Please read the following post for important information on how I’ve chosen my recommendations:
TLDR: It seems that the worry over what’s in our hair dye is slightly overblown. From the studies I’ve read, not too much dye comes into contact with your skin, and the stuff that DOES get on your skin isn’t usually absorbed to a dangerous degree. What you should avoid is dyes containing a chemical called PPD. If you do that, even pregnant people don’t have to worry. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK582739/
Why you should care: For this product, it comes down to plastic. I couldn’t find ANY dyes that didn’t involve plastic in some way. This is where the “adoption” part of my research comes into play. Am I willing to give up plastic, which is harmful to the environment, and stop coloring my hair? At this time, no. Coloring my hair is such a part of what makes me happy and what makes me feel comfortable in my body that giving it up would be too much of an ask. But if you can do it, I applaud you! The other issue is PPD—it’s not great for your health, and it’s looking like it’s pretty bad for the environment. https://assets.cureus.com/uploads/original_article/pdf/244736/20240623-5018-er6oe3.pdf and https://www.annallergy.org/article/S1081-1206(13)00737-0/abstract
What you should buy: IroIro with 10% discount code: 10-3B6C8A9C List of ingredients: https://iroirocolors.com/blogs/news/iroiro-semi-permanent-hair-color-ingredients
In my research, there aren’t any dyes that are totally natural that’ll give you fun, long-lasting colors. There are dyes that will do the job with minimal synthetic chemicals that are also vegan and cruelty-free. (Henna is an all-natural dye, but experts caution against it as it reacts with each person’s hair differently and can cause some pretty odd streaks and patches. Get a professional to show you how to do it the first time!)
P.S. You know how all hair dyes tell you to do a patch test before applying and then you don’t do it? Actually do the patch test. There is a small risk of anaphylaxis. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0536.1996.tb02348.x
NOTE: The IroIro pink lasts forever: https://www.reddit.com/r/HairDye/comments/1chk2we/approach_iroiro_with_caution/ Purple seems to fade to pink: https://www.reddit.com/r/HairDye/comments/rwgqw7/iroiro This person didn’t like the platinum: https://omgluie.com/omgluie-hair-dye-review-iroiro-semi-permanent-hair-color-in-140-iro-platinum
Additional Reading:
https://www.greenmatters.com/p/eco-friendly-hair-dye
https://sustainablykindliving.com/12-best-non-toxic-natural-hair-dye-brands
https://assets.cureus.com/uploads/original_article/pdf/244736/20240623-5018-er6oe3.pdf This study does a good job of telling you potential risks, but it’s definitely fear-mongering. It doesn’t tell you the LIKELIHOOD of potential risks.
Arctic fox ingredients: https://incidecoder.com/products/arctic-fox-hair-color
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/24/well/hair-dye-health-cancer.html
Image Credit: Elizabeth Lies