6 Non-toxic & Natural Hair Dye Brands
There are many reasons why people choose to color their hair. Whether you want a fun new look, to cover up grey hair, or are just looking to refresh your current color, hair dye can be a great way to do this.
The only problem is that most hair dye products are filled with harmful chemicals.
Let's explore some of the harsh chemicals in conventional hair dye, the sustainability, and meet some non-toxic hair color brands.
Is hair dye toxic?
Hair dye can be toxic as there have been possible links to cancer, allergic reactions, and environmental impacts too.
While you may not be able to find 100% organic and non-toxic hair dye, you can find hair dye that focuses on being as natural as possible and made with cleaner ingredients.
Ingredients To Watch For
It goes without saying that checking the ingredient lists is important.
The less toxic ingredients, and the more natural ingredients, the better. Here are some harmful ingredients found in popular hair dyes through out the hair industry.
Ammonia: Ammonia not only can cause skin irritation, but if it gets into your bloodstream you could get sick. Symptoms like lung and sinus problems, among others, can appear especially in salon workers. Ammonia can also impact the earth by endangering animals in the ocean and crops on the land.
Quats: Also known as Quaternium-15. This is also a skin irritant and can potentially cause contact dermatitis.
Ethanolamine: Ethanolamine is similar to ammonia, but can actually damage your hair more. You may also notice more hair loss and there can even be a risk of birth defects.
Resorcinol: In addition to being a skin irritant, Resorcinol can also cause problems in high amounts. Some of these problems are disruptions in the central nervous system and thyroid function.
P-Phenylenediamine (PPD): PPD can cause a lot of serious health issues. It’s carcinogenic and can even alter DNA.
Para-toluenediamine (PTD): You can thank PTD for long-lasting dye, but it can cause allergic reactions. People have experienced things like rashes and a swollen face, so maybe rethink that thank you.
Parabens: Parabens can cause issues like hair loss, eczema, skin aging, and more.
Health Issues Associated with Hair Dye
Since hair dye contains a lot of toxic chemicals it stands to reason that there may be downsides to these pigmented colors in a tube.
Here are some of the health risks that have been linked to coloring your hair.
Cancer
Allergic reactions
Respiratory issues
Birth defects
Some of the ingredients in hair dye that have been linked to these health problems are paraphenylenediamine, or PPD, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, lead, formaldehyde, and benzene.
Are there certain factors that make health problems from hair dye more likely?
According to Everyday Health there are, here is what they found: “It depends on the dye’s ingredients, how often you color and the hue you choose. Even your genetic composition makes a difference concerning toxicity, experts say.”
Environmental Issues
Since you have to rinse your hair dye out, it affects aquatic life the most.
The most common chemicals that do harm to our environment are ammonia, lead, benzenes, toluene, and p-Phenylenediamine (PPD).
Think about how your hair color comes off and goes down the drain. This can have impacts on local eco-systems.
6 Best Non-Toxic Hair Dye Brands for 2024
Here are six companies that I believe have the best natural hair colors.
When it comes to creating the most organic formulas these companies are doing it right by creating clean hair dyes and avoiding harsh ingredients.
This post does contain some affiliate links which means The Honest Consumer will receive a commission if you decided to purchase. Our commission is at no additional expense to you!
khadi’s Natural Hair Dyes
Khadi is a hair care and beauty brand focusing on Ayurveda formulas that bring health, well being, and beauty into balance. All khadi Natural Hair Colors are natural and vegan.
They don't contain any chemical additives or synthetic ingredients like silicone, ammonia and peroxide.
They are developed according to European cosmetics standards and produced according to traditional Ayurvedic methods.
Khadi focuses on using natural ingredients from Indian co-ops.
Their herbal hair colors are made only with plants and herbs.
During production, Khadi extracts pigments from the plants in a complex, multi-step process. These natural pigmets dye hair effectively and gently. These natural dyes are great for people with sensitive scalps or skin.
Tints of Nature Hair Dye Made with Organic Ingredients
Tints of Nature has been in the business of creating eco-friendly hair care products for over 20 years.
This is a UK-based company, but because of their passion for their customers and the planet they have grown overseas as well.
Their hair dyes have not only won awards, but it also became the first home hair color to use 75% certified organic and 95% naturally derived ingredients.
So you know you are getting a high-quality hair dye that will leave your hair feeling great.
