According to one survey from the U.K., women change their hairstyles about 150 times over the course of a lifetime. However many times you make the change, it’s likely that coloring is a part of the process.
It’s not required, of course. These days, white hair is in vogue, with celebrities like Helen Mirren, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Meryl Streep all embracing their natural silver.
Still, about 65 percent of women alter their natural hair color, about a 7 percent increase from the 1950s. We like playing with color. It makes us feel good…until we open the bottle and smell all the fumes.
Traditional hair dyes are full of potentially harmful chemicals that at high exposures, have been linked with skin and respiratory irritation, a suppressed immune system, and even cancer.
RECOMMENDED READING:
A New Way to Cover Gray — How Hairprint Mimics Biology and Restores Your Hair Color
Is there a natural way to cover the gray—or just enjoy a nice color—without exposing ourselves to these toxic chemicals?
The Concern About Harmful Chemicals in Regular Hair Dyes
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) states that over 5,000 different chemicals are used in hair dye products, some of which are reported to be carcinogenic in animals. Though manufacturers have improved beauty products to eliminate some of the more dangerous chemicals that were used in the 1970s, most still contain less-than-savory ingredients.
Here are some common side effects of chemicals found in hair dye:
- Quaternium-15, which can release formaldehyde, a known carcinogen
- Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), which may be hormone disruptors
- Phenylenediamine (PPD), which is a skin and respiratory irritant and has been classified in the European Union as toxic and dangerous to the environment
The NCI notes that some studies have found that hairdressers and barbers are at an increased risk of bladder cancer, potentially because of coloring chemicals. Other studies have found personal use of chemical dyes could potentially increase the risk of leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but results have been mixed.
Build Your Perfect Skin Care Regimen
Take QuizWhen we review the research, we can see that we don’t have enough studies yet to know how coloring our hair maybe 6-10 times a year really affects our health. Most likely—unless we’re hairdressers who deal with high exposures or we color more frequently than usual—the effects will be negligible. Still, it’s not comforting to imagine all those chemicals seeping into our scalps from dyed hair (not to mention the toll that the creation and disposal of these chemicals takes on the environment).
Fortunately, there are other natural hair color alternatives. And there are many ways you can diy hair coloring at home.
Knowing how many chemicals are used in so many hair care products, we knew we also had to develop an effective, wildcrafted hair care line to offer our community. We spent a lot of time formulating our Sweet Sunrise Shampoo and Conditioner to work beautifully for all hair types. Most importantly, it’s healthy for you and the environment giving results we’re proud of.
Our Sweet Sunrise duo delivers instant sheen and long-term strength with handcrafted extracts of horsetail and nettle—rich in minerals and protective antioxidants. We’ve also carefully selected essential oils like parsley, basil and more for a bright, herbaceous scent reviving hair to be supple, fortified and enriched.
In addition, our versatile Rosemary Toning Mist and Palo Santo Body Mist are nourishing hydrators you can use throughout your day to give your hair an all-natural, quick refresh and pick-me-up.
Natural Ways to Dye Your Hair
You natural beauty deserves natural products and it turns out we can use a lot of natural ingredients for hair care products—some of which we can find in our kitchens—to create new hair color. It depends on what color you’re looking for, how intense you want it, and how much time you want to spend.
Keep in mind that natural color products are not the same as chemical color products. They don’t usually last as long, you won’t be able to completely change your natural color, and the color may be slightly different than you imagined. (Of course, that often happens in the salon, too!)
It may take some time and experimentation to get the color you’re looking for, but meanwhile you’ll actually be doing something good for your hair.
A Few Helpful Self Hair Dye Tips
First, if you’re not sure you’re brave enough to try the following home remedies on your entire head of hair, save some from your next trim or cut off a few locks and test a small amount of natural dye first.
Next, always rinse out your color with apple cider vinegar to help the color last longer. Try rinsing with a vinegar/water solution, or mix one-tablespoon apple cider vinegar with about a cup of water in a spray bottle and apply after coloring hair—don’t rinse.
If you’re not into making your own, we highly recommend using Hairprint, an incredible, all natural color-restoring product. This safe, hair-healing product is essentially a scientific breakthrough that uses a non-toxic method to restore grey hair to its natural color. Check it out here.
7 Ingredients to Color Your Hair Naturally
1. Using Coffee to Color and Cover Gray Hairs
Coffee works great if you’re looking to go darker, cover gray hairs, or add dimension to dark tresses. Simply brew a strong coffee (espresso works well), let it cool, and then mix one cup with a couple cups of leave-in conditioner and 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds.
Apply on clean hair and allow to sit for about an hour. If you use apple cider vinegar to rinse, it will help the color last longer. You may need to repeat the process a couple times to see noticeable results.
2. Darker Hair Color with Black Tea
Like coffee, black tea can help you go darker, and can also help cover gray hairs. If you have lighter hair, though, there are other types of tea you can use. Chamomile, for example, is recommended for blondes, while rooibos may work for redheads.
Do keep in mind that tea works best with your natural color. You won’t be able to turn blonde hair to brunette or black hair. But black tea can darken blonde hair and chamomile can lighten it—especially if you sit in the sun while you have it in.
The longer you leave the tea on the hair, the more noticeable the color will be. You can also try repeated applications.
The key is to make the tea highly concentrated. Use 3-5 teabags (or about the same amount in loose-leaf tea) for two cups of water. You can apply the cooled tea to hair alone, or mix with an herbal conditioner (as noted in the coffee recipe). If you’re seeking to cover grays, mix with some fresh or dried sage, which helps open up the hair follicles.
