What differentiates chemical coloring (whether permanent or semi-permanent) from its vegetable or natural sisters is the formulation, without ammonia or oxidants, and the mode of action:instead of opening the scales to deposit the pigments there, they attach themselves to the fiber to coat it. "These are formulas that respect the hair and the scalp, which bring a lot of shine," explains Christophe Robin. And what does the result change? "Without chemistry, we cannot transform the hair", indicates the colorist Romain. “The 100% natural formulas like henna allow a slight change and coverage of white hair provided you have little. The real limit is clarification, which is impossible. Good to know:plant-based formulas fade but never go away completely. To keep in mind if you want to do a chemical coloring afterwards, even several months later, because it may not take well (=not being faithful to the color indicated on the pack and even causing a problem for the colorist) . Not 100% sure you want to go natural? Today, there are mild chemical hair colors, in salons and supermarkets, which are formulated without ammonia. They offer an excellent alternative to those who want a visible change or who have a lot of gray hair. In place of ammonia is one of its derivatives, ethanolamine. Less aggressive, it does not need to be associated with irritating molecules to work. It is usually combined with fiber-healing oil.
Few salons are specialized in natural coloring (if we had to give an address, it would be the Romain Colors salon), but all the professional brands have developed softer ranges without ammonia:Inoa in L'Oréal Professionnel salons, Essensity at Schwarzkopf… One does not hesitate to seek advice from a colorist before starting:what result can one obtain? Is the coverage of white hair sufficient? What are the options if you want to change color later?
To find a vegetable or natural coloring kit, head to the organic store. For the application, it takes more time than a chemical coloring:it is necessary to plan between 2 and 4 hours of exposure. To make the formula more fluid and easier to apply, add a teaspoon of sweet almond oil. Rather tempted by soft chemical coloring? You can find it in the supermarket. It is applied like a classic oxidation color, and requires the same maintenance (it must be redone every 3-4 weeks to maintain its color intensity and avoid creating a visible demarcation).
• Prodigy hair color (15 shades), L'Oréal Paris, €12.90.
• Olia coloring (over 20 shades), Garnier, €10.90.
• Oleo Supreme coloring, Saint Algue Syoss (16 shades), €5.95.
• Nectra Color hair color (14 shades), Schwarzkopf, €9.50.
• Henna Plant Color, from €3.50 on www.aroma-zone.com.
Thanks to Christophe Robin, colorist and creator of L'Oréal Paris and to Romain, creator of the Romain Colors XXVII salon.
