Bübchen Baby Shampoo Review: Best Sulphates Free Shampoo

Today I am happy to share that I have finally found an excellent sulphates-free shampoo which works awesome for every hair type, which is ideal for both kids and adults and which does not wash out hair color either. Nor is it that heavy on the pocket. Presenting to you all, the review of Bübchen Baby Shampoo, which I discovered on Flipkart.com some time ago.

Bübchen is a German baby care brand which is a sub-brand of Nestlé since 1983. Bübchen makes baby hair and skin care products based on natural ingredients like nourishing herbal oils combined with chamomile and calendula.

Bübchen Baby Shampoo is a mild sulphates free formulation containing Chamomile Extract. This shampoo is soap-free, pH Balanced, has no artificial Colorants and contains plant-based Surfactants. It is ideal for all hair types right from virgin hair to rebonded, bleached, color-treated or Hennaed hair. It is also suitable for sensitive or damaged scalp.

Color your hair without Chemicals using Natural Henna and Indigo Leaves Powder

In this article, I am sharing a 100% chemical free natural hair coloring method using Henna and Indigo. As asked by many of you, I am also sharing my hair story, as to what made me give up on chemical hair colors and inspired me to adopt natural hair coloring without ammonia or any chemicals.

Note: This article was published in September 2013. But I have just updated it to share my progress over the last 2 years. Updated: 11 June 2015.


We all know about Henna. Henna is a plant/shrub, and its leaves contain a natural orange dye molecule. This henna orange dye can bind to the keratin in our skin, nails and hair, thus staining them orange.

Now what if you can use another plant dye to color those orange hair into your natural black or a dark brown color without exposing yourself to any harmful chemicals?

Well, more than two years ago such a magic happened in my life and the charm still continues. Meaning, I gave up on chemical hair colors more than two years ago and have been using pure henna and indigo natural powders to color my hair natural black.

My Hair Coloring History and Hair Story


Let me share my hair story in brief. For 10 years, I had been using chemical hair colors. I had no guidance and over these years, I tried permanent hair colors, semi-permanent hair colors, henna (in the traditional way of soaking in an iron pan) and what not.

L'Oreal Excellence Creme permanent hair color was what I used the most in those 10 years. I was stupidly happy with it, except that the ammonia content in certain packs used to suddenly go high and burnt into my eyes and nose. I kept getting a burning feeling in some or the other portion of my scalp. It would be fine one time and the next time again there would be burning, itching and sensitivity in some other part of the scalp. I was developing chemical burns and a PPD (Para-Phenylene diamine) allergy.


Soon I had developed chemical burns in my scalp. I had constant itching and different areas on my scalp burnt painfully every time I would apply a chemical hair color. I even had certain areas in the front of the head which looked like small bald patches due to the lost hair.

My graying was increasing which made me sad every time I looked in the mirror. My long hair had become highly porous and damaged. There was constant hairfall and each hair end was split into several split ends. Then like many of you, I decided to go for hair rebonding thinking it will make my hair look beautiful and would give me confidence. Little did I know how much more damage I was incurring on myself.

After rebonding, my graying increased and most of my remaining natural black hair also lost their melanin and became a dull brown. I was told to take regular hair spas. I went for a hair spa and when they shampooed my hair later on, the hair ends tangled into an unimaginable mess as my hair were highly damaged at that time. Tangled and knotty hair-ends became a nightmare for me after each hair wash.

In Feb 2013, I tried Godrej Expert Rich Creme Hair Color when one of the readers requested for a review of it. I got a bad reaction to that color and that became a turning point in my life. After that accident, I had to continuously apply aloe vera gel masks to heal my scalp and that is when I started experimenting with natural hair colors.

I did find a lot of information on the internet about natural hair colors usage but was disappointed after trying most of those methods. So I decided to experiment on my own and document my research.

This is how my hair looked when I had started using Henna and Indigo.

Hair Color with Henna alone

Hair Color with Henna and Indigo

As you can see, the hair look much better than plain hennaed orange hair, but the color was still not perfectly black. Later I discovered it is because of the poor quality of the Indigo.

I had started with Patanjali Henna. Initially it gave me good results but there came a time when my Indigo would fade within a few days of doing it. I always blamed it on Indigo quality. Almost 10 months later it dawned that the Henna color is not coming out that good and in the next few months I noticed that the quality of Henna in Patanjali packets varied drastically from batch to batch. The amount of lawsone (henna dye) in your henna plays a major role. Since henna has to be the base for Indigo to work, you cannot lay the foundation on a weak base.

So next I tried Godrej Nupur Henna. I liked that it made my hair soft. But for the 6 months I used it, I had unaccountable hair fall. I was afraid of shifting to plain henna because like many people I too used to think it would give me a cold. Finally I decided to give it a try post 2014 summers. I was in for a surprise.

Plain Henna did not excessively cool my scalp and was much easier to use due to its creaminess. Plain rich henna is the best thing that has ever happened to me. It's gooey, it's creamy, it's super rich. The lawsone content is so high that my fingers get an orange stain even at the time of making the paste. 

