. my whole forehead and around my eyes had ballooned. i no longer dye my hair.
glad she’s ok!
She does look younger, late 30’s maybe. The first pic is making her look much younger than she really is though, and the last pic seems more true to life. She looks a few years younger than 45 in the last pic.
But you can tell she’s getting older as I think the black hair is looking harsh on her lately, since everyones skin tone changes as they age. She also I think looks a bit younger because she isn’t starving herself to be a size 00 like others do.
I don’t really care for her look, but had no idea she was 45! I thought mid 30s.
The allergic reaction looks terrible and painful, glad she’s doing better. I only get highlights every couple of months, but my stylist hops from salon to salon every few years (annoying!) and ends up switching products a lot because of it.
Best wishes for a full and fast recovery! Great information about hair dye allergies. Also, this lady looks like a million bucks. No way I would peg her at 45! Wonder what sunscreen she uses?
I rarely watch TV, but when I do, I only watch NCIS, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. They are the only shows I can safely keep up with. Having said that, I absolutely LOVE Pauley! I’m glad she’s getting better because she IS NCIS.
Wow, I cannot imagine her as a blonde. I figured the intensity of the color was exaggerated by dye but that it was in the general scheme of what she was born as.
And she looks like Elisabeth Moss in the middle picture (wearing pink).
I am allergic to PPD as well. Fortunately I just had scalp stinging then itchy scalp for days after each time dying my hair black. If you have symptoms and use high PPD dyes like the colour black, don’t wait for a potentially life-threatening attack. Do your research and get tested. My PPD allergy slowly came about but some people have only to dye their hair once for it to be fatal. A good example is I’m also easily irritated by L’oreal voluminous mascara and others that contain PPD derivatives. My allergy can be traced back to getting a henna “tattoo”, which is common. Also, never you black Bigen dye. Even people with no prior history have used that very strong dye (highest concentration of PPD) and died or been injured. If you think you may be allergic to PPD, I highly recommend Ion demi-permanent colour which you can buy at Sally Beauty stores. It’s the only PPD black dye I have found that is cheap and works almost as well as PPD dyes. To get blue black, I do my roots with the ION black then throw blue manic panic dye over my whole head. The extra step is worth my health.
Ouch! Glad she’s okay! I’ve been coloring my hair for 25 years. I don’t know what I would do if I found myself in her position. She is the same age I am. I do look young for my age as well but I have fine lines. I’d love to know her skin care routine.
Scary! Glad she’s doing ok. I developed an allergy to PPD in my early 20s. I’ve been doing only henna and indigo since then. The time it takes to prep and dye is somewhat irritating, but the results are fantastic. Finally a red that doesn’t fade!
SHRIEK. Scary as hell. I like her alot-she’s a Louisiana girl, and she seems like she has never turned H’wood. I didn’t realize you coud have a reaction to something you have used for a long time like that. EEk.
This happened to a friend of mine. She ignored the instructions to test a little on the back of your neck and, of course, her face blew up!
I’m a natural redhead and after seeing severe hair color allergies, I will never color my hair! I’ll let it go gray when it starts to happen.
I’d love it if Gibbs and crew walked into her lab and her hair was her natural blonde color, still the punk black clothes, but with blonde hair, can you imagine the double takes?
I have the same thing. It’s an allergy to PPD, a tar derivative in the dye. My head swells like a Kling-on, my scalp becomes raw and my head sinuses have never been the same since. Antihistamines are needed to bring this under control. I just switched to henna to be safe. Not fun for sure.
Henna. Henna, henna, henna, henna.
I agree, bec. Henna is wonderful, though the process takes a long time. Even though it doesn’t cover my greys completely because I do henna glosses, I no longer have split-ends and my auburn hair looks super shiny and bouncy.