My hair is currently a lot blonder than my natural hair color, which could best be described as a dark blonde. It's currently about the color my hair was when I was a child but, since it's darkened considerably as I've gotten older, I still can't quite adjust to the idea that I'm not a blonde anymore. I really like my current hair color, in spite of the upkeep. I have been pretending for a while now that there's no health risk with coloring my hair because I go to an Aveda salon with their "98% natural" spiel, yet no stylist has been able to tell me what's in the other 2%. I've also been pretending that all the foil they use on my head can somehow be recycled even though I've asked and they've told me they don't, I just keep hoping that somehow they'll figure out a way to do it. In other words, I've been keeping my golden locks firmly implanted in the sand.
I've decided that at my next appointment I'll have my stylist lowlight my hair back to its natural color. I could go cold turkey, but I'm not interested in torturing myself in growing out that much hair. So, I'll have one hair coloring last hurrah and, in the end, will save a lot of money in the process.
While highlighting works differently than hair dyes, if you are using dyes you might want to consider a few facts. From the book, Toxic Beauty, "it is estimated that use of these dyes accounts for more than 20% of all non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in women." Twenty fucking percent.
And if lymphoma sounds like a cake-walk then you might think about the increased risk of acute and chronic leukemia and multiple myeloma. Oh, and throw in bladder and breast cancer while you are at it. Since my husband has multiple myeloma (not from dying his hair, mind you), when I read him some statistics he immediately encouraged me to stop coloring my hair.
Even brands like Ecocolors rate poorly on the EWG Skin Deep site as does Herbatint and Sanotint, all of these routinely mentioned as non-toxic hair coloring systems. Alternatives to the nasty products are variants of henna, so there are options out there if you still are keen on coloring your hair. Just be careful, there are some hennas, for example this one from Surya, which isn't much better than other, more traditional brands.
In the meantime, I'll be looking a little less California and a whole lot more Seattle. Which is probably a good thing. Who knows? Maybe next time you see me I'll be a fiery henna red.
What about you? Do you color your hair? Are you worried about the potential health hazards of coloring? Or have you found a line of hair color that is truly non toxic?
Related books:
Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry
Toxic Beauty: How Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Endanger Your Health
57 Crunchy Thoughts:
Yay!
Of course that is coming from someone who has only ever colored her hair ONCE, shortly after that 40th birthday. And I hated the way my hair felt for months after that. Maybe even up to a year. Granted it was a Natural Instincts gradual wash out home color job by a friend with previous experience and she used foil, but still...once was enough. I have had gray hair since 7th grade and while I enjoyed a little less gray, most folks didn't notice as my friend did a nice job of not making it shockingly different. I need to dispose of the unused boxes of color from 3 years ago. Anyone want it? 2 different colors. I think I still have them...
I do color my hair and have, on and off (mostly on), for a decade-ish. I'm graying, which doesn't bother me, but the brunette that hasn't grayed yet is soooooo dull-looking -- I wish it would just all be gray (or white or whatever) already.
I'll admit I, too, have kept my head in the sand about the hazards, but the "20% of all non-Hodgkin's lymphoma" . . . I didn't know about that and it's certainly grabbed my attention.
Thanks for the info; I can go cold turkey on the hair color (an advantage of wearing a super short hairstyle!).
I am a natural brunette, but have had blond hair for 10 years from very heavy highlights. I'm not ready to say goodbye, but the risks are terrifying. You only mentioned dyes in particular, so I am wondering if you or anyone else here knows more about the health concerns associated with highlights? Thanks!
When I read similar stats I was horrified enough to stop dyeing my hair. I've been slowly letting the grey. grow out. I'm only 32 but have some seriously grey hair since I was 12. I had been dyeing my hair since about 15 - so 17 years. I'm terrified by the idea of how many toxic chemicals I've put on my hair (and have always dyed it black or dark brown so the worst of the worst dyes :-(
Am about to try henna and see how it goes :-)
20%?! That's horrifying. I use the ten minute dyes to go blonder (I too am a dark blonde), in the vain hope that staying on my head for such a short time might be better. But with those stats I'm not sure I'm willing to risk even that....
