| Why does hair color hold such fascination? | | | | still experience allergies when using it. |
| Hair color can be that magic wand that | | | | Coloring agents for hair are of four main |
| instantly transforms dull mousy locks into | | | | types: temporary hair color, natural |
| glorious golden lights that shimmer and | | | | colorings, semi-permanent dyes and permanent |
| shine. It can also instantly erase years of | | | | dyes. |
| age by covering gray, adding depth to fading | | | | |
| colors and cranking up overall shine. | | | | Temporary hair color |
| Depending on what you are trying to | | | | |
| accomplish, hair-coloring products will | | | | The dyes used as temporary hair coloring |
| almost always require the use of some form of | | | | agents were originally developed for use in |
| chemical agents. Whether to use a permanent | | | | textile industry. They are acidic dyes that |
| or semi-permanent color depends on several | | | | are deposited on the outside of the hair, so |
| factors. "If more than 50 percent of your | | | | they do not penetrate the hair shaft. They |
| hair is gray, or if you want to lighten your | | | | affect the way in which the cuticle reflects |
| hair, you have to use a permanent color with | | | | light, and they tend to make the hair look |
| peroxide. | | | | flat. They are easily shampooed off the hair, |
| | | | so they last through only a few washes. They |
| For a truly natural hair dye option, consider | | | | are available as rinses, gels, mousses and |
| henna, which is made from the powdered leaves | | | | sprays. Natural hair dyes do provide rich, |
| of a desert shrub called Lawsonia. Henna has | | | | long-lasting color with fewer chemicals. "But |
| been used for thousands of years to color | | | | to get long-lasting color, you need |
| hair and skin. (Cleopatra was a famed | | | | chemicals, and some products have more than |
| proponent.) Although it seems to pose no | | | | others. |
| health risks, some sensitive people might | | | | |