It's a beautiful reddish orange, unlike the pale orange of regular brands. And the best part is that it is extremely finely sifted/sieved, so it does not damage your hair due to grit, like thickly grounded marker henna does. THIS is the henna we are now selling to people, to let them experience the same wow that I felt when I first used it.

And this is how my hair looked a year and a half later. After using and testing many bad qualities, and seeing people go through the struggle to buy pure herbs and Indigo, my research led me to procure and sell the best quality of Indigo for my clients, the same quality that I am now using.

Shiny Glossy Healthy hair colored with Henna and Indigo and absolutely no chemicals

As you can see in the pictures above, there are no black stains on the scalp like you get with chemical hair colors. My hair are now shiny, longer, stronger, so silky that my braid keeps slipping back into loose hair, healthy scalp, no dandruff, no itching and a center of attraction. I hardly ever use oil and have a very simple hair care routine.

During these last 2 plus years, I have experimented, researched and developed a foolproof natural hair coloring method, which is also a complete hair care and scalp care treatment in itself.

Henna glazes your hair with a protective layer and protects them from environmental damage. If used over chemically colored hair, it will initially take time to first slowly remove all those chemicals sitting inside your hair and would repair them over the time. It is initially temporary, then becomes demi-permanent after a few uses and then becomes permanent over continuous usage once it starts seeping inside your hair.

Henna is also a natural sunscreen which absorbs UV radiation and prevents your hair from sun damage. It makes your hair thick, glossy and shiny. However, there is a certain way of harnessing the henna goodness. When you use henna with the traditional tell-tale methods without proper knowledge, it can make your hair dry, brittle and ugly, like your salon people tell you. But that's not true.

The truth is that henna is a wonderful magical herb that can treat skin infections (eczema, bacterial or fungal skin infections), can cure chemical burns, promotes hair growth, regulates sebum production in the scalp by absorbing the excess oil, covers and protects your hair from environmental damage and can give a beautiful natural shiny glossy color to your hair. It can also cure dandruff, lice and scalp infections like psoriasis and eczema.

Indigo is the powder of the leaves of Indigo plant and has a purplish dye molecule. It cannot be used alone on the hair as Indigo cannot bind to the hair like Henna. So Indigo can work on your hair only in combination with Henna.

Both Henna and Indigo have antibacterial, antifungal and antimicrobial properties and are used in many ayurvedic medications. These are also excellent natural hair and scalp conditioners.

For those who want to treat scalp infections without getting their hair colored with Henna can try Cassia. Cassia is the powder of the leaves of yet another plant which is not actually from the Henna family but is referred to as Neutral Henna. Cassia has almost the same properties as Henna except that it has a golden dye molecule which can be used to color blond hair. On dark black or brown hair, Cassia provides conditioning without coloring the hair. Moreover, if you use Cassia paste immediately, then it does not release any color at all.

Plant colors do have astringent properties, which means they can dry out your hair if not used properly and this is where my hair coloring method and 2 years of research and experiment come in picture.

This method can safely be used by those who are currently using chemical hair colors, as well as those who are currently using Henna but not happy with the orange color.

Coloring your full hair length with henna and herbs does coat your hair with a protective layer and prevents your hair from environmental damage. However, once the color becomes permanent after a few months, you can choose to do just root touch ups and full head only once in a while.

Very importantly, I get questions from clients that they are afraid of using henna because it cools their scalp. Well, I have many clients who have/had sinus or chronic cold and are successfully using this method to color their hair. This is because I customize the ingredients for every person, based on their lifestyle or any health problems they may be facing. This method DOES NOT cause cooling of scalp with Henna.

And those who have been told by salon workers that Henna makes hair dry and brittle, or those who are already using henna and have brittle dry damaged hair, it is because you are not doing it the right way. Henna and herbs can cause dryness when you use them the wrong way along with the wrong hair care products. But I will guide you on how to use it to get gorgeous soft buttery silky hair you may have only dreamt of till now.

If you are allergic to chemical hair colors, or are already using Henna but hate the orange color, or if you simply want a safe chemical-free natural method to cover your grays, this is the method for you.

We provide a FREE mini guide/Usage instructions with each pack.

WHERE TO BUY HENNA, INDIGO, AMLA AND CASSIA?

You can buy premium, 100% pure export quality Henna, Indigo, Amla (for natural hair coloring) or Cassia (for hair/scalp issues, for natural hair spa and for getting extremely healthy hair naturally) from us.

We have our own brand 'Lifesutra by Gagan'.

The following product packs are available:


* All packs contain the SAME quality of Herbs Henna Indigo Amla: Fresh Harvest, extremely high quality, triple sifted, NO chemicals,  NO Ammonia, NO PPD, very finely ground, high natural dye content, 3 yrs shelf life, excellent packing


*Free shipping within India on all Standard packs.
*Free Usage Instructions/ Mini Guide with each pack. Details vary in each pack.
* Free Surprise gifts in most packs
*International shipping through DHL. Write to me with your country name to know the shipping charges.

