Natural Hair Coloring

During my teen years, I taught swim lessons to local kids in my community. While at the pool, I would spray Sun-in (a product that was suppose to turn your hair platinum blond, but turned my hair orange) into my locks. In college, I tried to keep up with my look by buying every cheap, artificial hair dye on the market. While photos from these times were a sure-fire laugh, I finally tired of my brown roots, let go of my ego and let my hair grow into its natural color. It became shiny and healthy after nixing the chemical products. It took about six months for the natural oils to repair the damage.

Hair dye products are big business in the U.S. In fact, most of the women I know dye or highlight their hair on a regular basis. But is it safe? The verdict is still out. There have been a number of scientific studies suggesting that hair dyes may be carcinogenic, and after years of continuous use, could cause cancer. Applied to the scalp where the blood supply is rich, dyes could carry carcinogens directly into the bloodstream. Many people in the holistic field of health care believe that people shouldn't use these products, and place high emphasis on the darker dyes which contain a higher concentration of chemicals. Bleaching agents have not yet been proven to be carcinogenic, but did make my hair dry, brittle, damaged and frizzy.

But every girl needs to change things up once in awhile. I started to miss all those fun hair colors, so I  did some research. I found that henna was the only truly natural alternative to mainstream hair dyes.

Henna, Lawsonia inermis, is a type of plant that grows in the desert regions of India, Africa and the Middle East. It's a fun, safe way to change or enhance your current color. The leaves of the henna plant release a natural dye, which colors your skin or hair. Another benefit is that the oils from the plant condition hair while adding shine and body. Pure henna will provide a red tint. However, you can get products which will create other colors when other plants or vegetable dye ingredients are added.

The product I currently use has henna, two other plant dyes, clove oil and coffee grinds, which add dark tones and shine. I would recommend you don’t get your henna products from a salon as most of these contain artificial or synthetic additives. Go to your local organic store or find a reputable company online, always reading the labels to ensure it's chemical-free.

Henna tips:

• Wear rubber gloves. I learned this the hard way. Just because henna is natural, that doesn't mean it won’t stain. Always prepare the ingredients in the bathroom.
• Leave henna on for at least one hour. It's natural, so it won't burn your head like artificial dyes. (Longer times are needed for depth of color, shorter for brighter color.)
• Henna can be unpredictable at times. The colors may vary depending on the crop and the growing season. This is why it's essential that you do a strand test before using.
• Make sure you stir henna mix and add enough water (follow the directions).
• Don’t use any artificial hair dye products until the henna is out of your hair completely. The natural plant products from the henna could mix with artificial chemicals and have adverse color effects.
• Henna can only add color to your hair so you can’t lighten dark hair.