Monday 4 July 2011

why yes I did change my hair. you're very welcome.

It all started with an itch. An itch for a new look. An itch that wouldn't go away until it was scratched.

This morning I did just that. I gave myself little hair colouring treat. Not just that. I went a step further. I trialled an "eco" at-home hair dye as your very own, personal lab rat and guess what? It went really well! 

Here's my hair before the treatment:


[Yes. I am aware I am making a bizarre facial expression. Yes. This was the best pic I had.]

I went to my local health food store, which I already knew stocked 'natural' hair colours. If you've ever looked into what ingredients are in 'natural' or 'organic' products you'll know that the name and branding doesn't always match what you're buying into. So I was skeptical, but my 'itch' was strong enough to give one of the options a go. 

I went with the tints of nature "light ash blonde" home colour kit, which won me over because it
  • is ammonia free
  • is resorcinol free (I didn't know what resorcinol was, but figured it must be bad)
  • is paraben free
  • contains certified organic ingredients, but didn't claim the whole product was organic (which I felt was more honest that a couple of the other brands)
  • has a "not tested on animals" stamp
  • had a manufacturer name that looked German/Nordic and I assumed that was a safe bet there would have been minimal mistreatment of workers in the process (avoiding slave labour etc)
  • was the only brand where the models looked normal (i.e. not discoloured, without henna coloured hair, or yellowed blonde & "number twos" brown hair)
When I arrived home I threw on an old t-shirt and got started. 

getting scared now....

One hour and a very wet laundry floor later and voila!


After all was done (I didn't want to find something out that would make me change my mind beforehand!) I looked up all the ingredients via my trusty sources. I also read through the tints of nature website and was very, very pleased with what I found. They had a description of all their ingredients online and information about what the benefits are of using their products. The only thing I'd add to the site were some links to read about the ingredients from a website that was more impartial, had more info and research (for the eco nerds like me who want to know every. single. detail.).



Here's what I learnt:
  1. Hair can be lightened without the use or ammonia
  2. It is possible to colour your hair at home without turning it orange
  3. It is really hard to colour your own hair without getting dizzy, knocking your 'funny bone' on the tap or slipping on wet tiles. Either master the art or call your mum.
  4. Sometimes it is a good thing to take a gamble on an idea you believe in. If it turns out the product you bought wasn't what you thought it was, don't buy it again. But at least you tried. 
  5. Colouring your hair with eco friendly and people friendly products leaves you feeling pretty and virtuous. This is a very good thing.
  6. I should never. ever. EVER take my own photo from below the chin again. 
I am a very happy lab rat.

Kate xxx

3 comments:

  1. looks gorgeous and very healthy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Turned out well!

    Not sure if you ever looked up resorcinol, it's chemical name is dihydroxy benzene. It is used as an antiseptic and disinfectant and is used in acne creams (it's also used to make rubber). It is biodegradable and is actually produced in some plants. It's not carcinogenic nor does it mess with fertility. Maybe the problem with it is the amount that goes into the environment from hair dye manufacture which is apparently one of the major factors for release of this compound into the environment?

    ReplyDelete
  3. hmmmmmm thanks for the info Jo! I didn't find info on it so it's nice to know! You make a really good point about the tension around the use of nasty chemicals versus using "people friendly" chemicals which have a bad environmental impact.

    ReplyDelete

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