Daniel Field advanced formula water colour
Grey hairs are here to stay. More and more appear each day, and it’s a hassle having to dye them all the time. An even bigger bug bear for me is that my hair is totally frazzled after using mainstream hair dyes, whether it be done at home or in the salon, all because they contain hydrogen peroxide. This wonder chemical lightens hair so that the dye can take to hair, and leaves the hair damaged – cuticle needs to be opened to let hair dye in and it doesn’t close again, leaving hair fragile and dry, which breaks more easily. When the cuticle is closed / sealed the hair looks and feels smooth.
Daniel Field is an organic and mineral hairdresser who has developed a hair dye called water colour, that is powerful enough to colour grey hairs without the use of hydrogen peroxide, ammonia, alcohol and PPD (p-Phenylenediamine – a common irritant). Scalp is not exposed to these chemicals, which have been known to cause irritation (mainstream hair dye stings my scalp and makes it itch).
I discovered his hair dyes purely by accident. I had been searching for an organic hair dye that would colour my grey hairs but didn’t contain any hydrogen peroxide, and knew that the vegetable dye based ones found in most health food stores didn’t work very well, and left hair in a bit of a mess (a friend of mine uses one and her hair looks wiry all the time). There’s a balance to be struck between covering grey hair and not ending up with straw for hair – for me anyway.
I’m on my 3rd bottle of his hair dye now. It seems to be working, although the most stubborn greys just look more blended rather than fully coloured. I think I am going to need to shorten the time between dye sessions, from 6/8 weeks to 4 weeks (his recommended timeframe) to see if a build up of colour will beat the stubborn greys into submission. Fortunately, they do not show up unless under real scrutiny, so fine for now.
It’s also a bit more work than the mainstream hair dyes – you need to shampoo hair the day before and not use any conditioner or styling products. It is applied to dry hair for maximum grey hair coverage, and needs to be left on for an hour. It needs monthly re-application which I need to be religious about because greys definitely start showing through again. But, hair is left soft afterwards – softer than ever before – and it is no longer a frazzled and wiry mess. Scalp is not itchy or dry at all. And I feel reassured that I am not absorbing nasty chemicals through my scalp.
It costs £9.45 + shipping, and can be ordered online here. Not as cheap as mainstream hair dyes but definitely cheaper than the hairdressers. A small price to pay for a soft and smooth hair texture, in my opinion, that doesn’t end up looking brassy and bleached after the dye has faded (as is the case for my hair after it has been hydrogen peroxided).
My rating
I score it a 8/10. 1 point lost for having the faff of shampooing hair the day before, without using conditioner or styling products, and the other point lost for not covering the stubborn greys. It’s not ideal but will do for now.
Any of you using an organic hair dye that works as well as ammonia / peroxide packed ones?