Are you still using hair colourant that contains ammonia?
In the past, permanently dyeing hair went hand-in-hand with split ends and brittle hair. Hair dyeing products containining hydrogen peroxide gave hair colour a bad rep, and ammonia is just as bad.
Ammonia is used in hair colourants to open the hair strands and allow colourant in, and is about as delicate as a blunt can opener, not to mention the smell and scalp irritation it causes.
The change to ammonia-free hair products is more than welcome. Colouring my hair is no longer an exercise in keeping still to avoid eye-watering fumes and the burn on a sensitive spot along my hairline at the back.
Do-it-yourself hair colouring has always been a 'must' for me. While making occasional trips to hair salons to pamper myself for a change, I have a sensitive scalp and the experience has always been embarrassing. No sooner does the hair colour go on that I am on fire! The only hair colourant that leaves a smile on my face is Revlon Colorsilk. First off, this is not an advert for Revlon Colorsilk, but more to let you know that it costs half the price than most other permanent hair colour products, leaves my hair shiny and healthy, and does not use ammonia.
There are many international cosmetic companies that tout ammonia-free hair colourants. According to L'Oreal INOA, "Certain products are advertised as a revolutionary new breakthrough in hair colourant that does not contain any ammonia. A simple read of the ingredients of several products in the line, including their pre- and post-shampoo, reveals that the line actually contains very high levels of Ammonia Hydroxide. This is an inexcusable irresponsible act of false advertising that puts salon professionals in the culpable predicament of unwittingly putting their clients at great personal health risk. Many people are allergic to ammonia and would have severe allergic reactions if exposed to it."
Another plus for using Revlon Colorsilk - they don't test their products on animals.
As far back as the 80s, PETA crusaded cosmetic companies to stop testing their products on animals, but the major companies claimed there were no alternatives to dripping mascara into rabbits' eyes and pumping copious quantities of lip gloss into the stomachs of guinea pigs. It was only a few - like Revlon - that found alternatives.
In 1975, Revlon was one of the first beauty company to establish its own in-house cell biology laboratory to explore alternative test methods. In 1980, it also was the first beauty company to develop long term research programmes leading to alternative test methods. In 1986, it was the first beauty product manufacturer to close down its animal testing facilities completely.
If you want to know who does and who doesn't test products on animals, here is a list compiled by PETA.
In this day and age, when science has made so many advancements and there are already a large amount of companies who don't test their products on animals, I don't see why any cosmetic products should be tested in this cruel way. And, while I'm not an animal activist, I do believe that animals should be treated with compassion and not cruelty and will continue to buy a trusted brand that does not test on animals.