Finding a Fabulous, Non-Toxic Hair Colorant
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| Non-Toxic Hair Color for Cancer Patients |
A woman’s hair is her crowning glory, a sign of good health and beauty. It’s important for a woman
who has been diagnosed with cancer to maintain her appearance – the reflection you see when you look in the
mirror will send a signal to your brain, and when it recognizes that you are “looking
good,” it reinforces the idea in your mind that you are going to recover and
return to vibrant health. That’s why
I consider taking care of my hair part of my healing protocol!
Whether
you are newly diagnosed or in the early stages of remission, scary thoughts are
bound to go through your mind. It’s important to realize that your mind has a
profound effect on your healing and the body’s ability to prevent the
recurrence of disease. Negative thoughts and anxiety release the stress
hormones cortisol and adrenaline which suppress the immune system, lowering
your ability to remain cancer-free. Stress can also cause your hair to fall out! In addition to using non-toxic products on
your hair, please explore guided imagery and meditation designed to TURN OFF STRESS HORMONES and allow healing energy to
flow through your body.
Within
weeks of being diagnosed with uterine leiomyosarcoma (a rare and very aggressive
cancer), I went to see an extremely reputable naturopath. Intuitively, I knew
there had to be a reason my body got cancer, and I wanted to get to the bottom
of what that was. Dr. Mazza ordered several lab tests which revealed that my
body had very high (literally off-the-charts) levels of certain chemicals
commonly found in grooming and personal care products. The worst offenders were
parabens, phthalates, and chemicals found in hair dyes.
Dr Mazza
explained that there is only so much chemical contamination the body can tolerate
before it leads to a toxic crisis. Many chemicals we are exposed to in our
environment are endocrine disrupters, interfering with the production or
activity of hormones in the human endocrine system. Unless the cause of the
toxicity is discovered and removed, the crisis will eventually lead to organic
disease such as breast and reproductive cancers. I needed to reduce the toxic
burden in my body which meant that I needed to use non-toxic, self-care products!
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| Before I was diagnosed with cancer, I was going to the salon on a regular basis to get highlights. This picture was taken several years before my diagnosis. |
Before I
was diagnosed with cancer, I was going to the salon on a regular basis to get
highlights. In fact, my hair was more blonde than brown! I knew that I had to
give up my highlights, and I was okay with that, but I wasn’t ready to stop
coloring. So I went in search of the best non-toxic way to color and care for
my hair. My hair is naturally curly, and it takes a lot of product to keep
those curls looking good. When choosing hair color, I didn’t want a product
with peroxide or ammonia because they damage the hair and make it frizzy. So
here was the challenge: to find a non-toxic product that would have the ability
to cover a little gray without using peroxide while providing a natural looking
medium brown color.
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| Surya Henna Powder gave me gold, red and copper hues. |
At first
I tried Surya Henna Powder which is free of PPD, parabens, resorcinol, heavy metals, peroxide
and ammonia. It left my hair shiny and in great condition, but even their
"ash" brown had a lot of red in it. That's because gold, red and
copper hues are characteristic of the henna plant. If red highlights compliment
your skin tone, this would be a lovely choice for you.
Searching
for a non-toxic,
non-henna, ash brown hair color, I came across Palette by Nature. They make their hair dye from living plants using the latest
scientific achievements in green chemistry. The result is a 100%
naturally-derived plant based permanent hair colorant that is free of PPD, resorcinol,
m-aminophenol, p-aminophenol, toluene, 2.5 diamine, azo-dyes, diazo-dyes,
disperse dyes, ammonia and parabens - all synthetic chemicals which are known
allergens and suspected carcinogens. It is the cleanest hair color on the
market.
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| Palette by Nature does not damage the hair so I can grow my hair much longer than before. |
Palette by Nature's 6N Light Natural Brown produced a medium-dark brown
color without any red undertones. It changed my grays to golden highlights. In
order to cover a minor amount of gray, however, I had to keep the product on my
head longer than recommended (about double the processing time). The directions
tell you to pile your hair under a cap and keep it warm with a hair dryer in
order to open the hair shaft and allow the color to penetrate. That method
doesn’t work well with super long hair as only the ends of the hair receive the
heat, making the color absorb unevenly. Since my hair is so long, this only
served to darken the ends and made the color uneven, but if I had short hair I
would definitely use that method. Thus, increasing the processing time was the
way I achieved a better result. Once I was finished, the color was permanent
and did not fade. I also tried 5N Medium Natural Brown (a very dark brown
shade) and 4N Dark Natural Brown (almost black) which offered more coverage for
the grays, but were too dark for my complexion.