1. Basic Trial Pack:

Best suited for Virgin and Hennaed Hair, for beard hair coloring, for one-time use to test the efficacy of the product. Any one who wants to get great results and to thoroughly test the product, please start with the Value Trial Pack given below under 2.

100 gms Henna
100 gms Indigo
Conditioning herbal hair pack
Free 10 gms Amla powder included

Price: Rs 550
You will get Free Usage Instructions.


NOTE: If you are a chemical hair color user or have just started using henna less than 6 months ago, please do NOT buy this basic trial pack. You need to go for the Value Trial Pack given below at no. 2.

2. Value Trial Pack: (best seller)

Particularly for people shifting from chemical hair colors. However, if you are an existing henna user and tired of orange hair, or if you are already using henna indigo with poor results, or if you have never colored your hair but want a long term reliable natural hair coloring source, go for this pack.

It has 3 times more quantity than the basic pack for just a little over double the price. So it is more value for money. Plus it comes with much more detailed usage instructions. It is our best selling pack so far and is always in high demand.

300 gms Henna
300 gms Indigo
50 gms Amla

Price : Rs 1165
You will get Free Usage Instructions.

3. 1 Kg Pack: (best seller)
Suitable for old and repeat customers and value for money for people with long hair.

Price Break up: 
500 gms Henna = Rs 900
500 gms Indigo= Rs 900
100 gms Amla = Rs 130

Total Price : Rs 1930
You will get Free Usage Instructions plus some important tips and tricks.

4. 2 Kg Pack

Suitable for international customers to save on shipping, for people with very long hair and when more than 1 family member are using this method

1 Kg Henna = Rs 1800
1 Kg Indigo = Rs 1800
150 gms Amla = Rs 200

Total Price: Rs 3800
You will get Free Usage Instructions plus some important tips and tricks.

OTHER PACKS (Free Usage instructions with all packs):

5. INDIGO Twin Packs:

100 gms Indigo + 100 gms Indigo= Rs 500
Price: Rs 500

6. HENNA Twin Packs:

100 gms Henna + 100 gms Henna 
Price: Rs 500

7. HENNA VALUE PACK

600 gms Henna + 50 gms Amla
Price: 1165

NON STANDARD PACKS (Shipping Charges Apply)

8. HALF Kg Henna:
5 Packets of 100 gms
Price Rs 900+ Shipping Rs 150.
Total = Rs 1050
Henna Usage Instructions

9. HALF Kg Indigo:
5 Packets of 100 gms
Price Rs 900+ Shipping Rs 150.
Total = Rs 1050
Indigo Usage Instructions

10. 1 Kg Henna
10 Packets of 100 gms
Price Rs 1800 + Rs 200 shipping
Total = Rs 2000
Henna Usage Instructions

11. 1 Kg Indigo
10 Packets of 100 gms
Price Rs 1800 + Rs 200 shipping
Total = Rs 2000

Indigo Usage Instructions

12. 500 gms Henna = Rs 900
500 gms Indigo = Rs 900
Shipping = Rs 150 (for Delhi/NCR and certain regions in north India). Rest of India Rs 200.

13. 1 Kg Henna + 1 Kg Indigo
1 Kg Henna = Rs 1800
1 Kg Indigo = Rs 1800
Total = Rs 3600
Plus Shipping = Rs 250 (for Delhi/NCR and certain regions in north India). Rest of India Rs 350.

14. Amla Price Rs 1300/ Kg, Available in 100 gms packets + Shipping Charges if purchased alone.

15. We also sell Cassia (neutral Henna) that gives the same benefits as Henna without the orange color. It is suitable to repair damaged hair and treat all scalp issues without getting any orange color.
Price: Rs 1300 / Kg
Half Kg Cassia: Rs 650 + Rs 50 Shipping
Total = Rs 700

To purchase, you need to do an NEFT/ IMPS online transfer to our company bank account or drop an account payee cheque at SBI.

COD / Card Payments/ DDs NOT available

Rs 60 extra fee for cash deposits. This fee is charged by the bank. If anyone deposits cash to our account without adding the bank fee, we will not process the order. Inconvenience charges would be deducted and remaining amount would be refunded. So please recheck the amount if depositing cash.

For bank details, email me:

onlygraymattermatters@gmail.com or at LifesutraByGagan@gmail.com

International shipping through DHL. Shipping charges need to be paid by the customer. Please email us for our international packs.

We provide these herbs in 100 gms packing of excellent quality for a higher shelf life.


Premium quality Henna and Indigo are mostly exported and what is sold in India is mostly impure herbs. While you can use any Henna to try this method, but the fillers may harm your hair and health.

Fillers mean rubbish material added to henna or indigo to increase the quantity. Only Henna leaves contain the orange dye molecule but suppliers sometimes grind the stems as well as leaves of other non-coloring plants and shrubs to increase the quantity of Henna powder. Further textile dye is added to this to give a dark orange color making you think, wow, this henna is really nice, when it is just the chemical dye.

Colored wood powder and sand are also added as fillers in the market available henna.

