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Natural Hair Color in Cleveland

By: Andrew W John DEBATE HAS LONG RAGED OVER WHICH HAIR DYE ingredients pose a health risk. If you want a dramatic color change or permanent coverage, avoiding all questionable ingredients is difficult. One of those questionable ingredients is p-phenylenediamine (PPD), found in many permanent hair colors. Mary Beth Janssen, a beauty consultant in Palatine, Ill., and author of Naturally Healthy Hair, says PPD is the cause of most allergic reactions to hair dye and that it has been linked to cancer.

The chemicals that are in a many of the dyes and highlighting kits available are too harsh for many people, but there are new products on the market now that promise to work well for them without the resulting health problems, such as allergic reactions. Though still required to work as they should, the less caustic permanent hair colors contain such chemicals as peroxide, diaminobenzene, ammonia and p-Phenylenediamine in amounts that are much smaller

Superior to hair dyes that are ammonia-based and void of the displeasurable side effects, Organic Color Systems permanent hair coloring products can only be found in professional hair styling salons. The range of Organic Color Systems' products includes colors, lighteners, concentrates and activators. There is also a hair care line of products that are salon only that can be used in addition to the range of colors for repairing damaged hair. Organic hair color has many benefits. What you don't get are fumes, ammonia, hair damage, burning and itching, banding, brassing, hot roots, sulfates, plastics, parabens, animal products and animal testing. What you do get is just beautiful, healthy hair.

Harsh chemicals should not be needed for temporary hair coloring or highlighting. A couple of short term options are Naturcolor and Vegetel, which do not have chemicals that will cause damage. The effect will last for only a few washes, however.

A temporary dye that is completely natural is henna. It has been known at least since Cleopatra and been used for dying hair and skin for a few thousand years. It is made by crushing the leaves of the Lawsonia desert shrub into powder. As a maker of hair treatments of pure organic ingredients, Rainbow Henna has hair colors that range from black to blonde and all the colors in between. Light Mountain caters to those who are more comfortable with the more familiar home hair dye kits. These hair products are readily available in nearby shops for natural beauty and health supplies. Other products, such as Organic Color Systems, might only be found to be available in hair salons.

Recent studies have given those worried about the traditional hair dyes they use new reasons to switch to less harsh alternatives. A 1994 National Cancer Institute report found that deep-colored dyes (like dark brown and black), when used over prolonged periods of time, seemed to increase the risk of cancers such as non-Hodgkins lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Meanwhile a 2001 study by the International Journal of Cancer found that people who use permanent hair dye are twice as likely to develop bladder cancer as those who go au naturel regarding hair color.