Seven weeks in and it is time to do a Palette by Nature Review, one of the safest permanent natural hair color products I have tried yet.
Like many other women with allergies to hair dye I have been trying to find a great safe hair color. Going gray is an option that works beautifully for some but it’s not the best solution for everyone me included so I am always on the look out for a solution.
The All Important Ingredients
When you are dealing with sensitivities or just wanting to find a safer product it’s all about the ingredients so I was pleased with what Palette By Nature does not contain.
* No PPD
* No Amines
* No Ammonia
* No Peroxide
* No Resorcinol
* No Parabens
* No Phthalates
* No GMO’s
* No Glutens
* No Nano
* No Encapsulates
* No Animal Testing
* No Petroleum Based Ingredients
* No Dioxanes
* No PVC
* No EDTA
It’s good to see so many problem ingredients left out of a hair coloring product. No ppd in particular is unusual since this is the ingredient that companies typically use to help color last but this is also the ingredient that seems to cause the greatest allergic reactions. The ingredients in Palette by Nature are a big improvement over most hair color products.
Applying Palette by Nature
I ordered my color. I usually choose a lighter blonde which 10N usually gives me but I was looking for something a little darker and warmer so chose 9N also called Light Natural Blonde. Forget looking at the color samples check out the preview tool. It will be a little more accurate although I found my actual color ended up darker.
With the patch test and preview test out of the way with no problems, I was ready to get going. This product like all hair coloring has specific application instructions and it is very important that they be read for best results. Application instructions for a professional or an at home use were provided and I used the applicator bottle method which works well when you are coloring at home although I did have help. (Thank you Jen.)
Now this was interesting, Palette by Nature is the first product I have tried where you don’t combine the color and the developer or base. I applied the All Natural Base worked it in then applied the All Natural Colorant and work that in. This was not a process I was used to and even with help it took a little while because I wanted to make sure I was getting the two products combined on my hair. Leftover ingredients can be kept making it possible for some of us to get more than one use from a box.
Heating Things Up
Another big difference when using this product comes in with using heat. Some products suggest that heat will help color absorb but with Palette By Nature using heat is a part of the process.
I covered my hair with the plastic cap provided and then tried to get some heat going. This was the hard part. I am about 75% gray and like most gray hair it is somewhat resistant to color. For this they suggest 35-40 minutes of heat. OK…. I was glad to have some help. The only heat I had was the blow dryer. We started out as suggested with 5 minutes of heat and then repeating the heat every 2 minutes for about 30 minutes. We decided to chance it and see if this was enough.
The Results
Finally on to rinsing. I used the small sample of product provided to shampoo and my own color protecting conditioner. After drying I thought the color was pretty but it looked a couple of shades darker than the preview. It was darker in the patch test but it’s hard to tell until you see the color all over.
Palette by Nature has some recommendations for handling problems like this in their troubleshooting section. I could have mixed 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1/2 cup water and rinsed my hair with this to remove some of the color and if I had known my hair was porous I could use this same solution about 24 hours before coloring to even out the porosity.
I decided to leave things be mainly so I could see how well the color lasted. The results were a little different than expected but the color was pretty and dimensional. It wasn’t a flat all over color. The individual strands of my hair took on the color in their own way so the result was very natural and I had complete gray coverage.
Seven weeks later the color has faded almost completely. I wait to color until almost all color is gone before recoloring but to maintain color I should have colored again at around 4 weeks. The brightness as you can see below is gone. The company says the color should last about 3 weeks or up to 20 shampoos. That is shampooing everyday. I usually wash my hair every other day.
Final Notes on Palette by Nature
- I kept the most important info for last. I had absolutely no allergic reaction to using this product. Nada, nothing.
- The ingredients are so good I felt very safe using it.
- This product actually had a decent scent. We both knew it was something we had smelled before and came to the conclusion that it smelled like cough syrup. Although you can request a fragrance free formula.
- There is not a big selection of colors and I found my color to be a few shades darker than shown but if you like to experiment you can mix a few shades.
- This is one of the most expensive at home products especially when you add in shipping costs.
- Despite it being a bit of a hassle overall, I liked Palette By Nature.
One Last Note
I have read a wide variety of reviews for this product many of them have not been particularly good especially when it comes to using the darker colors. When you are allergic to hair color and looking for some kind of safer option I think this product is worth trying especially if you don’t need darker shades. (If I wanted darker shades I thing I would check out henna hair color. Maybe some day there will be a perfect solution without those nasty chemicals but right now Palette by Nature is an option.
For more info on choosing safer hair dyes check out natural hair color.