Our Henna and Indigo are very finely powdered and triple sifted to give you the most value for money without playing with your health. Moreover, the finer the powder, the better it sticks to your hair to color and nourish them.

WHY READYMADE HENNA INDIGO AND HERBS MIXES DON'T WORK:

There are many brands available in the market where Henna and Indigo are mixed together as one powder along with other herbs. The price ranges anywhere from Rs 175 to Rs 1000 for a mere 60 gms to 100 gms packet. This may color your hair for a few days but fades off within a week. So it is no value for your time and money.

Moreover, this gives a brownish to purplish tinge to your hair and not natural black color. This is because Henna and Indigo require a totally different environment for releasing their dye. So if you mix the powders, you will not get optimum or long lasting results.

We tell two methods in our guide to use Henna and Indigo to get natural black and dark brown color according to your choice. The method used for black hair color has more long lasting results and involves 2 steps. The method to get dark brown hair color is shorter but the results may last for less time as compared to natural black hair color method.

Thanks to luring advertisements and tonnes of chemical based products being sold in the name of natural products, India is a fast balding country right now and people who go for hair smoothing, streaks, rebonding etc come back to switch to this method after paying very good money to damage their own hair. In the long run, this natural hair coloring method turns out much cheaper and completely safe as compared to chemical hair colors and will ultimately be the GO thing for everyone because no one can survive on chemical hair colors without facing any problems for more than a couple years max.

Hair Care Tips for Colored Hair

Since I mostly receive emails from people regarding hair colors and hair problems, I am putting all the important tips right here to set some basics right, when it comes to colored hair care.

Organic Surge Color Protect Conditioner Review

This is a review of Organic Surge Color Protect Conditioner. I had switched to this brand around a year ago, when I was searching for an SLS-free shampoo for my color treated hair. At that time, all Organic Surge products were available at medplusbeauty.com at a promotional discount of 50% and later the prices were raised to only 20% discount. Still medplusbeauty.com gives the highest discount on this brand.

UPDATE Aug 27, 2013: This Color protect range has been discontinued and the new color protect shampoo and conditioner from Organic Surge will be restocked online soon. Organic Surge has reformulated its Moisture Boost range into a color protect range, but it is no longer sulphates free, though it may still be mild.

I had used two Organic Surge Color Protect Shampoo bottles and even though I wanted to try out this conditioner, I never felt the need. The shampoo itself turned out to be quite good and kept my hair very well. While ordering my third shampoo bottle, I happened to accidentally order this Organic Surge Color Protect Conditioner.

Price: INR 625 (I got from medplusbeauty.com for INR 500 *Highest Discount)
Quantity: 200 ml
Made in the UK

Organic Surge Color Protect Shampoo and conditioner bottles come in the same packing. The shampoo bottle is taller (250 ml).

PACKAGE DESCRIPTION

ORGANIC SURGE COLOR PROTECT CONDITIONER INGREDIENTS

Organic Surge Colour protect conditioner is a blend of 98% naturally-derived and organic ingredients
Contains organic peach extract and almond essential oil.
Organic Surge is against animal testing.

Phenoxyethanol is used in products as an alternative to parabens and alone, it is unsafe for use near eyes, mouth, ear etc. But every product in the market contains either Parabens on Phenoxyethanol. Here, Phenoxyethanol / Benzyl Acohol / Potassium Sorbate combination gives it antimicrobial properties against Bacteria, Yeast and Moulds. These are added as preservatives.

I have never felt any itching on the scalp or irritation with this conditioner.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH ORGANIC SURGE COLOR PROTECT CONDITIONER

Smell:Smells deliciously sweet and fruity just like the shampoo
Color:White

It is a white colored thick liquid, but needs to be dispensed carefully as a lot may drip out if you just hold the tube upside down. While the cap opens two ways, as a screw as well as a flip-top, it is almost impossible to put back the product once it comes out.

One thing I have learnt over time is to always start with a new product with a very small quantity and add more as per requirement. For first use, I took out a very small amount of this conditioner and diluted it. It spread like magic on my very long hair and I did not need more conditioner.

I keep it for 1-2 minutes and rinse. It rinses out very easily as compared to normal conditioners. But I do see some hair strands coming out just like other conditioners, though, not many. It is still a mystery to me why we see hair fall on using hair conditioners when we don't even apply it on our scalp, or are these already broken hair strands stuck in the hair length?

Anyways, if I use this conditioner once a week, it dries out my hair ends like SLS based products and sometimes tangles them too. If I use it once in 3 weeks, it does condition and soften my hair. With that frequency and very little quantity each time, I have been able to use only a very small amount since March. I won't be able to finish up this conditioner soon.

Till now I was regretting buying it but I recently tried it on my fresh Henna treated hair and it gave gorgeous results. Moreover, this time I diluted a little more quantity, which could also be the reason for better hair coverage. You can read the review of the shampoo HERE. I really wish this brand slashes the price in India and offers smaller bottle for the conditioner so people don't have to shell out so much money just to test out a product.