Tints of Nature offer two ways to dye your hair. You can choose from over 20 shades in their permanent hair color line. If you want something with less commitment their Henna Cream semi-permanent line is the perfect choice.
Herbatint’s Hair Dye Extracted from Organic Plants
With a business that’s over 40 years old, the owners of Herbatint know a thing or two about natural ingredients and healthier hair dye. They have perfected their formula over the years, and keep researching to make it even better.
Herbatint’s formula includes eight organic plant extracts and is free of ammonia, parabens, alcohol, and fragrance.
The packaging is also 100% recyclable, so they do good all around.
Herbatint’s hair dye is a gel consistency, which makes it easier to apply one, or more, of the 36 colors they offer.
Madison Reed’s Six Free Hair Dye Formula
Madison Reed was the first hair company to create the “six-free formula.” This means that their hair dye formula is free of ammonia, resorcinol, parabens, phthalates, PPD, and gluten.
Since then their formula has also omitted sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and titanium dioxide, Instead they include keratin, argan oil, and ginseng root extract in their cream-based formula.
Plus all of their products are Leaping Bunny Certified.
Madison Reed gives back to the community by giving their employees paid days off to volunteer, and by donating to organizations like the American Red Cross.
They offer many different hair care products. Their selection of dyes are more fore creating a natural look, as well as covering up gray hair.
Arctic Fox's Vegan Semi-Permanent Dyes
This fun line of semi-permanent hair colors, and more was founded in 2013 after years of research to find the perfect formula full of all-natural ingredients and zero harsh chemicals.
The mission behind Arctic Fox is all about self-expression and love for animals.
They’ve partnered with organizations like Second Chance Animal Services and San Diego Humane Society.
Arctic Fox has 20+ fun, and mixable colors so that you can truly create a look all your own.
This brand avoids harsh chemicals including Peroxide, Ammonia, and PPD. While the colors show up the most brightened on lighter colors, they also look great on dark hair.
Iroiro’s Hair Dye Free from Synthetic Ingredients
Iroiro was created out of a teenager’s desire for pink hair.
The girl’s parent and business partner couldn’t find any semi-permanent hair dye that didn’t have dangerous chemicals and synthetic ingredients.
They set out to create their own hair dye, and then Iroiro was created.
Now they have 30+ hair colors! iroiro hair colors are FREE of following synthetic & harsh petrol based chemicals: PEGs, Paraben, Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Synthetic fragrances, Peroxide, Ammonia, PPD, & Alcohol.
Iroiro also put a focus on the packaging that the product comes in. Iroiro has reduced 70% of their carbon footprint by packaging their hair dye in eco-pouches.
Tips for Sustainably Dying Hair
Switching to more natural dyes can be overwhelming, but the good news is that there are a few other ways we can care for our hair and the planet.
Here are a few tips to make your hair dying routine a bit more eco-friendly.
Do Research on the Company: The hair dye itself may not be 100% organic, but there are other factors you can consider to see if the company is eco friendly. One of those is the packaging, are they using recyclable packaging? Do they support any causes that help us better our world?
Dye Your Hair Less Often: To avoid more harmful chemicals than necessary it’s important not to color your hair that often.To keep your hair looking fresh you’ll want to follow any and all hair care instructions they put on the box/directions.
Go For Lighter Shades: Did you know that it takes more chemicals to dye your hair darker than it does when you go for a lighter shade? Instead of going for a dark brown or black hair color, a light brown or red color would be a great option.
Choose The Right Type of Hair Dye: There are a couple different types of hair dyes: permanent color, semi-permanent color, demi color, and temporary color. They are not all created equal when it comes to keeping your hair healthy. Permanent hair dyes do the most damage, so It’s important to stay away from that type of hair color as much as you can.
Hopefully this guide has helped you learn more about hair products, how to avoid toxic hair dyes, and discover a good option or two for some cleaner dyes and hair care products.
Meet the Authors
Kelly Clark is a freelance writer, who also runs her own blog Budding Joy. When she’s not writing you can find her listening to music, reading, and diving into more sustainable living topics, especially surrounding self care and eco-conscious beauty. Learn more from Kelly on LinkedIn or Instagram.
Emily Waddell is the founder of The Honest Consumer. She has always been passionate about business for good and has a Bachelor of Science in Social Entrepreneurship. She currently lives in Seattle where she practices imperfect sustainability. When she’s not writing, Emily enjoys supporting small businesses, clean eating, ethical fashion, and practicing slow living.
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