Natural Hair Color Test

Now that the holidays have passed I decided it was time to test out the Logona Naturkosmetik Herbal Hair Colors.  I’ve wanted to switch to a chemical free brand for a while, but it took some time to find one that’s available in the US. I ordered some likely colors at the end of 2009, but decided to wait until after the holidays to try it so I wouldn’t feel pressured to rush the experimentation if a social event was looming.

Here’s my hair color before the Logona. I was using a product available from the health food store; it nevertheless had toxic ingredients.

Here’s my current color after using the Logona. You can see how well it blended into the undercolor.  I used the powdered version of their hair color which allows you to mix to get a color you like.

This is a combination of the light brown and a darker blonde. It came out a little red, which they indicate is a result of the blonde. The neat thing is, since it’s not harmful I can keep mixing and coloring as often as I like without having to worry about the effect on my hair or my  chemical load.

What was it like? Well, it’s a different experience. For one thing, the powders that you mix yourself are mixed with almost boiling water. That and the fact that you color after washing your hair require more planning than for a traditional hair color. I did the full treatment they recommend which involves first washing your hair and then applying Color Plus which is a deep cleaner. My hair really did feel clean after the treatment. It’s recommended you then dry your hair before applying the color, but I just let it partially dry to see if it would still be effective. For future use I wanted to know if it could all be done in under two hours.

The mixture of powders and water is pretty goopy, but it doesn’t stain like a traditional color. A bit that fell on my counter wiped up (immediately) without staining. Don’t expect pretty smells, since fragrance is one of the more dangerous additives Logona leaves it out. It smells like earth and dried herbs, as one would expect.

Since I have some grey hair coming in I applied it twice over two days. The first application did work, but I felt the very pale blond at my roots might fade to grey quickly. The second time it came out almost even with the other hair color. The recommended time is 30 minutes to 2 hours. I did it for 1 hour each time. Someday I’ll see if the full 2 hours would replace the 2 sessions.

My hair feels great, much softer than with the regular hair color. I am also beginning to use an all natural shampoo. The natural shampoo makes a difference in the shine, my hair is subtly less shiny, but it confirms the additives in regular shampoos and conditioners will coat the hair “like polyurethane”. The directions say the hair texture will improve after several uses, after the old chemical deposits are completely gone.


I’m looking forward to seeing how it grows out as I continue to use these products.

So here’s my synopsis:

Pros                                                      

~All natural, minimal toxins                                                                                   

~Soft Healthy hair                                   

Cons

~Mixing the powders is a little cumbersome-The pre-mixed is probably a cinch
~Requires two showers, one to wash and one after coloring

My conclusion? It's worth the effort to reduce the toxins in your body. I'll be naturally coloring for now on.