Have you ever heard of honey lightening Crunchy? It's something I've read about in passing on the Long Hair Community forum. You create a reaction with the honey which produces a very gentle hydrogen peroxide .I know it can take it a bit longer than dye, but I think it might be time I read up about it properly!
I colored my hair for about 10 years straight. Over the last 2 I grew my natural color back out (I did the same thing in reverse, layered some temporary black on my roots to soften the transition from black back to dark brown--it faded enough to give me a sort of in between color instead of an obvious root line).
Now, I'm thinking of playing around with things again, but much more opposed to 16 syllable chemicals than I used to be.
I haven't decided between lemon/chamomile/sun streaks with henna layered over the whole thing for reddish highlights or just henndigo (Husband likes my hair quite dark). Either way I'll be mixing it myself from raw ingredients, this time around.
PS. Hi! Love your blog!
I used to dye my hair to be a bit darker than my natural colour - I always thought my hair was a rather awkward mousey brown.
When I let it grow out, it was actually a lovely dark brown - it had darkened as I got older, and I really love it now. So I've been dye free for about five years (hey, I'm 29, five years is a long time at this age rofl...) and it's been great!
I have not coloured or highlighted my hair for years, because of the costs & potential effects of the chemical on my body, and actual effects & true cost of the dyes on the Earth. I certainly still have some vanity, but when it comes to hair colour, I think find a safe alternative, or get over it! ;)
I don't color my hair. We go grey extremely early in my family. I started at 17. For several years I used raw, natural henna (mixed with egg and olive oil) to give my hair a reddish tint over my natural dark brown. But by my mid-20's I had enough silver-grey hairs that took on a lurid orange color when I applied the henna to make it look pretty odd, so that was out. Since then, it's been natural salt and pepper for me. I only wish I could get to my mother's gorgeous silver hair a lot sooner. I'm afraid I may follow my father's much slower greying trend.
I did dye it once for my wedding and once since. I did a couple of highlights earlier too but I hated how it grew out so now it is just mostly silver grey. Only thing is when people mistake me for grandma out with the kids and then get embarrassed when I tell them that actually, they are mine :)
viv in nz
I was white blond as a child, but now it's a sort of either very dark dishwater blond or very light brown. Oh, where it's not white. Most people in my family are totally snow white by 40, and I've been heading in that direction since I was in my early 20's (I'm 32 now). I don't do anything and I never have except for henna, which makes my hair pumpkin colored. Ew. My hair can grow up to almost an inch a month so that makes it not worth it combined with the horrible risks you take with the chemicals. I do wish, though, that I would just wake up white, rather than have to go through years of having "faded" looking hair.
For the past 15 years (or so), I highlighted my hair. I was blond as a child, but in my teens it turned dark blond-to-mousey brown. Vanity took over.
The greys didn't start coming in until well into my forties, so my natural hair looked dull and I kept highlighting. Well, enough of them show up now, so last year I had lowlights put in to match my "real" hair and let it go natural, and haven't colored it since. I've still got a lot to grow out so I can cut off the old dyed area, but I love my natural hair that's growing in.
I worry about women who color their hair without even thinking that there may be health issues. Advertising and big business isn't worry about our health, is it?
I think you'll look great with darker hair. My daughter's hair did the same, went from very blond to dark brown, very attractive. My hair went from reddish-brown to silvery gray. And the gray started right in center front in my 20's. Now my hair is almost totally gray, has been since my late 40's, and I get a lot of compliments from friends and total strangers as well. I do get insulted when people talk about how they are getting "ugly gray hair" when I'm standing right there. How many people would stand around and talk insulting about blond hair or red hair right in front of some one with that same color? Can you tell I get tired of the predjudice against gray hair? So y'all think before you speak and open your minds to a wider view of beauty please.
I used to dye my hair a lot with those at-home box mixes. Now I use nothing but 100% body art quality henna from a site called Henna for Hair.
It's about as messy as regular hair color, though it needs to sit much longer, like several hours, to work. It's nice, though. My henna days are like my at home spa treatment days. It turns my brown hair into lovely auburn. I usually henna about every six months... it's subtle enough by that point to be very forgiving.
