Organic hair colour is made from natural, safe ingredients. It doesn't contain chemicals found in typical hair colour, such as ammonia, sulphates, parabens and resorcinol, which are thought to be harmful to your health. Organic colours use dyes derived from plants.

Henna is a common type of organic dye that was used by the ancient Egyptians. It’s made from the ground leaves of a shrub that grows in northern Africa. Henna produces red, auburn or brown shades. It can be used to darken or add reddish highlights to your hair, but not to lighten your hair all over.

Some people are allergic to henna, so always do a patch test about two days before you use it.

Other sources of organic dyes are rosemary and black walnuts, which will darken your hair, and chamomile, which will bring out blonde highlights.

Advantages of Organic Colour

The ammonia in synthetic hair dyes is used to penetrate the hair shaft. Overuse of these dyes can damage your hair by making it porous and prone to breakage. They can make your hair look dry and brittle. In addition, studies have shown that repeated use of synthetic hair colour might increase your risk of some types of cancer.

When you use organic colour, your hair stays soft and touchable. Unlike synthetic hair colours, the ingredients in organic colour don’t penetrate your hair shaft and don’t affect your hair’s porosity. Because of this, when you use organic dyes, your hair stays natural and gentle looking. In fact, some of the ingredients used in organic dyes can protect your hair and make it stronger and healthier.

Using organic colour allows you to avoid the health risks posed by synthetic dyes. Organic dyes are a great choice if you’re allergic or sensitive to chemicals in synthetic colouring products. By using organic dyes, you also avoid releasing dangerous chemicals into the environment.

Disadvantages of Organic Colour

Unfortunately, because organic dye doesn't penetrate the hair shaft, it can’t be used for dramatic lightening and it doesn't last very long. You can’t use it to go from dark brunette to light blonde. In fact, the effect can sometimes be barely noticeable.

You can be allergic to the natural ingredients in organic colours, particularly to henna.

Our Opinion

At The Hair Boutique, we prefer to use synthetic colours because they last longer and they can be used to create almost any effect. We recommend that you keep your hair healthy by avoiding harsh shampoos, conditioning regularly, using deep conditioning treatments, avoiding heat styling whenever possible and using a heat protectant whenever you do style with heat. Always use products designed for colour-treated hair.