Leave on hair for at least an hour—more if you want more color. Some even put on a cap and wear the tea overnight, then rinse the following morning. Check your color to determine what intensity you need.
3. Herbal Hair Dye Ingredients
Depending on what color you’re going for, you can use a variety of herbs to achieve it. Here are some suggestions, depending on what your natural hair color is:
- For red hair: Try calendula, marigold, rosehips, and hibiscus to deepen the red shade or add a few red highlights. The effects are cumulative—if you keep using the dye regularly, you will notice more color. Simmer the flowers in water for about 30 minutes, strain, cool, and then spray or pour on hair and allow it to dry in the sun if possible.
- For brunette/dark hair: Rosemary, nettle, and sage are all great herbs for dark hair. Simmer all three with water for 30 minutes, cool, strain, and spray or brush through hair. Allow to sit about an hour. You can also use the rinse daily after your shower. Be patient—it may take several days to notice a difference.
- For blonde hair: As mentioned above, chamomile tea works, but you can also try calendula, marigold, saffron, and sunflower petals. To hide grays, try rhubarb root in two cups of water, simmer, strain, and pour over hair.
Add black tea to the darker colors above to help the color last longer. Catnip works for lighter colors.
4. Dying Hair with Beet and Carrot Juice for Red Tints Color
These two juices can add natural red tints to your current color. Depending on what
shade you want, you can use each alone, or mix them together. For a more reddish tinge, use more beet juice (strawberry blonde, deeper red, or auburn). Carrot will produce a quieter reddish orange.
This one is easy—simply apply about a cup of the juice to your hair. You can also mix in some coconut oil or olive oil to condition dry hair at the same time. Work it through, wrap hair, throw on a shower cap and leave on for at least an hour. (These juices stain—wear something to protect your skin and clothes.) Rinse the juice out, and seal with an apple cider vinegar spray. If the color isn’t dark enough, repeat the next day.
5. Dying Hair with Henna Powder
One of the most popular natural hair dye ingredients, henna is a powdered form of the leaves that come from the henna plant. These leaves have a natural and effective coloring pigment that has been used for thousands of years to dye hair, nails, and skin.
Natural henna, on its own, creates a red-orange color, so if you see products offering other colors produced with henna, realize the manufacturers have mixed the henna with other ingredients to achieve those colors. Redheads and brunettes (looking for a bit of auburn) are the best candidates for henna hair color. Be careful with this one—the results can be more orange than you’d like, so you may want to mix a little chamomile in with the paste to tame the color.
To make your own henna hair dye, mix about one cup of henna powder with 2 cups lemon juice. You can also add in a tablespoon of vinegar to help release the color. Allow to sit about 4-6 hours until it thickens. Apply to hair and comb through. (This is messy so be prepared!) Wrap your hair in plastic wrap and allow it to sit 2-3 hours before rinsing.
6. Lighten Hair Color with Lemon Juice
Looking for a few highlights? Try fresh-squeezed lemon juice sprayed and brushed through hair. Lemon juice is rich in ascorbic and citric acid, which not only help to break down hair dye but also naturally lighten the hair. This juice provides a host of benefits to your hair with its high vitamin C content. Leave on for several hours. If you sit in the sun, you’ll notice more lightening. Blondes can enjoy even more lightening by mixing with chamomile tea.
Lemon juice works slowly, so expect to repeat applications several times before seeing results.
7. How to Use Walnut Shells for Hair Dye
If you want to secure a dark brown color, this is the natural way to go for dyeing. Crush the walnut shells and boil for about half an hour. Cool, strain, and apply to hair. If you’re wanting to cover grays, you can use a cotton ball to apply only to those areas where it’s needed. Again, be careful as this dye will stain everything, so take precautions.
To create a more intense dye, return the strained juice to the heat and boil until it’s simmered down to about a quarter of the original volume. Allow to cool in the refrigerator, strain if needed, and pour through hair.
To save time, use walnut powder instead of the shells.
Let sit for at least an hour (more if you want more color), and rinse. Try to avoid really hot water as it can take the color away. Wash in lukewarm to make the color last longer.
I really loved reading about the different natural ingredients to dye hair. Would you please give me some ideas about how I’ll dye my hair ginger orange totally with natural ingredients.. ??
This very informative blog thank you for sharing this kind of article
This very informative blog thank you for sharing this kind of article
Awesome post. Very informative. Thanks.
Hi,
I’m a natural blonde. I have quite light blonde hair your typical “beach blonde”, and am looking to add ‘bronde’ highlights to my hair. Could you please tell me what would work better; coffee or tea?
Thank you
Im a brunette and i want to dye my hair white, how do i do that?
Hey Donnajean, there is unfortunately no natural way to dye your hair white. You need to find a good hairdresser who bleaches your hair (preferably without making it greenish..) & then later applies kind of chemical “Greys”, most of then not really permanent & those who are, are very!! damaging for your hair.
I did that in my younger years, spent 3 hours at the hairdresser only to dye it back to my orig. colour & havin hair-structure similar to straw :). wouldnt really recommend that procedure – and if you still want to try geta a really, really good! hairdresserm, who is worth his/her salt !
Wait 60 years…
Hi, I’m looking for a way to colour my light-medium brown hair to a really dark black. I’ve tried using dye but to keep it this colour I have to keep dying it, so I’m looking for a natural way of doing this. Does anyone have any recipe information that they can give me
Hey Keira,
the only natural way to go “pitchblack” is Indigo/Henna, mixed with black tea, coffee probably. Its quite a procedure & be sure to get organic/clean Henna = no chemical whatsoever ingredients added. If you have long hair, be sure to keep your hair moistured, or give it oil-treatments, as Henna slightly makes your hair dry long term.
