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When partially oxidized, some ingredients, like PPD, can develop into sensitizers, thus triggering contact allergies. [2] That’s why most products containing PPD or its derivatives carry warning signs on the packaging to do patch testing before using the product. Iroiro has reduced 70% of their carbon footprint by packaging their hair dye in eco-pouches. They don't contain any chemical additives or synthetic ingredients like silicone, ammonia and peroxide. Hair dye can be toxic as there have been possible links to cancer, allergic reactions, and environmental impacts too.
Best pregnancy safe hair dyes
It’s also available in 34 shades (including fun ones like rose gold and silver), so it’s easy to find exactly the color you’re looking for. Reviewers love that it's made of natural oils so hair is left feeling soft and smooth, and has a pleasant scent (no ammonia, means no gross ammonia smell!). The products you can use for coloring come in two broad groups—chemical-based colors and organic hair dyes. Due to the beauty and health benefits attached to the organic hair colors, many people today are moving away from the use of chemical dyes that have dominated the market traditionally. When it comes to the safest non-toxic hair color, plant-based or vegetable-based hair dyes are the holy grail of natural haircare.
Khadi Natural Hair Color
For a natural foaming formula that won't last much more than a month, give this demi-permanent Color Cloud hair dye a try. Free from ammonia, PPD, and resorcinol—all of which can be drying—this gentle foam is instead packed with hair-loving ingredients like aloe, chamomile, and ginseng. Best of all, you can expect a gradual fade with this one, allowing you to use it on a variety of base tones.

Schwarzkopf Simply Color Permanent Color
The gentle, conditioning formula deposits gorgeous color that'll last for up to 28 shampoos. Sorry, hair dye without any chemicals is just not a thing (again, unless you’re working with henna or straight-up plant juice). Dye will always require some chemical-based ingredients to help deposit pigment onto your hair. That said, you can get hair dye that’s made without alcohol, ammonia, or PPD if you want something less harsh, but still want to get in on all the newest hair color trends. Keep scrolling to find the full list of natural hair dyes to maintain, tone, or tint your hair.
Many of the products that contain Red Dye 40 are specifically created for and marketed to children, the group that’s most vulnerable to its adverse health effects. In 2023, the state of California passed a law to ban Red Dye 3, another red food dye, based on concerns about the ingredient’s effects on consumers’ health. Just because an ingredient has the potential to cause an allergic reaction in one person doesn’t make it unsafe for everyone. For now, the FDA states there is not enough evidence to support these potential adverse effects of color additives on children's health. However, they do note that some evidence suggests certain children may be more sensitive to color additives than others.
Natural hair dyes and other natural at-home hair color options do exist, though they may take a little more research to find. And hopefully, this article will give you a better understanding of how they all work. Unfortunately, there aren’t many chemical-free options on the market, but there are ways to work around that. Hair dyes contain harsh chemicals like ammonia and paraphenylenediamine (PPD) that may cause irritation and often leave hair dry and damaged. Thankfully, there are natural ways to color hair and avoid the side effects of chemical hair processing.
Customers do recommend that the product be left on slightly longer that the instructions state for it to work, though. Olivia Truffaut-Wong is an editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers beauty, entertainment, and lifestyle. She loves finding and testing the best skincare products to recommend, like the best tinted sunscreens, and is always researching the best cat accessories for her fur baby. She has over 10 years of experience as an entertainment and culture writer and editor, and her work has been featured in The Cut, Refinery29, Teen Vogue, Polygon, Bustle, and more.

Clairol Natural Instincts
Here’s How Often You Can Dye Your Hair, According to Professional Colorists - Well+Good
Here’s How Often You Can Dye Your Hair, According to Professional Colorists.
Posted: Mon, 25 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Then, read on for everything you need to know about clean hair dyes, including how to choose the best one for you and how often to use it on your hair, according to experts. DIY hair dyes and vegan brands providing healthy hair colors make a good alternative and allow enhancing the color of your tresses, no harm attached. If you’re looking to change your hair color to a rich auburn or brassy red, this natural powder — a staple in many South Asian beauty routines — is the way to go.
Best Professional At-Home Hair Color
For those who don't like to break the bank on boxed dye, this is a great choice. It's not only inexpensive but also free of a litany of ingredients, including ammonia, parabens, sulfates, silicones, and phthalates. (Just a heads up, it does contain resorcinol.) The cream formula doesn't drip, and the demi-permanent color lasts up to six weeks while completely covering any pesky grays. Bonus points for the inclusion of a botanical-based conditioning gloss.
If you want to support a brand that does not test on animals and still produces amazing dye, you should give Manic Panic’s Supernatural Shades a try. This semi-permanent hair dye is both vegan and cruelty-free and made without PPD or ammonia. Users love that this product eliminates orange and brassy tones while leaving hair soft and shiny. It doesn't fully cover gray hairs, but reviewers were still satisfied with the results. Users with allergies to hair dye praise this product for how gentle it was on their scalps. And while some felt that the color washed out too quickly, others felt that the color lasted longer than leading brands.
One of the best traits of a hypoallergenic hair dye is its versatility and variety of color options. Whether you want to turn your hair blond or want to try dark brown hues, you can ask your hair stylist for an allergy-friendly hair dye option and rock your favorite hair color risk-free. Anaphylaxis is a serious and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.
The formula left strands evenly colored seven minutes after application and feeling soft and silky, GH Beauty Lab testing on hair samples found. What sets them apart is their low pH formula, which prioritizes your well-being and the health of your hair. It even has a delightful hint of banana fragrance and easily washes off your skin (though it stays put in your hair, as expected!). For more than two decades, the UK-based brand Tints of Nature has been dedicated to crafting eco-friendly hair care products that will leave you and the planet smiling. Those with natural, textured hair will appreciate the hydrating conditioner that comes with this dye formula. All you have to do is mix the color with the activator in the included bottle and apply.
Mind that this natural hair color is permanent and the strands will remain lightened until you cut them off. Looking to the future, there is potential for new and safer hair dyes. Researchers at North Carolina University have created a database with more than 300 substances in hair dye to research ways to make hair color safer and more sustainable. Human skin, eyes and hair get their color naturally from melanin, a compound derived from the amino acid tyrosine. In a nutshell, the amount of melanin you have determines your hair, skin and eye color. When talking about natural hair color, for example, blondes have fewer melanin molecules than brunettes.