Looking for Safer,
More Natural Hair Color?

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Have you been on a search for a more natural hair color product? Perhaps you have developed sensitivities or maybe you are trying to find a product with safer ingredients. Either way this can be a challenge.

For me finding a more natural hair color product began when I started developing allergic reactions to the hair color I was using. In the past when I have chosen hair color, I have to admit that my only thought was about how I would look with beautiful blond hair like the model on the box. In fact, I usually didn't take the time to do a patch test.

I stopped using my hair coloring product when I started developing itching and burning with each application. At the time there weren't many satisfactory alternatives so for years very little was done to color my hair. I was never very happy with this since I was prematurely grey and a very unattractive grey at that.

Health food stores in my area began carrying natural hair color. Henna was one of these products but I was hesitant to try it. It's certainly natural but I didn't care for the color choices available.

Since I am not certain what I am allergic to in permanent hair color, I started looking at what ingredients could be the possible culprits, ingredients like PPD (p-Phenylenediamine), ammonia or peroxide were the most likely culprits. It seemed like the easiest one to eliminate was ammonia so I started there.

You may already know that many hair color products have now been using ammonia free formulas and these are available from any number of big name companies. It was also important to me that whatever product I used there was no animal testing. That eliminated the big name companies.

I chose a more natural hair care product called Naturtint with active vegetable ingredients. It is a permanent hair color without animal testing or ammonia but it does contain ppd's and peroxide.

I say natural loosely. While some more natural ingredients are used and the choice of chemicals used is safer than many of the brands currently available it is hardly a completely safe, natural product.

The results were great for a while but then the burning and itching started again.

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Allergens and Ingredient Safety.

I had been learning more and more about chemicals in our products but for some reason I had not really thought about my hair color and the chemicals.

While Naturtint has a moderate safety rating, it does contain PPD, a possible allergen and an occupational and environmental hazard and Cocamide DEA another chemical causing concerns as an allergen and carcinogen.

Skin Deep, a database that rates thousands of different ingredients and products for safety, gives PPD their highest and worst rating, a 10, and DEA, ammonia and hydrogen peroxide a moderate rating.


Make sure and visit the Skin Deep Database if you are using hair color products from the big name companies and check out their safety ratings. At the very least we all need to know what we are using so we can make an informed choice.

What Are Our Other Choices?

If I want a permanent natural hair color, I will have to use something with hydrogen peroxide as this is a necessary ingredient in permanent hair color. It's what lifts the color and gets the hair ready to accept the new color. PPD helps the color bind to the hair and helps it last. It is found in most permanent hair coloring regardless of brand.

So is permanent color out if I'm allergic to either one of these ingredients? This is something I'm not willing to give up on just yet. I want to eliminate chemicals as much as I can but there's also the cost and the convenience to consider. It's practically impossible to find a totally natural hair color that's also permanent.

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Possible "Natural" Hair Color Choices

I discovered a brand called EcoColors, a permanent hair color made with a very low level of chemicals. They say it has been used safely by people who have been allergic to other products. To make sure before you buy that you don't have any allergic reactions they offer a test kit with enough product for a patch test. Make sure and apply it to multiple spots. Behind my ear is an important spot for me.

They have signed the campaign for Safe Cosmetics and work to use the least toxic, environmentally friendly ingredients and they don't do animal testing. They do use lanolin so if your vegan you might want to see the products below.

Check out my review of EcoColors Hair Color and another product I recently checked out Tints of Nature Permanent Hair Color.

Also consider Herbatint, a permanent natural hair color using extracts of plants and herbs for color and conditioning. They too use a minimum levels of chemicals that can still do the job of lifting the color up to two shades and then giving great color that fades slowly over time. No animal testing here and it's vegan.

Vegetal is a semi permanent natural hair color from Herbatint. It won't lift the color - no hydrogen peroxide or PPD's and washes out after 6-8 shampoos.

Aubrey Organics Color Me Natural offers a permanent hair color with no synthetic chemicals which means no ppd. Sounds great but they only offer it in two colors, dark brown and mahogany. If you have more than 20% grey, check with the company for their suggestions.

Naturtint the product I tried first is a good natural hair color that is low chemical, free of ammonia and resorcinal and contains many vegetable ingredients. While I developed sensitivity to this product it may work for you only a patch test will tell. They also offer a semi permanent product called Naturtint Reflex. It does not contain ammonia, hydrogen peroxide or ppd's. Check out Naturtint at Herbs, Gardens and Health.

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What About Henna?

Henna is another possibility and is the safest most natural hair color. It has been used for centuries and is said to have been a favorite of Cleopatra. Henna is the plant Lawsonia inermis and it is combined with herbs and other plant materials to create hair color.

It is a way to condition the hair while coloring it. Henna will not lighten the hair but coats the strands with color. It lasts 3 or 4 months but you can encourage henna build up by applying in 4-6 weeks. Because it is totally natural, even organic, with no chemicals you can use it whenever you want.

Not all henna is the same. Some henna preparations come prepared in a cream form while some must be mixed. Application can be more labor intensive and not as many colors are available, expect warm color tones. Many women do seem very happy with the results but I have also seen negative reviews and problems women experience using henna on previously color treated hair.

I think you have a good chance of getting good results if you read up on this product before using it. If you have previously colored your hair make sure to find a product that says it work for this and do a strand test first no matter what the condition of your hair. I have been guilty of jumping right in and skipping this part but have since learned my lesson.

The companies below all offer henna products. I particularly like the thorough info offered on the Henna for Hair site. The various mixes that are used to obtain different colors is interesting and helpful.

Check out:

Henna for Hair

Morrocco Method

All Natural Cosmetics
Light Mountain Henna and Logona can be found here.

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Don't Forget Your Patch Test

When choosing your natural hair color always remember to do a patch test and a strand test. I know it's tempting to bypass this, I've been guilty of this myself but if you find out as I did that you have suddenly become allergic to a product you can find out before applying the product to your whole head.

The strand test can be so important especially when you do your own color. The color on the box may morph into something quite different on your hair. For the best results make sure to follow package directions carefully. I don't want you to be one those hair color disasters.

Also, even though you are wanting to use a product that your salon doesn't offer, talk to your stylist. My stylist is great and works with me. I bring in whatever product I want and he applies it. This works well for me since I have been know to miss whole sections when doing touch ups.

Protect Your New Natural Hair Color

One of the biggest challenges to colored hair is keeping the color fresh as long as possible. It's inevitable that it will fade but you can take some steps to protect the color and slow the fading process.

My first suggestion is to make sure you use gentle shampoos. For some product suggestions check out natural shampoo or organic shampoo for info on shampoos that contain natural ingredients for gentle cleansing.

Additionally consider using a good color sealer. John Masters Organics, a leader in natural and organic hair care offers an Herbal Cider Hair Rinse and Color Sealer that is used after shampooing and before conditioning to protect the color and leave the hair feeling clean and fresh.

The summer can be a rough time for color treated hair. More time outside in the sun helps to fade the color. A good hat preferably one with UV protection will do double duty protecting your natural hair color and your skin.



Check out reviews from other women of other hair color products or tell us about a product you have used. It's easy to do. Go to Natural Hair Color Review

How to make sure your products were not tested on animals. Check out:
Is Your Skin Care Company Against Animal Testing?

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