You know that distinct smell you notice as soon as you walk into a hair salon? That's ammonia—a colorless chemical commonly used in dyes. It opens up the cuticle so pigment can be deposited and is particularly effective at lightening the hair. The fumy substance can irritate your eyes, nose, skin, and throat, and, if that's not bad enough, it can also fry your strands, making them dry and brittle.
With all those side effects in mind, is Ammonia really necessary to achieve brilliant color? Maybe not. According to Kate Reid, Design Director and Education Manager at Color Me by Kevin Murphy, there have been exciting improvements in the hair color industry over the last decade, including some standout ammonia-free formulas. Not only do they work just as well as the harsher varieties, "but generally, ammonia-free brands consider the quality of ingredients and their impact on the environment," Reid tells Byrdie.
We conducted hours of research on the best ammonia-free hair dyes available today, evaluating them on color vibrancy, ingredients, and longevity. We also consulted with an expert hair colorist, considered dozens of options, and even tried a few brands ourselves. One caveat: colorists don’t typically recommend at-home coloring kits like the products below, but if you want to go that route, these are the best options we’ve found.
Best Overall
Revlon Colorsilk Permanent Hair Color
Easy to use and mess-free
Keratin-enriched
Salon-quality color
May cause some scalp tingling
You can count on Revlon Colorsilk for at-home color that truly looks salon-quality. This permanent ammonia-free hair dye comes in a myriad of shades, from stark blue-black and rich brown to vibrant red and ultra-light platinum blonde.
Developed by salon experts, it does more than offer stunning pigment and multi-dimensional color. The nourishing formula is infused with silk amino acids (building blocks that help create protein) and keratin (an essential protein that makes up hair). Both work together to create long-lasting shine, a healthy-looking finish, and stronger, healthier hair. Some reviewers noted that it made their scalp tingle a little though.
Who It’s For
With its wide shade range and nourishing ingredients, this winning formula has something for everyone.
Active Ingredients: Keratin, Silk Amino Acid | Type: Permanent | Shades: 43 | Size: 4.4 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No
Best Oil-Based
Garnier Olia Oil Permanent Hair Color
Infused with 60 percent natural flower oils
Very moisturizing
No drip cream formula
Contains ethanolamine
An oil-based dye can be super nourishing for your hair during what’s typically a drying process. A Garnier Olia kit will only run you a few dollars, but after dyeing your hair, you'll feel like a million bucks. The no-drip formula is made of 60 percent naturally derived oils to deliver a brilliantly glossy finish without the dreaded ammonia smell. Think plant-based oils such as sunflower, camelia, and meadowfoam seed oil, many of which are also found in the included post-color conditioner, giving your hair extra nourishment and moisture every step of the way. We don’t love that it contains ethanolamine, an ammonia alternative that can cause irritation and allergies.
Who It’s For
Enriched with moisturizing, plant-based oils that belie its affordable price tag, this dye will revitalize your strands as it imparts new color to them.
Active Ingredients: Alba Seed Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil | Type: Permanent | Shades: 30 | Size: 15.2 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best Drugstore
Clairol Natural Instincts Demi-Permanent Hair Dye
80 percent naturally derived ingredients
Gentle on all hair types
Lasts up to 28 washes
Colors seem a bit off to some
Since its 1998 launch, Clairol Natural Instincts has been a drugstore mainstay for ammonia-free hair dye. It’s made up of 80 percent naturally derived ingredients, including heavy-hitting moisturizers such as coconut and aloe. The gentle, conditioning formula deposits gorgeous color that'll last for up to 28 shampoos.
We love that it’s super easy to use, too. All you have to do is mix the color with the activator in the included bottle and apply. Take the color pictured on the box with a pinch of salt though since some reviewers felt their final result didn’t quite match up.
Who It’s For
Drugstore shoppers will have no problem locating this hydrating dye on the shelves.
Active Ingredients: Aloe Vera, Coconut Oil | Type: Demi-Permanent | Shades: 37 | Size: 24.8 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No
Best Color Selection
Madison Reed Radiant Hair Color Kit
Full of nourishing ingredients
100 percent gray coverage
Comes in 37 shades
Time consuming to apply
If you’re often disappointed by at-home hair color brands’ shade ranges, check out Madison Reed. Its Radiant Hair Color Kit comes in a whopping 37 shades. We also love that it’s formulated with strengthening keratin, moisturizing argan oil, and growth-boosting ginseng root extract, and it completely covers stubborn grays.
Along with the color, you’ll get every other possible add-on you could want or need, including a cleansing wipe, barrier cream, and even a color-protecting shampoo and conditioner. With all these extras, expect to spend a bit longer than usual using this dye kit.
Who It’s For
If you want a vast range of shades to choose from, this color kit will help you find your ideal color match.
