Nazish Munchenbach/Sapan News
Grey hair. There is no lack of issues most women face as they grow older in a patriarchal society, but grey hair is perhaps one that causes the most distress.
In a system where a woman’s currency is often her looks and her youth, that unforgiving grey flag can be an anxiety-inducing signal of aging. Frequently judged by appearance instead of by achievements, the older a woman gets, the more “invisible” she seems to become in both social and professional contexts.
Small wonder, then, that corporate cosmetic giants make millions off hair colour kits targeting women – and men – who religiously apply toxic chemicals to their scalp and hair every six weeks. Women, who are particularly concerned with the ageism bias, bow to the not-so-subtle societal pressure of maintaining the image of youth in order to remain relevant and engaged in their personal and career lives.
As in most post-colonial countries, the affluent are immersed in an English-medium education; it’s the norm to consider ancestral traditions old-fashioned and uncivilised. Western music, western clothes and burgers are considered more refined than ghazals, ghararas and tikka kebabs.
Beauty standards are firmly European – my own dark skin was subjected daily to lightening techniques ranging from the traditional turmeric face and body mask to chemically toxic “radiance-enhancing” or “brightening” creams in the futile hope that it would one day fade to a more socially acceptable hue and make me a more marriageable commodity.
In Southasia, a region that is the primary source of tinctorial plants such as henna and indigo for the Western world where plant-based hair colour is a fast-moving trend, few of the influencer class resort to plants to cover up their roots. Henna, the bright orange tint boldly covering the gray roots of many, is mostly seen in the ‘lower’ social classes and does not allow for the subtlety and elegance of oxidation-based colours that the middle and upper class prefers.
So when, after 30 years of working in a multitude of cosmetic multinationals, I decided to invest in a tiny biotech operating in the field of healthy and safe cosmetics for salon professionals, it came as a surprise to see that many of the coveted plants we use originated from the region I grew up in. Unsurprisingly, the Southasian cosmetic specialists and hair stylist opinion leaders tend to reject them.
According to recent studies, 72% of French women would change a hair salon for a more natural hair colour option. Major companies in the field of hair care ranging from L’Oreal and Furterer to Wella and Schwarzkopf have all launched “plant-based” hair colours that range from 100% plant to some degree of plant content. As more information about the toxicity of chemical hair dyes is revealed, the demand in the high-income countries is increasing for safer and healthier options.
This growing demand has also given manufacturers the incentive to offer more sophisticated options — the colour palette for plant-based hair colours extending today from light blonde to dark brown and providing better and more long-lasting coverage for gray hair.
Dr. Nusrat Jung of Purdue University explains that the average hair care routine includes inhaling chemicals that may be harmful to health.
Beyond the fact that 100% plant hair colours are a healthy option for both the client and the hairstylist, they are also ecologically and environmentally a more responsible choice as they do not contaminate waterways. They also do not contain siloxanes or other toxins that are released in the air due to the silicone-based conditioners used after oxidation to smoothen hair cuticles.
In fact, plant-based hair colour gives more than just a hue and coverage to hair, it is also a deep, fortifying and protecting treatment, reducing, if not eliminating, the need for use of silicone-based hair care products for colour and hair protection.
An important study by Dr. Nusrat Jung of Purdue University showed that most hair care products, primarily when used with heated appliances, release an extraordinary amount of D4 and D5 siloxanes that are bio-accumulative, irritant and possibly toxic. Further studies to investigate the full impact on lung linings are ongoing.
Yet, in the Global South, these healthy and natural products, sourced from their own land and born of traditions grown from their own cultural roots, hold little appeal amongst the local population.
Deeply ingrained prejudices dating from the colonial past cause hair stylists and their public to reject natural options of their own heritage. Cosmetic giants offer little choice and education to consumers in the less privileged regions of our planet and, with no pressure from the public, have little incentive to offer non-toxic, cheaper alternatives.
Happily, today there is a growing movement amongst the youth of the previously colonized nations, reviving cultural heritage in song, in language and in dress. Despite populist and nationalistic movements, traditions of the past are being revived with modern flavors. Girls wearing sari blouses and jhumka earrings over jeans and sneakers are becoming a trend. Classical Indian cuisine has inspired spice-enhanced recipes by chefs all over the world.
One hopes that in matters of health and beauty, too, safe solutions grown from one’s own land, where generations had interacted in the past, cultivating and caring for the plants now being exported as healthy options for Western women, will finally also gain the local traction they deserve.
(Nazish Saad Munchenbach is an investor in cleantech and a business consultant from Karachi, based in Paris. She is a partner at Terre de Couleur, a cosmetic biotech company in Europe. Email: nazishmunch@gmail.com)
(This is a Sapan News syndicated feature available for republication with due credit http://www.sapannews.com)
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