I have walnut trees on my property. When I go out to pick up fallen walnuts, the husks stain my fingers dark brown for days- no boiling required. I’d say using browning walnut husks (rinds) is an even easier way to darken hair, though I’ve yet to do it. I’ll try it in 3 weeks…
Let us know how it works!!
Did you successfully darken your hair with the walnut shells or husks? I’d love to know how it affected the condition of your hair and how long it lasted, as well as what it faded to and how it worked on white/gray hair. MAny THanks!
I second VeenessFly’s comments/questions. I am looking for a natural method of coloring my brown hair which is starting to get white/gray.
My hair is dark brown to black. I have a lot of grey hair and i need something natural to coulur it. Regular dyes irritate my scalp. Think i am alergic to PPD. Henna and indigo colors hair but not all roots. Please help me
My hair is black and I’m trying to go lighter. The highlights are drying my hair, I also have alot of greys that makes it challenging. Is hairprint available in South Africa? Or can I become a distributor?
Use hair lighting reciepe from u-tube channel on line a beautician advise: mix in a bowel 3 pumps or tablespoons of 10% hydrogen perxide, and 500 grams of baking soda also add 3 pumps or 4 tablespoons of silver hair or pupole hair shampoo into it mix it all up into a soft smooth paste and rub it in all your hair like paint and leave in about 30 minutes. Plus try make sure you cover all hair to come out even looking. If too much to do you can rinse hair with apple cider vingear and lemon and and sit out in the sun for maybe 30 minutes to an hour. Hope i helped. Best wishes:)
My hair is going gray/white. I would like to cover it and keep my natural light/medium brown hair color. Any suggestions?
Hey Stephanie.
you can use Brahmi powder & Bringhraj powder with a dash of brown henna & probably Walnut, black coffe, tea. Dont use Henna though if your not sure if you wanna go back to chemical hair dye !! They dont work well together ! The powders can be applied like Henna, before washing your hair – leave in as long as you want, at least for 40 minutes. They also prevent frm further greying & hairloss, rather promoting hair-growth.
What about pink … or mint green?
Any natural solution with these colours. Thanks!
???
In case you don’t find something with those ingredients, try baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and honey. Mix it together. Section off hair and apply mixture followed by aluminum foil to wrap section of hair. The longer you wait, the lighter your hair gets. You’ll notice difference in 30 minutes.
Hi, most of my hair is white and has some natural color in the back, dark dark brown almost black. What should I use at home to change it to natural color ?
Hi,
There is natural powder named indigo it looks like Henna which can be used to colour your hair jet black.
But it has to be used with Henna
As this powder gives dark blue colour but in combination with Henna it gives black colour.
If you need more information message me
Hi Sarita.
Thanks for the info. I mixed henna and indigo (50/50%) to cover my white hair roots. I left the mix on my hair for 4 hours but it turn them only blond, maybe I got the proportion wrong. Another time I used henna and indigo separately (one day henna, the next day indigo). This worked much better but is very time consuming. I wonder if you know of a way that I can mix henna and indigo and apply the mix and still get brown color please. If yes, I would be grateful for the instructions and proportions. Thanks a lot. Faith
Add coffee grinds to henna and it will ” stick.” Also, be sure to have hair clean of conditioners and oils before application
Hi! From what I’ve learned: use body art quality henna as it is more pure and more finely milled. mix your henna first and wait the 8-10 hours at room temp for dye to release, then add your indigo and apply. mehandi.com has an ebook with instructions on mixing henna for lasting results.
where do you buy theses ?? & how long does the color last ?
Pls can you send me more info on this Henna mix you mention? I’m growing out my gray hair, no longer use harsh hair dye. Id like rich deep dark brown with dimension so it will look more like natural color.
Hi xactly how do i use it to make hair black
An keep it healthy an not falling out ❓
Will this indigo cover grays? Is it mixed with Henna Powder or the henna that claims to color your hair black (didn’t work for me)?
If you have gray hair, you have to cover with a 2 step process. 1) mix henna with warm water, wait for dye release, then apply to hair, wait 2 hrs at least, rinse.
2) mix indigo powder with water, wait 15 min, apply to hair and rinse after 1-2 hrs. If you mix henna and indigo, this will not work to cover grey hair.
Yes it’s time consuming but once you do this a few times, then you can start using a mixture of henna, indigo ( with more indigo) to maintain color. It’s worth the effort as your hair will not only be free of grays, but much healthier as well.
Nice article but it would help if the recipes were more specific like how much water and how many grams of hibiscus to get the red color etc.
I have dark black hair and i want to light them. And i want blonde shade. Which method should i use?
The lemon and the chamomile tea combined
Ive heard that black to blonde is only possible with chemicals. Using herbs like chamomile and lemon juice will produce reddish hair because of the keratin layer in hair
Hello,
I have mid brown hair. I am unsure what colour I would prefer, I just want a change. I am thinking either red, dark brown, or dirty blonde.
Which of the methods listed above is most effective and will last longest?
Thanks!
How do I compose a sucessful vibrant red color?
Hello. My mom is trying to color her hair naturally since they have gone gray due to regular hair dye issues. We have tried henna and coffee/tea but it brings out yellowish tint which we don’t want as moms hair is more like chestnut brown.
Are these remedies tested? I just bought walnut hull powder to try the remedy mentioned Ditch the Chemicals — 7 Ways to Color Your Hair Naturally.
Mom is frustrated that these remedies aren’t working. Or if you know of a hair dye that doesn’t contain ppd or it’s alternatives plz tell us.
