Chemical hair dyes with ammonia and hydrogen peroxide are popular among consumers because they can dye hair almost any shade you want. Unfortunately, they can also damage the structure of your hair. Ammonia-free henna-based hair dyes by Mayur are an alternative solution suitable for everyone who wants to dye their hair deep, rich shades as safely as possible.
All permanent hair dyes, commonly referred to as chemical hair dyes, work the same way. First, they “wash out” the natural pigment contained in the hair structure, and then they dye the hair with artificial pigments, giving it the desired shade, and lock these pigments in the hair shafts.
In order to penetrate deep into the hair structure and reach natural pigments, chemical dyes must overcome the barrier consisting of keratin scales that make up the cuticle – the outermost layer of the hair. This is why chemical hair dyes usually contain ammonia: it helps to lift keratin scales, allowing the dye molecules access to the hair cortex, where natural pigments are.
Next, the oxidising agent (usually hydrogen peroxide) comes into play. It has a lightening effect due to its ability to remove natural pigment from the hair shafts. Hydrogen peroxide allows pigments from the dye to replace natural pigment, giving your hair the colour you want.
Permanent hair dyes give the most lasting result and cover up to 100% of grey hair. However, their active ingredients are not always safe for your hair. Ammonia in particular is quite aggressive; if you dye your hair too often, it will damage the cuticle and cause brittle hair, breakage and split ends.
In addition, many people have an individual allergic reaction to ammonia in hair dyes, and its unpleasant smell can turn the dyeing procedure into a sheer nightmare for people who are sensitive to smells. As a result, the beauty industry offers special hair dyes that contain no ammonia and therefore do not cause allergies and are safe for your hair.
Formulas of ammonia-free hair dyes are based on slightly different active ingredients than conventional permanent dyes. Instead of ammonia, they can contain ethanolamine, which is milder and doesn’t lift the hair cuticle as much as ammonia does. In addition, ammonia-free hair dyes usually contain acidic agents instead of alkaline agents, which makes them less damaging to the hair structure.
Ukrainian beauty brand Mayur has created a collection of ammonia-free henna-based hair dyes. They are formulated with natural henna supplemented with carefully selected additional ingredients, which allow to obtain deep and rich natural shades, as well as ensure a long-lasting result and 100% coverage of grey hair. Mayur hair dyes contain neither ammonia nor ethanolamine, so they do not damage the hair structure.
Henna contained in Mayur hair dyes takes good care of the hair. It strengthens the hair from root to tip, reduces hair loss, prevents breakage and split ends, helps to eliminate dandruff, nourishes hair follicles, and stimulates hair growth. However, it is worth noting that pure henna can only dye hair different shades of red. It is impossible to get other shades (for example, black, chestnut, coffee, light brown) without mixing henna with various additives. Besides, it doesn’t effect the natural pigment of the hair and therefore cannot make dark hair lighter.
For example, henna is often mixed with indigo. Indigo is another natural hair dye, which is obtained from the Indigofera tinctoria plant. Pure indigo dye has a blue or greenish blue colour, but when it is mixed with henna, it can dye your hair different shades of brown and black. The final result depends on the proportions of the dyes, time of exposure, and the original colour of your hair.
However, even a combination of henna and indigo won’t completely change the colour of your hair if it is naturally very dark or cover 100% of grey hair. Because of this, Mayur has developed its henna-based hair dye, where henna is combined with various additives. Unlike ammonia and hydrogen peroxide, these additives are not particularly aggressive and therefore they won’t cause irreversible harm to your hair. They simply help pigments take hold in the hair cortex and cover grey hair more effectively than pure henna does.
The colour palette of Mayur’s ammonia-free hair dyes currently includes several shades of brown and black. These dyes cover up to 100% of grey hair and are very easy and convenient to apply. All dyes have been tested by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and have appropriate certificates that confirm their safety.
