Thinking about coloring your locs this summer?

Before reaching for hair dye, it’s important to understand what it does to your hair, how it affects locs specifically, the impact of sun exposure, and what alternatives exist if you still want to change up your look.

The Anatomy of a Hair Strand

To understand how dye works, it helps to first look at the structure of hair. A strand of hair is made up of three parts:

• Medulla: the core of the strand.
• Cortex: the middle layer where melanin (pigment) is stored.
• Cuticle: the outer layer, made of overlapping scales that can be tightly closed, slightly opened, or very open, depending on the individual.

Hair dye works by interacting with these layers in different ways depending on the type of dye.

Types of Hair Dye

Permanent Hair Dye

Permanent dye chemically changes the color of hair. It typically contains ammonia (or ethanolamine, labeled as MEA), a developer (usually hydrogen peroxide), and sometimes PPD (p-phenylenediamine).

• How it works: Ammonia opens the cuticle so the developer can penetrate the cortex, strip away melanin, and deposit artificial color.
• Results: Permanent color change.
• Concerns: This process makes hair weaker, more porous, brittle, and dry. Overprocessing can cause split ends, breakage, or severe damage.

Semi-Permanent Hair Dye

Semi-permanent or temporary dyes mostly coat the outside of the hair cuticle rather than penetrating deeply. They typically last 4 to 12 washes.

• Ingredients of concern: The pigments are petroleum-based, preservatives can be semi-toxic, and fragrances often contain undisclosed ingredients that may also be harmful.

Natural Hair Dye

Natural dyes come from plants and other natural ingredients. Common examples include:

• Henna: Provides a red tint, long-lasting.
• Indigo: Often used with henna to create darker browns or even black shades.
• Cassia: Used for blond tones, but only shows on gray or light hair.
• Other options: Beetroot, hibiscus flower, black tea, and coffee, which stain the hair but usually don’t last as long.

Unlike chemical dyes, natural dyes stain rather than strip the hair, so they don’t damage the hair structure in the same way.

How Dye Affects Locs

With locs, the risks of chemical dye are greater than with loose hair.

• Residual chemicals: Permanent dye must be rinsed out within a set time to avoid damage. Locs make rinsing difficult, and leftover chemicals can remain trapped inside. Over time, this may cause weak spots, severe internal damage, or even dissolution of the inner core of the loc.
• Increased fragility: Chemical dyes make locs more porous, brittle, and prone to breakage.
• Scalp risks: Dye that touches the scalp can cause chemical burns and irritation.

The Effect of Sun and Water on Dyed Locs

Even without dye, UV rays naturally oxidize hair, leading to dryness, brittleness, and color change. With dyed hair, these effects intensify:

• Blonde dye: UV rays may turn the color yellowish.
• Brown dye: UV rays may shift it toward reddish tones.
• Salt water and chlorinated pools: These already stress natural hair, but when combined with chemical dye, the damage becomes more severe.

Should You Dye Your Locs?

Deciding whether or not to dye your locs is personal. Based on the risks, chemical dyes are generally not worth the damage. If you want to experiment with color, natural alternatives are a safer route.

• Henna: Produces a red tint.
• Henna + indigo: A step-by-step process that produces brown or black tones depending on the ratio used.
• Cassia: Adds a blonde tint, but only on gray or very light hair.
• Beetroot, hibiscus, coffee, and black tea: Provide temporary color stains.

When choosing natural dyes, always check that the ingredients are 100% pure. Some commercial henna, for example, has been found to contain PPD or other chemicals.

Non-Dye Alternatives

If you want a pop of color without any risk of damage, you can accessorize your locs instead. Options include:

• Beads and decorative strings.
• Colored synthetic or human hair extensions, which can be added temporarily and removed later.

These give you the freedom to experiment with color for a season without altering or damaging your natural hair.

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Chemical dyes permanently change both the inside and outside of your hair, weakening it and causing long-term damage—risks that are even greater with locs. Sun exposure, salt water, and chlorine only make the effects worse.

If you want to explore color, natural plant-based dyes or non-dye alternatives like accessories and extensions provide safer ways to switch up your style.

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