2 chemical-free ways to colour your vitiligo hair

Last Updated on 7th April 2023 by Caroline Haye

100% natural and vegan hair dyes

I have previously posted on the topic of permanent versus semi-permanent hair dyes and recommended various henna-based products that have worked well for me. In this post I want to talk about a further 2 chemical-free ways to colour your vitiligo hair.

Having vitiligo means being at high risk of irritation and inflammation if you come into contact with certain chemicals. And this can lead to pigment loss. This fact was not common knowledge when I was younger. Which is why I never thought twice about getting perms and colours regularly for many years. I shudder now to think how many harmful treatments I must have had. And I am guessing my repeated exposure to these harsh substances must have contributed to the spread of my vitiligo during that time.

Like so many of us, I knew that my hairdresser wore protective gloves for a reason when she coloured my hair. And I knew, all too well, how unpleasant chemical treatments were to be around. The smell alone is enough to choke you if you get too close. Why, then, did I repeatedly allow my scalp to be slathered in the stuff and let it stay on my skin? (And, no doubt, find its way into my bloodstream) for hours at a time? To be honest, it was purely because I wanted my hair to look nice at the end of it. And I fooled myself into believing that the use of these products would have been banned if they weren’t safe.

Chemical hair dyes are not safe

The truth is that they are far from safe. The chances of a permanent hair dye causing sudden death are relatively remote (but not unheard of, by any means). The likelihood of your having an adverse allergic or toxic reaction are considerably higher. And, if you have vitiligo and are therefore prone to de-pigmentation, contact with these substances is extremely likely to cause further pigment loss. Even people who are not already prone to losing pigment can develop contact leucoderma if they use or handle chemical dyes.

Some of the nastiest chemicals in commercial hair dyes are ammonia, peroxide and PPD (paraphenylenediamine). The reason they are included in virtually all permanent dyes is that they achieve a strong and long-lasting colour. The irony here is that, not unreasonably, these are the products that many people choose to cover their vitiligo hair, yet they are the very products most likely to cause further depigmentation of the skin (and, chances are, ultimately the hair too).

Are there any hair dyes that are safe for vitiligo?

Ever since I became aware of these risks, I have steered well clear of all chemical hair treatments. Frankly, I can live with straight hair (and, if I ever change my mind on this point, I can always use heat to create some curls). And, whilst I still love using colour to add interest to my boring brown, I now use only natural hair dyes (and natural shampoos too).

Despite my near total skin re-pigmentation several years ago, I do have quite a lot of grey hair. This is almost certainly as much age-related as anything. So I like to cover this as best I can. And, surprisingly, I have found that natural colourants actually achieve a better cosmetic result than chemical ones. Although conventional chemical dyes generally give total grey coverage on the first application, the colour tends to be solid and one-dimensional. And the regrowth makes the grey roots look all the more conspicuous as a result. Natural hair colours, on the other hand, create a shimmering, multi-tone effect. You may, or may not, find you have to apply the product more than once to achieve your desired level of grey coverage. But the result is a lot more subtle. This means that new growth at the roots is softer and much less obvious.

Hair colours I have recommended previously

I have tried various natural hair colours over the past few years, including pure henna bricks from Lush. (These are great but need a lot of preparation. You have to chop them up and mix them with very hot water until the bits dissolve. Then you have to apply the mixture very carefully. You do this so that the gritty paste coats each hair completely, without coating your clothes and furniture completely too).

I then switched to a ready-to-use cream product called Surya Brasil, which was much quicker and easier to apply. But, as with any semi-permanent dye, this gradually faded with each successive wash. (This was not a big issue for me because I have short hair which does not require washing every day and grows quite fast, so my roots usually needed a touch-up before the colour had been washed out anyway.) Other people must have liked this range too because it was quite popular in Vitiligo Store. But, unfortunately, supplies of it were discontinued a while ago and I have been searching for a good replacement ever since.

2 very different chemical-free hair colours

My search then led me to two more hair colour brands. And their natural credentials are, if anything, more impressive than those I used previously. One is from Logona and the other, less well known product is Water Colour available from Daniel Field and Alice England.

Logona Colour Cream and Logona Herbal Colour Powder

Both colour ranges are from Logona are chemical-free and plant-based, posing very little risk of aggravating vitiligo or causing skin de-pigmentation. One is a herbal hair dye powder that works on a similar principle to the aforementioned henna brick. But it is much simpler and less messy to use. The other is a cream that is ready to apply straight from the tube. All the colours – and the three colour care shampoos – are 100% natural and vegan and use certified organically grown ingredients. They are, in my opinion well priced, especially given the quality.

Of the two products, I find the cream much simpler to use. However, in my experience it fades fast and is not very successful at covering stubborn grey (which vitiligo hair usually is). So the powder product is probably the better one to choose, although it is not as convenient or quick to apply and wash out as the cream.

Water Colour

Whether you get this from Alice England or Daniel Field, this innovative hair dye is my preferred option because it is, technically, a permanent colour but contains none of the harmful chemicals that are an intrinsic part of every other hair dye I have ever come across. It may not be as hardwearing as a chemical hair dye but it certainly lasts longer than the semi-permanent alternatives that I tried previously (including Logona). And the best part is that it provides pretty good grey coverage. And the low price is also an advantage.

Water Colour works on a completely different principle from other hair dyes and is very unusual in its application too. You activate the product by shaking up a surprisingly small quantity of colour powder with a modest amount of warm water to create a foam. Application is quick, once you get the hang of creating a non-drip foam. (The secret is shaking the applicator bottle vigorously for a good five minutes.) And the developing time is less than an hour, making it one of the more convenient products I have used. It is also quite environmentally friendly because packaging is minimal and the applicator is an optional extra because it is reusable.

The search for chemical-free hair dyes with perfect vitiligo coverage continues

So, having tried a variety of alternatives including Lush Henna Bricks, Surya Brasil, Logona creams and powders and Water Colour, my personal favourites were Surya Brasil and Water Colour. (I currently use the latter myself and am very pleased with it.) But is my search for the perfect chemical-free hair colour for vitiligo over? No. All of the products I have tested have pros and cons. So, whilst I am pretty happy to have found some really good options, my search for a product that ticks all the boxes in terms of safety, convenience, and performance goes on.