Natural Hair Dyes for Your Health

For centuries, women have searched for that perfect color to enhance their beauty, dating back to the ancient Egyptians with their rusty natural henna rinses. Even the body of Egypt's greatest ruler, Pharoah Ramses II, was found with tinted red hair. But as time marched on, so did technology, giving us rapid color results from a laboratory instead of from the plants. By the turn of the 20th century, women could run with glee to the local drugstore for a ready-made color treatment rather than mixing it themselves. Now, in the milinium, we know that convenience was a mistake. Countless international studies have linked hair color to bladder cancer, and some newer findings have included lymphoma and leukemia. The key carcinigen, bendizine, is found most concentrated in the darker shades and anything mixed with red.

Today's healthy alternatives are plentiful and offer a rainbow of permanent and semi-permanent shades. Our heightened awareness of these products make them easy to buy online and may even be stocked by your local beauty supplier. Times are changing and caustic chemicals are out.

1.EcoColors is a safe and effective product made from soy and flax, yielding deep, rich permanent color with no side effects. Their home hair color kit has everything needed for super-conditioned color and lustrious shine. Shades available: Golden Blonde, Light and Medium Ash Blonde, Bright Red and Light and Medium Auburn, and seven shades of dark color from Reddish-brown to Black. The home kit retails for $18.50 and may be ordered directly from the manufacturer.
www.ecocolors.net

2. Naturtint is another winner with shades available from the very blonde to the very black. This product is ammonia-free and is satiated with vitamins and nutrients for rich color that covers gray 100%. The Naturtint trademark is their Nutrideep Multiplier which regenerates each hair fiber making it three times the strength and volume. Home color kits are complete with everything you need and are priced right at $12.95.
www.iherb.com

3. For the "little engine that could", who would like to make her own color, try organic Henna Powder made from natural plant extrants and vitamins.The powder-based products last only three weeks, but that may be a good thing for color experimentation until you find your perfect shade. Blondes are available from the rhubarb root powder and you have full control over shading to mix and match your color. While Henna Powder gives rich, yet natural-looking coverage, it is not suitable for hair that is more than 20% gray. Additional organic shampoo, conditioner and face cream may be purchased from their website.
www.natuallydirect.com

4. Saba Botanical specializes in rich tones of dark and reddish browns. Try their Indigo for shimmering shades from black to light brown and highlight you choice with red shades ranging from punk pink to flaming red. Tip from Saba: you may save your unused portion of henna in the freezer, but do not freeze the Indigo, as it will render the color useless. Saba products are economical, with prices starting st $2.49 to $6.99. Mix and match your shade.
www.sababotanicals.com

5. Surya Henna may be the most popular brand and certainly the easiest to buy. Many beauty supply stores are carrying it and it's also available from Amazon.com at $13.21 for the complete kit. Surya Henna has the largest color spectrum of any organic hair dye, with a color chart of 105 shades from the blondest blonde to brownish-black. This product leaves hair silky smooth and is made from the finest fruit and plant extrants from India and the Brazilian Rain Forest.
www.outletnutrition.com/suryahenna.html