Thanks Again.
there is a PPD free hair dye at sally beauty supply
I recommend 90% henna, 10% amla powder day 1. her white roots should be dark red. Day 2 use straight indigo powder to get a black color, or 75% indigo-25% henna to get a deep brownish black color, 50/50 to get an brown with auburn tint, etc.
You should be much more satisfied with your results using the 2 day approach.
Where can I buy indigo and henna?
I grew up as a blonde, using lemon juice to streak a few highlights into my hair. I would pull a small strand near the face and on top of the head and saturate it with juice before sun bathing. Still works.
My sister used henna since she was a dark brown with red highlights. It gave her a much redder tone.
I have ginger color hair that I want to keep. I use medium beige blonde ION from Sally’s beauty supy to cover my grey roots. It comes out deep strawberry blonde.
If I do this naturally what would I use as a mix ?
Does this work for beards too?
hi i have created a natural hair darkening product from herbs that really works and i would like to sell the idea to a established company does anybody know how to do this thanks
Hi Randy, I’d love to hear about this. I’ve been doing much research in this regard for a couple years. If you have genuinely developed a natural i.e. nontoxic formula that is universally effective, many people will be interested in learning about it. You can reach me via email at [email protected]
Always patent your idea before you try and sell it to anyone or else someone can claim that they made up the idea.
When using black tea overnight, do you wash hair in morning then use acv rinse or just acv rinse in morning? Does it wash out each time you shampoo or does tea color last between x amount of shampoos? TY
Hi, I have coarse, thick, African American dark hair. I just want to cover the gray. Which one covers gray best, coffee or black tea? Would you add anything to either to enhance the color?
Use Henna, Add egg for conditioning apply the paste and wait for about 3 hrs before rinsing, seal the color with a regular conditioner and rinse. You can add Coffee powder in the mix for a darker brown shade.
For a soft reddish brown..
I use henna, brewed coffee (acidic component also replacing the lemon juice) and cloves (ground). Mix to a pudding consistency.
Using cinnamon in place of the cloves, offers a softer red than just henna.
However, my next hair experiment is going to be purple… Blueberry or blackberry… Not sure which shade yet!
Use genetian violet. It makes a very vibrant purple.
Despite the name, Gentian Violet is a synthetic dye not made from the gentian plant. It is also known as Crystal Violet, methyl violet 10B, or hexamethyl pararosaniline chloride. It is a proven carcinogen in lab animals and is considered a probable human carcinogen.
What is your natural hair colour? I have brown hair, but would like a natural looking red tint. Your method sounds perfect!
Theres a butterfly tea the name i think it produces when brewd blue tea
And when mixed with lemon juice its purpole tea so it works. I got my flower tea from etsy.com
When you apply the lemon, do you need to shower before or after? & for the hours you need to wait, what do you recommend covering your hair with?
Showering afterward would be best! You can leave your hair exposed, or cover it with plastic wrap 🙂
Working in fast food,it’s hard to stop your pores from clogging up. What is the best way to help my face?
Hi Sandra! We would recommend cleansing your face straight away after your shift ends to remove any oil that possibly landed on your skin. Try using something purifying like our Citrus Mint Cleanser! You can also use our Purifying Mud Mask 1-3x a week to help clear any clogged pores.
Hope this helps!
xo- Michon
ASC Customer Happiness Team
Thanks for the tips. While this worked for my blonde friend, I have black hair and I’m trying to lighten it to a brown. Will it lighten my hair significantly? With my black hair, I’m not sure if it’ll work out.
Hey Emma! I am not sure how much lighter your hair will look, but anything is possible. Let us all know how it goes 🙂
xo- Michon
ASC Customer Happiness Team
Use paste hair mask with 3 pumps of hyrdrogen peroxide 10%( i used 3% house hold lighter type) plus 500 grams or whole package of baking soda typical size from any store add in 3 pumps of sliver or purpole shampoo any brand to mix in live in as hair paste/paint mask perferly covered with cape for about 30 minutes than must rinse of with regular shampoo first than seal in with 2nd wash with your toning/silver hair or purpole shampoo than deep condition your hair after because it will be feeling kind of dry.
Thank you so much for these tips!
Couple of questions:
~ When using the coffee method, are the coffee grounds from the brewed coffee? Or, dry grounds?
~ Is the vinegar rinse only used after the initial coloring? Or with each shampoo?
Thanks again!
Hey Lynn,
Yes, the coffee grounds are from the brewed coffee. In regards to the vinegar rinse – use as needed.
Thank you for the “home ingredient hair color” solutions !
Herbatint has PPD and other chemicals.
I’ve just turned 58 and have, so far, not indulged in coloring the gray strands which are encroaching more on my naturally auburn hair. I may need to begin considering my options, however, since the research I’ve done into reversing the graying process with diet, supplementation, etc. seems to only apply to ‘premature’ melanin loss. That’s clearly not the case with me! I was excited to see your product referred to the natural reversal of gray; however, now I read it’s only helpful to brunettes. Are there no products in your line which produce the same effect for my hair color?
I have naturally fairly light brown hair but in the summer it turns a golden dirty blonde color. I really want to lighten it to a medium blonde but I’m not sure what to use… I’ve heard mixed reviews on Chamomile tea and I don’t want it to look fake! Any ideas?
Hi! You did not mention Indigo and Cassia. They are sometimes added with henna to make other colors. Both of them are natural as well. I’ve been using henna and indigo for 5 years on my hair. I have naturally dark brown hair with some grays. It has worked perfectly for me. It leaves my hair shiny and relaxes the curl pattern. My grays are all covered. Initially, they look a bit like a highlight, but after a few applications, they just blend with the rest of my hair. My hair feels soft and thicker. I have used herbatint in the past as well. It’s great, but it’s not as natural as the henna/indigo. The darker colors do contain walnut shells which creates a really nice deep brown color.
