Articles
 In this area we will post relevant articles about our mostly natural hair care and skin care products

What is PPD and Why Should I Care If It’s In My Hair Dye?

 PPD or p-PHENYLENDIAMINE is a chemical substance widely used in both “do-it-yourself” and salon hair dyes.  Although PPD helps achieve permanent natural hair colour, for many it comes at a cost.  Although PPD has been linked from everything from bladder cancer and renal failure to autism, no research substantiates these assertions.  PPD, however, is a recognized contact allergen and herein lies the problem.  Again the reaction may range from mild dermatitis to anaphylaxis.  Unfortunately, due to a lack of hair care product options, until recently this has meant assuming health risks or going without the benefits that beauty products offer. 

Now, however, there are natural hair care products available, which do not contain PPD, that achieve results similar to salon and “do-it-yourself” hair care products.  With alternatives available, if you know you react negatively to PPD or are in the least predisposed to allergies, why assume the risk?  Consider using organic beauty products that are PPD free when choosing beauty products in general and hair care products specifically.  Sanotint Light Hair Dye offers the benefits of other permanent hair dyes but does not contain PPD. Also, like all of La Vita Nuova natural beauty products, the natural hair care products are designed to be gentle, effective and safe, when achieving the natural match hair colour desired.  For some this option opens up a new world of beauty products.  Restricted by reactions to PPD, Sanotint Light Hair Dye offers an alternative hair care products to sufferers. If you are someone who, because of allergies or health concerns, has shied away from hair care products in general or if you are seeking natural hair care products, investigate Sanotint Light Hair Dye and the entire range of La Vita Nuova natural hair care products, committed to offering the most natural hair care and beauty products available.  

©2007 La Vita Nuova Inc.  All Rights Reserved- Duplication of this article is strictly prohibited

Choosing a Hair Dye:  “Over-the-Counter” versus Salon Treatments

Presented with an allergy issue or when trying to provide optimum care for hair, there is a commonly accepted myth that salon products are in some way superior to other hair care products, whether they be natural hair care products or “do-it-yourself” beauty products available from your local pharmacy.  The truth is that salon hair care products and “do-it-yourself” beauty products both contain the chemical p-PHENYLENDIAMINE or PPD which may produce an allergic reaction, ranging from mild dermatitis to anaphylaxis.  Furthermore, salon and “do-it-yourself” hair dyes both may contain ammonia and peroxide.  In reality, the only difference between salon and “do-it-yourself” hair care products is the salon’s ability to customize hair care products when a very specific shade must be achieved or when required to correct a problem initiated by a poorly trained colourist or wayward consumer.  Otherwise, there is minimal difference between the hair colour products offered.

 Natural hair care products, like the ones offered by La Vita Nuova, are the exception to this rule and stand alone in offering the finest, most natural hair care products available.  The Ammonia free Sanotint Hair Dye Line consists of Sanotint Classic which combines natural substances such as Golden Millet, Walnut Husk and Grape stone providing rich colour and excellent coverage.  For those who are sensitive, Sanotint Hair Dye Light is the first and only permanent hair dye without PPD.  The Reflex Line which is not a permanent hair care product and contains neither Ammonia nor Peroxide, rounds out the natural hair dye products offered.  All natural hair dye products are available in a variety of popular natural match hair colours.  In the end, if you want to be pampered and primped a salon is probably still your best choice.  If your goal, however, is healthy, vibrant hair without the risk of damage or disabling allergic reactions, then natural hair care products, like the ones offered by La Vita Nuova are your best investment.

©2007 La Vita Nuova Inc. All Rights Reserved- Duplication of this article is strictly prohibited

A safer way to dye hair: a small but growing number of salons nationwide are trying to lessen the risk associated with coloring your hair - beauty - natural hair coloring products and salons who offer them
- Brief Article
Natural Health, August, 2001 by Gabrielle Mosquera

DEBATE HAS LONG RAGED OVER WHICH HAIR DYE ingredients pose a health risk. If you want a dramatic color change or permanent coverage, avoiding all questionable ingredients is difficult. One of those questionable ingredients is p-phenylenediamine (PPD), found in many permanent hair colors. Mary Beth Janssen, a beauty consultant in Palatine, Ill., and author of Naturally Healthy Hair (Storey Books, 1999), says PPD is the cause of most allergic reactions to hair dye and that it has been linked to cancer.

Sanotint Light Do-it-yourself hair colour with Golden Millet and Vegetable extracts
WITHOUT p-PHENYLENDIAMINE

Golden millet and vegetable extracts for a new, revolutionary hair colour in 12 shades, perfectly covering, suitable even for the most sensitive skin.
SANOTINT LIGHT is completely free of  p-Phenylendiamine, a substance that often causes skin irritation, forcing many woman to give up colouring their hair. With no Ammonia or metals, it really is a hair colour that everyone can use, after performing the allergy test following the instructions closely.

Hair to dye for: natural alternatives to toxic coloring agents
Consumer News : The Environmental Magazine, July-August, 2002 by Starre Vartan

I was born to be a redhead, but that's not the color I got. The first time my hair dried to the glorious shade of red on the box of dye, I was hooked. I'm not alone: more than 50 million women in America dye their hair on a regular basis, from those covering gray to those who like to highlight or frost. And in case you hadn't noticed, men are no longer immune to this particular vanity or the potential risks associated with it.

It has been years since I banished my mousy brown hair. I hadn't really thought about the chemicals I routinely doused my scalp with until a friend of mine cancelled our dinner plans due to a "hair emergency" that was more worrisome than a bad dye job. After her last coloring, she had developed a rash over much of her body, caused by an allergic reaction to the commercial hair color she had been using.

According to my friend's doctor, she most likely developed a reaction to one of a few known allergens in hair dyes, possibly ammonia or peroxide, or the chemicals p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) or diaminobenzene. A person can become allergic to these chemicals even after years of use, and those who are chemically sensitive usually find them too toxic to use at all.