Feb 1, 2008 4:30 pm US/Pacific
Do 'Natural' and 'Hair Color' Ever Go Together?
Harriet L. Blake
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A woman has her hair styled. (File)
AP
Can you be vain and green at the same time? That graying mane is
often the first sign of aging. Looking old before your time is
something most of us would like to avoid, but in an environmentally
conscious world, is hair color even an option? And besides the
environment, is hair color a health hazard?
Hair dye can be bad on both fronts. Many hair color products are
petroleum- based, not good for your hair or scalp, and because they are
made from oil, a non-renewable resource, that's a count against the
environment.
These products often use chemicals – peroxide and ammonia – that are
not good for your body. One of the harshest chemicals used is PPD (Para
- Phenylenediamine), which is found in about 90 percent of hair color
products on the market. PPD is a petroleum-derived dark dye, also known
as coal tar, that is used in most permanent hair dyes. All of these
chemicals can hurt your hair and scalp and cause hair loss, according
to
hairsite.com.
In addition, the Food and Drug Administration has said some
PPD/coal-tar hair dye ingredients have been found to cause cancer in
laboratory animals.
To make matters worse, and more confusing , there are a number of alternative names for PPD, making it hard for the consumer to
tell if PPD is present in her favorite hair product. Some of the
synonyms are: Paraphenylenediamine, 1,4-Benzenediamine,
1,4-Penylenediamine, Rodol™ D, Para-aminoaniline (p-aminoaniline),
PPDA, Orsin™, Ursol™ D and Paradiaminobenzene.
The Organic Consumers Association has done extensive research on
hair color. It takes warns that while the Food and Drug Administration
oversees the safety of cosmetics sold in this country and can prevent
the sale of any that are found harmful, that oversight does not include
most hair dyes. Hair color made with PPD or coal-tar was given a
special exemption from bans back in 1938. The association notes that
the hair industry at that time was successful in lobbying for the
product. As a result, manufacturers were required only to include a
warning in labels that their products can cause skin irritation in
certain allergic individuals.
So what's safe? Hair coloring products run the gamut, from Clairol
to Aveda. When asked about safety, a spokesman for Clairol responded,
"there is nothing unsafe in our products." She then proceeded to read
from a corporate statement on hair color which said, in part:
"All of our products have been subjected to testing. Our dyes have
been well-documented in epidiomology studies by the American Cancer
Society and Harvard University. There are no elevated health risks and
no casual relationship between cancer and hair dye. Clairol is
committed to the well-being of our consumers."
Website image: Aveda
Aveda's website stresses its green awareness.
Then there's Aveda, whose mission statement from founder Horst M.
Rechalbacher, says: "Our mission at Aveda is to care for the world we
live in, from the products we make to the ways in which we give back to
society. At Aveda, we strive to set an example for environmental
leadership and responsibility, not just in the world of beauty, but
around the world."
Dyana Brantley, a hairstylist for the Four Seasons Salon in Las
Colinas near Dallas, says that in order for a product to be considered
environmentally friendly, the product should be free of ammonia,
peroxide and PPD. One solution for people who want to color their hair
dark is the natural color, henna. Ms. Brantley describes henna as a
strong stain "that delivers direct pigment which is what makes it cover
the previous color." But, she points out, "it also is hard to get out
once it is in. And if you go back to regular color with peroxide or
ammonia, it can be a disaster. Henna has been known to have metals and
mineral that don't react well with ammonia and peroxides."
But all non-organic hair color products must use some sort of
peroxide derivative, says Ms. Brantley. "The peroxide is the catalyst
that opens the hair shaft to accept the color. The last 15 minutes sets
the color and closes the hair shaft," she explains. Henna doesn't
require a catalyst.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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