What is the difference between NOELIE plant hair color and henna?

By Bahar Krahn, Founder of NOELIE

The theme of new beginnings is always particularly present for us, as it is also the meaning of our brand name NOELIE and a hallmark of our philosophy.

Today is about a new beginning that is very closely linked to identity and well-being: Can I color my hair with herbal hair color? This question is linked to identity because we define ourselves partly by our hair color and only feel comfortable when the overall image is harmonious.

So, if you are now thinking about whether our herbal hair colors will work for you, a great many question marks likely arise at the same time.

"Are NOELIE herbal hair colors like henna?", "Is NOELIE hair color a tint?", "Do your colors wash out?"

We receive similar inquiries every day from customers who are thinking about switching to NOELIE herbal hair colors. Today, I will clarify once again how these types of coloring differ from one another.

How does herbal hair color work?

An herbal hair color gently coats and supports the hair. As a result, it feels grippier, fuller, and more voluminous after coloring. Because the structure bonds closely to the hair thanks to the tannins combined with the plant pigments, it shines significantly more and exhibits increased resilience. Since there are no oxidizing or swelling agents contained, the scalp is not softened, and no toxins or microplastics are deposited.

Anyone who has had such a coloring experience rarely wants to go back to conventional dyeing.

However, the more frequently it is used, the more weaknesses become apparent, especially on our fine, European hair: dryness, rigid structure, and overly dark results are frequent consequences that set in after a few applications. This is due in part to the plants used, which may produce many pigments in extreme climatic conditions, but are not optimal for our European hair. On the other hand, the tannin content is also correspondingly high, which extremely leaches out our fine hair with repeated use.

Tannic acid is still used today for tanning leather or animal hides. Over time, it draws out moisture and makes the hair structure hard and dry. As if you had a lot of tanned leather fibers on your head. Who wants that?

So, are herbal hair colors dyes or tints?

They are both, and yet neither. If you apply an herbal hair color once and then not again for months, it will almost completely wash out, like a tint. It also does not forcibly break open the hair structure. But it colors without potentially carcinogenic, chemical pigments. Because even direct-acting dyes, as tints are also called, contain all the harmful and, above all, toxic components, except for oxidizing agents.

A synthetic color has the advantage that it does not wash out and at most fades. However, it is very invasive and massively damages the hair structure. An herbal hair color does not do this. But if you color regularly, it is also sufficient to only color the roots. You can freshen up the lengths and ends every few weeks or months. With prolonged use, you get the durability of a synthetic color with an herbal hair color – only without hair damage and toxins.

Cultivation and processing are important features of a good product

I myself spent years applying the herbal hair colors of various manufacturers to myself and my clients. Fundamentally, it is a very hair-friendly, even nourishing way to color your hair, even if you have to counteract the drying effect. But there are also blatant differences between brands, as well as avoidable weaknesses.

A natural product is subject to fluctuations caused by growth, harvest, and processing. A lavender oil can change its scent completely from one harvest to the next. The more extreme the conditions, such as the weather at the cultivation site, the greater the fluctuations.

The coloring power of an herbal hair color and its consistent quality therefore also depend on the conditions under which the components were grown, harvested, processed, and transported. Plants from Asian countries, for example, possess significantly more pigments than plant components from less extreme growing regions.

Color mixtures from there are also usually tested on Asian hair, which absorbs pigments quite differently, thus resulting in a different coloring result than on fine, European hair. We then apply them here and wonder about the result: too dark, too red, unwanted green reflections, or violet color appearances occur much more frequently than they should.

Another weak point is cultivation in industrialized countries that have been leaders in the textile industry for decades. The soil is full of heavy metals, fungicides, and pesticides, as is the water. It is therefore almost impossible to avoid a corresponding concentration being found in the plants. For me, an absolute no-go, since there are still enough growing regions that have less contaminated soil and offer a more constant environment.

What does NOELIE do differently?

Our NOELIE herbal hair colors are herbal hair colors – just without their weaknesses and with additional benefits.