Active Ingredients: Cetearyl Alcohol, Keratin, Argan Oil, Ginseng | Type: Permanent | Shades: 37 | Size: 12.31 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best Trendy Colors
Good Dye Young Semi-Permanent Hair Dye
Vegan
Bold shades
Smells good
Blue shade stains bedding
Harder to dye darker hair
Founded by hair color queen and lead singer of Paramore, Hayley Williams, Good Dye Young is for the bold. With a tube of this semi-permanent hair dye, you can go mermaid teal, electric blue, neon yellow, or villain green for a month (as long as your hair is light-colored or pre-bleached).
Along with being ammonia-free, it also touts antioxidant-rich sunflower extract (yes, antioxidants are good for both your skin and your hair), as well as hydrating glycerin and bergamot essential oil to keep this smelling nice and citrus-y. Just be wary that the darker shades might stain your sheets, so we recommend sleeping with a towel on your pillow until you’ve washed your hair a couple of times
Who It’s For
These fun fantasy colors work best on blonde hair, so brunettes will need to lighten their locks for a fully saturated effect.
Active Ingredients: Cetearyl Alcohol, Bergamot, Glycerin | Type: Semi-Permanent | Shades: 5 | Size: 5.0 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best Semi-Permanent
Manic Panic Semi-Permanent Hair Color Cream
Free from PPD and peroxide
Easy to clean up
Washes out in four to six weeks
Some shades produce less vibrant results
This little tub by Manic Panic contains a cult-favorite creme that conditions your hair and leaves a striking hue in its wake. Not in love with your new vibrant hue? No problem—it'll wash out in four to six weeks. We appreciate that it’s ready-to-go in the jar, no mixing required, and along with being free of ammonia, it’s also free from PPD and peroxide, two common irritants.
Your final result will depend on the starting shade of your hair (blondes will get more noticeable results than brunettes) as well as the shade you pick (pastels, for example, wash out faster than vibrant hues).
Who It’s For
This dye offers striking color for commitment phobes, gradually washing out within six weeks.
Active Ingredients: Aloe Vera, Citric Acid | Type: Semi-Permanent | Shades: 44 | Size: 4.0 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best for Natural Hair
Creme of Nature Moisture-Rich Hair Color
Hydrating formula with shea and cocoa butter
Easy to use
Long-lasting color
Smells bad to some
Creme of Nature is, by far, the best ammonia-free dye for natural hair. On top of its long-lasting, shiny color, the kit comes with a conditioner that’s chock-full of shea butter, cocoa butter, and avocado oil to hydrate and soften. That’s a boon for natural hair, which has a tighter curl pattern, making it harder for moisturizing natural oils to travel down from the scalp to the hair shaft. Some reviewers didn’t love the scent of this one though, so if you’re sensitive to smells it might not be for you.
Who It’s For
Those with natural, textured hair will appreciate the hydrating conditioner that comes with this dye formula. We’re not mad at the shine factor either.
Active Ingredients: Shea Butter, Argan Oil | Type: Permanent | Shades: 4 | Size: 7.0 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No
Best Fast-Acting
Just 5 Ammonia-Free Permanent Hair Color
Five-minute application
Lasts up to six weeks
Effectively covers gray
May make hair more static-prone
This ammonia-free permanent hair dye blends with your existing hair color to deliver a fade-free finish in—you guessed it—just five minutes. It’s also a choice pick for covering grays and gets bonus points for the addition of moisturizing aloe and shine-enhancing chamomile extract. Like many dyes, it might make the hair a little drier and therefore more prone to static, so follow with a hydrating hair serum for a smooth finish.
Who It’s For
If you’re short on time, this speedy dye formula will have your color revitalized in minutes.
Active Ingredients: Chamomile Extract | Type: Permanent | Shades: 5 | Size: 1.85 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Unknown
Best K-Beauty
eZn Pudding Hair Color
Unique and trendy color options
Shows up on light to dark hair
Full kit provided
Smells bad to some
Everyone talks about K-beauty skincare, but Koreans are just as discerning about their hair care. If you've been eyeing one of those trendy cool-toned shades, like ashy lavender, blush pink, gray-blue, or silver, we recommend eZn Pudding Hair Color. As its name suggests, this Korean hair dye is thick and bouncy, not unlike pudding. More importantly, it doesn't drip and there’s no brush required (just pop on the included gloves, use your hands, and throw on a shower cap which is also included).
We love that the formula is enriched with fruit and seed oils to boost hair health and it offers a supremely pretty finish. And this one isn’t just for the blondes—the color shows up on darker strands, too. The only thing users didn’t like was the smell.
Who It’s For
If you’re a K-beauty fanatic it’s time you dipped a toe in Korean haircare, and this pudding-like dye is a good place to start.
Active Ingredients: Keratin | Type: Semi-Permanent | Shades: 17 | Size: 5.61 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Best for Grays
Schwarzkopf Simply Color
Covers all grays
Long-lasting
A cult favorite
Contains soy
Gray hair can be a pain to dye—it tends to be coarser, and coarser hair is more resistant to picking up pigments. Your best bet for an at-home color job is Schwarzkopf Simply Color. The brand (and happy reviewers) claims it provides complete gray coverage and long-lasting color without irritating your scalp. (Credit the fact that it’s ammonia- and alcohol-free.)
