Monday, April 22, 2013

No Chemicals in hair color products

 A home hair color starts with a fun trip to the drug store or beauty depot to pick up a hair dye kit, whereas the Salons receive the premium products direct to their door. Which ever way you decide to go, with the right preparation, product and application you can achieve an amazing result, however there are downsides to using chemical hair color products, and that’s why more and more people are now actively seeking out natural alternatives.

A badge saying no chemicals in hair color products

The majority of hair dyes contain strong chemicals, and although these are safety tested, you can never be certain about how your body will react. It’s not unknown for people who have never had any skin problems before to have a bad reaction to a hair color product, and the last thing you want when you are changing your hair color is irritation, burning, or even worse; serious injury.

If you are concerned about how your skin may react to hair color products, read our guide to hair dye allergies, and of course, always perform a skin test before applying any products to your hair. The other issue with chemical hair colors is the environmental effect of producing and testing the products. There is still a worryingly high number of cosmetic companies who openly use animal testing on their products, and the production of these chemicals takes a toll on mother nature too. With this in mind, we’ve tracked down some of the best natural hair dye products, as well as a few colorants that you can make using ingredients from your food cupboard – yes, really!

Woman with bright red natural hair

If you want to make sure that you’re protecting yourself against potential chemical damage when coloring your hair, look for products that are ammonia, peroxide and paraben free as these are the chemicals that have the potential to cause the most damage. Ammonia, peroxide and paraben free colorants tend to be temporary rather than permanent, and nowadays they often come in the form of a foam color – L’Oreal Paris Foam is one such product and aside from being ammonia free, it is incredibly simple to use. L’Oreal Professional Inoa is another product that is ammonia and odour-free, and it’s a permanent rather than a temporary dye so it’s ideal for people who don’t want to have to top up their hair color every 28 washes. The only downside is the effect on your budget, as Inoa is currently only available in salons.

Henna hair dye

Henna hair dye has often been thought of as an alternative or new age product, but henna dyes are increasingly making their way into the spotlight thanks to their flexibility, look, and natural benefits.With henna hair dyes you can layer the colors to get a darker tone, or mix colors together to achieve an entirely unique shade.
Henna is an all-natural product that has been used for hundreds of years to dye the hair and to create temporary body art, and is ideal for individuals with allergies.  http://ultraimports.com.au/terms.php        

Products can use to color your hair naturally

 Highlights, lowlights, frosted tips, root touchups, all over color: it's almost impossible to find a head of hair that hasn't been treated with some kind of dye these days. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, except conventional hair dyes contain numerous chemicals like alkylphenyl ethoxylates (APEs), which are hormone disruptors, acetates, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, and paraphenylenediamine (PPD), which, with prolonged use, is linked to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple melanomas.  These chemicals not only negatively impact one's health, they also contaminate waterways, water supplies, and soil when they're washed down the drain. Hydrogen peroxide and ammonia are particularly toxic to fish and aquatic life.

Now that you know the truth about your hair dye, are you going to stop coloring your hair? We didn't think so. That's why we've put together a list of some natural alternatives to conventional, toxic hair dyes that are not only better for you, but better for the Earth too.

NATURAL HAIR COLORING PRODUCTS

    Herbatint: Herbatint is a vegan, biodegradable, ammonia- and cruelty-free herbal hair color gel that contains only very low concentrations of PPD and peroxide. It's semipermanent line is completely free of PPDs. The Herbatint formula uses as few pharmaceutical chemical ingredients as possible by utilizing vegetal extracts from plants and herbs like rosemary, cinchona, and walnut husk.
   
EcoColors: EcoColors is free of gluten, sulfites, EDTA, parabens, resorcinol, ethanolamine, and animal cruelty. EcoColors unfortunately uses small amounts of ammonia and peroxide, but in a soy and flax base so the toxins aren't absorbed. Its hair dyes contain high quality, natural ingredients like flax oil, vitamin E, vitamin C, nettles, rosemary, flower essence, and grapefruit seed extract. EcoColors also has a professional line of hair dyes so it makes it easier for color cravers to choose natural options.
   
Naturcolor: Naturcolor is an ammonia- and cruelty-free, plant-based option that's low in PPD and contains therapeutic herbs like rosemary and lavender. The best part about Naturcolor is that it doesn't come with that nasty, toxic scent that chemically-based dyes emit. And after you show Naturcolor's ingredient list to your physician, you can possibly even use the product on your hair while you're pregnant!
   