I've heard scary henna stories, but those stories are all about boxed mixes with unknown ingredients in them. That's why I buy only the body art quality henna. The metallic salts that get added to boxed mixes to make nonsense like "blond henna" will destroy hair.
Unfortunately, there isn't a really good blond henna. I could dye my hair a darker brown with a henna and indigo mix, but I don't know about lighter colors. The Henna for Hair website is full of helpful info, though.
I dyed my hair until I was pregnant with my first child. My OB told me a friend of hers (a physician-scientist) had self-tested. She dyed her hair with some commercial dye and then tested her urine for chemicals. They showed up in fairly substantial amounts for 6 weeks. I went cold turkey after that and have never regretted the decision.
I HAVE used henna but the mess made me not want to repeat.
This is a question from someone that knows absolutely nothing about dying hair, but is there any possibility of using the same sort of natural dyes used to dye eggs at Easter? Walnut husks, onion skins, beets, etc? I'm guessing there is an obvious answer or one of the very intelligent people that comment here would have suggested it.
I just had my hair colored. I'm actually really thinking I'll make the switch to henna this time. I always go with shades of red- have been for years so I know I don't want blonde or anything. My hairdresser (who is also a relative) urged me not to go with henna because you have to chop it off and such. It never comes out of your hair. Still, I'd say it's worth it. I know my pocketbook would agree.
Oh, and to answer the Q about using walnut dyes and such- I'm not expert but I don't think it would penetrate the same way. Still, I've heard of using those dyes for adding vibrancy. So if you have brown hair use a natural brown dye as a rinse, etc. But really, what could it hurt to test it out as a dye? I think the only problem you'd have would be keeping it on the hair. Dyes are pasty, you know? I'd experiment with something close to your color first.
I love your blog, lots of great info. I also was white blond as a child, but as I've gotten older and had 3 kids, my hair just looks dark and dirty blond to me. I've been coloring or hightlighting my hair for the past 10 years, never when I was pregnant or nursing though. This post really makes me think about going natural, since I already use organic skincare(I rep NYR Organic, a new direct sale organic skincare co.), and use all natural cleaning products etc. I have heard using lemon to highlight blond hair, so hopefully I can check back here later for tips on that and other natural hair care. :-)
I never know exactly what to do either. I'm 32 with very dark black hair and I'm going grey already. Yes, I'm 32 and by 35 I'll probably be completely grey. I hate it.
But I do worry about the health risks.
One more thought---I'm a middle school teacher and I'd say 60% or more of my girls ALREADY highlight their hair and have been for years. Pink hair, purple hair, streaks, highlights, lowlights....
Its very trendy amongst teens. Now, what does that say for their future, coloring hair pre-adolesence and beyond?
I stopped dying my hair shortly after I found out I was pregnant. Before that, I was dying or bleaching it every month to every other month for 5 years. Once I found out I was pregnant I decided it was time to stop so I wasn't putting the baby at risk. I did, however, had my last hurrah with hair dye to get my hair to it's natural color (which hadn't been seen since I was 14). It took two tries, but now it's natural looking, and a ton healthier. Like you, I used to be blonde when I was a kid and my hair has significantly darkened to a darkish brown over the years.
Well done you! I used to colour my hair too despite it aggravating my excema ... the things we do for beauty. I stopped years ago and I really really don't miss the hassle, the expense, or the feeling that I am somehow 'pretending' with my looks! I'm sure you won't miss it!
First time I dyed my hair was middle school. I wanted to go red [from natural blonde - that darkened as I got older], and my mom said, "Alright. If you get straight A's." hehehe. In MS and HS, I had almost every shade of red hair possible. Loved it.
Mid-December, I used henna for the first time. It was an interesting experience, and different from the store bought dye I used to buy. But, I loved it. I should have re-done it about a month/month and a half ago. The beauty, though, of the color fading and my now-not-so-blonde color is that the growth line is not so easy to see.
I've alwasy loved red hair. Henna seems like a very logical, natural choice. You should try it! And share pictures!
Your IQ has already risen 30 points!
My hair is the color of yours, dark blonde. Haven't dyed it in over 2 years, and I'm still growing it out. It gets much lighter in the summertime, and darker in the winter.
