A hair of a different color

The basis of good health and a healthy planet is personal responsibility.

That’s how Anthony Vitale of Antony David Salon in Burlington, Mass., sees it.

“People have more and more allergies,” he bemoans, “and we’re doing it to ourselves.”

During his career working in hair salons, both InStyle and Allure magazines voted Vitale among the country’s best colorists. But after 20 years of handling chemical-laden products, he started worrying.  

“If you’re handling these chemicals every day, you wonder what the buildup does to your health down the line,” Vitale tells Metro.

So, he started researching hair product ingredients and was horrified by his findings. Hair colors cause particular concern, as the chemicals in colors sit on the scalp for an hour or so and can be absorbed through the skin and dispersed through the body. Studies since the ’80s have linked chemicals in hair colors to certain cancers, including leukemia and ovarian cancer. Pregnant women are advised to avoid hair colors. What’s more, they’re not good for hair health either, often compromising the hair shaft and resulting in dry, brittle locks.

During a spring seminar, Vitale discovered Yo.Coloring, a yogurt-based color line that contains no ammonia or paraphenylenediamine. Applied topically, full-fat yogurt has long been revered as a hair conditioner.

“It’s wild stuff,” says Vitale, “and it works just as well as, if not better than, the traditional color.”