For regular use, I still can't use it frequently as it is a little drying for my hair ends. If ever this conditioner starts giving me better results in the future for regular use, just like the shampoo did after the 'adaptation/adjustment' period, I will update this review.

Can you apply Chemical Hair dye on Henna-treated Hair and Vice Versa?

Can I apply Henna on Chemically treated Hair? Can I apply a chemical hair color on my Henna dyed hair? These are the two most common questions people write to me for, because some hair dresser at some saloon would suddenly suggest them to try a no ammonia hair color over Henna dyed hair, or Henna over chemically damaged hair. 

The natural red Henna is known as Lawsonia Inermis. Henna is a counted as a deposit only (demi-permanent hair color). Initially Lawsone Color molecules just coat the outer layer of hair but with continuous usage, the Henna color particles (Lawsone molecules) start entering the hair shaft thereby making Henna permanent over time. 

Whether you have dyed your hair in the past with Henna or with a chemical hair color, you cannot move from one to the other overnight. If you have used Henna continuously for some time, your hair may have several layers of henna color pigments (Lawsone molecules) coated on them. This will not let the chemical hair color to work on your hair. 

CAN I APPLY CHEMICAL HAIR COLOR ON HENNA DYED HAIR?

You can apply a chemical hair color on your henna-dyed hair, but the color will wash out soon and you will be unhappy about the money you have spent on those costly chemical colors. This is because the Henna color pigments (Lawsone molecules) already present inside your hair will not let the chemical hair color deposit it's color molecules properly.

If you had used/are using Henna with other additives like indigo powder and then go for a chemical hair color, you may get really unexpected results like unnatural hair color on some portions of the head and uneven color patches here and there.

Also, many poor herbal hair brands in the market add metallic salts in their so called herbal hair colors. Most times these ingredients are not disclosed and such products are marketed with only 'key ingredients' listed on the packet. They do NOT give you the full ingredient list. So if you have unknowingly used any such poor herbal hair color with chemical additives, you can get strange result on applying chemical hair dye over it. Because the metallic salts deposited in your hair may react with the hydrogen peroxide in your chemical hair color mixture and may give you undesired coloring effect like a dirty green or some strange unnatural hair color.

Another important factor is the quality of water supply in your bathroom. If your tap water is hard, Henna or indigo may give you strange results.

IS THERE A SOLUTION THEN?

Yes, one alternative is to wait for a few months without applying any Henna and then start with chemical hair colors. Else, you can choose a chemical hair color close to or slightly darker than your present Henna colored hair and touch up only the roots, where new hair have grown without any Henna in them. Finally if you are okay with the color washing off soon, you can start using a chemical hair color immediately without waiting.

Please know that there a lot of other factors that come into picture and sometimes the results may even be good. It completely depends on your present hair color, your natural hair color, the porosity of your hair, the health of your hair etc. So exceptions are always there. There actually are people who have used chemical hair colors over Hennaed hair and the results were not bad. The Hennaed hair may show up as red or orange highlights in between the other strands that may have actually sucked up some chemical color.

So the best approach whether you want to go from Henna to Chemical Hair Dye or Chemically dyed hair to Henna, is to do a strand test first. A strand test is also recommended if your tap water is hard or contains other salts. This way you will be sure of the final outcome of your hair coloring experience and will get a fair idea of what shade will come out on full application.

CAN I APPLY HENNA OVER CHEMICALLY DYED HAIR?

Similarly, if you have chemically treated hair (chemically dyed, bleached, blonde, permed, rebonded or curled hair etc), and you try to use Henna over it within a period of 6 months from a harsh chemical treatment, you may end up with an unnatural hair color like a dirty green or some other unexpected shade. If you have been doing only root touch-ups for a few months, you need not worry.

I recently tried Henna and got amazing results, which I will share in a separate post. I had been doing root touch up only, with L'Oreal Excellence Creme for more than one and a half years and last month I had tried Godrej rich cream hair color, which was demi-permanent and washed out of my hair within 3 hair washes. Besides that, I was using a silicones free shampoo and also did not use any hair serum for a few weeks before finally trying Henna.  My tap water is normal too. So I got beautiful hair color results from Henna, except on the grays, for which I have other plans. But for the time being, I have kept my L'Oreal Casting Creme aside and don't plan to look into that direction.

I hope this post answers most of your questions regarding switching from Henna to Chemical hair dyes and vice versa. 

Also Check Out:

Difference between Permanent, Demi-Permanent, Semi-Permanent and Temporary Hair Colorants

Difference between Chemical, Organic, Herbal and Natural Hair Colors

Are AMMONIA-FREE hair colors really safe?

Difference between Chemical, Organic, Herbal and Natural Hair Colors

We all know about chemical hair colors but there is a lot of confusion around natural, herbal and organic hair colors. Most people use these terms synonymously and think that natural, herbal and organic mean the same, but actually these are different.

In this article we will find the difference between organic, herbal and natural hair colors and will also discuss how Plant based natural hair colors are  different from chemical hair colors. We will also talk a little about Henna.

