Last Updated on: 17th September 2023, 11:02 pm

Have you lived with natural hair coloring your whole life, and finally decided to opt for a change?

Maybe your idea of a hair color change goes something along the lines of a balayage. Or perhaps something bolder like aquamarine or purple!

Perhaps you’re just trying to change your gray hairs into something appealing.

Since you’ve found yourself here, you’re probably worried about using a traditional hair dye. With their synthetic ingredients and the toxic chemicals, it may prove harmful to those with sensitive roots and scalps.

Thankfully there is an alternative — why go to all that trouble when you can just opt for a natural hair dye?

Not only will you get the best bang for your buck, but your hair (and your health) will surely thank you for it.

“Compared to traditional hair dyes that work by stripping off the natural pigments from the melanin in your hair and depositing the new color to your hair cuticle, natural dyes coat the hair shaft and the coloring is absorbed gradually into the hair, allowing for a softer, smoother and natural look.“

Here’s why natural hair dyes are better for those with natural hair colors: 

1) It’s nourishing for your hair.

Unlike the typical hair dye that contains ingredients that could strip all the oil in your hair; making it dry, dull, and prone to breakage, the formula in natural hair dye products contains vitamins and minerals, as well as natural proteins that help your hair absorb all the nutrients it needs. This helps the hair develop a natural luster, making it vibrant and full of life.

Natural ingredients like rosemary, for example, help nourish the scalp to prevent dandruff and hair loss — encouraging hair growth. Along with other ingredients like mint, it can help strengthen hair follicles that prevents breakage. Many herbal shampoos often combine the right ingredients to achieve a mix of nourishing vitamins for your hair.

2) It creates a more natural-looking hair color

The typical hair dye sold in drugstores that promise to provide you with a new, lustrous and hair color, usually hides the fact that it can easily become your new, hair color dilemma. Box hair dyes don’t always turn out the way you want them to, and even when you opt to change your hair color in a salon, you might not always be satisfied with the end result.

A natural hair dye like henna, on the other hand, has a way of blending seamlessly with your natural hair color to produce the color that you want. This is especially true for those that wish to color their hair darker, with dark brown shades for example. 

Compared to traditional hair dye that works by stripping off the natural pigments from the melanin in your hair and depositing new colors into your cuticle, an organic hair dye coats the hair shaft, while the coloring is absorbed gradually into your hair — allowing for a softer, smoother, and natural look. 

3) It’s safer to use

Common hair dye ingredients in traditional dyes contain toxic chemicals such as:

– Phthalates, an ingredient most commonly used in the development of plastic products like food packaging and PVC pipes;

– Ammonia Resorcinol, which has been linked to endocrine disruption;

– PPD or P-phenylenediamine, which can cause severe allergic reactions when it comes into contact with your skin;

– And Toluene, which has been linked to neurotoxicity and birth defects.

With natural hair dyes, you wouldn’t have to worry about coming into contact with these harsh chemicals, because they contain only natural ingredients. If you’re thinking of lightening the natural shade of your hair, for example, there are formulas that incorporate lemon juice as a bleaching agent instead of using traditional bleach, and for those sporting dark shades of hair color, it’s a lot more manageable.

Along with that, there are still traditional dyes that are tested on animals and are therefore not cruelty-free.

4) An organic hair dye will maintain the health of your hair and can provide a long-lasting color

You might notice that, when changing your permanent hair color with chemical hair dyes, you’ll sometimes have to undergo several rounds of application, especially if you’re someone who has naturally dark hair. The problem is, the frequency of your exposure to those chemicals can severely damage your hair permanently, as these chemicals leach into the hair cortex, creating irreversible changes to their composition.

An organic hair dye, on the other hand, works by coating the hair shaft, with the color leaching only into the gaps in the cuticle rather than stripping it off. This way, the hair’s capacity to retain moisture is increased, and with the components binding with keratin, the strength of one’s hair increases. 

Along with this, ingredients like henna, for example, can also protect the hair from pollution and any damage caused by the sun’s harmful UV rays. And compared to traditional hair dyes, continued use of natural hair dye helps deepen the color of the hair, adding to the benefits mentioned above. It’s a win-win overall!