NATURAL HAIR DYES

The invention provides dye mixtures for application to human hair, the dye mixtures comprising polyphenolic materials, these materials being obtained from botanical sources. Preferably, the botanical source is fruit, especially fruit selected from blackcurrants, blackberries, blueberries, bilberries, cranberries, grapes, chokeberries, Saskatoon berries, sea-buckthorn, mulberries acai, cherries, red cabbage and/or figs. Preferably, the polyphenolic materials comprise anthocyanin compounds which, most preferably, are aglycone anthocyanidins or glycosylated anthocyanins of the formula (III): wherein R1 and R2 are, independently, H, OH or OCH3, R3 is OH (aglycone anthocyanidins) or a glycosyl group (glycosylated anthocyanins), and x is a counter-ion. The invention also provides methods for the preparation of these dye mixtures and for the use of the dye mixtures in the semi-permanent coloration of human hair.