Keep your locks at their most luscious

WORDS | Carimé Lane

Like aging, grey hair is inevitable. And whether we’re genetically gifted with greys or simply choosing to switch things up with a little colour, many of us head to the salon or our local drug store aisles for a little TLC. But during the pandemic, what was once the job of salon professionals fell to us to figure out! With hair care in our own hands, we became distinctly aware of the ingredients that go into hair dyes, leading us to ask: Is there a better way?

The traditional route

Ingredients in synthetic hair dye usually include a combination of peroxide and ammonia, which are known to damage hair and trigger allergic reactions. The ingredients in traditional hair dyes may also increase the user’s risk of breast cancer, bladder cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The natural world of hair care

Sarah Griffiths, owner of Treo Organic Salon, hadn’t planned on going natural. Roughly 15 years ago, while working in a poorly ventilated salon, Griffiths started responding to the toxicity: She experienced dizzy spells, headaches, nausea, and eczema. “It was really scary,” says Griffiths. “I didn’t know what was happening.”

Discovering organic hair colour allowed her to get back to work and inspired her to found her own salon.

Beata Caltagirone, owner at BeataTe Hair Salon, also found natural was best through experience. She saw the toll conventional hair products took on her as a stylist and went natural to improve the overall health of herself and her customers.

Caltagirone and Griffiths agree that natural colours are less irritating and more nourishing and nurturing, and as a result, produce healthier looking hair than traditional dyes. Natural stylists can reproduce the entire spectrum of colours you’ve become accustomed to through the traditional dying process: Bleach blonde, funky colours, and darker tones are all possible, expresses Griffiths. Natural hair dye also offers 100 percent grey coverage and boasts the same longevity as synthetic dyes, adds Caltagirone.

Griffiths’ schedule is packed, with many driving one or two hours to see her. She encourages readers to request natural alternatives from their current stylist.

Ingredient no-nos

• P-phenylenediamine is a type of coal tar dye and common ingredient in many hair dyes. Darker dyes generally contain more of the substance than lighter colours. Coal tar is a recognized human carcinogen.

• Sulfates have been linked to skin and eye irritation and reduced body weight.

• Parabens and phthalates are endocrine disrupting chemicals that interrupt natural hormone production.

• Fragrance/parfum exposure has been linked to symptoms including migraines, contact dermatitis, asthma attacks, and respiratory difficulties.

Going natural on your own

Henna has been used as temporary body art for women during marriage or other social celebrations since the Bronze Age. It’s also a popular red hair dye whose properties help prevent premature hair loss and greying hair. It is often used on grey hair in combination with other ingredients to create brown colours. Other DIY ingredients include jatamansi, coffee, walnuts, tea, lily stamens, beet juice, and turmeric. Natural boxed dyes can be purchased at your local health food store, and some natural salons offer colours for curbside pick up.