Which is the safest colour for hair?

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It’s no secret that the clean beauty movement has basically taken over the hair, skin, and makeup world. From natural deodorant to clean face washes and reef-safe sunscreens, the market is now filled with a surprisingly large selection of clean-friendly formulas, and that includes natural at-home hair dye. But before you start conjuring images of dyes that don’t contain any toxins, chemicals, or harsh ingredients, I gotta break it to you: that doesn’t actually exist. Yup, sorry.

Unless you’re dyeing your hair with either henna or literal plants (like beet juice or carrot juice), active chemical ingredients are going to be in your hair dye formula no matter what. Cue sad whistle. Still, that doesn’t mean you automatically have to settle—there are still a ton of dyes that are ammonia-free, alcohol-free, p-phenylenediamine (PPD)-free (the chemical that helps open up the hair cuticle to let the dye in). Want to just want to buy one and be done with it? Here are the top picks.

• 1

  

  Best Natural Color-Depositing Conditioner

  Overtone Haircare Semi-Permanent Color Depositing Conditioner

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• 2

  

  Best Oil-Based Hair Dye

  Garnier Hair Color Olia Oil Powered Permanent Hair Color

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• 3

  

  Best Natural Hair Dye for Gray Hair

  Revlon Total Color Permanent Hair Color

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• 4

  

  Best Herbal-Based Natural Hair Dye

  Naturcolor Permanent Herbal Based Hair Color Gel

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• 5

  

  Best Natural Hair Dye Kit

  Madison Reed Radiant Hair Color Kit

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Before you ask, yes, they’re still effective—they are just made with gentler, plant-based formulas to help satisfy your clean itch. "You can do everything with ammonia-free dye that you usually can with ammonia-containing dye,” celebrity hairstylist Meri Kate O’Connor has told Cosmopolitan, adding that these dyes are usually less drying and less damaging, especially if you dye your hair often.

So, it may not be as organic as dunking your hair in some plant juice, but you’ve still got some options here. And good news: I found all the best natural hair colors to try right now, so keep scrolling and promise me you'll read the instructions 10 times first, okay?

1

Best Natural Color-Depositing Conditioner

Overtone Haircare Semi-Permanent Color Depositing Conditioner

2

Best Oil-Based Hair Dye

Garnier Hair Color Olia Oil Powered Permanent Hair Color

3

Best Natural Hair Dye for Gray Hair

Revlon Total Color Permanent Hair Color

4

Best Herbal-Based Natural Hair Dye

Naturcolor Permanent Herbal Based Hair Color Gel

5

Best Natural Hair Dye Kit

Madison Reed Radiant Hair Color Kit

6

Best Drugstore Natural Hair Dye

Clairol Natural Instincts Semi-Permanent Hair Color

7

Best Permanent Natural Hair Dye

Schwarzkopf Simply Color Permanent Hair Color

8

Best Natural Hair Dye With Organic Ingredients

Onc NaturalColors Healthier Permanent Hair Color

9

Best Natural Hair Dye for Sensitive Scalps

Herb Speedy Color Cream

10

Best Natural Hair Dye Gel

Christophe Robin Temporary Color Gel

11

Best Natural Hair Dye Gloss

DpHue Color Boosting Gloss + Deep Conditioning Treatment

12

Best Natural Hair Dye Mask

Moroccanoil Color Depositing Mask

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Is there a hair dye without chemicals?

Sorry, hair dye without any chemicals is just not a thing (again, unless you’re working with henna or straight-up plant juice). Dye will always require some chemical-based ingredients to help deposit pigment onto your hair. That being said, you can get hair dye that’s made without alcohol, ammonia, or PPD, if you want something less harsh, but still want to get in on all the newest hair color trends.

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What to look for in a natural hair dye

Gentle ingredients

Once again for the ppl in the back: All hair dyes include some chemicals, because that’s just what’s required to give your hair a semi-permanent or permanent color-change. But there are a few things to look for if you want to keep it as natural as possible: Look for boxes that say they’re made with hydrating oils and plant-extracts, and formulas that are free of alcohol and ammonia, and PPD. The latter two are two of the most common hair dye ingredients that can irritate your skin, hair, and body, so if you see it anywhere on the box and you’re sensitive, just put it back and keep on lookin’.

The coverage

If you're still a little unclear on the difference between permanent, semi-permanent, and demi-permanent hair dyes, here's the basics: With semi-permanent dyes, “there’s no developer, there’s no hydrogen peroxide—the color just sits on the hair’s surface for about 15 washes,” Patty Slattery, AVP of hair color education, training, and testing at L'Oréal Paris, has told Cosmo.

Demi-permanent dye washes out after three to four weeks and is "great for people who want to amp up their existing color, like making chestnut-brown hair richer and shinier," added Slattery. Neither of semi-, demi-, or glosses are great at covering grays, so if that's your main goal, choose a permanent hair dye instead, which "penetrates deep into the cortex of your hair."

The amount

K, this one sounds obvious, but "almost every person underestimates the thickness of their hair," celebrity hairstylist Cynthia Alvarez has told Cosmo. So check the box's instructions on how much dye you'll need before you walk out of the store, and if you're on the fence, pick up an extra box of dye. "You don't want to be left with a section of hair that's not colored due to lack of product,” she says.

• Patty Slattery, AVP of hair color education, training, and testing at L'Oréal Paris. Slattery has spoken with Cosmopolitan on the topic of dyeing your hair at home.
• Cynthia Alvarez is a bi-coastal celebrity hairstylist who works with clients such as Saniyya Sidney and Rachel Lindsay. Alvarez has spoken with Cosmo on the topic of dyeing natural hair.
• Meri Kate O’Connor is a hairstylist and colorist at Cooper Weho salon in Los Angeles. O’Connor has spoken with Cosmo on the topic of ammonia-free hair dye.

Sami Roberts Sami Roberts was the previous beauty assistant at Cosmopolitan.

Chloe Metzger Deputy Beauty Director Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing the editorial content and growth strategy of the hair, makeup, and skin space on digital, while also obsessively writing about the best hair products for every hair type (curly girl here; whattup), and the skincare routines that really, truly work (follow her on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes pics of that magazine life).

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