March 2008
Why Natural Hair
Dyes?
For many centuries women
and men have used different
forms of hair colorings to rid themselves of the gray that appears with
age or
just for a “new look”.
One of the original forms
of hair coloring was the use
of henna. This is made from the leaf and stalk of the shrub Lawsonia
inermis.
Henna colors by creating a sheath around the hair shaft. It doesn’t
actually
penetrate the shaft and so the color does not last long. It does
however make
the shaft thicker and stronger so it leaves the hair feeling fuller and
richer.
The color lightens with washing and exposure to the sun. When mixed
with
chemicals found in permanent solutions there has been known to be
harmful
reactions. It also doesn’t cover gray hair as well as some people wish.
If the
hair is more than fifty percent gray it may even take on a blue tinge.
In the early 1900’s a
French chemist, Eugene
Schueller, developed the first commercial hair dye. With the use of
chemicals
he was able to make dyes penetrate the hair shafts thus allowing the
color to
last longer and cover better. In this way it was more effective in
covering
gray hair. One of the chemicals used is ammonia. When mixed with
peroxide it
alters the molecular structure of the hair. It lifts the outside
covering of
the hair allowing the color to penetrate. Not only does ammonia have a
strong
odor but it is know to be a skin irritant. To preserve the different
chemicals
in the dyes parabens are also added. Parabens are also known to be skin
irritants and some are considered to be carcinogenic. They have been
studied
with regards to links to breast cancer.
Natural hair dyes contain
no ammonia or parabens. Like
henna, natural dyes use a vegetable protein to coat the hair shaft. By
incorporating proteins, botanicals and vegetable extract these dyes
cover well.
They strengthen the hair shaft, leaving it thicker and shinier. The
colors are
from natural materials like walnuts, cinchona, rhubarb to name a few.
These new
hair dyes have a longer lasting effect than their henna cousins and
have proven
to be more effective in covering gray hair.
So “Why Natural Hair Dyes?”
With its long lasting,
good coverage without the use of harsh chemicals and additives, my
question is
“Why Not?”
submitted
by Sylvia Ventin Natural Health Consultant