It’s also formulated with gentle, nourishing ingredients like argan oil, a well-known, good-for-your-hair ingredient loaded with vitamin E and other fatty acids to help moisturize and add shine. Nourishing oat milk and strengthening soy protein are in the mix, too (if you’re allergic to the latter, avoid this product).
Who It’s For
If your goal is to totally cover up gray hair, this formula will do the trick while softening wiry strands.
Active Ingredients: Argan Oil, Oat Milk, Soy Protein | Type: Semi-Permanent | Shades: 6 | Size: 5.7 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No
Best Custom
CHI Permanent Hair Color
Allows you to pick the level of permanence
Easy to mix
High color payoff
Hard to rinse out
CHI's Ionic Shine Shades let you play pro colorist at home. Once you’ve selected your color (or colors) of choice, decide how long you want your shade to last. For semi-permanent results (up to 12 shampoos) combine one part CHI Shine Shades Color with one part CHI Color Generator and 1 part CHI Color Lock Treatment. For demi-permanent (up to 25 shampoos) mix two parts CHI Shine Shades Color with one part CHI Color Generator. Or, for permanent color, blend one part CHI Shine Shades Color with one part CHI Color Generator.
Whatever route you choose, you’ll get vibrant dye results with the benefits of moisturizing and shine-boosting olive and Brazilian nut oils. It can take some time to fully wash out of your hair, so be sure to give it an extra rinse under the shower before you grab a towel.
Who It’s For
If you want to experiment with a color temporarily before you commit to the shade, this is one of the only formulas we’ve found that gives you that option.
Active Ingredients: Olive Oil, Chamomile | Type: Semi-Permanent, Demi-Permanent, Permanent | Shades: 50-plus | Size: 3.0 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Where We Stand
Overall, our favorite ammonia-free hair dye is Revlon Colorsilk Beautiful Color Permanent Hair Color thanks to its multi-dimensional color infused with strengthening keratin. We also love our budget pick, Garnier Olia Oil Permanent Hair Color, because it uses 60 percent naturally derived oils to deliver a brilliantly glossy finish.
How We Researched
To compile this list, our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best ammonia-free hair dyes on the market, evaluating their key features, such as level of vibrancy, ingredients, and longevity. We also looked at reviews from customers and other trusted sources. We then consulted experts for their opinions on our choices. Finally, we used this research to create the list of products that appear in this article.
Attributes we evaluated each hair dye on included:
- Color vibrancy
- Ingredients
- Longevity
- Ease of use
What to Look for in Ammonia-Free Hair Dye
- Check the Ingredients List: Not all hair dyes state that they're ammonia-free in the name, packaging, or product description. In some cases, it might be up to you to check the ingredients. Ammonia will typically be listed as either ammonium persulfate or ammonium hydroxide on the ingredient list, so steer clear of products containing these chemicals.
- Nourishing Ingredients: The best ammonia-free hair dyes will not only color your hair but also leave it softer, shinier, and more manageable. Look for nourishing and strengthening ingredients like argan oil, keratin, shea butter, avocado oil, sunflower oil, cocoa butter, oat milk, soy protein, silk protein, and other amino acids. Nourishing formulas from our list include Creme of Nature Moisture-Rich Hair Color and Schwarzkopf Simply Color Permanent Color.
- Semi vs. Demi vs. Permanent: When browsing ammonia-free hair dyes, you'll see a range of semi-permanent, demi-permanent, and permanent formulas. Semi and demi are both temporary. The difference is that semi-permanent dyes, such as Manic Panic Semi-Permanent Hair Color Cream, usually last for roughly six washes and don’t disturb your hair's natural pigment, therefore they fade faster. Whereas demi-permanent dyes, such as CHI Ionic Shine Shades Hair Color, use a lower peroxide volume, which enters the cortex of the hair, allowing formulas to last closer to 28 shampoos. Permanent color is formulated to maintain its pigment indefinitely—or until you dye your hair again.
Why Trust Byrdie
Byrdie contributor Theresa Holland is a seasoned writer specializing in makeup and hair care. Having colored her hair countless times with at-home kits, she knows her way around the drugstore hair dye aisle. Check out more stories by Theresa on MyDomaine and The Spruce.
Melanie Rud is a contributing writer for Byrdie, where she covers all things beauty—from buzzy ingredients to acne advice.
Additional guidance was provided by Kate Reid, Design Director and Education Manager at Color Me by Kevin Murphy.
Byrdie contributor Esme Benjamin checked and updated this article in November 2023 to ensure every detail was correct and each product deserves its place on Byrdie’s list.
According to our Diversity Pledge, 15% of products in our newly-published market roundups will feature Black-owned and/or Black-founded brands. At the time of publishing, we were not able to find any ammonia-free hair dyes from a Black-owned and/or Black-founded business. If you know of one we should consider, please email us at contact@byrdie.com and we will evaluate the product ASAP.