I made a chamomile/lemon lightener last summer and really liked how it works. Here's the recipe: http://farmersdaughterct.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/homemade-highlights/
I quit dying/highlighting my hair a few years ago and don't miss it. I have started to go white though it seems to be happening very slowly. It's odd for me because after being a white-blonde child and having my hair turn almost chestnut by the age of 26, it's on it's way back to white again!
Deanna, you're beautiful - embrace the cold turkey!
Has anybody ever tried LUSH henna hair dyes? I checked and all of the colors are brown, reddish, or dark brown. No blond shades.
http://www.lushusa.com/shop/products/haircare/henna-hair-dyes/
I've used LUSH henna before and it was okay. It's mixed with cocoa butter, and although that's not a bad thing it makes it harder for me to use than just the powdered plant.
And yeah, LUSH only has henna or henna/indigo blends. Cassia might be nice on blond hair, it's a neutral color but supposedly makes hair shinier and better conditioned. Haven't tried it myself, though.
I have dyed my hair since I was 15. Usually lighter. Sometimes red. I have been home dying for most of that time due to cost and I do want to stop but it is like a beauty addiction. I am not a high maintenance girl by any means nbut I do like a nice fresh hair dye. That being said- I am going to seriously consider some low lights and getting back to my natural color (which sounds pretty close to where yours is). If anyone has some safer and effective hair highlighting ideas I am all ears. Lemon work buts tends to turn hair pretty breassy and orange if there is red in it.
I have used LUSH as well, and while it wasn't quite as easy as the other brand I used (Light Mountain), but with a little cinnamon added for addition scent, it was actually quite nice and last for quite a while.
Of course, I do have the advantage of having dark hair to begin with (quickly converting to white these days), so it might be easier for me to match my original color.
I had been using Herbatint and switched to Surya sometime in 2008. (I haven't dyed my hair since early January right now.) I began getting gray hair in my 20's and now at 37, at least 40% of it's gray, especially with a huge streak in my part on the left side of my head. Most of the permanent dye is out now. I have about 3 inches of it at the ends of my hair. I am considering having that cut off and just leaving it natural. Then, the vain part of me freaks out about having gray hair at such a young age. I keep going back and forth about dyeing it more, but I haven't succumbed yet.
I'm very glad to hear that you'll be going natural!
I'm 36 and am much, much more grey than I'd like to be at this age.
My mother died of non-hodgkins lymphoma almost 10 years ago and that scared me off of hair dye. My mother colored her hair for at least 30 years.
The vain part of me really wants to get rid of the grey, but I haven't found any natural product that makes me feel safe enough to give it a go.
I have dark brown hair and it is going gray more and more. My trouble with quitting the dye (I use cheap home stuff) is that when the dye is growing out it looks so gross. Anyone know how to make it look good in the process of quitting the dye? I have long hair and really don't want to cut it off.
I am also naturally dark blonde but I lightened it for many years. I switched to henna about two years ago and I will never go back to traditional hair dye/color. I get more compliments now on my hair color than I ever did as a blonde. Since I started using henna my hair is more thick, shiny, and I have virtually no split ends ever. And henna is a lot cheaper, $3 for henna at my local beauty supply store as opposed to $20 for a coloring system at CVS (and much much more to have it done at a local salon). There is a learning curve to using it but it is not overwhelming. There is a great website called Henna For Hair that helped me tremendously: http://www.hennaforhair.com/
I second Pursewarden... www.hennaforhair.com is a wonderful resource for natural, safer hair coloring options.
I have been coloring my hair for at least 18 years. I have brunette hair and mostly keep it that, just to cover the gray that started in my mid-20s I'm torn because I don't want lymphoma!, but I also don't want to look like my son's grandmother. My son is 6 and I'm already nervous about my looks because I'm 43.
I've been wanting to stop coloring my hair, but then I break down after staring at my hair for extended periods of time in the mirror and then friends say, "oh,your hair looks so pretty!" and then I think, whoa, good thing I colored my hair.
There are days now where I literally want to take a pair of scissors and start cutting most of my hair off and just have a short hair cut. But I think going short and gray will drastically change my appearance - not for the better - and that scares me.
