Okay, so I admit it ... I'm a hair color addict. My hair hasn't been it's natural color -- a delightful shade which I like to call "poopy brown" -- since I was about 17. I've tried pretty much every boxed color known to man, and have had my hair colored professionally once (and it will be the last time, too ... UGH). My hair has gone from long to short to mid-length back to short again to asymmetrical and has been a rainbow of colors. It's great fun coloring your hair; until you start to suffer the consequences.
When I was growing my hair out -- before I chopped it all off Spring 2011 -- I noticed something awful: no matter what I did, no matter how much deep conditioner I applied to my hair, I couldn't get rid of split ends. I found a few products that worked well, namely Renpure Amazing Miracle. But guess what, ladies? Split ends aren't something you can just "cure" with conditioner. Once the hair is split, that's it. The only way to get rid of it is to cut it off. Hence why my hair is now only about four inches long.
My concerns started to get a little more serious when I started making my own beauty products. I picked up the book "The Green Beauty Guide" by Julie Gabriel and let me tell you, it opened my eyes. I just so happened to open the book to the area about hair color. According to the book, researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York found that hair dyes increase the risk of breast cancer. Not only that, in 2005 another study concluded that coloring your hair for 20 years or more increases the risk of glioma, a type of brain tumor. Uh, I don't know about you, but risking a tumor just to look good isn't exactly ... let's say, practical.
What Gabriel suggests in her book is to avoid hair color altogether. What causes awful things to happen to your body are the main ingredients in many hair dyes. Those ingredients include:
Phenylenediamine
Aminophenol
Ethanolamine
Hydroquinone
2,4 - Diaminophenoxyethanol
If you think those are hard to pronounce, you should read about what they can do to your hair and body. These are all cancer-causing ingredients found in home hair color kits. Besides this horrifying shit list, you can also expect a plethora of ingredients that cause breathing difficulties and dermatitis.
So the real question is ... what do you do if you want to keep coloring your hair? Lucky you! There is an alternative, albeit a messier alternative: henna. Henna has been approved by the FDA as a safe hair colorant, which is always a nice thing to hear. Cleopatra used henna thousands of years ago to make herself look gorgeous. So why shouldn't you feel like a queen, too? You can choose from three different types of henna (there aren't many color options, unfortunately): red, natural and black. Both red and black henna will dye your hair, while natural henna will nourish your hair without coloring it. You know those glossing kits you can buy at the store that are chock full of chemicals? Natural henna is kind of like that, but without the irritants. It can increase the volume of your hair, relieve scalp irritation and make your hair more manageable overall, according to Gabriel.
Of course, there are some downsides. Henna is kind of messy to use and you have a very limited color palette. You should also wait a couple of months for the chemicals from your previous hair dye experience wash out before using henna, since this can mess with the color and leave you with a splotchy head. And of course, of course, of course, ALWAYS do a strand test before splashing the stuff all over your hair. It may be natural, but that doesn't mean some people can't be allergic to it.
Gabriel recommends Aubrey Organics Color Me Natural™ hair color or Light Mountain Natural hair color. I love Light Mountain Natural products because of the artwork on their boxes, as well. So artistic. Rainbow Research also has a line of products for relatively cheap.
So if you can't let go of the bottle, but want to live a healthier lifestyle, ditch your Revlon or L'Oreal and go for something that doesn't contain cancer-causing ingredients. Even if those store-bought boxed dyes use words like "natural" or "herbal," don't fall for it. Leave your hair shiny, manageable and your body healthy with all-natural henna dyes.
xo
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