When it comes to hair color we have a lot of different choices, but not very many of them are GOOD choices. It’s almost like the drugstore box colors and other online brands have totally dropped the “care” from hair care. Instead, they focus on making the least expensive product that ends up frying your hair and not taking your health into consideration at all.

Here are five hair-damaging chemicals found in most hair dyes:

1. Ammonia / Ammonium Hydroxide:

From our inception we created a formula that does not need ammonia. Other colors use it to increase shelf life, add hair pH, and blast open the hair shaft so their color can penetrate the cuticle.

• Ammonia is harsh on hair leaving it dull and limp
• Responsible for the pungent smell of most hair dyes
• Increases hair porosity, which weakens hair causing frizz and split ends, and leads to color fading
• Exposure to ammonia fumes can irritate skin, eyes, throat, and lungs, causing watery eyes, itchy scalps, coughing, and burning

2. Resorcinol:

A common ingredient in many hair colors, resorcinol is used as a dye. Our formula doesn’t need resorcinol.

• Resorcinol is frequent cause of allergic reactions to hair dye
• Can be toxic to the immune system

3. PPD (para-phenylenediamine):

A pigment used to create darker shades. We’ve eliminated PPD from all of our colors and instead use a safer alternative to create our rich, dark shades.

• A high skin sensitizer, PPD is proven to trigger allergic reactions to hair dye which can result in severe dermatitis, swelling, eye irritation, and tearing
• The EPA warns that long-term exposure can lead to asthma, gastritis, renal failure, vertigo, tremors, convulsions, and coma in humans

4. Ethanol Alcohol (isopropyl alcohol):

Known as Alcohol Denat, it’s used in the dye absorption process. We’ve replaced this alcohol with a naturally derived alternative that doesn’t dry hair the way ethanol does.

• Ethanol Alcohol is often the cause of dried out hair after dyeing

5. Parabens:

Known to be a controversial preservative, parabens are said to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi. We don’t add parabens to our formulas.

• Parabens have little evidence to support their effectiveness

Madison Reed cares what you put in your hair and that’s why they have eliminated these ingredients from their hair color formula.

They re-engineered hair color by replacing harsh ingredients that are traditionally used in the coloring process with ingredients that are gentler on your hair and leave it healthier with longer lasting, salon-quality results.

What are you waiting for? Now is the perfect time to try Madison Reed’s healthier-for -you color! Happy October! Take $10 off your first purchase of Madison Reed hair color – just use the offer code OCTOBERLOVE at checkout.