Thank you for such an interesting post (and comments that followed)! I haven't dyed my hair at all in a couple years now. At times I'm tempted, but my ego does not win over the very real health risks and the monetary drain. Besides, I think there comes a time in a woman's life when grey can be beautiful. Now give me some respect, eh? ;)
Apparently the studies relating to hair color show *blonde* hair dye does NOT lead to increased risk of non-hodgkins lymphoma. So you may be safe! And the overall risk was mostly prior to 1980 when there were more carcinogens. Still I would be wary of using any unnecessary chemicals on my skull. See
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_2_1x_Can_Hair_Dye_Cause_Non-Hodgkin_Lymphoma.asp
I'm a 2 color foiled blond - have been for years.
I think considering all the nasty things out there hair bleach is probably the least of my worries.
That said, I'm just now starting to go gray and I think I'm going to go for it and embrace my inner "hag".
The fact that I've got color resistant gray hair is a factor, but so is the cost.
For what I pay for a foil job, I could pay the electric bill or buy a years worth of butter.
After reading your post, I was in the shower and thought about a man at church that has non-hodgkins lymphoma -- guess what -- he died his hair for years (every since I've known him and that has been since I was born 38 years ago). I know he died it often enough that he never had roots.
I use henna. Not bottled concoctions calling themselves henna, but the actual powdered plant that I mix up myself.
Love it! Very time-consuming, but in the hectic pace of modern living... taking an afternoon/evening just to relax with a henna pack on my head is nice.
It also helps that I'm not fussed about my hair always looking exactly the same.
If you want to lighten mousy hair, you could try chamomile or lemon or something. I remember us girls doing that in high school to get some highlights. I seem to recall an episode of hydrogen peroxide too.
I prefer the red shades though. :)
I can't remember how many times I've had my hair colored. All I know is, I've done it a lot over the years! I've tried several shades -- light brown, dark brown, copper, mahogany, mocha, etc.! I've had highlights too! And then I realized that dyeing is one of the reasons why my hair has become thinner over the years! I've decided to just get regular haircuts after that and to switch to organic shampoo and conditioner. I can't believe I put my hair through all kinds of stress and chemicals. (sorry, hair!) Thing is, you don't really need new hair color for a new look -- a great haircut can do that!
I tried to dye my hair red once and it came out purplish - that was it for me. I'm also far too lazy to keep up with it - I know I'd have roots showing all the time, so I stick with the natural thing. I also don't really love having people play with my hair, so it cuts down with time in the salon.
I wish I could say that I've made a rational choice about the health risks, but honestly, I'm just too lazy. But it is always nice when it turns out laziness is good.
I should also add - I think grey hair is beautiful on both women and men, and doesn't necessarily make you look older. My husband has vitiligo, which causes half of his hair to be white, while the other half is black. He used to dye it, but I encouraged him to go natural (not because of health issues, but because I think it looks cool) and some of the most beautiful women I know are naturally grey and went grey young. I love grey hair - my husband will be all white in a decade and I love it.
I don't actually have any grey hair yet, which sort of annoys me - I figure I've earned it with four kids, but my Mom didn't start to grey until late either.
I've used henna and either herbatint or nutratint once. The "non-toxic" hair dyes work really great and are just as easy to use as store bought (but smell better), and the color was beautiful. I got compliments all the time. I do suggest looking them up on the EWG. I used henna quite a bit, loved the color and pretending I was a scientist by adding lemon juice, cinnamon and cloves to my concoction to get a custom color. I used light mountain, surya (powder and creme, like the powder better), and rainbow research. It just took so much time and made such a big mess that I gave up on it. I've been my natural color for quite a while now, and probably should have been all along, I've got great red/auburn hair and until my kids give me a few more grays I'll keep enjoying it!
To Satsuki Rebel: Why would you have to chop off your hair after henna? It's just a natural leaf powder that coats/stains your hair, after a couple weeks it starts to fade. This is the reason I loved it. I'm not a scheduled person so if I forgot to henna my hair after 6 weeks the color would have faded and not show roots as badly as commercial products. Nobody could tell I went 3 months without henna until I did it again. You can henna your dyed hair, and you can dye your hair shortly after henna.
