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