Colouring our hair is something that has become a 4-6-weekly activity for many people. Because of this, it’s important to ensure we use a product that will give the best colour outcome with the least impact on our health and the health of our hair. Dry and damaged hair from harsh regular colouring is a side effect best avoided!
The truth is, other than pure henna powder there are no natural hair dyes. Any hair dye that comes in a box will contain chemicals that are associated with some level of harm, even if it says ‘natural’ or ‘organic’. What we’ve done to help you is a thorough audit of the range of hair dyes available who claim to be natural, so that we can stock what we believe is the best product.
Tints of Nature:
Since ‘Occasional Use’ products like hair dyes are seen as an essential product for many – and we’d rather have a healthier version available for you – we decided to continue stocking Tints of Nature even though some of the ingredients are found on our Red List.
Tints of Nature are open and transparent about their ingredients and business practices, choosing to use natural and certified organic ingredients in place of synthetic wherever possible. Where synthetic ingredients are necessary, they are used in the lowest possible quantities. They’ve also selected ingredients to help ensure any damage to the hair is minimal and your precious locks stay healthy.
As well as ingredients, ethical factors were also a consideration, so we were pleased to see that Tints of Nature are also:
- Not tested on animals
- Use Recyclable packaging
- Made to Good Manufacturing Practices
- Made using energy-efficient and low-carbon methods
Ingredients – what to look for:
We thought a brief overview of some of the key ingredients that allow colour changing would be helpful, so you can understand more clearly why Tints of Nature are using them.
Ethanolamine (MEA) – replaces Ammonia
The purpose of both MEA and ammonia in a hair dye is to open the cuticle of the hair so that the colour gets in. The MEA is a great alternative because it doesn’t have the dangerous fumes that ammonia does, and the very small amount used to nudge the cuticle open is combined with organic seed oils and the PEGs to be far gentler on the hair.
p-Phenylenediamine
Although this is not the nicest ingredient, this works as the permanent colour pigment, so is essential to include. Tints of Nature use roughly 0.2% in the hair dyes and are always looking for an alternative that is better for health without compromising on effectiveness. Other companies claiming to be PPD free usually replace with PTD, but twice as much is needed to get the same result. For people looking for real PPD options, try a semi-permanent Tints of Nature product.
4-Chlororesorcinol – replaces Resorcinol
This ingredient is of the same family as resorcinol, but doesn’t create the same reaction from the immune system. 4-chlororesorcinol was found to irritate some eyes and skin, whereas resorcinol can irritate, but can also cause spleen, liver, and kidney changes. Tints of nature use an extremely low percentage of 4-Chlororesorcinol across the range in order to counteract red tones in the hair, which follows the guidelines offered by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety for the European Commission.
Parfum
The fragrance blend used in Tints of Nature products does not contain phthalates. Phthalates (just forget the ‘p’ is there to pronounce it!) are a group of chemicals used in many manufacturing processes, including making plastics. Phthalates are a concern because they can have an estrogenic action and disrupt hormone balance. With the wide use of plastic over the world, the long-term effects on environmental and human health are challenging to study.
Summary
To cover those ever-increasing greys or give yourself a new look we believe Tints of Nature are the best choice to keep your hair looking great, with minimal impact on you and the planet. As with all new products, we always recommend to do both a sensitivity and patch test to make sure there are no surprising reactions and it’s the colour you are expecting.
For those of you who want to avoid these chemicals, we have a range of pure Henna plant powders available in many colours, that also cover grey hair.
If you’ve tried Tints of Nature and had great results, we’d love you to write a testimonial. Find your colour and write a review!