@ pursewarden - thank you for giving out that www.hennaforhair.com site. Very informative, and I think I'm going to try the cassia treatment on my blond/going gray hair. I've been looking for a healthy alternative for a long time, and henna denotes dark hair to me, so I wrote off that option. But if cassia's going to make my hair healthy and shiny, as well as cover the gray, I might as well try it. Maybe I'll get up the courage to go brunette like my mom and sisters!
I'd like to throw in another thumbs up for henna.
The scary neon orange lasts for a few days until the henna oxidizes. If it's still too orange, I'll do another application and throw in some day old coffee or strongly brewed black tea into the mix to darken the color.
Then once the color mellows you're left with a beautiful color. I henna my strawberry blond hair about twice a year and am left with a very natural deep auburn color. There's also the perks of henna being a deep conditioning treatment and hair thickener. I get compliments all the time.
I definitely recommend the site Henna for Hair. It'll give you all the know how to get a sexy Ariel hair color and avoid the Bozo the Clown look.
@ mountainchicken - What is your natural hair color? Do you find that it fades after a couples week, as some have mentioned??
I colored my hair for many years despite the fact that the fumes burned my eyes. I've recently let it grow out and am proud to say I have totally virgin hair.
The desire to color is still strong but I'm trying to hold out.
Join another dark blonde wishing to be a light blonde in naturally lightening your hair. :) I will let you know which of the things I try work the best. ;)
I started using henna dyes (I'm a light ash brown naturally, but much gray has appeared...) I like Light Mt. Natural colors because they are easy, but they seem to turn my hair really red, and not sure what to do about that. I like the website Mehindi.com because they have all kinds of info and are really nice if you ask questions. I got some cassia obovata from them, but my hair isn't blonde enough. If you are blonde it is supposed to be awesome so that might work for you.
When I became pregnant 17 years ago, my obstetrician's policy was NO haircolor, NO fake nails (which I didn't have anyway)and NO nail polish during pregnancy OR while nursing. He didn't even want me IN a salon that used these products. I figured if he thought these things so harmful during pregnancy, then there really wasn't any good time to use them. And I never have again. I've been gray for 10 years and I get many lot compliments. I've had several friends be inspired to follow suit, and they've been really happy. I can't imagine how many thousands of dollars I've saved!
Laurie in California
I don't color my hair - it's going gray, and I will let it keep doing that naturally - but my mother does, and I convinced her to switch over to henna a few years ago. She instantly noticed that her hair got thicker and stopped shedding so much. Whatever was in that hair color definitely wasn't good for her. She's not too thrilled about the color of it, but she's happy with the other effects.
By the way, my mother uses natural henna, not the packaged stuff (from hennaforhair) - just powdered henna and lemon juice. You get a much nicer color that way, and you know exactly what's in the stuff you're putting on your skin.
I colored my hair for years and then decided to research a more natural method and discovered henna. I spent hours on the hennaforhair website until I was confident enough to try it. That was almost a year ago and I am so glad I did. My hair is healthier and I don't have to worry about the health hazards, now.
cold. turkey.
I quite dying my hair two and a half years ago, for three reasons: Personal health (toxins), environmental health (it goes right into our water supply), and to lower my beauty maintenance regime. It was hard for awhile, and I would spend time staring at the mirror critiquing my hairline, counting grays, etc.... but now they blend in and my base (real) hair color is really quite nice. It's healthy and shiny, with a natural glow and reddish tint (thanks, dad!) that the grays just sort of fade into as sparkly highlights. :)
For an extra, natural boost you can try rinsing your hair with strong coffee to deepen the color, or of course, henna (if you are OK with the red). As a teen I used to swipe a cotton ball soaked in hydrogen peroxide along my hairline to brighten it up.
Reading through the comments, there are a lot of us gals going gray (or as my hairdresser calls it, "sterling") in our early- to mid-thirties. Maybe that's normal?
I only dyed for a short while (lowlights), but since I stopped, the "sterling" is coming in in attractive streaks. I've made peace with it - there are so many other things I'd rather do with my time and money.
I read about an all-natural coffee shampoo bar that's good for dark hair as an alternative to henna.
Thanks for the great post!
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