Happy coloring!
Ann 🙂
Where can you get indigo and what measurements do you use?
Hi Ann,
I’m 56 with very curly dark brown hair with some gray. I think my hair is what they call resistant. I’m intimidated by the whole process, but would like to try. I would like to know what amounts of the henna and other herbs you used. Thank you!
Hi Ann
Thank you for the info. I have used mix of henna and indigo (50/50%) on my grey root and left it for 4 hours but almost nothing (apart from a blondish tint) happened. My natural hair is dark brown. I wonder if you could let me now your recipe for dark brown color please? Many thanks.
These days henna is also available in lush stores not sure how it works though. I am from India and i have been using henna for years now. We mix henna powder with boiled tea and coffee water (boil water with tea and coffee powder for 10 minutes and let it cool and then strain the water into a separate bowl and then mix the henna withe the strained water). Let it sit for atleast 4-5 hours or overnight.It is definitely messy but it makes your hair healthy. if u need conditioning with it, add 1 or 2 spoons of regular non-flavored yogurt. this mixture gives u orangish red color. but if you want a darker color which is nit visible, add beetroot juice to the tea and coffee powder and boil all 3 together. It gives a plum color which is so natural and beautiful looking. Avoid Lemon if you have dry hair. It’s suggestable to add egg white before applying henna to the hair. don’t apply shampoo when you wash your hair. Wash it with shampoo the next day. The henna color usually lasts for about 3weeks depending on the duration you let it sit on your hair.
I have a dark blonde but don’t want anything drastic. Is the color pretty intense from this? How much beetroot juice? And is grounding up coffee beans ok to boil with the tea?
it is very interesting to know all of these colouring, still many things that tide to genes are hard to explain and know.
I have already used dyes with chemicals to colour my hair and of course they have weakened it. how do i get out these dyes so i can use the natural ways of colouring my hair
I can recommend Naturtint. I have used it for years and it always comes out perfect. Finding the right color when you are making your own, seems like a risky endeavor. How do you minimize the risk of turning your hair into a “nightmare”? I love beet salad, but not on my head. 🙂
Naturtint works as well as the high street brands because it contains ppd. I’d been using it for years, thinking herbal=natural, before it started causing rashes.
I think you should at least for once try Indus Valley Gel Hair Color, the reason being it is a completely useful as well as natural hair color. I love the orange smell it has and believe me I have never come across an efficient hair color like this. Try this PPD-free, Ammonia and Hydrogen Peroxide free hair color and believe me it will be a perfect suitor for your coloring needs.
I had strawberry blonde hair growing up, but now that I’m older it is a dark dishwater color–very boring! Not quite brown, blonde, or red. For a while I was having it dyed red with demi-permanent dyes at the salon (which I liked a lot), but it got too expensive to keep it up, and even the demi-permanent left my scalp irritated and itchy for days afterwards. I’d love to find a totally natural solution to give my boring hair a boost of color and hide some of the gray strands coming in. Can any of these natural solutions, like maybe the carrot and/ or beet juice, bring out a reddish tint to hair that was never fully red to begin with? Or would I have to go for dull blonde highlights? I know going brown would be easier, but dark shades totally wash out my skin tone and I look like a ghost. I also have very dry, naturally wavy hair, so whatever I use needs to add moisture if possible. Will an apple cider rinse after dying have a drying effect? I’m open to suggestions from those who have some experience with natural dyes.
Any luck with your hair? I have the same hair as you except for the dry part. Looking to enhance what I have without the chemicals and the cost
I’m curious too what you 2 find out. I also have wavy, dry “honey-carmel” blonde hair (sounds better than dirty blonde, right?). I just need a little boost to keep my silvers from shiny through too much on the top of my head, but I definitely don’t want to dry it out or end up with a brash, fake blonde color.
They should have natural hair coloring in most major department stores. Like walk mart CVS Walgreen’s
Hairprint did not work for me – despite using 6 pkgs over a year long very determined try, their two shampoos, and their help desk and customer recommended extensive pre-treatment protocols. I’d be near 100% gray without coloring, I do not use chemicals, I only use very natural shampoos and conditioners, oils, no other processing. 40-60% of the color would wash out – which, according to Hairprint meant it wasn’t penetrating the shaft, despite preparing my hair as per their help desk, for three weeks prior. Other details for hopeful users: the restorer process is three hours, loved that it had no harsh smells, some users report success…in my extensive research, it seemed to be folks with less grays.
Great ideas! I find that red palm oil applied to clean dry hair and left on for a few hours before rinsing out will leave behind silky soft hair with a subtle tint of natural red, meaning a coppery warm red, not a cool violet red. Works on my colored hair and I’m thinking it’d work equally well on natural hair.
Keeping any of these on my hair for long makes me catch a cold. Can you suggest alternatives to water?
i’ll bet you are experiencing not a cold, but an allergic reaction. Wet hair does not cause a cold.
hi,
iam from India, can you please suggest me where i can buy the below ingredients:
Rosemary,
nettle,
sage
wallnut shell
Hi there!
We usually suggest working with a company called Mountain Rose Herbs but if you’re living in India, you might have a hard time importing herbs from the US. I would suggest working with your local store to see if they have a place where they source herbs.
what kind of tea to use is classic black tea ok to use and is any favor safe to use in black tea box type
Classic black tea is perfect and any kind will do. We do suggest working with organic tea if you can because of the potential for chemical pesticides in non-organic tea brands.
