Anna is now Happy with Sanotint haircolors Posted on 28 Apr 19:28

What is the source of Ethanolamine and MEA?

Most ammonia-free hair color lines use a synthetic source of Ethanolamine – produced by the reaction of ethylene oxide with ammonia.

However, there’s a natural source of Ethanolamine derived from the fatty acids in coconut, called Cocomide MEA. The natural emollients present in this form of MEA makes this option much more desirable in hair.

Why don’t all hair color companies use Cocomide MEA?

The answer is simple: the extraction method is more costly than cooking up some synthetic MEA in a lab.

there’s another problem with using Ethanolamine and MEA in higher than necessary percentages… the removal process.

How do you remove Ethanolamine from the hair?

It has been postulated that this ingredient is hard to remove from hair.
Companies still standing by ammoniated hair color have used this aspect of MEA as a way to denounce its effectiveness, but have failed to realize one enormous detail.
The best ammonia-free hair color lines have added any kind of vegetable oil  to safely remove any product left on the hair.
However, some ammonia-free color lines haven’t caught on to this little trick – make sure to use brands that have!

Why is using an oil-based delivery system vital to ammonia-free hair color?

We’ve covered the primary role of ammonia, and it’s more desirable alternatives, but don’t forget – ammonia also has a secondary function.
When mixed with peroxide, ammonia neutralizes the existing color pigment, allowing color to further penetrate the cuticle.
Ethanolamine and MEA aren’t capable of doing this effectively.
So, an ammonia-free hair color line must have a color delivery system that compensates for the lack of ammonia.
The top-rated hair color lines have found an oil-based delivery system not only solves this problem, but that it actually works better than ammonia.

Fun Fact: Human hair is used as an eco-friendly method to clean up oil spills – that’s how much hair loves oil!

Hair absorbs oil before water, so using oil as a means of color molecule transport is not only effective, but optimal in any color line.
When deciding which ammonia-free color line is best for you, be sure to dig deeper into these type of ingredients!