Hair dyeing
Hair colouring has been practiced for thousands of years, with the most famous early practice being the use of henna preparations by the early Egyptians. This natural dye imparted red-orange highlights to hair, and still today henna (Lawsonia inermis), henna extract and the actual active colour ingredient of henna, Lawsone (2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone), are recognised cosmetic ingredients.
However, natural colorants make up only a miniscule part of the hair colour market, due to the far superior performance and versatility of synthetic colorants. The development of modern hair colorants began in the late 19th century when synthetic organic compounds were first used for this application. Modern products allow the user to achieve everything from temporary colour addition through to more durable colour highlights and grey coverage to lasting colour changes.
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