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The 5 most frequently asked questions about vegetable dyes
More and more women are deciding to leave synthetic dyes and switch to plant-based colouring. A step that involves a transition in which many questions may arise. In this article we have gathered the most frequently asked questions to answer them all at once and help you face the challenge with confidence. Let's get started!
1. Can I use henna or other plant-based dyes on hair with synthetic dye?
Yes, you can, but with nuances. If you have used dyes that do not contain ammonia or oxidants, you can use our formulas without problems. Plants will be an ideal complement to give shine, volume and nutrition to your hair.
In the case of traditional synthetic dyes, they can damage the hair structure and leave the hair damaged, which impairs the adhesion of the natural pigments of plant-based dyes. That's why a cuticle recovery process is crucial before switching to plant-based coloring (see the Henna Morena Method). The pigmenting molecules of the plants adhere to a repaired cuticle, depositing the color on its outermost part, without damaging it.
2. Why do I have to add hair oil when preparing dyes?
The oils in plant-based dyes play a fundamental role. Adding oils to the coloring formula not only helps counteract the astringent effect of plants, but also facilitates better color fixation to the hair cuticle and provides more shine. Cold-pressed hair oils such as Grape Seed and Petit Grain or Almonds with Lavender are great options.
3. How do I know what the result will be with your hair colors? Do you have a colour chart?
There is a colour chart, on each of the product page on our website you will find the resulting shade of the dye. However, the exact result will depend on the natural tone of the hair on which you apply the dye, because it acts as a canvas.
For example, if you have light hair, Henna can dye in copper tones, but on dark hair, it will simply give you slight highlights. Indigo with Henna, on the other hand, is ideal for dark hair or Chamomile for blonde hair. If you apply Indigo to blonde hair, the result will not be what you expected.
It is important to take into account both your base color and to understand that vegetable dyes cannot lighten hair. From there, try and experiment: we're talking about plants only, so if you don't like the result, you can always dye your hair with another formula without risks or waiting.
4. What is the difference between plant-based coloring and clays?
They are two completely different things. Clay is a texture that comes from combining earth, mineral sediments and water.
There are no clays that dye hair: if you know brands that do, they actually talk about the resulting texture, not the composition, and they contain other ingredients to pigment, in some cases natural and in others not.
However, plant-based coloring is the healthy alternative to synthetic dyes, managing to color the hair exclusively with plant pigments that are deposited on the external part of the hair cuticle.
5. Why doesn't plant-based coloring cover gray hair in the same tone as the rest of the hair? What does it mean that plants have no root effect?
Plant-based coloring dyes by deposit, it externally covers the hair structure without modifying the cortex of the cuticle, that is, it is like applying a varnish on wood, you would see the different shades of it. The same thing happens with grey hair, as it has a lower tone than the rest of the hair and is seen as a natural highlight.
Vegetable dyes lose their potency as they age, meaning that the hair loses its colour evenly. Advantages? Not having the hated root effect, which makes you a slave to the hairdresser. This way, you choose when to colour yourself and not the dreaded grey hairs appearing at the roots.
