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Hair dye ingredients have long been the cause of much debate when it comes to which ingredients are the biggest risk factors to health. It isn’t easy to avoid all the ingredients there is doubt about when you are seeking to permanently and/or drastically change your hair color. Quite a number of permanent hair dyes contain PPD (p-phenylenediamine), which is an ingredient that has raised health questions. PPD is the reason many people have allergic reactions when dying their hair and cancer also has been linked to it according to beauty consultant and Naturally Healthy Hair author, Mary Beth Janssen.

New products with the promise to do what they are supposed to do without the risk of allergic reactions or other health related problems are available to people who find the chemicals in most highlighters and dye too harsh. Diaminobenzene, ammonia, p-Phenylenediamine and peroxide are chemicals that are still needed for the alternative permanent dyes to work but they are present in significantly smaller amounts

Superior to hair dyes that are ammonia-based and void of the displeasurable side effects, Organic Color Systems permanent hair coloring products can only be found in professional hair styling salons. The range of Organic Color Systems’ products includes colors, lighteners, concentrates and activators. There is also a hair care line of products that are salon only that can be used in addition to the range of colors for repairing damaged hair. Organic hair color has many benefits. What you don’t get are fumes, ammonia, hair damage, burning and itching, banding, brassing, hot roots, sulfates, plastics, parabens, animal products and animal testing. What you do get is just beautiful, healthy hair.

Meanwhile, temporary dyes and highlight treatments should be able to color hair without the need for harsh chemicals. Naturcolor and Vegetel are shorter-lived options that do not contain any damaging chemicals, although their effect will only last a few washes.

One truly natural although temporary dye that has been around since Cleopatra herself is henna. Made from the powdered leaves of a desert shrub called Lawsonia, henna has been used for thousands of years to color hair and skin. Rainbow Henna makes a variety of 100 percent organic hair treatments ranging from blonde to black hair and everything in between. Meanwhile, Organic Color Systems offerss a complete organic line of products and hair coloring packages. While many such treatments are available at natural health and beauty supply retailers, others, such as those of Organic Color Systems, may be available only at salons.

People who are concerned because of the harsh chemicals in the usual hair dyes have more reason than ever to change to the natural options because of recent research. According to a report from the national Cancer Institute released in 1994, dark colored dyes, such as black and dark brown, have been found to elevate the risks of such cancers as multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkins lymphoma when used over extended time periods. There was also a study in 2001 done by the International Journal of Cancer that showed that individuals who dyed their hair with permanent hair color were at double the risk of developing bladder cancer as individuals who did not use hair dyes at all.

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