Hair dying
Advantages of using natural hair dyes and colorants.
What wrinkling is to skin, graying is to hair. Both
are the signs that herald age. A woman despairs as much
over the wrinkles that begin to line her face, as she
does over the hair that turns white. This feeling of
regret, for the youthful years that have passed is nothing
new. In fact, the effort to retard the aging process
has existed since Eve. Beauty treatments, geared to
delay or camouflage the signs of aging, have been a
major concern of the cosmetic world. Aging, however,
is a natural process. With time, the body ages and the
signs of aging manifest themselves in various ways,
graying is one of them.
To
understand the graying process, one must have a basic
idea of the structure of the hair. The hair consists
of concentric layers. The outermost layer is the cuticle,
which is made up of tiny, transparent scales that overlap
each another. The second layer is the cortex. It is
in the cortex, just below the surface layer, that pigment,
or coloring matter, forms. This gives the hair its color.
More the pigment, darker the color of the hair will
be. With age, pigment may not form, causing hair to
be without color or white.
There may be other reasons why pigment may fail to form,
but age is the most common factor.
The white strands mix with the dark ones and give the
impression of gray hair. Naturally, when white
stands appear. The question of how to deal with them
causes much concern not just from the aspect of concealing
them, but also checking further graying. This question
makes is important that few facts about the hair be
known, so that damage to the hair is minimal.
To
begin with the strands that have already turned white
cannot become black or dark again. The only way to change
their color is by dyeing. Dyeing has become a
common practice and a number of women resort
to it. Unfortunately, most of them do not know the way
the structure of the hair can be affected. Unless this
is known, one is not able to take precautionary measures
that help to control damage to the hair. Dyeing of coloring
hair is not a modern beauty device. Women of ancient
Rome and other civilizations were known to dye their
hair, or even bleach them. Using ingredients that often
caused irreparable damage. Often, some of these treatments
resulted in excessive hair loss. The chemical dyes and
colorants that are in use today can also harm the texture
and health of the hair. They contain ingredients that
penetrate the cortex, resulting in damage to the texture.
Regular dyeing, therefore, results in hair that is dry,
brittle, rough and without luster.
If
hair damage is to be checked it is essential to set
up a protective care routine, as protection itself is
one of the best preventive treatments. It has also been
seen that regular care, started in good time, not only
delays graying, but can also prevent it from spreading.
These treatments include the use of products, containing
natural hair darkening and protective agents that have
the added capacity of improving and maintaining the
health of the hair.
Shampoo, rinses, tonics and conditioning powders, containing
ingredients like henna, amia, shikakai, reetha and 'brahmi
have proved successful in maintaining the hair texture
and health. These ingredients also have specific curative
properties. If the decision is made to dye hair with
chemical dyes, it is all the more important to treat
hair regularly with natural products. In order to protect
the hair from harmful effects of chemicals and keep
hair damage to the minimum. Dye your hair, if you must,
but help to restore its beauty in terms of texture,
quality and quantity.
One
of the main advantages of using natural hair dyes and
colorants is that they are completely safe and subject
the hair and scalp to no hazards. Natural vegetable
products are non-toxic and do not harm the structure
of the hair. They do not destroy the outer layer or
cuticle, as they do not enter the cortex. Henna is probably
the best known natural colorant. It has the capacity
of strengthening hair, as it coats the hair shafts.
This not only protects hair, but gives it body and sheen.
If there are only a few white strands, which are visible
there is no necessity to use chemical dyes. Henna can
be used very effectively to conceal them.
Coffee or Kaththa added to the henna paste
gives hair a richer brown color rather than a reddish
tinge. The colored strands blend with the rest of the
dark hair and are well concealed. A question that is
commonly asked is whether henna will color the entire
hair a flaming red. The answer to this is very simple.
Dark hair will not catch a lighter color and will not
be colored red. Henna will, in fact, add gloss and brighten
dull hair.
Special henna powders:
Containing
other valuable ingredients like amla and kohl are available.
They have been used very successfully both as protective
and preventive treatments, apart from curing many hair
disorders. The regular applications of henna will, not
only conceal but provide many other benefits. If there
are a considerable number of strands that have already
turned gray and you decide to dye them black, you should
have a basic idea of the process that is involved.
Avoid:
Chemical dyes have a toxic base and have been known
to cause irritations and allergies. The hairdresser
will therefore do a patch test before dyeing you hair.
Applying the dye on a tiny area just behind the ear
usually does this. A period of 24 hours must be allowed
to see if any skin irritations or allergies are caused.
If not, the dye may be used. It is better to have the
hair dyed by a hairdresser, as there are particular
instructions that must be followed regarding the lotions
used and great care must be taken. No attempt should
be made to dye eyebrows or eyelashes with these dyes.
Fine hair can be dyed easily as it absorbs better, while
coarse hair is more resistant to color. This itself
would require the use of more and more quantities of
the dyeing lotion as times goes on, since dyeing makes
hair coarse, with repeated applications
Regular Care:
As far as the daily routine is concerned, the hair should
be washed with a very mild shampoo. So as not to subject
it to harsh detergents. An amla shampoo is ideal, as
it lubricates dry hair and has a powerful cleansing
action without disturbing the oil moisture balance.