Based on how long the hair coloring lasts, hair colors can be classified as:

• Permanent
• Demi-Permanent
• Semi-Permanent
• Temporary

To learn more about these, check out THIS ARTICLE.

Based on composition or ingredients, hair colors can be classified as:

• Chemical
• Organic
• Herbal
• Natural

Most branded 100% natural hair colors in the market today are either made from Henna powder mixed with other powdered herbs, or from the natural extracts of these herbs. The ones made from plant extracts are costlier than the simple powder mix of herbs.

HERBAL HAIR COLORS: Going by the term, herbal means something made or derived from plants and herbs. Most people think herbal hair colors mean something that is 100% made from plants and is completely safe. But the truth is many companies add one or a few herbs to their chemical composition as a motivational factor, and market them as Herbal hair colors. So please understand that herbal colors may or may NOT be 100% herbal compositions. ALWAYS check the ingredient list before buying.

NATURAL HAIR COLORS: Natural means something that does not have any artificial or synthetic ingredients added. So a natural hair color can have some herbal ingredients as well as some naturally derived chemicals. But again a hair color tagged as Natural cannot be just trusted by the use of the word 'natural'. Many brands use this misleadingly to lure people into buying their products, but beware!

For example, see this hair color which I was almost about to buy in Brown shade, when I happened to notice that it has only key ingredients listed and also tells you to avoid it, if your skin is allergic to chemicals. Mind it, it is marketed as a Natural hair color.

There is no stern law in India at least to monitor and control these claims. So a brand may simply add a few natural ingredients to their high chemical composition and shamelessly market it as natural or better list just key ingredients. 100% natural hair color could be Henna or Henna with other natural herbal additives, with no harmful chemical added in there.

ORGANIC HAIR COLORS: Organic is the most misleading of these three as people often confuse it with natural or herbal. Organic simply refers to the  way the ingredients have been treated before they have been composed into a hair color formulation. So even chemical based hair colors can be labeled as organic if these contain one or a few certified organic ingredients. By the way, did you know that it requires a proper certification for any brand to label and market their hair color or other products as Organic? If a packet does not mention anything about certification or the organization from where it has acquired that certification, chances are it is NOT organic. Besides, the law to control the use of this term exists only in a few countries. In any case, Organic does NOT mean the hair color is completely safe or natural. It may even have 95% harmful chemicals and 5% organic herbal ingredients as a motivation for people to buy it.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHEMICAL AND 100% HERBAL HAIR COLORS:

Hair colors made from completely safe plant ingredients do NOT penetrate into the hair shaft. They color your hair by just depositing color pigments on the outer layer of the hair. While chemical hair colors penetrate the hair shaft and deposit the color in the inside of the hair. Chemical hair colors contain ammonia or resorcinol that opens up the hair shaft so color molecules can enter inside the hair and deposit the color there. Chemical hair colors are further of 4 types: Permanent, demi-permanent, semi-permanent and temporary.

This is the structure of your hair strand:

Cuticle or Outer covering forms a protective shell
Inner hair shaft consists of Cortex and Medulla that provide strength
Color molecules may simply bind to the outer layer - Cuticle Or
May enter into the middle layer - Cortex

Permanent and demi-permanent hair colors enter the cortex and so does Henna on repeated use.

Permanent chemical hair colors first remove your natural hair color (the melanin pigments in your hair) and then deposit the chemical color inside the hair. Demi-permanent chemical hair colors also enter inside the hair, but they simply deposit the color without damaging your natural melanin (your natural hair color).

Since plant-based hair colors just coat the outer layer of the hair, they get washed out sooner and are not optimum/perfect for gray coverage. The maintenance is comparatively higher as you will need to re-apply hair color often and the color lightens after each wash. Chemical permanent hair colors on the other hand stay within the hair shaft almost for the entire life of the hair, though it loses its brilliance over a few months due to sun exposure and other factors. It lightens a little but does NOT wash out with shampoo. When new hair length grows from the bottom, the chemically colored hair simply move down. You then need to touch up the newly exposed hair roots which may be gray or of your natural hair color. The other milder varieties of chemical hair colors (demi permanent, semi permanent and temporary hair colors) wash out with hair wash, just like plant based colors.

In terms of damage, both plant-based and chemical-based hair colors have the tendency to harm your hair over long term exposure. Chemical hair colors have comparatively much serious effects though. Prolonged use of chemical hair colors can cause severe damage to your scalp, may lead to bald patches, excessive hair loss and the chemicals that get absorbed into your body to your blood stream may cause multiple other health risks. Many times, people are unable to figure out that these health problems could be related to their long-term exposure to chemical hair colors.

Plant-based hair colors may affect your hair quality but they are not dangerous like chemical hair colors. This is why people first turn to natural hair colors before trying out chemical hair colors. But soon they realize that plant-based hair colors are very mild and cannot cover gray for long. 

Plant-based hair colors have an astringent effect on hair. They make hair strands thin and dry over continuous use. This is why many people who have been using Henna for a long time complain of dry, brittle hair and split ends. Also normal red Henna (Lawsonia Inermis) is acidic in nature. But all this can still be controlled with oil massages or by adding conditioners like egg white, essential oils and other herbs.

