Calling All Brunette Guinea Pigs
Have any of you heard the rumor—or perhaps conspiracy theory is more accurate—that Jackie O’s lymphoma was a consequence of her frequent hair dyeing? We don’t subscribe to such fear mongering, but it is true that dark hair dyes are notoriously toxic.
Siobhan—brave soul—experimented with natural blonde highlights in the book. But as the resident brunette I never tested out any of the clean dyes, or DIYs (like the coffee rinse) for darker hair. I’ll admit that it was a an oversight. See, I just haven’t colored my hair since my tween experiments with henna—and there were so many other things to try! But no more excuses. I know it’s a major concern for some of you, and it appears it may be for me too soon: The grays are creeping on me! Yep, they’re sprouting from the top of my head like little electrocuted worms.
So I’m calling on you ladies for counsel. Have any of you tried the darker natural dyes? The coffee? Has anything been a success or a failure? I plan to do some heavy googling about this, but your stories would be appreciated.
I’ve never tried any of the natural dyes personally, but I do have anecdotal evidence that consistent hair dyeing with the dirty stuff can cause serious health problems (not just cancer). My aunt has been dying her graying hair brown since her early 20’s. She now has to go in every three weeks because she starts to look like a skunk. (Thank goodness I inherited the hair color from my father’s side of the family instead of the Black Irish hair that starts to gray at twenty from my mom’s side of the family). Anyhow, my aunt suffers from fibromyalgia, rosacea in her face and a host of other medical problems. She eats an extremely healthy diet and has even done “cleanses” to get rid of the issues. The one thing she hasn’t tried is to get off the bottle….
Yikes. I might add that I’ve also heard my share of scary anecdotal evidence…
Somehow this comment from Kelly went to the wrong spot, so I’m sharing the tip. Thanks Kelly!
Hello! Try organic vegetable hair color. If you live in Manhattan there is an AWESOME salon called Swing Hair Salon. http://www.swingsalon.com/ Luis actually made my hair HEALTHIER!!! I got a full head of highlights that look so nautral and just added beautiful shine to my hair. Their prices are great, it’s a green business, and they are really nice people. I couldn’t ask for anything more : ) Best of luck!!
A subject close to my heart! I’ve tried everything! Sage and rosemary tea rinses, walnut soaks (which dyed my fingernails, but didn’t budge my greys). I don’t want henna because I hate orange-y hair – I was looking for a neutral to cool brunette. Recently I tried Palette by Nature. http://www.actbynature.com/v/permanent-hair-color.asp No PPD, no ammonia, no phthalates, no other nasties. It’s pretty good! I’m sticking with this until some genius figures out a better way. I had to bring it to my regular hair salon since it requires 40 minutes under a dryer. I’ve done it three times now. The salon people are impressed with it and have started recommending it to other non-tox clients.
Cons: It tends to stain the scalp for a day or two – you have to kind of scratch it off your scalp with hard hair brush bristles after you give the scalp a day to rest. Also, it does not cover all the grey – just most of it. It tends to leave your hair quite dry (it’s back to normal next time you condition it yourself). It starts to fade in about 4-6 weeks (I wash my hair maybe 2X per week).
Pros: It covers most of the grey! The color (I used 5N) is a very natural totally non-orange brunette. Very pretty. It’s cumulative, so each of the three times I’ve used it, more grey is covered. Some of my greys this time got turned blond, and it looks like natural highlights. There is not an intense line of demarcation where you dyed it, so you can let your roots grow back a little longer than with typical dye. Smells a thousand times better than the usual toxic brew.
It’s not exactly the same as a conventional product, but it’s a thousand times better than any other natural solution I’ve tried. Pretty workable solution!
I have not tried dyes, either natural or “dirty” and have decided not to. My mother is a breast cancer survivor who prior to losing her hair to chemo dyed her hair. After treatment, she let her hair grow in untreated and I think she looks absolutely stunning. Her hair is now almost completely white with a few remaining strands of black and she looks tres chic. i”m not against coloring or implying there is a causal connection between the dye and my mother’s illness. I’m just suggesting an extension of sorts to the the Summer Hair Challenge.
Thanks, Alexandra and Siobhan, for the terrific site!
i make a paste with cocoa powder, honey, and a tablespoon of natural yogurt. this also makes my hair really soft, smell amazing and stains my hair from sun-bleached brassy back to brown. you can’t do it too often ( i worry about build up).
i have also just scrubbed my hair with used espresso beans and olive oil, it makes my hair darker and shiney, but i’m not a fan of the smell…perhaps adding cinnamon or cocoa would help this?
l’d appreciate any suggestions or help with products. My hairdresser is afraid to try anything since she tested one
on me and I had a reaction. I
I am highly allergic to any product containing the ingrediant diamente, which unfortunately is in most hair dyes that are brown.
Do we have any dyes for those allergic to PPD? I’m pretty much stuck to using Manic Panic these days.
I tried a mocha hair rinse once and it was terrible! See my review of the DIY project here: http://productjunkiesrehab.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/home-spa-day/ My hair has never been so greasy in my whole life, and it did nothing for tinting my hair. I’ve been wanting to test out some natural hair dyes in the future, but I’m just going dye-free for the time being. Although I’m sure the gray hairs are just waiting to sprout up at any moment. Let us know if you find anything that’s spectacular!
I’ve read very good things about Lush’s line of henna hair dyes (the indigo/black, and the marron/brunette). They come as a solid that must be grated into warm water before use. Has anyone tried these? Did they work for you? I don’t have grays, but have been dying my naturally dark brown hair a neutral black for years and would love to find a natural alternative. Thanks!
I tried the cocoa, honey & yogurt mix, & it didn’t do much of anything. I’ve been coloring my hair to cover the gray coming in around my face & would love to stop, but I doubt any of the DIY methods will work.