It has restores the acid-alkaline balance of the scalp.
Amla keeps the hair soft and shiny and checks further
graying. The harsh ingredients in chemical dyes remove
natural oil and moisture, leaving both the hair and
scalp very dry. A hair rinse, used with shampoo, completes
the hair washing procedure and leaves hair in a manageable
condition. Regular condition treatments with henna improve
both the look and the general health of the hair. Thus
hair that is dyed requires special care, so that the
damage may be
reversed to a great extent. One of the most important
aspects of beauty is to be aware of the detrimental
effects of various treatments. Some treatments can have
disastrous results, involving a great deal of time,
effort and expense to gain what is lost. In some cases,
damage may be permanent. As for as possible, avoid treatments
that expose the hair and skin to harm. For instance,
when you feel you must resort to such methods, be sure
to supplement them with an appropriate routine of daily
care, so that the natural beauty of such valuable assets
may be preserved as long as possible.
Post Perm Tips:
1. Don't wash newly permed hair for 48 hours after processing
as any stress can cause curls to relax.
2. Use shampoos and conditioners formulated for permed
hair to help retain the correct moisture balance and
prolong the perm.
3. Always use a wide toothed comb and work from the
ends upwards. Never brush the hair.
4. Blot wet hair dry before styling to prevent stretching.
5. Avoid using too much heat on permed hair. If possible,
wash, condition and let dry naturally.
6. If your perm has lost its bounce, mist with water
or try a curl reviver.
Bronze or Blonde
Colour has come a long way and we are more willing to
experiment now than we were willing to earlier. A head
of coloured hair, even in the 1980s, drew a lot of attention
and appreciates glances. But today, take a quick look
around you and you will agree that 80-90 per cent of
young college girls and even career women have coloured
hair. And unless it is crazy colour, it is considered
normal and acceptable. Should you or shouldn't colour
your hair is a question you often ask yourself. Here
are a few answers to help you make up your mind about
colouring your hair.
Are hair colours safe?
Yes, they are totally safe, in fact most of the colours
today have special polymers and conditioners incorporated
in them to make them superior to hair colours which
were available earlier. These polymers and conditioners
actually penetrate the hair shaft and enter the cortex,
mending any damage in the normal hair structure. They
smoothen the outermost layer of hair that is made up
of cuticles, which appear like tiles on a roof under
the microscope. The ultimate effect after the use of
such a product on your hair would be shinier, smoother
and healthier hair. So far there appears to be no connection
between the application of hair colour and the appearance
of Gary hair. Hair turns grey due to the inability of
hair to produce melanin in the early stages of hair
growth.
Melanin is the colour pigment in your hair, which can
be black, brown, red or yellow. The individuality of
your hair colour is determined by the percentage of
each colour pigment, making each personas hair colour
characteristically their own. Poor diet, illness, age,
heredity, etc. can cause the acceleration of grey hair
and the actual use of a hair dye has nothing to do with
the greying process.
Which colour suits you the best is the question you
should ask your beautician. Let her know if you had
coloured or hennaed your hair earlier, the products
you used and whether you had straightened or permed
your hair. Also have your hair checked out for porosity
or elasticity, both of which play a major role in how
healthy you hair, will look after the colour. Discuss
this with her in detail how long the process will take
the cost and after care you will require to keep up
the effect. You must also take a stand test so that
both you and your hairdresser know what to expect at
the end of the process.
What are the side effects of colouring?
If a professional taking into account all the above points
does colouring, the side effects are almost nil, especially
if the client follows the after care recommended. However,
it is very important that your hairdresser recommends
a patch test in addition to all the points mentioned
above, especially with a product you have not used before.
This is to check for allergic reaction before carrying
out the colouring process. This should be done at least
24-28 hours in advance.
What do you need to maintain the
colour and the quality of your hair?
Certain fashion colours fade easily and you may need
to go back for a rinse once a month, for example, in
the case of wine reds, you would need a regular touch
up or rinse to maintain their intensity. In the case
of gray hair, it would depend on the individual growth
rate of hair. On an average, hair grows ½"- ¾" every
month, so a touch up once in 20 days is a must for gray
hair.
For those with no gray hair and a mild colour not too
different from their natural colour, a touch up once
in six months is ideal. For those with a drastic or
dramatically different hair colour, a root touch up
is important.
The after care needed is usually a shampoo for colour
treated hair, which increases the life of your colour
and conditioners to protect your hair. Too much exposure
to sun, sea and chlorine should also be avoided.
Which brand of colour should you
use?
It is usually best to leave the choice of colour to your
hairdresser once you have discussed with her what you
expect after the colour job. The safest home use products
now available in the market. They have a wide range
of products in different shade from which you could
choose. For those of you who are allergic to ammonia
there is a new product called casting, which is available
in a few fashion and basic states. So do go ahead and
make a beauty statement with your hair colour.
