Should You Henna Your Hair? An Alternative To Hair Dye

If you’ve been dying your hair as long as I have you may not have really given much thought about chemical-free alternatives to hair dye. Or maybe you’ve been wondering if you should henna your hair? And if you’re like me you probably never really thought much about the harmful chemicals found in hair dye. It wasn’t until I started developing a reaction to the harmful chemicals in that I decided to change things up and give henna a try. So this post is really just a short and sweet piece on why henna is great as a vegan and chemical-free alternative.

Chemical-Free Hair Color

More and more are individuals choosing a cleaner and healthier lifestyle and luckily we’re even seeing that in the world of hair care. It is so important to be aware of any unnecessary chemicals we may be using regularly in our day to day lives to the best of our abilities! And I say to the best of our abilities because it does take a lot of effort to switch to a cleaner lifestyle so I can appreciate any effort made at all.

Chemical-Free Natural Dye

First and foremost, the most significant benefit to henna hair dye is that it is chemical-free. If you aren’t currently aware that most hair dyes contain toxic chemicals, you should know. Eventually it is possible to develop a reaction to those chemicals like I’ve experienced. I’ve been using the same box hair dye for years until one day my scalp just couldn’t take it anymore.

Those chemicals, often referred to as Ammonia and PPD one of the most reaction causing chemicals also known as Phenylenediamine. Hydrogen and lead acetate are also other toxic ingredients found in hair dyes.

All natural henna which is derived from a plant is absolutely free of any and all toxic chemicals. Yes henna will turn your hair red. However, combined with indigo you’ve got options. You can find various recipes here at Henna Sooq to achieve the color you want. BEWARE of Black Henna. It is sometimes known as Kali Mehndi is on the contrary full of toxic chemicals such as PPD. Whenever you are shopping for henna be sure to check the ingredients on the package. If the only ingredient isn’t “henna” then it ain’t the one.

Strengthening

One of the many benefits of henna is that it is strengthening. Henna bonds itself to the hair, repairing any damage to the hair follicle and strand. The tannin present in natural henna makes it so. It not only coats the hair strand thickening it and making the strand stronger. Over time the use of henna will actually repair split ends and banish dry and damaged strands.

Nourishing

Henna can do wonders for the actual scalp and can not only remove excess sebum from the scalp but it can restore the scalps natural PH level as well! Scalp health can be incredibly important to the overall health and growth process of your hair. Scalp health is extremely important to pay attention to if you are dealing with hair loss or scalp inflammation, dandruff etc. Because henna is anti fungal and antimicrobial it will not irritate or disrupt the natural PH levels of your scalp the way chemical hair dyes would, but in fact improve the health with each use.

---

Hope you enjoyed this short post! If you’d like to see more posts about hair care check out 6 Tips To Combat Hair Loss & Encourage Hair Growth. If you’re looking for a henna recipe for hair then check out The Henna Guys.