that cancer-causing ingredients are found in all conventional hair dyes currently on sale in the United
States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
The next time you feel like changing your hair color, check the ingredients label on the box for one
of the following chemicals:
phenylenediamine
aminophenol
ethanolamine
hydroquinone
2,4-diaminophenoxyethanolIf even one of these ingredients is present, you should not purchase the hair dye.
The following ingredients in hair colors have been shown to cause nausea when inhaled,
dermatitis, and/or breathing difficulties: p-phenylenediamine, resorcinol, 2-methylresorcinol, toluene
(4-amino-2-hydroxytoluene), ammoniumhydroxide, sodiummetabisulfite, tetrasodium pyrophosphate,
nonoxynol-4, nonoxynol-9, phosphoric acid, 1-naphthol, etidronic acid. The list can go on and on, but
these are the most popular ingredients found in the majority of hair dyes currently on the market.
There is no such thing as a safe chemical hair color. Basic home hair coloring kits sold at
drugstores and expensive highlighting jobs at upscale hair salons are equally damaging to your health.
Your hair may look glossy and pretty, but the damage to your bladder, breasts, lungs, and immune and
endocrine systems is irreversible.
Are There Any Alternatives?
Consider green hair dyes. While they don’t always have the broad color palette and can be messy
to apply, their damage rarely goes further than stained towels. Most often, natural hair dyes are based
on henna with the addition of mineral pigments. They do not contain carcinogenic chemicals,
ammonia, or peroxide.
Some so-called herbal hair dyes, such as Herbatint, are not much different from conventional
coloring kits sold in groceries and drugstores. The last time I checked, some of the most popular
“herbal” dyes contained p-phenylenediamine, p-aminophenol, resorcinol, ethanolamine, and
tetrasodium EDTA, to name just a few offenders. The only thing green about these hair dyes is the
color of the boxes. Don’t be fooled by natural-sounding names. Always check what goes in the
product, and don’t be seduced by “green” claims until you verify yourself that they have any
substance.
There are several plants that can be used as natural coloring agents. Henna is the oldest and most
popular one. It was used in ancient Egypt, most notably by Queen Cleopatra, and today henna remains
an important beauty tool in the Middle East and India. There are three types of henna: red henna
(Lawsonia inermis, Lawsonia alba, and Lawsonia spinosa), neutral henna (Lyzifus spina christi),
and black henna (Indigofera tinctora). To achieve color variations, all three types of henna can be
blended together, with the addition of indigo and iron oxides. The active ingredient in henna,
lawsone, has the chemical name 2-dihydroxy-1,4-naphtaqiunone (not directly related to hydroquinone
or 1-naphthalene), which makes henna a stable, yet semipermanent hair dye. It will nourish your hair
and bring out beautiful golden highlights in dark hair.