Most of us view our hair as an important attribute to our own personal appearance so it is no wonder so many people of all ages colour their hair to enhance their appearance. In fact, most of my friends colour their hair and have done so for many years. Unfortunately, the more we learn about the chemicals in the hair dyes we expose ourselves to, the more we realize that we are exposing our bodies to these toxins in a counterproductive way with our attempts to living a healthier lifestyle.

Sometimes it is nice to have a change and desire to be different and a change in our hair colour often achieves this good feelinG, however have you ever considered what your natural hair would look like if you gave it the chance to grow out all the colour that has been hiding it for years?  Not only would you not have to expose yourself to all those terrible chemicals that you can feel burning into your scalp and absorbing into your bloodstream at the time of colour treatment but you would actually have healthier, shinier looking hair as well.  I know that step might sound daunting but growing out your hair colour really is not that bad.

In order to reduce the chemical toxic load in my life, I took this step for myself a little over nine years ago.  I used to be at the hair dressers every 6-8 weeks so it was a big move for me initially but I have never looked back.  I am even happier with the way it looks and the natural colour shades that result when exposed to the sunlight compared to what I could achieve from a bottled product in a hair salon. Today I have posted two photos of myself with my old bottled blonde colour from ten years ago and my natural chemical free colour because I wanted to show you that your own colour can be just as nice if not better (in my own opinion) than one found in a bottle.  I feel the change in reducing my toxic load made all the difference and not only am I happy with the colour and new found freedom from my chemical basting ritual, I also save money for other little pleasures or savings. To help give you a little nudge in reducing your own toxic load with persuasion to give this a try yourself, I am posting 5 facts about hair dyes that'll help convince you to go natural.

Hair Dye Facts to convince you!

1. There are Over 5,000 Chemicals in Hair Die

Hair dye contains a multitude of chemicals that include potent carcinogens. Hair dye sits on your scalp for a period of time in the salon giving it ample time to absorb all the chemicals contained within it by your skin. Further to this, the air you breath is contaminated with toxins released and this will be taken in and absorbed into the lungs with every breath.These chemical fumes pose just as much a threat as if you were absorbing them through the skin.

2. Rheumatoid Arthritis Link to Hair Die

Research has found an established relationship between regular use of hair dye and rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful and crippling condition and a link between the chemicals found in hair die have been found to be associated.

3. Dark Color Die is the Most Toxic

Bleach contained within the light colours would seem to be most toxic, however it is the darker colours that are more concerning because they contain lead. Whether it's inhaled, swallowed, or, absorbed through the skin, just by touching a product that contains lead, can act as a poison. Exposure to high lead levels in a short period of time is called acute toxicity. Exposure to small amounts of lead over a long period of time is called chronic toxicity.

5. Colouring Hair Increases the risk of Cancer for Adults

Many of the chemicals found in hair die are well known and proven carcinogens! Research has directly associated hair die with bladder cancer as well as it’s associations with lymphoma, an increasing prevalence form of cancer of the lymph system.

We all have a natural instinct to want to look our best but maybe your natural beauty with your natural hair colour can surprise you. It did for me and I am both happier and healthier for it. You know what they say, ‘natural beauty comes from within’.

References

1. National Cancer Institute. Hair Dyes and Cancer Risk. NCI Fact Sheet.
2. Reckner Olsson A, Skogh T, Wingren G. Comorbidity and lifestyle, reproductive factors, and environmental exposures associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. October 2001. doi: 10.1136/ard.60.10.934.
3. Ryoo S, Sohn C, Kim W, Lim K. A case of severe methemoglobinemia caused by hair dye poisoning. Human & Experimental Toxicology. March 20, 2013. PMID: 23515496.
4. Couto AC, Ferreira JD, Rosa AC, Pombo-de-Oliveira MS, Koifman S. Pregnancy, maternal exposure to hair dyes and hair straightening cosmetics, and early age leukemia. Chem Biol Interact. 2013 Sep 5;205(1):46-52. doi: 10.1016/j.cbi.2013.05.012.
5. Ferris J, Berbel O, Alonso-López J, Garcia J, Ortega, JA. Environmental non- occupational risk factors associated with bladder cancer. Actas Urologicas Espanolas. April 22, 2013. doi: 10.1016/j.acuro.2013.02.004.
6. Ambinder AJ, Shenoy PJ, Malik N, Maggioncalda A, Nastoupi LJ, Flowers CR. Exploring risks factors for follicular lymphoma. Advances in Hematology. September 18, 2012. doi: 10.1155/2012/626035.
7. Kids Health. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/lead-poisoning.html Lead Poisoning.