To color or not to color...Aveda makes the dyeing dilemma less painful

Hey all you GLR regulars, Melissa here, taking a spin for Jenn. Enjoy!

Among my many baby steps toward a greener way of living have definitely been a few that some people would not even contemplate. I won't even bother to list them, but I figure these are the ways in which I account for the steps I, in turn, can't contemplate. Like navy showers. Like trying to fit three kids in car seats into a Smart Car. Like moving from the suburbs to the city. Everyone has their level...enough said.

One step I've contemplated, but ultimately rejected (for now, anyway) is giving up on hair color. I gave up on length (going from shoulder-length to my current pixifed do) to save shower time months back, and have been loving how fast it is to shampoo and rinse now -- so much less guilt! That said, all the trims that have been necessary to maintain the shorter style have brought me up short in another way: the last of my last hair color session (done at home, from a box that cost probably no more than $10) was all gone. And the greys were taking a spot front and center.

For months and months, I hesitated. I really hated to be responsible for dumping more dye chemicals down my drain. It just seemed out of kilter with everything else I've been trying to do. And I didn't really want to pay my colorist to dump them down her drain either. I know I'm not the only person who cares about the environment to fret about whether to color or not. But who wants to look 50 at 40?

Well, not me, for one. So, in doing some desperate online research, I was reminded that Aveda, purveyor of a range of beauty products and services, offers hair coloring services that use more nature-based ingredients. But since I didn't have time to look up the details right then, I didn't get too far.

After some more stalling, I finally decided the time had come, and booked myself at a salon that uses Aveda products. I verified with my colorist that, indeed, Aveda's line is more environmentally-friendly (Um, not to say I would have leapt, outraged, out of the chair if the answer had been "no, not really!" The greys had to go!) than most other DIY or salon coloring products.

Here's how Aveda's Web site describes its Shades of Enlightenment Advanced Lifting Creme Hair Color (not sure if this is what I got, but I think it's close): "Blondes awaken with the first permanent hair color system that's 97 percent naturally derived—capturing the active energy of plants."

My colorist noted that the hair color line does contain a small amount of peroxide -- necessary for the color to "deposit" (I have to confess I don't know precisely what this means, but my guess is that it means the peroxide helps the dye to do what you want it to do to your hair). But the overwhelming majority of Aveda's products are plant-derived, and they have a whole policy around their process for selecting green ingredients. And a quick search on Aveda at Treehugger shows them to be generally beloved over there.

As for my experience, the first thing I noticed was that I didn't smell any of the usual smells when the colorist wheeled out her tray with the mixed color. She warned me that some natural products can actually have a stronger smell even than traditional peroxide-heavy colors, but even when my entire head was foiled, I never smelled a thing. And I have an obnoxiously well-developed sense of smell, so that's got to be worth something!

And the color, when all was said and done, looked good. I'd say great, but we went for highlights and lowlights of blonde and brown -- subtle with a capital sssss. It's so similar to what my own normal hair would look like that it's hard to gush about it...maybe I'll be a little bolder next time. All the same, I'm happy I did it, because I'm not looking quite so salt-and-peppery now.

Oh, and one more thing...my hair remains happily unfried, something I could not say of my past out-of-box experiences!

If there's a downside, it's the price tag. Like any salon process, this cost more -- way more -- than doing it yourself from a box you buy at CVS or Target. And it probably even cost a few bucks more than I've shelled out in the past for highlights, even when my hair was long. But I think the environmental benefits made it worthwhile. What with the sun finally warming things up now, I can probably stretch this round of color six months, right? So I'm pinning four green leaves on Aveda for the moment -- could jump up to five if my next attempt at a slightly gutsier look works out!

To Dye For

A while back I wrote in my other blog about dying my hair bright red and in the comments section a couple people mentioned that they prefer to use henna instead of so many chemicals. After having dreamt about henna tattoos last night, I woke up this morning realizing it was time to look into this process, especially since my roots are starting to grow in.

Henna, as defined on dictionary.com is: An Asian shrub or small tree, Lawsonia inermis, of the loosestrife family, having elliptic leaves and fragrant flowers. The natural aspect made me feel much better about using it on my body, and subsequently washing it down the drain, so I pulled up quite a few websites dedicated to the history of henna, where it originated from and its early uses, as well as differences between the dyes used in body art as opposed to those used for hair. The natural source of the pigment comes from the leaves of the plant. The most reliable way to achieve the best results is through mixing of the powder of the leaves with other natural sources (such as lemon juice, tea, oils, wine, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.) depending on the color desired (in its natural state the pigment dye released by the leaves is a reddish-orange tone, black henna has an indigo additive to darken it).

I discovered this website, Henna for Hair, dedicated to about 200 different people and how they have achieved their henna hair colors. As I read through many of the individual stories it occurred to me why so many more women and men choose to dye their hair through the salon or little box of chemicals -- henna application sure is a lot of work! Although, as the process becomes more familiar, I imagine the work involved is less than it first appears.

Mystified at the different mixes of color, especially those in the bright red family as that is the color I seem to be gravitating toward lately, I read through handfuls of the stories. Many of the henna mixes will need to sit in a bowl overnight to release the dye and it was made very clear that pre-mixed paste is likely loaded with just as many chemicals as the box kits. Many of the stories involved putting a shower cap, foil, and a towel on top of the color, and leaving all of them on over night. There was no single mix that I read about which suggested leaving the color on for less than four hours.

The pro to this time investment is the insanely gorgeous color these people have achieved without chemical interference. Almost all of the colors shown I have had on my head at one point or another. They wash the color out and sometimes complete a vinegar rinse which helps remove the remainder of the dye in order to prevent it from transferring to the towel (something I wish I knew months, scratch that, years ago!). I am anxious to attempt this very different style of application of color and am scouring through these individual color mixes to see which I like the most. Due to the con of time investment but the super environmental pros of this plant based dye, and the ability to achieve such vibrant color through its use I am granting henna as a natural hair coloring alternative Four Green Leaves!

After the application, I will report back and let everyone know how it went; luckily I have pixie short hair so it should be a little bit easier to complete.

Have any of you used henna?