You cannot use nourishing products on your hair when you dye them with chemical hair colors. This is because oil massage or natural hair masks will wash out your hair color quickly. The so called chemical color-protect creams coat your hair and make them look glossy on the outside, but may actually not be doing ANY good to your hair's health. On the other hand, if you use Henna (the most renowned and widely used plant hair color), massage with oil can actually help the color penetrate better into the hair making Henna coloring permanent and darker. So another major difference is chemical hair colors lighten over time while Henna actually keeps becoming darker for many days after application, as more and more henna color pigments penetrate into the hair.

You need to prevent any contact with a metal while using a chemical hair color else there may be a chemical reaction between the container and the chemical hair color mixture. So make sure to remove your jewelry, metal hair pins etc and always use a plastic, glass or ceramic bowl to mix your chemical hair color. Contrarily, people specifically use an iron container for Henna. But I would not advise that especially if you are going to apply Henna over chemically treated hair, be it chemically dyed, permed, blonde or colored.  Also, red Henna (lawsonia inermis) is acidic in nature so it does react with a metallic container and may become allergic for some people's scalp. Chemical hair colors are mixed with the developer, immediately before applying as they work on the basis of oxidation. Plant based hair colors are to be soaked for a long period (at least 12 hours in case of Henna). 

Chemical hair colors are kept on hair for around 30 min for touch ups or maximum 45-50 minutes in case of full coverage. There are also short duration hair colors now available in the market, which you need to keep only for 10 min or so, but obviously the chemical is stronger in these and the amount of PPD is higher. Plant hair colors on the other hand need to be kept for longer duration like 2-3 hours minimum to get decent color, since these are mild and take longer to coat the hair.

Chemical colors have a neutral or burning effect on the scalp, depending on how healthy your scalp is, while Henna based hair colors have a cooling effect on the scalp. This may not be suitable to some people, especially those with weak nerves in the head and those who always have a running nose or cold. While Henna is a safe option, it may not suit some people. The smell or the cooling effect may be too much for some people to bear. So always apply hair colors in a well ventilated airy room whether your are applying chemical hair dye or henna.

IS HENNA A TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT NATURAL HAIR DYE?

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Henna and Indigo are an exception. Indigo leaves powder are often termed as black or indigo-colored Henna, but it is actually not Henna. It is added to Henna to get a darker hair tone. But you need to first have proper knowledge on how to implement it into your Henna hair coloring.

Henna and Indigo are two plant based 100% natural hair colors that can actually penetrate or enter the hair shaft without the help of any chemicals. Initially when you apply Henna, it just coats the hair from outside like a temporary hair color. Within a few uses, some henna color pigments enter the hair shaft and the remaining ones keep sitting on the outer layer as a coating, so it becomes a demi-permanent plant hair color. With regular use, Henna can become a permanent hair color as more and more color molecules penetrate into the hair shaft. So Henna definitely has an advantage over all other type of hair colors. However, you need to know certain things to get the best out of your Henna coloring experience, which we will discuss in future articles.

People who have already suffered damage due to chemical hair colors are now searching for safer options, while people use Henna are unhappy with the orange hair color it imparts and want to try out chemical hair colors. Earlier only chemical hair colors were costly, but now organic and herbal hair colors are going equally high in prices. Businesses are now well aware that 'Safety' is a major concern among hair color users and they are cashing on this great opportunity created by a user's fears of chemical colors. The truth is, you CAN get better and darker hair color with Henna too, which I will discuss in another article in the future. Stay tuned or subscribe by email especially if you need help with hair colors.

Do you use Henna, some other plant based hair colors or chemical hair colors? Please share your feedback in the comments below for the benefit of other readers who need help with hair coloring. If you are a regular Henna user, please do share what all you add to your Henna in an attempt to get a better color out of it. What works for you and what does not?

Thanks for reading.

Difference between Permanent, Demi-Permanent, Semi-Permanent and Temporary Hair Colorants

Most of the queries I receive through email are about hair coloring. So I thought of doing this post.

WHAT DETERMINES YOUR NATURAL HAIR COLOR?

Different tones of skin color, hair color and eye colors that exist in the world are due to a natural pigment called melanin found in our body. Our natural hair color depends on the presence of two types of melanin in the hair follicle: eumelanin and pheomelanin.

The more the presence of eumelanin in the hair follicle, the darker will be the natural hair color of a person. Similarly if less eumelanin is present, the hair is lighter. Pheomelanin is found in the skin and hair of lighter skin-toned people.

HOW GRAYING OF HAIR HAPPENS?

Melanin production decreases in the hair root over time (with ageing) and finally ceases. This causes change in our natural hair color over time. The decrease in melanin causes a person's hair to become lighter in color, which look gray when light reflects through them. When melanin production finally stops in a hair root, the new hair root grows out white because there is no melanin to color it. Each hair follicle grays out at a different time.

