Hair products and cosmetics free from cruelty
Cruelty and chemical free hair color
For the green-blooded consumer, animal-cruelty as well as chemical use are serious concerns when contemplating color choices. While finding cosmetic companies that pass the cruelty-free test is now relatively easy, it remains difficult to find mass-market haircolor companies that don't conduct some form of animal testing.
According to research and development experts at Clairol, who spoke to us through Patricia Bellinger, director of Clairol Public Affairs and Communications in Stamford, Conn., "Clairol, like all haircolor companies with operations in Europe, has had to continue a limited amount of animal testing of certain dye ingredients in order to meet regulatory standards in those markets." Translation: Although U.S. hair-color companies may not have bunnies locked up in their labs anymore, it's still common for these companies to use ingredients (dyes and other chemicals) that are routinely animal-tested in foreign labs.
In addition to the cruelty factor, haircolor becomes a touchy issue for chemical reasons as well. Most haircolor processes, in-salon and at-home, contain a slew of chemicals ranging from ammonia to peroxide to harmful dyes. Though it is unclear what effect many of these chemicals may have on the body, there has been some research that indicates potential risks.
For example, alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs) are commonly found in at-home and salon hair dyes. APEs have been found to disturb normal hormonal functioning in women. APEs that are commonly found in haircolor products are octoxynol or nonoxynol -- if a product contains one of these chemicals, it will be listed on the ingredient label.
In addition, a 1994 American Cancer Society study found that prolonged use of permanent, dark haircolors made of coal-tar dye may result in an increased risk of fatal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma. In order to avoid transferring harmful chemicals to infants, almost all obstetricians and gynecologists now advise pregnant and nursing patients against chemical hair dyeing.
Whats new in saloons
If you ask your favorite colorist to get rid of your gray but not use any chemicals, don't be surprised if you get a blank stare in return.
"Most professional products don't have ingredients labels," says David M. Winters, owner of Terrain, a Chicago-based retail store and natural hair-color treatment center. "The law doesn't require that these products be labeled and even when they are, you'd have to be a chemist to understand them." While consumers may be asking for less chemically intense processes, according to Winters, most professional colorists are only trained to deliver results with the tools that are their stock in trade: chemicals.
"I know of no salon that specializes in chemical-free color," says Winters, "and I travel all over." The good news, however, is that a handful of innovative colorists are discovering creative ways to minimize their clients' exposure to chemicals while delivering the results that salon devotees have come to expect.
For clients who want to cover gray but want to avoid that flat, monochromatic look that permanent color often gives, Winters works with semi-permanent (sometimes called "deposit only" color) that coats the hair shaft instead of penetrating it. Because these botanically based products have no ammonia and no peroxide, they won't lighten hair, but they're excellent for maintaining your natural color or going darker. In addition to being less damaging to the hair, the results are often superior to more chemically intensive haircolor.
"The gray doesn't get covered so much as blended into the surrounding hairs," says Winters. "Instead of gray, you'll see highlights in a slightly lighter color. In other words, if you have brown hair with a few gray hairs, you'll get blonde highlights."
Darren Gelbuda, colorist at the Oscar Blandi Salon in The Plaza Hotel, New York City, has even figured out a way to make hair lightening -- file most chemically intensive of all color processes -- a little gentler.
"There's a great product out that we are using more and more on clients who want to go lighter," says Gelbuda. "Shades Above, a salon formula, lifts the hair one level lighter using a citric acid base as opposed to a peroxide-based color so it's not as harsh." Gelbuda has also found that a lighter look doesn't necessitate a lot of bleach.
"A technique I use frequently for more natural, less harsh color is a deposit only color first and then just a few highlights as a framing technique around the face. This enhances the natural color of the hair and then gives a bright, sun-kissed look without putting the entire head under a set of chemical foils."
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