Can we safely color our hair when pregnant or nursing?
I have heard from women in particular who would like to color their hair but, don’t want to risk toxic chemicals especially when pregnant or nursing. My recommendation is henna, which is completely non-toxic.
For years, I have been focused on ensuring that what put in my mouth, on my skin and in my hair is truly nourishing. Over time, I have fine tuned what I define as nourishing. For example, I first thought I was consuming the highest quailty chicken when I purchased a Rosie’s organic chicken at Whole Foods. That has evolved to a pasture-raised chicken purchased at the farmers market, to pasture-raised chickens purchased directly from the farm via a buying coop that is also soy-free, corn-free and has no genetically modified organisms.
My hair care has also evolved over time.
As I’ve aged, and started to gray, I’ve decided I wanted to enjoy being a brunette a bit longer. I researched several products to use for hair color. I thought NaturaColor was relatively natural and used it for a number of years. It was fairly well reviewed and I had read in an article about Herbacuticals Naturacolor that the only real concerning ingredient is sodium metabisulfite, an irritant and possible toxin – but, according to tests only at high doses.
Ingredients in Naturcolor:
Spagyric (TM) Herbal Infusion, Burdock, Centella Asiatica, Nettle, Sage, Hops, Lavender, Rosemary, Lecithin, Lavender Oil, Coconut Oil, Soy, Oleic Acid, Ethanolamine, Shea Butter, Mango Glycerides, Chamomile Extract, Vegetable Resin Extract, Bilberry Extract, Red Sorrel Extract, Walnut Extract, Sodium Metabisulfite, Jasmine Absolute Ascorbic Acid, Hydrolized Wheat Protein, P-Phenlyenediamine, P-Eminophenol, M-Aminophenol.
Ingredients in Naturfix:
Water, glycol, hydrogen peroxide (3%), etidronic acid
The photo below was captured on April 13, 2014 with NaturaColor on my hair.
While I knew it may be more natural than some hair color solutions, I suspected that it was somewhat of a comprise and was seeking something more natural. We’ll I’ve found it!
Henna
I have returned to my Moroccan roots and started to use Morrocco Method’s henna. Made from the leaves of the Lawsonia plant, henna works without damaging, without drying and without chemically altering the structure of the hair. Henna binds with the keratin of your hair, preventing brittleness and breakage. It wears off gradually over a period of approximately 8-12 weeks, eliminating the dark-root problem you must contend with when using chemical tints. What is referred to as neutral henna in the form of Cassia obovatacan can also serve to benefit our hair and scalp without any color as well.
As I’ve written before in my article How can we get our hair clean with mud?, I discovered Morrocco Method hair care in 2005, and have been using their shampoos and conditioners. Now that I’ve started to use their henna, I’m only putting truly natural products on my hair and scalp. Before I switched from Naturacolor to Morrocco Method’s henna, I had used henna twice in the past. The first time I used a henna purchased from an outdoor market in Israel, and my hair became fairly orange. The next time, I used henna purchased at the health food store designed to cover grey, and my hair remained grey. With the Morrocco Method henna, I have had full coverage of the gray, as well less tangled, well conditioned, smoother, silkier hair in a rich brown color.
Below are photographs captured on November 22, 2014, after a haircut followed by my own application of henna the night before.
Continue to read the rest of the article on our Nourishing Ourselves blog and enter a giveaway.
Giveaway
Morrocco Method, a supporter of our educational initiative, has offered me one Henna Kit of the recipient’s choice, as well as a Euro Oil to have sent complimentary to one of our community members!
Enter to win with your comments of at least 4 or 5 sentences as you answer the question posed on this post: Henna, a nourishing tradition.
Coupon Code
In addition, they are offering our community an exclusive coupon for all of their hair care, including henna! Please read my article about their shampoos and conditioners to learn why I use and recommend them! One of the benefits of using any of the Morrocco Method products is the level of support they offer. They have held my hand every step of the way. I think their customer service is exemplary.
- Follow our referral link to Morrocco Method‘s online store.
- Use coupon code Nourishinghair33 and you’ll receive 15% off any order.
- One per customer.
- The coupon expires December 27, 2014.
Nourishing Our Children 
4 Responses to Henna: non-toxic hair color.
I have colored my hair in the past at salons, not natural in any way. since having my first child 6 years ago, I started to research healthier living and hair coloring with toxic chemicals was one of the things that had to either go or change. it went. overall, I don’t miss the upkeep and expense of having my hair done, and I think my hair looks healthier for it as well. greying at a young age runs in my family and while I have yet to get my first grey, its not far off, so I have been a little concerned about what I would do when the time came. now I know! henna too the rescue! thanks for the great article on henna use.
Hi Chelsea, in order to be considered for our giveaway, please cut and paste your comment here: http://nourishingourselves.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/henna-a-nourishing-tradition/
I think you mean, “Naturcolor” rather than “Naturacolor.”
[…] our sponsors. I’ve written about their products, How do we get our hair clean with mud? and henna earlier this year. Many of our community members have reported positive results since they’ve […]