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 I did very little 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 hydrogen 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 many 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. I decided to find out what was in the products I was using.

I discovered through the Skin Deep Database that 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 is a database that rates thousands of different ingredients and products for safety. They give PPD their highest and worst rating which is 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.

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 ppd? 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.

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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 had allergic reactions to other products. They make it easy to test for reactions by offering a free allergy patch test kit. When you get your test kit make sure and apply it to multiple spots. Behind my ear is an important spot for me.

EcoColors has signed the campaign for Safe Cosmetics and works 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.

Also consider Herbatint, a permanent natural hair color using extracts of plants and herbs for color and conditioning. They too use the least amount of chemicals to do the job of lifting the color up to two shades. 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 offers a permanent hair color called Color Me Natural. It contains no synthetic chemicals which means no ppd. Sounds great but they only offer it in two colors, dark brown and mahogany and if you have more than 20% grey you will need to 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.

Naturtint is one of the only safer hair color products that have products for men.

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 made from the plant Lawsonia inermis and it is combined with herbs and other plant materials to create hair color.

Henna conditions hair while coloring it. It will not lighten the hair but coats the strands with color that will last 3 or 4 months but you can encourage henna build up by applying in 4-6 weeks.

Not all henna is the same. Some henna preparations come prepared in a cream form while some must be mixed. No matter which type you choose read the ingredients. There are some henna products that contain chemicals so choose your products carefully.

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. There are also several other factors like if the water you use has a high mineral content that can affect the color so make sure to learn all you can before proceeding.

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 these, 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 if have have your hair colored at a salon and develop allergic reactions to their products talk to your stylist. They should be able to research other safer products or maybe they will allow you to do as I do and bring in whatever product I want and they apply it. This works well for me since I have been know to miss whole sections when doing touch ups. Just make sure to do the allergy and patch tests in advance.

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.

John Masters Organics Herbal Cider Hair Rinse + Color Sealer is a blend of herbs and organic apple cider vinegar that work to protect your natural hair color, prevent excess product buildup that tends to flatten the hair and provide body and conditioning. It can be found at Amazon.

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.

Related Pages

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