I’ve colored my hair from black to gold before,but i still want to change the color to pure white but i don’t know the chemicals am to mix and apply
If you have brown hair like me you can go blonde easy with chamomile tea, lemon , beer,w white vinegar and sun .I did it when I was child and I had blonde hair.! But if you have very dark brown it’s difficult to have a lighter or red shade.
Hi,
Question regarding wlanut hulls (or tea, henna, coffee etc). I have very fine hair and not alot of it, especially in the front, which means that whate er I put on to colour my hair will colour my skin. How long does the stain on skin last? Has anyone had problems with this issue?
Thanks.
Dana
Did you try putting an oil on your skin at the hairline to prevent skin staining? Many hair dyes recommend petroleum jelly but I’d think any oil would work and be less toxic.
Yesterday I tried to dye my hair red with soyss bright red but it turned purple/winered, how could I make it redder without having to buy more dye?
Looking at other methods for dyeing my brown roots to match my damaged blonde hair. Tried organic honey and cinnamon tonight! Works a treat even after 1 mask. Will do again next week to lighten again… you must try it!
I am 66 and try to go auburn or burgundy but my roots always are so bright red or a lot lighter then the rest of the hair what do I do?
I always use natural Henna since I’m allergic to most chemicals and fragrances. It does a great job covering my gray and although at times is redder than I would like, it still looks beautiful. I use organic olive oil or organic raw coconut oil as a conditioner. When my hair is dry, I just run put some of my fingertips and run it through my ends and hair. The best place to purchase Henna is at local Indian or Middle Eastern stores. They are usually less than $5 for organic Henna.
Will the red color work on black hair?
Ive sure my hair with beet juice and hibiscus flowers and I love the results from just the first process. I’ve also added the same mixture with Castile soap to make a red shampoo
Ok this will be a long one so please bear with me… I’ve really enjoyed reading your post thank you I’ve found it really informative. I have a brain condition where I believe the stress of it is causing my hair to fall out in big clumps when I wash it, I now have noticeable thinning patches on my hair and it’s breaking my heart as I’ve always had lovely thick hair. I’m already a big fan of apple cider vinegar and coconut oil, what hair I have is in the best condition its ever been in and I have started using a green tea rinse everytime I wash my hair so I have a two part question if you could help me. My hair is chemically dyed a dark red/purple atm but I am loathe to do that again with my current predicament but my greys are starting to come through! Firstly, can you recommend anything else I can be doing to promote hair growth and secondly can I use your natural suggestions for hair dying over chemical dye?
Thanks in advance
Hi Rebecca,
We would suggest HairPrint! I’m not sure how it will do over the dye you already have, but you could reach out and ask them.
This is 2-years later, but might still benefit other readers: In my mid-40s, my hair started falling out in clumps, and I was developing ‘thin’ spots. I stopped dying my hair completely, which had never grown longer than about my shoulders. Now at 55, I have gray and brown hair that is down to my waist. I’m reading this because I’m job-hunting, but I’ll stick with chamomile tea and beet juice. At least if I don’t like it, it’ll fade and wash out. I’ll never dye my hair again, and it would make a white-skunk-stripe anyway as it grew out 😉
My grandmother always rinsed her hair in sage water to give her hair a beautiful silvery tone without yellowing.
coffee dont work
I was sitting having my hair colored the other day and for the first time I started to wonder about the chemicals. I dont want to go grey before my time ;-(
I’m going to be using this article quite often. Thank you 😉
How about cinnamon and coconut oil? Would that color my blonde gray roots or would it wash out when it was washed>?
Hi Andrea,
Oils help loosen and remove color from hair, and interfere with it sticking to hair, so I don’t think that would work — that’s why they say don’t use oils or conditioners before or during applying indigo, for example. As for the cinnamon, when I used to color with henna and indigo, I sometimes added spices to the mix to make it redder and/or browner (cinnamon, ginger, paprika, nutmeg, cloves, allspice), and it did work, but that was when added to a mix of henna, indigo, distilled water, and guar gum. I don’t know if the spices would stick on their own. Also, if you have a sensitive scalp, you might want to be careful using potent spices such as cinnamon and ginger on your head — a couple of times when I used them in my mix, it burned/stung a little. So be careful! 🙂
Hi, Annmarie!
I have graying hair. The gray hair has an intense shine to it like light shiny silver tones, mostly on the top and sides of my head. Most of my hair is has faded a dark medium brown, that is at the bottom of my head.
I want to take advantage of the look by adding a slight bit of yellow. This way my crown will look like I had it styled with high-lights.
I tried regular dye a few months ago. I couldn’t stand the fumes.
My hair shafts are fine, my hair is soft slightly wavy and 3 foot long. I hope to use your recommendations for coloring my hair blonde, with the Chamomile tea and Sage, and then using lemon juice to lighten the brown hair more. Finally, seal it with Apple Cider Vinegar.
If this works well, I could be using this the rest of my life.
Can Turmeric also be used?
Hi!
Congratulations on your decision to use organic materials on your hair!
Turmeric can be used to dye fabrics but I’m not sure about hair. It’s also pretty orange.
I actually tried a thick paste of turmeric, yogurt, and coconut oil. I only left it on for about 10 minutes and I was glad I had not left it on any longer! It did dye my grays–a light yellow, but not a blonde. It stained my body while I was washing it off and badly stained the tub. (I didn’t see that it had stained me right away, and thus did not vigorously try to wash it off.) The next day I realized that my undershirt and bra were also stained yellow from where it had rubbed off my skin! I scrubbed and scrubbed the tub and was able to lighten the stains, but they had to wear off (about 2 weeks.) The color of my grays lightened slightly with each shampoo and roughly a month or so later, I can see no color, just the white/light grays (i normally have medium brown hair with reddish highlights with the grey/white highlights at my temples.)
