Safer ways to colour your hair »

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Permanent hair colours are the harshest for hair. Whenever possible, choose temporary, semi-permanent, demi-permanent, and natural dyes.

How is hair coloured - Dye types:

•Permanent hair colours change the natural pigment found within your hair cuticle.
•Demi-permanent colour enriches your natural colour, adds shine, and blends grey. With its lower levels of hydrogen peroxide and artificial colour molecules, this service has less structural impact on your hair than permanent colour, and it gradually fades over a period of four to six weeks.
•Semi-permanent colour stains the hair cuticle with colour and covers grey but fades after six to eight shampoos.

Most hair colours consist of toxic chemicals such as Ammonia, Peroxide, diaminobenzene, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) which can swell the hair follicle, damage the hair and initiate allergic reactions in some people.

Health problems caused by hair dye chemicals :

•Research at the University of Southern California found that hairdressers are five times more likely to have bladder cancer, compared to the general population.
•According to a Harvard School of Public Health study, women that dye their hair 5 times per year or more are twice as likely to get ovarian cancer.
•A University of Washington study found a 50% increase in the incidence of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in long term hair dye users.
•The incidence of Rheumatoid Arthritis is twice as high for women that have used permanent hair dyes for over 20 years.
•While more high quality research is required, the number of findings of the ill effects of hair dye are increasing and are cause for concern.

Consider a natural colour service or one that uses lower levels of hydrogen peroxide or developers, along with colours/brands that have a lower dye lot/PPD.

Natural and herbal colour rinses :

Certified organic henna and plant materials can also colour your hair, but with a more gentle and natural approach, since they contain no synthetic chemicals, preservatives, or harsh oxidizing chemicals, such as ammonia. These pure vegetable products do not alter the structure or natural colour of your hair and actually condition your hair while imparting colour and sheen. No matter what you have heard, these products have come a long way. One brand that comes under this heading is Logona Herbal Hair Colours - a 100% natural henna based powder (or cream). For more information log on to www.logona.com and choose English (the site is in German).

You can create a wide variety of plant pigment colour rinses yourself. These concoctions do not create radical hair colour change, but instead accentuate your hair's natural tone and shine. If your hair is less than 15 percent grey, some plants will disguise the gray. In these cases, the product actually stains your hair, although very subtly. Cumulative usage creates longer-lasting, slightly more intense results. You can repeat the application as often as desired, depending on the colour level you prefer.

If you do colour ...

Do a patch test first. Due to the risk of irritation and allergic reaction, it is advised that before each colour application, a 24hr patch test is conducted (especially if the colour is new to you). A successful patch test involves leaving the product uncovered on the skin, and the best place to do this is usually behind the ear.

Remember this advice for keeping coloured hair as healthy as possible:

•Protect and condition your hair and scalp regularly.
•Don't stray far from your natural level and tone. Dramatic colour changes require more upkeep, since outgrowth becomes very obvious very soon.
•Follow your stylist's recommendations for home-care regimen.
•Be especially vigilant about protecting chemically treated and naturally coloured hair from the sun.The less you chemically process your hair, the more healthy it remains long term.

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