Whether you need a root touch-up or just want to shake up your look, hair dye is a fantastic way to refresh your appearance. However, it can feel nearly impossible to find a hair dye that isn’t filled with toxins. Luckily, there are plenty of natural hair dyes that deliver the same professional-looking results without the concerning ingredients. Here’s how to choose the best natural hair dye for your complexion and the top toxin-free options to try today.
What is natural hair dye?
Many conventional hair dyes are made with harmful ingredients like ammonia, parabens or formaldehyde. These chemicals have been linked to increased risks of several health conditions, including impacted fertility and cancer. Although commonly used, these ingredients are not essential; natural hair dyes are just as effective and formulated to color the hair without the use of unhealthy ingredients. Below is a list of the best natural hair dye products for salon-level results (without the aggressive chemicals).
Benefits of using natural hair dye
Along with keeping common toxins away from your head, natural hair dye offers several other benefits as well. Nutrient-rich formulas protect the appearance and texture of your locks, whereas the chemicals in many conventional hair dyes can cause visible damage to delicate hair. The best natural hair dye formulas are chock-full of beneficial ingredients that work to boost shine, reduce irritation and protect each strand.
How to find the best natural hair dye
To select the best natural hair dye for your coloring, it’s essential to understand your natural hair level (or natural hair color). You can determine this by comparing the darkest part of your hair to a color chart and identifying the shade closest to your own, ranging from black to platinum blonde.
Once you’ve pinpointed your natural hair level, identify whether you have warm or cool undertones. Cool undertones work best with ashy shades, while warm undertones blend well with hair colors like golden blonde, bronze, or copper.
How to use natural hair dye
Always perform a patch test before applying hair dye to your entire head. Although natural hair dye doesn’t include harsh or irritating chemicals, it’s still important to ensure that the coloring comes out right without causing any irritation. Always follow the instructions on the packaging closely for the correct timing and technique to deliver the best results.
The best natural hair dye to switch up your look
Here are the best natural hair dye products to refresh your appearance (minus the unhealthy chemicals).
Permanent hair dye
Tints of Nature Permanent Hair Colour
Tints of Nature’s permanent hair dye is made with over 75% certified organic ingredients. This unique color lock formula is enriched with hair-loving ingredients like aloe, jojoba, green tea and shea butter to soothe and hydrate the scalp while adding shine. It’s non-GMO, dermatologically tested, vegan and made without ammonia, gluten, resorcinol, SLS, SLES, parabens, silicone, cocamide DEA, mineral oils or propylene glycol.
Herbatint Permanent Hair Color Gel
Herbatint’s permanent gel hair color covers grays completely without using toxic chemicals, parabens or ammonia. This gentle alternative to traditional dye safely and thoroughly colors while conditioning, protecting and nourishing the hair and scalp. Herbatint’s formula is loaded with beneficial ingredients like natural minerals, vitamins, enzymes and essential oils to hydrate and refresh each strand.
Naturtint Men’s Permanent Hair Color Gel
This permanent hair color gel is one of the best natural hair dye formulas specifically made for men’s hair and beards. It’s enriched with ginseng, maca and meadowfoam to nourish the hair and boost shine. Naturtint’s men’s formula is vegan and created without animal testing, gluten, ammonia, parabens or heavy metals for fast and easy coverage in just 10 minutes.
Naturtint Permanent Hair Color
This permanent hair color from Naturtint is ammonia-free and paraben-free, offering natural, bold and long-lasting coverage to conceal grays. Naturtint’s natural formula revives the appearance of hair for smoother, softer locks and vibrant color. It’s plant-based and made without paraffin, mineral oils, SLS, formaldehyde derivatives, animal cruelty, artificial fragrances, silicones or heavy metals.
Naturigin Permanent Hair Color
This permanent hair color is enriched with gentle natural extracts like lemon peel and orange peel to protect and nourish the hair while adding shine. Naturigin’s vegan and cruelty-free formula is made without SLS, parabens or ammonia to color all hair types without irritating compounds.
Semi-permanent hair dye
Light Mountain Color The Gray!
This natural hair color and conditioner is crafted using only botanicals to cover grays safely, using gentle ingredients without any synthetic chemicals, animal testing, ammonia or peroxide. This semi-permanent color provides 4-6 weeks of coverage.
Light Mountain Natural Hair Color and Conditioner
Light Mountain’s 100% botanical hair color coats each strand with natural ingredients that restore body and shine while protecting and conditioning each strand. It’s a vegan fine mesh powder made for easy application without the use of any metallic salts, ammonia, peroxide, PPD, parabens, harsh chemicals or animal testing.
Henna hair color
Rainbow Research Henna Hair Color and Conditioner
This dye-free, preservative-free, and chemical-free hair color is made with 100% plant powder from henna. This temporary color lasts 4-6 weeks, adding hydration and improving body and shine. Made without additives, metallic salts or metals, this henna coats the outside of each piece of hair, enhancing the natural color and smoothing the cuticles without any chemical irritants.
Tints of Nature Henna Cream Hair Color
Tints of Nature’s semi-permanent cream hair color is made with organic ingredients like henna, chamomile and charcoal to condition, smooth and strengthen the hair while absorbing dirt and toxins. It’s vegan, gentle, natural, cruelty-free and eco-friendly, formulated without any peroxide, formaldehyde, EDTA, PPD, PTD pigments, parabens, ammonia, metallic salts, silicones, mineral oils, SLS, gluten, GMO ingredients or SLES.
OKAY Pure Naturals Herbal Henna Hair Color
OKAY Pure Naturals’ hair color powder is crafted using premium botanical ingredients for bold, long-lasting color made for all hair types. It’s made without strong chemicals like ammonia, peroxide, PPD or parabens, and naturally boosts the hair’s shine, radiance, health and hydration.
Switching up your hair dye formula doesn’t have to equate to compromising on quality or color. With so many gentle, nourishing options available, it’s easy to find the best natural hair dye for your coloring to keep your mane healthy. Whether you’re covering grays or revamping your look, these natural formulas will protect your hair while delivering the results you’re looking for.