Aubrey Organics: Aubrey Organics makes one of the only permanent hair dyes that's totally natural and PPD-free, though it unfortunately only comes in two shades of brown. Aubrey Organics contains henna and indigo in a botanical-based hair dye that's chemical- and cruelty-free and is safe for its users as well as the environment.
 
 Rainbow Henna: Rainbow Henna is free of additives, chemicals, and pesticides, and comes in a wide range of long-lasting, mixable shades. Rainbow Henna also carries natural shampoo and conditioners too!    http://ultraimports.com.au/

Effects of hair dying for double coloring

 Dying or coloring your hair can also give your appearance a lift but it can also alter the condition of your hair.If you dye your hair or you're thinking about doing it, here is an outline of some of the common problems you might encounter.

There are four basic types of dyes.These are temporary rinses, gradual dyes, semipermanent, and permanent dyes. Temporary rinses change the hair color and remains until your next shampoo.Gradual dyes change color slowly over a period of weeks to avoid the drastic color change look.Semipermanent dyes remain in the hair for a few weeks and wash out gradually.Permanent dyes are long lasting and color the hair permanently, they never wash out and only root touch ups are needed.

The first problem that is usually encountered with dying hair is getting the desired color as it is shown on the package or at the hair salon.Sometimes the color will be darker or lighter than what you really want.If the shade turns out to be too light in color you will have to recolor.Choose a darker shade but a color that is lighter than your natural hair color.If your hair is too dark and you want a lighter shade do the opposite.Double coloring strands is a problem that is frequently encountered. Care should be taken that only the roots are dyed each time a permanent color is applied.Coloring over strands that are permanently dyed can cause general weakening and hair breakage.

Another common difficulty is the damaging effect of bleach-based hair color.Bleach can cause hair loss, and give hair a reddish appearance.Switching to a hair color that contains natural ingredients can solve this problem. Many companies now manufacture dyes that contain plant extracts that will achieve the same effect without the harshness of bleach.Texture changes can occur when hair is dyed.Dyes thicken the hair by swelling the interior of the hair shaft while coating its cuticle covering.This adds more volume to already thick hair while making thin hair fuller.The hair can also become dry, dull, and develop split ends.This can be minimized with the use of moisturizing shampoos and deep conditioning treatments.Choose a hair color products that has built in moisturizing conditioners.

Some individuals might also encounter allergic reactions to the chemical ingredients that are used in hair dyes.Using plant-based dyes or common items such as lemon or ground coffee to lighten or darken hair can solve this problem.Returning to your natural hair color after dying can be another bothersome problem.Sometimes the only solution is to cut the hair really short and allow the new growth color to return.Another option would be to wear your hair bicolor or use a semipermanent rinse in a color closest to your natural shade on top of the permanent color until your hair has grown out completely.  http://www.ultraimports.com.au/discount.php

How to mix a professional hair dye

 Hair dyes are primarily used to bring out a refreshing and professional look. The making of its mixture can be quite daunting for some but once you get the hang of it you have an express ticket to looking and feeling younger. Let’s take a look at some of the elements to consider in making a nice hair dye solution.

    Assess your hair. You can perform this with the aid of a hair level ring that is typically available in your local beauty supply shops. Place it on the darkest part of your hair to determine your present hair color. Its next function would be to help you identify the shade you want to achieve. It’s best not to go overboard. Three shades from your present one in both directions is your limit.
   
Get the right tones. It would be of big help if you know the base color of your hair. If you don’t then you can look for professional advice. Upon knowing your hair’s base color you can find out the tones fit for you. If you have cool hair or blue and green bases then you’re better off with warm, golden or red additions. If you have warm hair or violet and red bases then the right thing to do is to choose a color with an ash or neutral nature (blue and green).

        Level of difference matters. Get the difference between the levels of your present and desired hair color. A three level difference demands the use of a 30 level developer while one or two level differences would fit a 20 level developer. 20 and 30 level developers are commonly utilized if you want a lighter hair while a 10 level developer is tapped on to produce a darker result.
    Make sure they match. The hair dye bottle has a section that will tell you how much ounce it contains. Make sure that the amount of the hair dye you’re going to use is the same as that of the developer. At this point get the application bottle, as it will be used to accommodate both the hair dye and the developer. Put on gloves when mixing the dye and its developer.
    Shake, shake, and shake. To ensure complete union of the hair dye and the developer give your solution adequate shaking.
    When in doubt, don’t push it. Although it’s a rewarding experience to mix a professional hair dye and get acceptable results it’s not advisable to push through with the process if the only product that you have access to doesn’t offer enough directions. Most of the authentic professional hair dye products are packaged without the basic instructions and guides. The reason behind this is that such kits are made for professionals who have adequate training in their chosen field.  http://www.ultraimports.com.au/legal.php

Friday, April 19, 2013

How to choose a hair color products for women

 Once you understand what you want to achieve with color, you can choose the type of product you need to use:

    Permanent hair color generally uses both ammonia and peroxide. It opens the cuticle, strips existing color away and then deposits new color, permanently changing the hair’s pigment color. The new shades remains in place until the hair grows out or the color is changed again. This type of color is used to make more drastic hair color changes.

