Clean Color
A few years ago, it dawned on me that our current generation of people look younger. Was it labor-intensive outdoor work that caused men and women to age quicker, back then? Was life just plain harder a hundred years ago? In looking at old photos, even those in black and white, I began to notice something I had not seen before – lots of gray hair. Especially in us women folk, a lot more gray and even white. Looking at crowds now, with multiple generations present, these hues are missing. Where did they go? Multiple places, but for the most part, they are covered up, lurking in roots of all shapes and sizes, reminding us that our appointment at the salon better be now or the hats are coming out.
The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old. Proverbs 20:29 NIV
Men look very distinguished with silver peeking through their temples and scruffy beards. We tend to trust their opinions and experience because the color of their hair is peppered with gray – showing they’ve been around, seen it all and can speak knowledgeably. With women? Well…these are not the words that come to mind. Old. Wrinkled. Middle age. Grandmother.
Why is that? Who knows. Maybe Hollywood has not done us any favors, but the fact remains, women are labeled old if we show signs of aging. The billion-dollar beauty industry testifies to the fact that we want/need/desire/crave to look younger. Most products sold in the industry are for women, but surprisingly men are realizing that their skin needs attention as well, so they are benefitting from skincare, hair care and the like. Men tend to embrace signs of aging and buy products to support it – women, well, we will plunk down all sorts of money if it will minimize pores and wrinkles, prevent dark spots, cover up grays or remove unwanted hair.
There is an apt saying, “If the barn needs painting, paint it,” and in conversations with other women, we tend to wear makeup for ourselves to feel better and not so ‘natural’, as well as for other women – we want to look put together when with our girlfriends. Again, why? Fear most likely. Fear of being judged, mislabeled, not seen or heard, dismissed. A topic for another time, but we do tend to ‘dress to impress.’
That being said, a little bit of touch up, cover up or full-on paint can be a good thing. And in my opinion, it has got to be non-toxic, safe and clean. I tend to feel better about who I am if I have addressed my skin and hair, clothes and shoes. I just do. Maybe you can relate, maybe not. But, as I age, I want to feel good in my skin – not minimize all but enhance what’s there. And, the gray look is not my friend. It’s just not.
So, how can I treat my hair and maintain a safe clean lifestyle? It has gotten easier in the last few years as brands are beginning to make what consumers want. Companies are creating products with less toxic ingredients, being more transparent in their processes and ingredients as well. It does still take time to sleuth out brands and products, but the search is worth it.
In color treating our hair, many options are available – professional or DIY. Henna rinse, gray cover up, roots, a completely different color or somewhere in between. Some products are old school, others are newer. It makes me think of the little grandmas that go to the salon every Friday – to get color if needed, a cut, but more importantly for them a shampoo and style. My grandmother was the proverbial ‘little old lady from Pasadena’ who had blue hair and went every Friday to the salon. That appointment was never missed. In an attempt to cover the gray, the color options created a bluish tint – and for the women it was much preferred over white. So sweet recalling her blue hair driving her pink Cadillac on the 5 freeway on the way to work as a church secretary.
To maintain a safe clean lifestyle, it is important to look at ingredients in color treatments as well – whether you chose to have it professionally done or do it yourself at home. Some ingredients to look out for are: fragrance, PEGs, parabens, preservatives (while these are used in most cosmetics and for good reasons, it is necessary to track which ones are potentially harmful for us and avoid them) such as “DMDM hydantoin or imidazolidinyl urea slowly form formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen, in the product to slow down bacterial growth” (Hair Color with Less Harm: New Home Hair Dyes in Skin Deep, May 18, 2020, Environmental Working Group [EWG] Skin Deep; ewg.org). Also present in dyes are skin irritants as well as allergens. Some ingredients can trigger skin reactions or proper functioning of hormones.
I’ve addressed many unsafe, and potentially harmful ingredients in previous articles, please refer to those for a more comprehensive list.
In an effort to provide a usable guide, please see the graphic with suggestions of options. These products were researched using EWG’s Skin Deep, I Read Labels For You (Irina Webb), Clearya and give ratings on popular brands. Many can be found on store shelves; some are only online and others are only available at a salon for professional use. As mentioned in the graphic, not all colors may be considered safe; allergens and skin sensitivities should be considered when choosing a product as well.
Whether you choose to color your locks, and it’s entirely up to you, choices and options are available to have it done without increasing the toxic load. Knowing our choices gives us the ability to pick and choose which brands we want as well as which ingredients we are comfortable using and could use for our bodies. Yes, there are times the barn needs painting, and other times we can embrace the iconic barn that has weathered many storms and is a beacon in the neighborhood. Whatever you chose, you are still gorgeous in God’s sight.
