Michelle asks…Do you know of any natural hair color product on the market yet (other than Henna) for people to use in place of the ones on the market with harsh chemicals? I’ve heard of a few salons that have options for consumers but they don’t allow us to purchase them and use on our own. It seems there is a trend right now in the beauty industry with natural ingredients and I’m wondering if you’ve heard of any coming up with hair color that regular consumers can buy and that actually work without too much complication.
The Beauty Brains respond
Well Michelle, we’ve got good news and bad news for you. The good news is that this is a very easy question to answer. The bad news is you’re not going to like the answer!
Chemical colorants
There are a number of natural materials that can stain hair. Henna, as you mentioned in your question, is one. Certain fruit and berries extracts also work well in this regard (especially if you’re looking for a nice strawberry red or blue berry blue.)
But if you’re looking for the shades that are traditionally associated with permanent hair color, there is no “natural” solution at this time. Part of the reason for this is that no staining material can lighten hair. The natural melanin pigment in dark hair must be destroyed in order to make hair lighter and this requires a fairly strong chemical reaction.
If you, or any of our readers, have seen haircare products that claim to be all natural please forward a link to our attention and we’ll review the ingredients for you.
Quote of the Day: ”When she saw her first strands of gray hair . . . she thought she’d dye.”
Image credit: http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/322/e/0/smiling_rainbow_hair_by_eds77-d4gligr.jpg
Have you ever seen any truly natural hair colors? Leave a comment so we can shed some additional light on the subject.