Red hair is bold, sexy, sassy and fun. It stands out in ways that other hair colors just can’t compete with, especially when it catches the light in just that certain way. But very few of us are naturally blessed with this gorgeous hue, from pale ginger to rich auburn, so if we want to feel like a flame-haired bombshell a la Christina Hendricks or Florence Welch, we’ve got to fake it.

Red can be one of the hardest hair colors to achieve, since it tends to fade quickly, and the wrong shade can send you to the clownish side of the spectrum. Here are some natural red hair color tips, and organic red hair dye brands that can safely get you the vivid shade you’re looking for, including healthy and all-natural henna. 

At the Salon: Aveda Plant-Based Hair Color

Nobody does red hair color better than Aveda, and if you want to avoid the pitfalls that can come with at-home dye jobs, putting yourself in the hands of a pro is your best bet. The brand’s full-spectrum permanent dyes are up to 99% naturally derived, with plant-based formulas instead of the petrochemicals that typically make up permanent hair dye. The nice thing about going to a salon is you can have a color custom-mixed to ensure that it’s just right for your skin tone, and the colorist can blend different shades to give your overall look more depth.

Aveda isn’t the only option for safe, organic red hair color, of course. Look for a salon in your area offering organic, non-toxic options, and check out the brands they use online before making an appointment.

At-Home Permanent Red Hair: Naturtint and Herbatint

If you’d rather just grab a box off the shelf and get it over with, there are a few options to choose from. Whole Foods and other natural food stores offer brands like Naturtint and Herbatint. Herbatint is free of ammonia, alcohol, fragrance and parabens, and uses less peroxide for a more natural-looking result; the Environmental Working Group (EWG) gave it a safety score of 2 out of 10, (lower numbers indicating a safer product). Red shades range from light copper blonde to ‘flash fashion’ crimson red, and they can be mixed to create your own custom shade. The same goes for Naturtint, which scored a 3 from EWG. These box formulas aren’t perfect, but they’re a big improvement over the conventional store brands.

Not sure which shade to choose? When it doubt, go lighter. You can always dye it again if the results aren’t bold enough for you, but it can be hard to fix cherry-red hair that’s darker and more dramatic than you wanted.

Making a Big Commitment: Henna

By far, the healthiest and most permanent option for red hair color is henna. Totally plant-based, henna bonds with the proteins in your hair rather than just coating it in a very long-lasting reaction that’s hard to reverse. Because it has a sheer effect, working with your own natural hair color, the results tend to look fairly natural, with lots of dimension.

You can control the hue of your results using the custom formulas described at HennaForHair.com, which incorporate other natural ingredients like coffee, hibiscus petals and lemon juice. Always try it out on a small piece of hair before coloring your entire head.

Temporary Red Hair: Vegetable Dyes

If you want to give natural red hair color a try, but you’re feeling a little commitment-shy, try a temporary rinse. Vegetable dyes like Manic Panic can be used over your current hair color (assuming it’s not too dark) for a subtle effect that washes out in a week or two. Manic Panic is vegan, PPD-free and never tested on animals, but some formulas do contain parabens. Learn more about the ingredients at Bonzai Aphrodite, and make sure to do an allergy test before use.

Main Image: megan leetz Other Images: Aveda.com

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A Brush with Eco-Friendly Hair Color

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Tattoos are hot right now. It seems like you can’t click on a celebrity rag without seeing the latest ink on the arms of starlets like Scarlett Johansson or Megan Fox. But not ready to write out your thoughts on your inner wrist? Not to worry, because temporary tattoos are the Next Big Thing. In fact, the JWT Intelligence Think Tank lists them as a “thing to watch” in 2011.

What exactly does the mainstreaming of tattoos mean? For one, you now can get temporary skin art from Chanel. For $75 clams, apply limited addition markings to your skin that look like earrings, necklaces, and the iconic Chanel logo. Beyonce’s mother’s fashion label, House of Dereon, is also offering temporary skin art for a more affordable $16. And finally, JWT Intelligence reports that you can even get temporary tattoos made of gold in Dubai.

But what if you just want a good old-fashioned henna tattoo? I live in Los Angeles, and for years I would make a bimonthly trip to Venice to get a henna tattoo. Henna artists line the Venice beach walk and they do spectacular work. I’d get hennaed up and spend the next week or two sporting artistry on my hands. Best of all, I could mix things up. Some weeks I’d have hands covered in designs, other times I would just go for a simple symbol.

Almost all the time, people thought my markings were permanent – which, naturally, pleased me like an teenager eager to fit in with the cool kids. (I don’t have any permanent tattoos.) But after years of getting temporary black henna tattoos, I have to wonder – is the ink safe? As it turns out, if the artists were using black ink – probably not.

Traditional henna, as seen above, can be very pure. The art of henna, also called mehndi, has been practiced in India, Africa and the Middle East for centuries. Pure henna is actually a paste made from a dried henna plant. It can be mixed with lemon juice and cloves, or it can be mixed with essential oils. It creates a paste that is applied to the skin – and when it falls off, it leaves a dark brown marking that will generally fade after a week or two.

But throw some modern technology into the mix and you could end up with a toxic soup. Black henna ink can contain para-phenylene diamine (PPD). This is the ink commonly used by street vendors. At best, PPD can cause an allergic reaction. At worse, it can cause cancer, reproductive issues, neurotoxicity and more. Skin Deep gives it a rating of a 10, which is practically saying it was made in the vat of a nuclear reactor. So if you notice your henna artist is using black ink, be sure to ask him or her about the ingredients he or she used.

Image: Henna by Heather – Mehndi in Boston / Providence M

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Henna is a natural paste that has been used to etch temporary exotic flourishes on hands and other body parts for 5,000 years. The tattoos are said to date back to ancient Egypt, when they stained the fingers of the pharaohs prior to mummification. Adopted by Indian and Middle Eastern cultures, it is traditional to decorate women for Mehndi wedding ceremonies and to paint the bellies of pregnant women in their 8th month for good luck and calming effects.

I’m a huge fan of henna motifs, not just on the skin but in home design. I have borrowed the paisley floral motifs to stamp lamp shades and headboards, and have framed painted images of henna hands that I find in various art shops. I’ve employed one of the greatest henna artists, Daracy Vasudev of Henna Lounge in San Francisco, to work her magic on window coverings (below) and walls for some of my design clients.

I’ve been waiting and waiting for someone to produce henna designs for the home so I wouldn’t have to come up with a line myself. And now, it seems, in the new year, some vendors are getting hip to the tattoos for wool and natural cotton textiles.

Among them, the producers of the Hamsah Hand Rug at West Elm. It’s made of pure hand-tufted wool and is sold up to an 8×10 ($499). I’m floored by the carpet’s interpretation of a henna hand, while borrowing from the hamsah, a Middle-Eastern symbol of protection, especially from the evil eye.

Meantime, CB2 introduces Mehndi Bedding (above), filigree medallions in chocolate embroidery on organic, undyed cotton. It emerges as an intricate, hand-drawn motif right out of a henna book. It includes a duvet $119 to $129) and shams, along with a chocolate Danita accent pillow ($39.95). There’s also a teal version of the henna pillow.

Prior to these ready-made henna objects for the home, I’ve looked to textile maker John Robshaw, who produces a few hand-blocked natural fabrics with henna-style floral motifs such as the three below.

I’m hoping henna for the home is here to stay, unlike the gorgeous body tattoos that sadly fade away after a day or two.

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