I would not recommend it. Very messy, with poor results. I might have continued and worked around the messy, but the color was not a natural hair color. Think sunfllower petals yellow. However, I do recomend turmuric, lemon juice, and greek yogurt for a face mask!!! (That is actually where I got the idea to use it on my hair. It is apparently fairly common for women in India to use it on their faces.)
Would this work on a teenage girl that has no gray hairs?
It does work on hair that isn’t grey! You might have to apply it more than once to get your desired color though!
I have used henna from the pakistani store for years. I also add tapal danedar tea to it and leave it overnight. I wash it out in the morning. It covers stubborn greys and gives a lustrous red/brown look. I do this every 30 days. It is fragrant and adds body to the hair as well. I also apply coconut oil or amla oil once a month for moisture and scalp stimulation.
Hello,
I have naturally medium brown hair. I recently chemically dyed the underneath a bright pink, then toned it down to a wine/burgundy color. Unfortunately my work thinks it is still too “pink” looking, so I am wondering if I can use the coffee method to dye the wine color. Do these methods work on chemically colored hair?
Hi there!
You could certainly try that and see if it works, and I hope it does. You might want to try a henna hair dye or hairprint to cover it up though.
I am Auburn Red Brown. I am a natural color. It is starting to catch up on me, and I am totally NOT sure what to do for my Hair.
I never dyed it, I would just use
a method to extract them. Now I am not sure what to do about my
Hair color. Do you have any good news for me to come to my conclusion? I’m not good about shades and dyes that hurt more than make your look original from the very first time.
Thank you for your immediate response to my message.
Gayle!
Hi Gayle!
Check out HairPrint! Its a little messy to use, but it’s really helpful for covering up grays 🙂
I’m interested in trying the herbs for hair dye. Can you give specific amounts and specific instructions on how to use the herbs?
Hi there!
We don’t have those specific recipes on our blog but a really great book of natural herbal recipes for all things cosmetic is Beauty by Nature, by Brigitte Mars. Check it out!
I have been using Hanna, however I am grey and I do not want red or orange hair, which I have experienced. However I do like the texture and the health of the hair afterwards. Can you recommend something healthy to improve hair’s texture? Thank you.
I have a fair amount of gray and decided to try Hairprint. It took six applications but finally worked beautifully. It is extremely messy, cumbersome and time consuming but my hair is nit only dark but much healthier and is growing longer, so I recommend it. However Hairprint only works for dark hair and is expensive.
I use Hairprint now, too, and I love it! Highly recommended. And, it’s not that expensive, relatively speaking — current price is $39 a kit, if you do it yourself at home (which I do), compared to about $200 (from what I’ve heard) if you have it done at their salon in Sausalito.
I’ve actually tried both the tea and coffee approach to dying my grey hair. Neither seems to do anything at all. I used three black tea bags (I squeezed the life out of them!) in one small cup of water, sprayed it into my hair and, presto, I have the same grey hair! I don’t even rinse it out.
I tried the coffee and conditioner one too and made it very strong. I’m a brunette and the coffee looks more red when applied. So after an hour (by this time the conditioner has gone solid) I rinse it out. My grey is still grey.
Any suggestions?
Gray hair is often very resistant to coloring. You can use henna, but you’ll need to do a two-step process if you want a color other than bright red, with your choices being a color that falls between light brown and black — this is what I used to do: I’d color the grays with henna first, then follow with a henna/indigo mix to get a dark chestnut brown. But, now I use Hairprint, which I highly recommend, again if your hair is anywhere from light brown to black. Hairprint has not been developed for blonds or redheads yet, but they’re working on it!
I can’t believe that indigo was left out of this list. If you have dark hair and want to cover gray, you can use henna and indigo. You must use henna with it, because the indigo will not “stick” to gray hair. If you want a dark brown color, then mix the henna and indigo together for a one step process–I don’t remember the ratio but I think its 2/3 indigo to 1/3 henna. There are online sites where you can get the info.
But if you have black hair like mine or very dark brown, you will need to do a 2-step process. First you do the henna, and leave it on at least 2 hours. Then rinse. Then indigo, and leave it on at least an hour–I’ve actually slept with it on! Then rinse. The color is gorgeous and gray is covered. It gives your hair body and makes it thicker as it coats the hair. You can touch up roots as often as you want because it is good for your hair! Yes it can be messy and time consuming, but I didn’t want to use commercial dyes, even the natural ones. And I most certainly do not want gray hair–just not gonna happen. So for me its worth it. It looks very natural, your hair is healthy and shiny. I order the henna and indigo at Amazon–there are many sellers if you can’t buy it locally. I am hooked and have been doing it for years.
I have medium brown hair with some gray in it I want it all medium brown what do I need to use plz ty
I suggest you look into using Hairprint. 🙂
My natural hair colour was a light-to-mid brown, but my hair now has a lot of white in it. I’ve used Brown Hairprint several times, and although I feel that it’s basically a good product, I do find that my hair gets darker each time I use it (even though, after the first time, I only put it on my roots). (I suppose the rinsing water running through the rest of the hair was the reason for this – perhaps I should mask the already coloured with oil to prevent this happening.)
I also confirm the comment of another contributor that the colour has not lightened as time has gone by. Some lower parts are very dark indeed.