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Hair coloring is done for cosmetic reasons, to alter your natural hair color or to cover gray hair, which nature has stopped coloring.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF HAIR COLORANTS

Based on how long the coloring lasts, hair colors can be:

• Permanent
• demi-permanent
• semi-permanent
• temporary

Based on composition, hair colors can be

• Chemical based
• Organic
• Herbal
• Natural

In this article, I am going to explain the difference between permanent, demi-permanent, semi-permanent and temporary hair colors.

Cuticle or Outer covering forms a protective shell
Inner hair shaft consists of Cortex and Medulla that provide strength
Depending on the color type, hair color sits on the Cuticle or
may enter the middle layer Cortex

PERMANENT HAIR COLORS:

Any hair color that penetrates deep into the hair shaft and seals color into the hair cortex, is called a permanent hair color. As the name says, once you color your hair with a permanent hair colorant, the hair color stays and does not wash out with shampoo. These are Class 3 colorants.

The colored part of the hair shaft keeps moving down as new length of the hair grows out from the root. You then mainly need to touch up the roots only. You can freshen up the entire hair color with a full-head application once is 5-6 months or so.

Permanent hair colors are mainly chemical based and work on the principal of oxidation. The contents are initially white in color, and then the color develops on coming in contact with oxygen.

Permanent hair colors penetrate deep into the hair shaft, remove the natural color pigment (melanin) from the hair and then deposit the new color. So it is possible to get a lighter hair color than what you presently have. They color all hair uniformly and therefore, very dark shades at times look unnatural and too black.

Permanent hair colorants are the most effective in covering gray hair.

Example: L'Oreal Excellence Creme hair color, Bigen Easy 'n Natural Hair Color, Garnier Color Naturals Nourishing Permanent Hair Color Cream, Revlon ColorSilk, Revlon Colorsilk Luminista, L'Oreal INOA, Wella Kolestint etc.

DEMI-PERMANENT HAIR COLORS:

Demi-permanent hair colors are also known as deposit-only hair colors. These are Class 2 hair colorants. These do not contain ammonia but other less stronger chemicals like ethanalomine and a lower concentration of hydrogen peroxide. So these are chemically milder than permanent hair colorants.

The color is developed and deposited similar to permanent hair colors but hair's natural pigment is not removed. Therefore, demi-permanent hair colors cannot lighten your present hair color. You can only go for a similar or darker shade than your present hair color, and cannot dye your hair lighter with a demi-permanent hair color (without bleaching hair first).

The color is not as uniform as permanent hair colors and looks more natural. Therefore, new hair growth from the roots does not look as prominent and contrasting as in the case of Permanent hair colors. Demi-permanent hair color washes out in 12-28 shampoo washes and may last longer in case of very porous hair. After color washes out, hair are restored to their previous color.

These are suitable for damaged and fragile haired people who want to cover grays without further damaging their hair. These are the second best option when it comes to covering gray.

Eg: L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss, L'Oreal Healthy look creme gloss, L'Oreal Color Gems Haircolor, Bigen Powder Hair color, Just for Men Natural Hair Color, Streax Hair Color, Garnier Nutrisse Hair Color, Clairol Natural Instincts Hair Color, Boots Semi- Permanent Hair Color (is actually demi-permanent),Ion Color Brilliance Intensive Shine Demi Permanent Creme Hair Color, Hair Color Chalks at buyincoins.com etc. Henna also falls in the category of deposit only/demi-permanent hair colors but may become permanent with repeated application.

SEMI-PERMANENT HAIR COLORS:

Semi-permanent hair colors or hair dyes contain further less ammonia and peroxide or neither at all. These are Class 1 hair colorants. Therefore only a small amount of color permeates through the hair shaft with the help of peroxide. These survive only 4-8 shampoo washes. Being chemically milder, they are suitable for fragile and damaged hair, however, cannot effectively cover gray hair. So these are not recommended for gray coverage.

Example: Garnier HerbaShine, Ion Color Brilliance Brights Semi-Permanent Hair Color, N Rage Hair Color, Dark and Lovely Reviving Semi-Permanent Hair Color, Beyond The Zone Color Jamz Semi Permanent Hair Color,Manic Panic Semi-Permanent Color Cream etc.

TEMPORARY HAIR COLORS:

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Temporary hair colors do not contain ammonia, so hair shaft is not opened. The color just sits outside the hair shaft closely hugging the hair surface. They cannot penetrate into the hair cuticle as their color pigment molecules are large in size (larger those of semi-permanent hair colors). They just get absorbed on the hair surface only and easily wash out within one shampoo. However, on poor quality highly porous hair or bleached hair, they can be absorbed deeper and may stay longer.

These are mainly used for fun, for parties, for special occasions, when you would like to sport very bold, bright and funky colors. These are available as shampoos, gels, hair color sprays, foams and color rinse. All other hair colorant types come in colors close to natural human hair colors. But temporary colors are typically unnatural hair colors like blue, pink, purple, green,fuchsia, gold, silver etc. They can be used to highlight a few hair strands or on the full head.