Dyes used in textiles can cause allergies.
In the dyeing process textile dyes bind to the fibers of the clothes. There may be excess colour that may be released upon contact with the skin.
Many different chemical substances are used to dye clothes. The chemical dyes that belong to the group of azo dyes are the most allergenic, and they are mostly used for dyeing of synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon.
These dyes are soluble in water, and therefore sweat may dissolve the dye from the fabric, so that the color comes into close contact with skin, and allergy may occur.
Other causes of textile dye allergy
Textiles can be treated with other chemicals to give a special finish.
These substances are called "textile finish resins" and they provide the textiles with attributes such as density, water resistancy and wrinkle resistancy.
Textile finish resins release formaldehyde and it may be another albeit rare cause of textile allergy.
Some textile dyes are on rare occasions also used in permanent hair dyes. This means that people with hair dye allergy may react to dyed textiles and vice versa, although this happens very rarely.
