Love your locks

Chemical-free ways to great hair

Understanding the ingredients on even the most simple-sounding shampoo like Organics (which aren't remotely organic) or Johnson's Baby, almost requires a degree in chemistry. Not surprisingly, many more of us are trying to avoid using chemicals on our hair and are turning to old fashioned, tried and tested natural ingredients including rosemary oil (great for stengthening hair), tea tree oil (encourages growth and very effective at fighting scalp problems) and lemon juice (a natural bleach as well as conditioner). For safe and sound hair and skin products, check out Diana Drummond's own-name range. Diana is based in the wilds of Argyll and she uses local seaweed and herbs in the range which includes a fantastic liquid seaweed shampoo (£7.95). While Daniel Galvin has pioneered the use of non-toxic hair colour products in the UK, salons are increasingly offering similar alternatives such as seaweed and vegetable dyes. If you dye your hair, it really is worth looking at all the non-chemical options because research indicates that the chemicals in hair dyes can increase the risk of certain bladder conditions and cancers, and the risks are higher if hair is regularly dyed over long periods. Herbatint hair dyes do not use ammonia and claim to use "the minimum pharmaceutical chemical ingredients" along with herb and vegetable extracts. Herbatint dyes are permanent, gentle and widely available from health food shops in the UK.

• For more information on the health risks of hair dyes, visit WWF-UK or read The Safe Shoppers Bible by Samuel Epstein and David Steinmann, for details see Green People.