Earthtalk: Why Die For Hair Dye?
by on 08.25.05
Treehugger is proud to introduce a weekly column with answers to your environmental questions, EARTH TALK, From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
Dear EarthTalk: Are there organic highlights and dyes I can use in
my hair that contain less ammonia and peroxide than traditional
brands?
--Terry Wattendorf, Scituate, MA
For those who want to color their hair but find the chemicals in widely available dyes and highlighting treatments too harsh, a new crop of products promises to do the trick without causing allergic reactions or other health problems. While green-friendly permanent hair dyes still require some of these chemicals--such as ammonia, peroxide, p-Phenylenediamine or diaminobenzene=ADin order to be effective, alternatives do exist that contain smaller amounts...
Ecocolors, which contains small amounts of ammonia and peroxide, has a soy and flax base and uses rosemary extract to condition the hair and flower essences instead of artificial scents. Another option is
Herbatint. This ammonia-free permanent dye is biodegradable, but it does make use of low concentrations of p-Phenylenediamine and peroxide.
Meanwhile, temporary dyes and highlight treatments should be able to
color hair without the need for harsh chemicals. Naturcolor and Vegetel are shorter-lived options that do not contain any damaging chemicals, although their effect will only last a few washes.
One truly natural although temporary dye that has been around since Cleopatra herself is henna. Made from the powdered leaves of a desert shrub called Lawsonia, henna has been used for thousands of years to color hair and skin. Rainbow Henna makes a variety of 100 percent organic hair treatments ranging from blonde to black hair and everything in between. Meanwhile, Light Mountain sells an organic henna application kit familiar to those accustomed to traditional home hair coloring packages. While many such treatments are available at natural health and beauty supply retailers, others, such as the Italian-made Tocco Magico, may be available only at salons.
Recent studies have given those worried about the traditional hair dyes they use new reasons to switch to less harsh alternatives. A 1994 National Cancer Institute report found that deep-colored dyes (like dark brown and black), when used over prolonged periods of time, seemed to increase the risk of cancers such as non-Hodgkin=92s lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Meanwhile a 2001 study by the International Journal of Cancer found that people who use permanent hair dye are twice as likely to develop bladder cancer as those who go au naturel regarding hair color.
CONTACT: Ecocolors,www.ecocolors.net; Herbatint,www.herb.it; Naturcolor,www.naturcolor.com; Rainbow Henna, www.rainbowresearch.com; Tocco Magico, www.toccomagico.it.
GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com.
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The site below has some wonderful haircolor recipes and a web community of natural hair dyers. Fantastic thumnail pics of haircolors. Each has a woman, a recipe, and a story to go with it. I was especially tickled by instructions to send in a picture of your hair color by brushing your tresses out over a scanner. The women are also using indigo and other dyes.
The site is huge and comprehensive, but the link below will take you straight to the sample pictures. Beautiful colors
http://www.hennaforhair.com/mixes/index.html
Methinks the image with this post is misleading - how can you can get a brilliant colour effect like that with herbal / non-toxic dyes? I'm quite sure her hair has been bleached then dyed with mega-toxins, which may explain why she's having so much trouble with her top - the chemicals have soaked in all the way!!
this post could set some realistic expectations, ie you're not going to change your hair colour from a dark to a lighter shade or a radical fashion shade using natural hair dyes.
"you're not going to change your hair colour from a dark to a lighter shade or a radical fashion shade using natural hair dyes."
I dunno - I got a really bright unnatural red from Naturistics*, and they seem to carry a lot of pale blondes. Aren't Punky Colors & Manic Panic mostly vegetable dyes? (Of course, you have to bleach first to keep the color for any length of time.)
As always, of course, "natural" doesn't mean "healthy" - women were using natural lead oxides as cosmetics for thousands of years...
*I can't find their company with a cursory Google search, but I bought it at my co-op.
My hair is completely grey and I've bee using different product to color it. However, I've developed an allergy reaction to permanent and semi-permanent color. I do not have any problems with the rinse, but it does not last. Can someone advise on a product to use that does not have the ingredient that trigger the allergy. I have tried Henna, it did not take at all.
Any advise will be welcome.
Thanks