    Semi-permanent hair color may or may not contain ammonia or peroxide. It penetrates the cuticle and outer layers of the hair shaft with a new color. The change is effective for between 6 to 10 weeks, less if hair is shampooed every day.

    Demi-permanent hair color may or may not contain ammonia or peroxide. It deposits color on the outer cuticle and may penetrate into the hair’s cortex. This type of color lasts about 12 to 20 shampoos.

    Temporary hair color usually doesn’t contain ammonia or peroxide. It coats the outside of the hair shaft but does not penetrate into the cuticle. This type of color does not lighten the hair - it is used to deepen or brighten color and washes out in just a few shampoos.

    Highlight color lifts color from select strands of hair and deposits a new lighter coordinating color. Because it lifts color, it contains both ammonia and peroxide. Highlights last until the natural color grows back out.

    Lowlight color also involves select hair strands, but this time they are made darker than the natural hair color. This type of color may or may not involve ammonia or peroxide. Lowlights also usually last until the natural color grows out.

Color range

Once you know the type of product you need, it is important to know the color range you hope to achieve. Going a shade or two lighter or darker is relatively easy, whereas making drastic changes from black to blonde or vice versa is exceedingly difficult, and should only be done by professionals who know how to protect the hair during the process. Redheads need to be careful when it comes to lightening or highlighting hair. If the process isn’t taken far enough, hair can come out orange. If the wrong colors are chosen, it can take on a green tint. If lightening or darkening is taken too far, it can severely damage the hair.

Match hair color to skin tone

Next, it is important to match your hair color with your skin tone for the most natural looking results. Choosing a hair color tone that is in opposition to the skin tone is, of course, possible. However, the results will look artificial and probably won’t leave you feeling happy about the choice you made.  http://www.ultraimports.com.au/legal.php

Permanent hair dyes contains coal tar

 Chemical hair dye ingredients contribute to both environmental pollution and a variety of health problems. Studies have linked the use of hair dyes to an increase in bladder cancer, dermatitis, depigmentation, rheumatoid arthritis and respiratory ailments.

All permanent hair dyes are made up of two components: colour and developer. Manufacturers produce a wide variety of shades that range from a light white blonde to ash, fire engine red to mahogany, and light brown to cobalt black. The developer contains hydrogen peroxide and ammonia to modify the molecular structure of the hair shaft and allow the large colour molecules to penetrate, while phenylenediamine (PPD, or its derivative names benzenediamine dihydrochloride, or aminoaniline dihydrochloride) permits the colour to bond with the hair. Some permanent hair dyes may also contain coal tar, a potentially detrimental petrochemical, and toxic metals such as lead or mercury as developers.

The researchers discovered that women or men who use permanent dyes once a month for a year or more have twice the risk of developing bladder cancer. Hairdressers or barbers in contact with hair dyes had five times the risk. Permanent dyes contain known carcinogenic substances called arylamines, which are absorbed through the skin during the hair treatment. Genetically, some individuals are able to produce very efficient protective enzymes that render the arylamines harmless and eliminate them quickly through the urine. In others, the process is less effective, and these people are at risk of bladder cancer. Luckily, there is no cancer link between temporary or semi-permanent colouring products.

The PPD in permanent hair tints is a major offender in cases of dermatitis around your scalp, behind your ears or on your face. This condition is also present in men who dye their mustaches, sideburns or beards. Depigmentation is also a PPD side-effect and can continue even after the product is discontinued. Similarly, the glutaraldehyde preservative in the hair conditioner package can cause this result.

PPD creates a greater hazard to hairdressers and barbers because they are continually exposed to the toxic irritant. Even with the use of vinyl or latex gloves, a rash can erupt. The severity of the inflammation depends on the strength of the chemical, the duration and location of exposure, and the condition of the skin at the time of contact. If the hairdresser’s hands are perspiring, they will absorb PPD more readily. As well, many professionals can develop severe respiratory ailments such as asthma and bronchospasm. Some hairdressers and barbers develop anaphylaxis.  http://www.ultraimports.com.au/product.php?cid=1