Using plants to color your hair is far from revolutionary. A few thousand years ago, the people of Egypt used plant dyes for their hair, skin, leather, walls and textiles. However, except in a few countries like Morocco, this ancestral practice has unfortunately been lost over time. For 90 years, industrialized countries have opted instead for the use of chemical products, which are quick and easy to apply when it comes to coloring. The latter flood the shelves of supermarkets and hair salons and create a lot of harm in the process by causing skin or respiratory allergies, several intolerances, not to mention major pollution of our waterways. Some colorings sold on the market, or even in hair salons, present themselves as so-called natural products. You have to be wary of it! In the presence of an oxidant, the product is not at all natural. Let it be said, 100% natural coloring is made entirely from plants.
In the 1980s, vegetable coloring earned a bad reputation, and for good reason. Metallic salts were then added to henna and indigo which caused great damage to the hair. Consequently, dry and brittle hair raised several problems during perms and chemical coloring. Over the past twenty years, plant coloring has returned to the right path. Popular in France, Quebec is still getting to know it and has less than 40 hair salons specializing in plant-based coloring.
But what is it exactly? Plant hair coloring consists of using dye plants grown in India or Morocco in natural biodynamic fields. Once harvested, the plants are dried and micronized as finely as possible. The finer the powder, the better the results. Everything is beneficial in the selected plants: leaves, flowers, wood, roots and even bark from 29 different plants. Among these, cassia henna, lawsonia henna, chamomile, indigo, rhubarb, turmeric, hibiscus, cardamom, ginger, logwood, chestnut, katam, husk nuts, aloe vera, etc.
The three main pigments contained in these plants are chlorophyll, carotenoids and flavonoids. Tannin is also found in certain plants that are called astringent, which gives bite to the color and allows it to settle well on the hair. Result ? The colors shine with warm reflections, from mother-of-pearl to ebony.
At the salon, we receive the powder colorings. Once the color is chosen, we add filtered and boiled water at a precise temperature to the powder mixture. A natural smell then emerges from the coloring bowl. Scents of greenery, tea, spices or forest, perfume the living room. Do not wash your hair before 48 hours, to give the pigments time to gain depth and obtain better fixation.
The benefits of plant-based coloring for hair and scalp are simply extraordinary because plants act as a natural fertilizer. Plant coloring provides hair with health, shine, volume, suppleness and softness. In many cases, it adds a touch of lightness to the curls. This coloring does not penetrate the hair like chemical coloring. Rather, it surrounds the hair fiber, sheaths and protects the hair from external aggressions, and preserves the pH and the hydrolipidic film present on the surface of the skin. Essential, this film provides a protective barrier against bacteria and fungi and contributes to the suppleness of the scalp.
Vegetable coloring lasts as long as chemical coloring. However, it is important to take care of clays before entering the world of plants. These treatments act as “detoxifiers”. The bulb is then deeply cleaned, and purified of toxins and heavy metals accumulated over the years. On the roots, lengths and ends, the cleaning is deep and allows to release harmful residues, particularly on the scales of the hair. The aim here is to eliminate impurities from previous chemical colorings, silicones from traditional cosmetics or even the toxin of oxidative stress. After vegetable coloring, we use 100% natural products at home so as not to alter the coloring hold. Forget mousses, gels and fixatives and anything that contains silicones or abrasive products!
Vegetable coloring works little miracles for white hair. It also adds shades to natural hair with translucent or opaque effects. In addition, tone-on-tone or darker colors are obtained. Of course, it does not lighten hair like oxidation products or bleaches and it is impossible to create matte or ashy colors. However, we can obtain magnificent shades of blonde thanks to white hair. In this case, the break times vary from five minutes to two hours, depending on the desired color and the percentage of white hair.
To conclude, I welcome you to this beautiful world of plant coloring, synonymous with well-being, health and purity.
Article appeared in the Magazine Le Monde Au Naturel