Organic Hair Color

As our population continues to age, more and more women are turning to professional permanent color to prevent their hair from looking dull and grey. Because of this, there has been a heightened awareness of the highly toxic chemicals found in most permanent colors. This has led to a huge increase in the popularity of organic hair products.
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Organic color offers an alternative to the more health conscious woman who does not want to sacrifice her health for her beauty. Although organic hair color is a much safer, healthier choice than it’s toxic alternatives, it can actually perform much better than the chemical brands that are used in most salons. Although a professional colorist may charge between 10% and 15% more for organic haircolor than chemical based haircolor, the results will be a more vibrant, healthier, shinier, and longer lasting color that does a superior job at covering resistant great hair. The reason why professional organic hair color products costs a bit more than chemical based professional color products is all in the ingredients. The organic raw ingredients required to make high quality organic color is several times more expensive than the cheaper synthetically created chemicals used in chemical based color.

How is Organic Hair Color Different?

There are three primary differences between professional organic color and chemical based color products. First, organic color will not contain ammonia while chemical based color contains high amounts of ammonia or ammonia hydroxide (ammonia and water). Second, organic color will minimize its use of synthetic chemicals. Third, a good organic color will maximize its use or certified organic raw ingredients to nourish and restore the hair while providing it with a rich, permanent, lustrous color.

Ammonia-Free Hair Color

Ammonia is a dangerous corrosive toxin whose primary purpose in the color process is to blast open the cuticle. Opening the hair’s cuticle is necessary for the color molecules to enter the hair’s cortex where it oxidizes with hydrogen peroxide resulting in permanently coloring the hair. High quality professional organic color will use a swelling agent like cocamide (which is naturally found in coconut oil) to gently swell the cuticle open allowing the color molecules in the color to enter the hair’s inner cortex. This process usually requires the use of heat to assist in the swelling process. After the oxidative color process is complete, the heat is removed from the hair and the cuticle swells down to its natural state sealing the color inside the hair’s cortex naturally protected by the in-tact cuticle. This is preferred to using ammonia to blast open the cuticle as doing so will damage the hair and leave it damaged allowing the color to slowly fall out. When color begins to come out to the hair’s cortex through daily activity, it is called color fade. Color fade rarely happens with organic color and is quite common with chemical color.

There are other reasons why it is a good idea to leave ammonia out of color. First, ammonia free color provides superior performance as discussed above. Second, ammonia produces a foul and unpleasant smell, scalp irritation, discomfort, and damage to the hair cuticle. Finally, ammonia is a known toxic and has been linked to several types of cancer.

Minimizing the Use of Synthetic Chemicals

Any color is a chemical process. Fortunately, advancements in organic sciences have provided high-performance safer alternatives to many of these chemicals involved in the color process. Two ingredients that are often found in chemical based color are resorcinol and formaldehyde. These two chemicals are among the most dangerous chemicals used in color products and are known toxins and linked to many diseases including many forms of cancer, reproductive disorders, neural system and brain disorders, and respiratory system problems. Also, color products should never contain any form of 2,5 Diamine Toluene Sulfate, or (PTD). 2,5 Diamine Toluene Sulfate is a common substitute for a dye that has been found to be allergic in some people. The problem is, 2,5 Diamine Toluene Sulfate, while usually not an allergen, is extremely toxic and highly dangerous, especially in the quantities necessary in color products.

Maximize Use of Certified Organic Ingredients

To nourish and rejuvenate the hair, a high quality professional organic color product will contain certified organic ingredients that are specifically formulated to treat the hair naturally and organically. Some excellent certified organic ingredients you will find in the best professional organic hair color products include hydrolyzed wheat protein to act as a conditioner, extracts from fruits that are effective anti-oxidants like orange and grapefruit, natural soothing agents like comfrey and chamomile extracts, as well as essential vitamins for the hair like vitamin C and vitamin E which are also antioxidants. There are several natural ingredients that should only be used with caution such as essential oils because of the tendency of some essential oils to dry out the hair and grape seed extracts because of its high acidity.

Other Things to Consider About Organic Hair Color

Some organic color products are also certified by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) as being vegan and cruelty-free. This means that none of their products have ever been tested on animals and that they do not use any animal byproducts in their products. Organic Color Systems is one that is also certified as being ammonia free and containing only certified organic ingredients by the Soil Association of the United Kingdom. Such socially responsibility is an additional benefit of using an organic color over a chemical based one.