We grow our plants exclusively in areas and countries where the soil guarantees us the greatest possible freedom from pollutants and the growing conditions are as constant as possible. After harvest, every delivery is checked in Germany: quality, purity, and efficacy must meet our standards, and raw materials that do not meet these are screened out and processed elsewhere.

The pigments are also very potent, but precisely tailored to European hair. This allows for a finer, clearer coloring and less tannin content.

To counteract the drying effect of the remaining tannin content, I developed the patented 3HC technology after 10 years of research. The molecular complex of polysaccharide liposomes releases fatty acids when mixed with warm water, which intensively nourish the hair and protect it from dehydration.

An example of what this means: When women reach menopause, their entire hormonal balance changes. Minerals, vitamins, and especially fatty acids are broken down, and this becomes noticeable in the hair. The result is frizzy, coarser, and dry hair. Combined with the lack of pigments during graying, conventional coloring agents, or high tannin levels, the structure appears dull, hard, and brittle. With NOELIE herbal hair colors, important fatty acids are increasingly deposited back into the hair, which positively changes the entire hair feel. It shines, is supple, and is nourished and cared for from root to tip.

In addition, all NOELIE herbal hair colors are enriched with medicinal herbs and bio-active ingredients. Healing peat extract, Jiaogulan, organic hyaluronic acid, acacia collagen, and tannins that additionally protect against tannin and heat damage are just a small part of the active ingredients used. They are transported particularly deep into the hair structure via the liposomal transport system and repair it from the inside out with every coloring.

The particularly fine grinding favors the coloring of the selected pigments on our fine hair. Since they are transported so deeply, however, coloring Asian, African, or Mediterranean hair also becomes a breeze.

So that you can store your color safely, you receive your herbal pigments in a dark satin-finished glass jar, sealed airtight. If herbal hair colors oxidize with air and light over a longer period, the coloring power changes and pollutants form that do not belong on the head. With us, there is no contact with plastic, no oxidation, no color change.

Why do I have to change my care routine if your colors are so potent?

During consultations, it sometimes almost seems to me as if the customer wants to justify herself to us as an herbal color manufacturer. We only want to know enough about your care history to create the optimal plan for an excellent care and color alternative for the future. You don't have to justify your path; it is yours. But our job is to meet you where you are right now.

Your hair is stressed and has split ends, is dull or difficult to comb, the color is not brilliant, or the scalp is completely out of balance – something, in any case, encouraged you to call us or send us a message and at least think about an alternative. If we are to present this to you now, we need your cooperation.

Therefore, we first want to know what you have previously colored your hair with. Because depending on that, your hair is stressed to varying degrees, pigmented, and full of old chemicals and care residues.

Your conventional cleansing and care products also contain a lot of silicones, film formers, plasticizers, and plastic. With every color, wash, and care session, these residues on and in the scalp increase.

As long as you were using conventional colors, these fillers were also important. With our NOELIE herbal hair colors, they are not only unnecessary but also disruptive.

So, if you now want to switch to our NOELIE herbal hair color, it is important to free your hair from these interfering factors and use coordinated products. This way, you will get good results from the very first day.

Unfortunately, many people start without prior consultation and are then disappointed if the result is not as desired. This is also how rumors arise that herbal hair colors do not cover gray hair, always turn red or green, and look unkempt. But it is just a matter of the base: if that is right, the results with NOELIE are just as reliable as with conventional colors, only in a healthy way.

Therefore, wash, care for, and style your hair at the latest starting from your first NOELIE herbal hair color treatment with our coordinated products or at least with certified natural cosmetics. In Germany, the terms "natural cosmetics" and "herbal hair color" are not protected, so you have to ensure for yourself that your products are free of interfering factors. You can recognize certified natural cosmetics by their seals, which regulate what may and may not be included.

Conclusion - You get the chance for a completely new hair and scalp feeling

NOELIE herbal hair colors allow you an easy and reliable application with the highest care and quality standards. This is clearly not just any henna for 10€ per hundred grams.

From the individual plant to the jar, all my experience and research are in these formulas. I wanted it not only sustainable and fair, but also luxurious and nourishing on a new level for your hair, which had not existed before.

And I have succeeded.

If I see that I can improve something, I see no reason not to do so. And you will feel that in every NOELIE product.