Organic Beauty View

It’s said that blondes have more fun and being a brunette myself I have no idea if that’s true or not but – whatever the tone of your tresses this much is true: If you color your hair using conventional hair dyes, it may just be killing you. This is no joke and this is not baseless sensationalism. Listen up. There are some majorly toxic chemicals in commercial and over the counter hair dyes and given that the FDA hasn’t banned these chemicals from use, you should at least know about them.

For a start, coal tar (found in very dark shades) is a known neurotoxin and has been linked to cancer; ammonia has been known to adverse effects on brain cells and the lungs; other ingredients such as toluene, phenylenediamine, diaminobenzene or aminophenol are mandated by the FDA to be revealed on labels when present – but not banned from being there in the first place.

When you consider that 65% of us have dyed our hair in the last 12mths, that’s a lot of toxicity been slathered onto your scalp, not to mention washing down drains and into our environment. Over 90% of conventional hair dyes contain one or more of these ingredients and in tests conducted by the Yale School of Public Health there was an increase in cancer among women who began using hair dyes before 1980.

With companies like Aveda and John Masters leading the way over a decade ago, it’s not surprising that more and more hair care firms are trying to deliver safe alternatives, sans coal tar, ammonia and other dangerous chemicals. Unfortunately there’s no such thing as a completely natural or organic hair dye but you can get ammonia free, vegetable based hair dyes that coat the hair shaft rather than penetrating into it using chemical developers.

Semi-permanent shades are less toxic than permanent and tend to be much more gentle on the hair. If you’re a bit of a DIY kinda gal, here are some great options to consider next time you reach for that box of L’Oreal or Clairol: Vegetal Color Semi-Permanent Gel by Herbatint, Logona Herbal Hair Colors, Aubrey Color Me Natural. Writer :: Emma Pezzack – www.futurenatural.com: the best organic beauty products in the world.