As the
years go by, more grays appear in my crown and temples. I felt like I needed to
use a product with a little peroxide in order to get the coverage I need in
those particular areas. Naturtint makes a
permanent hair colorant with no parabens, ammonia, resorcinol, silicones,
paraffin, mineral oils, SLS or formaldehyde derivatives, but it does have a
small amount of PPD’s. I purchased a box of 5N Light Chestnut Brown from my
local health food store. One box was enough to cover the bangs, crown, and
temples of my hair. The application was easy, the gray coverage superb, and the
color rich. It was so nice that I decided to buy three boxes and color my now near-waist-length
hair, wanting a uniform color throughout. In no time my hair began to feel dry
and frizzy. The peroxide was too much for my delicate, curly locks. Frankly, my
hair felt like straw – I ended up having to cut quite a bit off in order to
reduce the damage it had done!
I returned to Palette by Nature and my hair just loved it! It was full of shine, bouncy curls and a nice dark brown color. But I still needed a product with peroxide to treat just the roots of my bangs, crown and temples. I decided to try another product that is fairly non-toxic but does contain a very small amount of PPD’s – it’s called Tints of Nature.
According to the manufacturer, Tints of Nature is the only available line of permanent hair colors to use natural,
certified organic ingredients wherever feasible. The highly effective formula
also has a naturally derived base. It is paraben free and contains no harsh
ammonia, resorcinol or nonoxynol, thus helping to ensure damage free results.
It contains extra mild, low odor, pharmaceutical grade peroxide and the lowest
possible percentage of PPD pigments. I chose Tints of Nature 4CH Rich Chocolate Brown which gave me a
gorgeous brown color with golden highlights. But I will not use it all over my head – only to treat the stubborn grays!
Once the grays have been treated once with a peroxide formula, Palette by Nature will continue
to manage them while keeping my hair shiny and healthy-looking.
Administration Notes:
For shorter hair, one box of Palette by Nature will have ample coverage. For longer hair,
you will need two boxes, and if you have thick, near-waist-length hair, you
might just need three. Choose from the shades called natural if you want to avoid red tones. Yes, it is the most
expensive of all of the non-toxic hair colorants, but it is also the only one
that is absolutely free of all harmful chemicals, including PPD. I recommend
having 3 large bath towels that are devoted to covering the surfaces around you
when you use this product. Cover the floor you are standing on as well as all
of the countertop. This hair color will stain! Once you have applied it and
have your cap on, make sure to remove all stray color from your skin or it will
stain your skin, too. Use plenty of conditioner to aid the rinsing out process
in the shower, and take advantage of the bottle of stain remover included in
the package to clean the shower floor. Once you are done, this color will last.
It does not fade like all of the
other hair colors do!
Update - I Love Madison Reed Hair Color!
My hair has turned grayer with age and now requires a hair color product that can cover gray well. I discovered Madison Reed hair color! Like Tints of Nature, it covers gray, but I found it to be more multi-dimensional in color and they offer a huge range of choices.
As you can see in the picture above in the natural sunlight, Madison Reed creates a very natural shade of brown. The shade I use is called Siena Brown 6NAV. I color my roots as needed, but only color my entire hair every 4-6 months to keep it from becoming damaged. Madison Reed hair color lasts and remains pretty even as it fades a bit over time.
If you must color your hair, choose the least toxic way to do it! Madison Reed has removed the most toxic ingredients in hair color while still providing you with a formula that covers gray and looks as multi-dimensional as a professional salon colorant.
Please visit some of my other posts for more ideas on how to
use the mind-body connection to fight cancer and explore clinically proven
natural and integrative treatments that promote cancer cell death while
increasing your quality of life and well-being.
A Note About Supplements for the Hair:
I lost 1/3 of my hair and had to cut it off just past my shoulders following my cancer surgery/hysterectomy. I was feeling extremely fatigued, depressed and my hair was falling out in huge fist-fulls due to a sudden loss in hormones. After meeting with naturopath Dr. Monique Mazza, I began taking a small amount of bio-identical hormones. Just a tiny amount applied vaginally turned my world around. I felt happy and full of energy. My hair grew back! Other great supplements I take that also benefit my hair include Natural Factors Biosil, Barlean's high lignin flax seed oil and Carlson's fish oil. This is the first time since I was in my 20's that my hair has grown this long!
