Washing that grey out of my hair is one of those pick-me-ups I look forward to every 6-8 weeks. Let’s face it; if we didn’t have this fabulous luxury, many of us would look older than our time. We’ve come a long way in the process as well.
Did you know it all began around 500B.C in Greece when women used hair color to indicate their class in society? Noblewomen tinted their hair red, middle class women colored their hair blonde and poor women colored it black using berries, the bark of trees, minerals, insects, nuts, herbs or leaves to do so. Yep, hair coloring has proven a main stay and created a billion dollar industry over time.
Researchers, however, are saying it can cause cancer. When I think of not being able to cover my grey, I’d rather face a root canal without Novocain. But the Big “C” scares the bejeezus out of me even more. More than 5,000 chemicals are in hair dye, according to the National Cancer Institute. It depends on the dye’s ingredients, how often you color and the hue you choose. Even your genetic composition makes a difference concerning toxicity, experts say. In the very near future there is a substance in the works that may stimulate genes to produce a pigment that colors hair in a wide range of natural-looking colors with less toxicity, according to the American Chemical Society. Until that comes into play, what’s a girl to do?
Read The Label
Permanent hair coloring dyes contain an array of chemicals and if you’re going from a light to dark shade, there is a higher concentration of them. One chemical in particular (Para-phenylenediamine (PPD) causes cancer in animals according to the FDA. We’ve checked the ingredient label on many well named products and found those that do not contain this chemical. They are Clairol Natural Instincts and Hydrience Creme Moisturizing System, Revlon Colorsilk, Garnier Herba Shine and Nutrisse, John Freida Precision Foam Colour , Loreal Paris Healthy Look – Sublime Mousse – Feria – Excellence Creme
