Your Guide To Green

Reprinted with permission from body+soul magazine, May 2008

Our experts weigh in on the potential hazards of washing those grays right out of our tresses

“Does she … or doesn't she?” asked one of the 20th century's most iconic hair-care ads. Now, of course, the answer almost goes without saying: Nearly 7 out of every 10 American women color their hair to hide gray roots, explore whether blondes have more fun, or just try something new. But given that the ingredients lists on hair dyes typically read like chemistry textbooks, we have to wonder: Are dyes actually safe to put on our heads?

For the most part, the answer is a qualified yes—at least as far as cancer is concerned. “Research on hair dye and cancer has been going on since the 1970s,” says Michael Thun, M.D., the American Cancer Society's vice president for epidemiology. “It's the most widely studied cosmetic with respect to this disease.” Dozens of studies have ruled out connections between hair dye and bladder and breast cancer, brain tumors, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. “As far as cancer risks go, hair dye should not be at the top of your worry list,” says Thun. “It should be quite a ways down, in fact.”

The Skinny on Skin

Health experts still stop short of giving dyes a clean bill of health, though, partly because of the skin re-actions they can cause. Kathleen Davis, M.D., an integrative dermatologist in New York City , says that contact dermatitis from p-Phenylenediamine (PPD), a known allergen, can result in temporarily swollen eyelids or rashes around the hairline. Since PPD is more concentrated in darker shades, it's a particular concern for brunettes. Would-be blondes, meanwhile, have bleach to blame for blisters and burning on sensitive scalps as well as lightheadedness.

The good news is that bleaching processes have improved. “The amount of ammonia in dyes and bleaches is very slight now compared with 20 years ago,” says Eva Scrivo, a New York City-based colorist, referring to the potentially skin-irritating chemical used in products to help color penetrate hair. “In the '60s, products contained 20 percent ammonia, but now they're down to 1.5 percent.” She says new bleaches have come on the scene that don't contain any ammonia at all—and still work well if you have light to medium brown hair. If you're still worried, try a patch test before subjecting your whole scalp to the dye in question, or take a lighter approach. “With highlights,” Scrivo says, “nothing touches the scalp.”

“Natural” or Not?

If you're bothered by even the chance that dyes could irritate your skin, you might turn to “natural” brands. While no studies yet make the claim that the dyes you find at the health-food store are any safer than those at the drugstore, “it's just intuitive,” says Davis . “The fewer harsh chemicals you're using, the better off your body is.”

The term “natural,” though, doesn't always mean safe, Davis cautions. Be sure to read labels to know what you're getting. The only truly natural, plant-derived, permanent hair color is henna—and not even every shade of it. John Masters, of the eponymous salon and beauty brand, says, “The lone shade that's 100 percent natural is that orange-red one, which doesn't suit many people.” Henna is also famously unpredictable in its saturation, so it's no surprise that he—like most professional colorists—prefers not to use it.

For the naturally inclined, vegetable dyes is the next best thing. Most still contain non-vegetable content, so you (or your colorist) will need to scan the ingredients list to identify what else is in there. On the whole, what you likely won't find in these picks are ammonia and resorcinol, which helps adjust tone but can harm skin. The more natural dyes also tend to have low levels of PPD and avoid formula-preserving parabens that may pose adverse hormonal effects.

If you're a do-it-yourself type, look for dyes like Changes by Tints of Nature and Naturtint at health-food stores. Scrivo also recommends the Herbatint line—both salon and drugstore versions. “I found it more mild on my own hair,” she says, “and it has really good gray coverage, which can be hard to get with vegetable-based colors.”

While even most vegetable dyes still can't be described as all-natural, they are inching closer. Every year

safer options get better, offering stylists and consumers more choices. Like the other experts we spoke with, Masters sticks with herbal colors that contain no parabens, ammonia, or resorcinol. He sometimes uses the Elumen Hair Color line, which employs an entirely new process to put color on strands of hair. Instead of damaging hair by disrupting the strand's cuticle, as happens with ammonia or peroxide and which leads to dried out and damaged 'dos, the color molecules penetrate the shaft through magnetic attraction. Hair remains healthy, and fewer chemicals end up on your head—or swirling down the drain.

For many, the potential environmental impact is the best incentive for using less toxic options. “You wouldn't believe how many toxic chemicals are being rinsed from colorists' sinks into the waterways,” Masters says, noting that some later show up in freshwater fish and groundwater supplies. So even as the health risks of using hair dye have been shown to be fewer and less serious than once believed, you might explore gentler versions for environmental reasons. Luckily, with an exploding natural-brands beauty market, that's not hard to do.