Choose an ammonia-free color for the good of your hair

When it comes to coloring, a lot of questions come to mind. Should I choose blonde or brown? Highlights or a full color? A chemical color or a hair color without ammonia, without parabens, without oxidant? While some questions come down to an aesthetic choice, others concern the well-being and health of your hair. A hair color without ammonia will, for example, be far less harmful to your hair than a color with ammonia. Why? We explain everything.

What is ammonia and why is it found in hair colors?

Ammonia is present in most chemical hair dyes. This aqueous solution with a distinctive smell allows the scales of the hair to open, so that the pigments of the color can penetrate deep into the hair fiber. Already, it is easy to realize that this process is not particularly good for your hair, which undergoes an aggression when its scales are opened. This opening makes your hair drier, more brittle and rougher. You are far from the silky mermaid-like hair you were hoping for. But that’s not all.

Many studies have shown that coloring with ammonia is also harmful, because it also contains peroxide, PPD and resorcinol. These four components can cause allergies and are all potentially toxic.

It is therefore wiser to turn to a hair dye without ammonia, which is much more respectful of your hair. Be careful not to confuse “sans ammoniac” with “sans ammoniaque”. The first is a chemical compound found in the environment. The second is an aqueous solution containing ammonia gas.

Be very vigilant when choosing your hair dye. In fact, in many colors it says “ammonia-free” because this substance has been replaced by ethanolamine. This is just as questionable toxicologically, but odorless unlike ammonia, and therefore more difficult to detect. Read the labels carefully, and take a look at the article from La Vérité sur les cosmétiques to learn how to recognize harmful hair colors.

Why turn to an ammonia-free hair color?

If you have always opted for hair colors with ammonia, you may hesitate to take the plunge into an ammonia-free hair color. Will you get the same result? Is it really less harmful to your health? And what if ammonia-free color damages the hair? It all depends on the ammonia-free hair color you choose. As you saw above, you must be careful with labels, because ammonia can quickly be replaced by other equally harmful substances. If you choose an ammonia-free color but with other toxic products, nothing will change and your hair will still be weakened.

For a true color without oxidant and without ammonia, we advise you to turn to plant-based coloring. More and more trendy, the ammonia-free and plant-based hair dye is made from henna and other plants, and contains no chemical substances. Natural, nothing but natural, to sublimate your hair. Yes, but you’ve heard that plant-based color holds less over time, is harder to maintain, and only gives coppery tones… Stop the misconceptions! Plant-based coloring lasts very well, even longer than chemical coloring. It attaches to the hair cuticle instead of opening it. You can also obtain a multitude of different shades, the only limitation being that it is impossible to bleach the hair or give it an unnatural shade.

A completely natural and ammonia-free hair dye is therefore possible with Hairborist plant-based coloring. You can find your ammonia-free dye in pharmacies or trust Hairborist and go to one of our partner salons. Now you need to choose the ammonia-free shade you want, and know how to apply it properly.

How to choose and use your ammonia-free color properly?

Now you’ve opted for a plant-based color and therefore an ammonia-free and oxidant-free hair color. However, you’re hesitating among the different shades, and don’t know how to use it? Don’t panic, here are some tips.

First of all, you can choose among many hair shades, even in plant-based coloring. Everything will depend on your natural hair color, because you cannot lighten your hair or color it with an unnatural shade like a blue-black ammonia-free color. For example, you can choose between:

Ash blonde without ammonia
Blonde without ammonia
Black without ammonia
Brown without ammonia
Copper tones or any other natural color

At Hairborist, we offer 21 pigments that can create a multitude of plant-based hair color shades, enough to find your match! Even though many mass-market brands exist, nothing beats the quality of a professional ammonia-free color: the purity and quality of the pigments obviously influence the result, as does the mastery of technique and formulation. Doing your ammonia-free hair color at a hairdresser’s is the best way to obtain a flawless result, but also to enjoy a pleasant moment of relaxation.

Next, to maintain and enhance your color naturally and give it shine again, we recommend turning to essential oils. Our Aromactifs Color are used mixed with a pre-shampoo treatment (Repair or Renovator) and adapt to your needs. For a blonde ammonia-free dye, you can, for example, use the Aromactif Nacre, which has the same capacity as a blue shampoo… but naturally! Your blonde ammonia-free color will be shinier and more beautiful than ever.

An ammonia-free hair color for white hair, is it possible?

There is a prejudice that an ammonia-free and plant-based dye does not cover white hair well. However, this is completely false! An ammonia-free color on white hair works very well, and several results are possible. You can cover them completely or use them to create a transparent balayage effect.

With plant-based coloring, you will have a very natural result, without root effect. Who said that an ammonia-free, oxidant-free, and plant-based dye wasn’t ideal?

Coloring your hair without ammonia at a professional’s

Always prefer to do your ammonia-free hair color at a professional’s. They can also do your ammonia-free root touch-up, even though, with a plant-based color, the root effect is much less visible. At Hairborist, we use ammonia-free and natural hair coloring products to sublimate your hair.

If you previously used chemical dyes, your hairdresser can apply a green clay detox mask. This absorbs all residues and impurities and allows your ammonia-free hair color to fix properly.

Coloring your hair without ammonia is therefore much better for your health and the well-being of your hair. It is now easy to find ammonia-free dyes in stores, but always pay attention to the labels and prefer to trust a professional, who is certain of the composition of their products. Your hair will thank you!