Color Your Hair Naturally

For those who don’t want to go gray (yet), Surya Brasil’s henna is a cruelty-free hair dye that may be the product for you.
Color Your Hair Naturally
Surya Brasil vegan lip balms come in five flavors: Açai Berry, Cinnamon Cupuacu, Strawberry Buriti, Chocolate Mint, and Chocolate; $3.49, www.suryabrasil.com. (Courtesy of Surya Brasil)
4/8/2013
Updated:
4/8/2013

Gray hair can definitely be beautiful and a mark of wisdom in many cultures. But for those who don’t want to go gray (yet), Surya Brasil’s henna is a cruelty-free hair dye that may be the product for you.

The henna comes in either a powder or a cream. It conditions and treats the hair with ingredients like Babaçu seed oil, Aloe vera extract, amla extract, and açai fruit extract. Plus, both formulas provide a list of ingredients that they do NOT contain, along with an explanation of why these ingredients are harmful to you and the environment.

Not in the Formula

Lead: Used as a color additive to darken the hair in product dyes. It can cause anemia as well as physiological and behavioral changes.
Ammonia: Used in hair coloring to open the cuticle and facilitate penetration of the dye in the hair. It produces caustic burns and irritates the airways.
PPD (dye): Continuous exposure to this dye may lead to skin and eye sensitivity and may cause permanent loss of eyesight. In the environment, it is considered very toxic to aquatic organisms.
Resorcinol (dye): Causes irritation to the skin and respiratory tract.
Hydrogen peroxide: Used to remove natural pigment from the hair prior to adding color; it changes the hair structure and makes it more fragile, brittle, and lackluster.
Parabens (preservatives): Cause irritation and allergies in persons with skin sensitivity to synthetic substances.

Revive Your Color for Spring

According to Bettina Bond, Surya Brasil’s national educator, “Spring is time to refresh your color,” she said in an email, “but leave the bold color ‘in the garden!’ Spring color mixes should be a bit soft.”

She offered The Epoch Times these color suggestions for spring.

Brunette hair : Light Brown/Ash Blonde is a nice mix for brunettes to offer gentle highlights.
Blond hair: Use Ash Blonde with a touch of Swedish Blonde mix to a gentle shade.
Auburn hair: Tone down winter brassy tones with a bit of Light Brown in your usual mix, or a few drops of Black if you want a deeper hue.
Black hair: To cover gray, mix in some Silver Fox to enhance the blue tones.

Don’t forget to follow up colored or processed hair with the Buriti Restorative Hair Mask. Rich in Vitamin A, it protects hair from UV rays and dryness.

Animal-Friendly Products

Amazonia Preciosa is Surya Brasil’s line of organic products that has earned several certifications from important international agencies such as Ecocert, Vegan, PETA (cruelty-free), Cosmebio, and ISO 14001.

This line is cause for celebration among consumers who want truly animal-friendly products.

“Lip balm is harder than any other body care item for me to find in a vegan variety,” said a reviewer, Laura, on the Chic Vegan website. “Many labels claim ‘no animal ingredients,’ ‘cruelty-free,’ yet list beeswax as the first ingredient.”

Ethically Formulated

The company’s website states that founder Clélia Cecília Angelon makes sure to incorporate her core values, consciousness, and commitments as a clear foundation for building her company. Her mission includes responsibility to the consumer, the environment, and to ethical business practices.

Surya Brasil henna is certainly a safer option for coloring the hair than most of the products commonly found in drugstores and salons. Ultimately, though, the safest way to ensure fewer grays is to lead a kinder, more stress-free life.