The sad fact of the matter is, nothing works – except the toxic stuff. Gray hair is extremely resistant to color. Some have told me that premature gray is even more so. You need some hard core stuff to open up the hair and deposit the color.
I don’t recommend Lush because it stinks (all their products do, in my opinion), and if you think that regular hair color makes a mess, you haven’t seen your bathroom after a henna or lush experience – both of which are also super time-consuming. If you are trying to cover gray, then you will be coloring every 3 to 4 weeks (at the very least), and who has that kind of time?
I’ve been coloring my dark brown/gray hair since my early 20’s . I’ve tried pretty much everything, and now I’m in the midst of growing out the gray. I’m now 36, and I’m thinking that maybe I’m supposed to be gray – because the dark brown is already starting to look off. Gray/white has a softening effect on the skin. It’s sort of nature’s way of making us look better. Maybe?
I would recommend not going there at all (coloring, that is). You will find yourself trapped in a coloring cycle – no matter what you do/use. Your vacations, dates, special occasions will all revolve around your coloring needs. I hate it and wish I’d never, ever started.
Rebecca
I have naturally very dark brown hair with a gray streak and grey and white speckled throughout. The best, very best hair color I have found, natural or not, is henna mixed with indigo. Catherine Carthwright-Jones runs http://www.hennaforhair.com and her PhD in Chemistry focused on the science of how henna works. I switched from chemical dyes to henna about 5 years ago and I will never go back. My hair is more conditioned, shinier, and I’m not running any chemical risks.
1)Explore henna for hair before you start – and the mixes are really useful.
2) Henna + indigo will equal brown. See the forums for other ways to tone down the red if you aren’t into that.
3) Henna will effectively cover gray – although it blends more than dyes to match your non-gray hair. My husbands hair 30% gray looks like it has light brown highlights. I use a heavier proportion of henna in order to get some red in my hair. My gray/white looks like professional highlighted red strands of fire lights in my dark brown hair.
4) Do not just go to your local health food store and buy henna – only by Body Quality Henna from a trusted source. The stuff at health food stores is often full of sand and other nasty stuff – plus the dye won’t take as well
In addition to the conditioning benefits of henna I find that my color lasts brighter and longer than any professional or lab bought dye. It wont’ lighten your hair, but it will beautifully emphasize what you were born with, cover gray, and keep you safe.
Oh yeah, after lots of experimenting, I use just henna and squeezed lemons and oranges, or apple cider vinegar. A bit of honey in the mix before I put it on my head makes it easier to wash out.
thanks, kelly! this is very useful information.
http://www.ayurnaturalbeauty.com sells fresh (harvested summer 2010) henna and indigo powders at very reasonable prices.
Loving everyone’s input. Clearly this is major issue for many and we’ll definitely do followup posts about it. :)
I’ve done a lot of researching natural alternatives, because I can’t afford coloring anymore. I’m tired of being a slave to it, and from the constant pressure and judgment I get from stylists for not coming in ‘more often’. I tell them I can’t afford their prices, and they balk at me like I’m diseased. I have very thick, wavy, dark brown colored hair with gold highlights. Its all very med-dark, though, nothing artificial looking…especially not the salt and pepper grays that have grown out. I’m 30, and I would say my 2-inch long roots are 1/3 gray. :(
Rebecca decries LUSH products, but KellyFJ supports hendigo, which is mixing henna and indigo. LUSH Caca Brun Mama uses henna and indigo to achieve brown. After all of my research, I know that the time and effort is totally worth it if I get the results I want without heavy chemical processing or guilt. There are ways to minimize the mess.
A block was a little over $22 plus tax. I’m about to do a strand test with my hair brushings and a selection of grays that pop out very white against the rest of my hair. I’ll respond with the results…..
Great write-up cause in my language, I can not find much good source like this. I am a big believer in commenting on blogs to help the blog writers know that they’ve added something worthwhile to the world wide web!
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PLEASE research this issue further! I’m desperate. I am convinced that dyeing my hair is destroying the texture and causing my hair to fall out. I started going grey at 18. I am 32 now and highlights used to take care of the problem but now it takes a full dye job to cover it all. I mostly use natural products but this is one area where heavy chemicals seem like the only affective solution. I have grown out my grey but it is not an attractive look for me. However, the severe thinning I am experience is also doing a number on my self-esteem. I don’t know where else to turn.
We’re here, Georgia! We’ll have some info about thinning hair soon. Stay tuned–we will share info when we can find in. In the meantime, we’d encourage you to find out what’s in the dye you’re using, and refer to our book and elsewhere for especially problematic ingredients. Even in the heavy duty chemicals realm, some are worse than others. Do some reading, and find some dyes that do not contain the more problematic ingredients. We understand if you want to continue to dye your hair, and we’re of the opinion that there’s no such thing as a truly safe hair dye, but that said, we all have to make choices based on what we are comfortable with. If you’re not ready to rock the grey, then do what you can to make the best choices you can within the dye realm! More on thinning soon.
Thanks! Reading your book right now and loving it. I am still desperate for more information. I need to make a compromise on this one and find a “safer” hair dye. I’m not sure which ingredients are better than others, though.
help im starting to go gray i am allergic to ppd & henna any suggestions/
Love your website, nomoredirtylooks! Most of all THANKS!!!
I am 56, never dyed my hair. My issue is not turning it back to brown, but staying with beautiful grey. It is too dull and frizzy and I will NOT use chemicals to change it. When your hair turns grey, your skin tone changes as well. That’s why women who try to go back to brown do not look natural. Your skin tone has changed and lots of women go lighter after grey for that very reason.
I say whatever makes you feel good, go for it. I love grey, I just want it a little shiny and less frizzy.