I have used Naturtint hair coloring for a year now and love it. Bought it at the health food store after my doctor suggested it. Now buy from Amazon. I took it to my hair dresser and she was amazed with the results. My hair dresser mixes 2 colors to get our desired results. In the process of finding the right color I used olive oil and honey (half and half) on my hair to lighten a dye job that was too dark. Left it on for an hour and it worked.
I’m a natural redhead — more toward auburn (not carrot). Have colored the grey in my hair for years but would like to use henna. How do I keep it from turning orange? Can I use paprika or tomato juice with it to keep it more auburn? Where is the best place to get the henna? Does the apple cider vinegar keep the color from fading?
If you’re a redhead looking for henna, I suggest Light Mountain Natural Hair Color. I think they have 12 different shades, with various mixes of henna, senna and indigo, so you could find the shade you want. I’ve used them and it’s very high quality, and all organic.
I checked the ingredients of Naturtint Ammonia-free hair color and saw that phenylenediamine is on the list. I believe most of them have that ingredient – even the ones that say Natural on the box.
How long do the color lasts? My teacher wants me to continue my study about hair colors using only herbal plants. I came up with a gumamela flower and did some comparative study with the commercial ones. I need some opinions and comments from everyone. Hope you could help me with it 🙂 Ps. I’m only in grade 9 so it’s quite difficult for me doing stuffs like this.
I can tell you about henna and indigo: henna is permanent, but indigo washes out, just as the indigo in your blue jeans fades (it’s the same dye, indigo!). How long the indigo lasts depends on many factors, including how often you wash your hair, how porous your hair is, etc. Hope this helps!
YOU CAN USE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE ALSO PUT ON YOUR HAIR AT NIGHT AND IN THE MORNING YOU WILL NOTICE LIGHTER HAIR. SAW THIS ON PINTEREST IT ALSO LIGHTENS YOUR HAIR IN STAGES NOT ALL AT ONCE.
Hydrogen peroxide is very damaging to your hair! I would only use lemon juice if you wish to lighten your hair color.
Just a tip but I’ve learned the hard way if u have a darker brown and use lemon juice it turns ur hair more into a orange then blonde
I used Celestial Lemon Zinger tea tonight and had less shedding, my hair is full of body and the grey is a little more red. I’m trying to go grey natual but can’t stand the roots growing out. I can’t wait to do it again! I only left it on about 45 minutes with no heat will leave longer next time and add heat.
I am a teenager I want to color my hair naturally I have black hair I have to color it to light brown what herb should I use for light brown color
Natural dyes (henna, indigo, walnut shells, etc.) only add color (darken), not lighten hair, as far as I know. The only natural way to lighten hair that I know of is to use lemon juice.
with the strong black coffee can lighten my black hair?
Hi Nicole,
Coffee won’t have a lightening effect on your hair. Lemon is the classic way to lighten hair (put lemon juice in your hair and then go in the sun). Chamomile tea and honey can also lighten a bit as well. Remember that will natural methods, you’ll need to do several applications before getting noticeable results.
I wanted to ask, would it work to try several at once or might that mess up the dyes? I’m trying to make my hair really dark, and in its current sun kissed state I’ve been told it was a dirty blond.
Hi Alice,
My hunch is that you can combine the dark colored ingredients together, but lemon juice wouldn’t mix well with, say, coffee in this case.
you can also use paprika for red hair.
Just a note. I have not used walnut to dye my hair but I have used it to dye cloth and it is the hulls, not the shells, that you need. The hulls are the thick green colouring that surrounds the shell. Never on in the store. You need to find someone with a tree and ask to have them. They are potent, so wear gloves. Even just handling the raw hulls will stain your skin!
If using the raw walnuts with the hull intact, be careful of the definite skin staining from the hull juice. Grandpa’s hands were stained black during the time of the year that he processed his own walnuts.
If you have the tea what do you do with it, just make tea and soak your hair in it?
Yep! You’ll want to make a really strong tea and soak your hair with it!
Hey! I have long black hair with not much volume. I want red highlights or a compkete red coloured hair. Which one should i go for, from the above ideas? Btw they are really helpful. 🙂
You would have to lighten it first in order to have visible red highlights
my hair is become grey now i want to colour naturally black with use walnut shells. please can tell me where i will get walnut shells.
I’m trying the lemon juice highlights as I write, Here comes prayers……
What a brillant post, I am going organic and the tips on here are very easy to follow for your own homemade dyes and well layed out. Cant wait to try my own homemade dyes. Just one question please..I use applecider vinegar for my hair in rinsing..I am assuming this wont remove the colour or fade it? you say it seals it this is news to me as is great news.. if thats the case i will add ACV to my shampoo as a double boost for sealing colour for longer resuls.Would this be ok to do.?
Hey there
Just recently found out I was pregnant, and my doctor told to avoid any chemical hair dyes, so I considered some of these natural hair remedies to at least help me back to my dark brown (and whites).
Just hope all that coffee does not add much to my caffeine intake 🙂
Thank you for the tips!
From tea d hair does not become somewhat reddish or it remains black ??????
I have used Henna for 10 yrs since I was 32. My aunt recommended it since it is 100% natural. Depending of your hair color you will be reddish or not. I like it because my hair is shine and soft, but sometime I have gotten too orange. That is the only cons with henna that you cannot know what colour will be your hair, since it is natural. Most of the time it is and it will never be the same colour eventhough you choose the same one. I wanted to dye my hair with something else to even my colour but after reading all the cancer’s side effects I would rather have my hair like it is
I am a brunette and I have been using henna for years now to color my hair, so if you want a 100% garanteed way to getting a dark blond colour use henna mixed with camomile tea
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I tried a chamomile rinse on my blonde hair yesterday and i don’t like the result, it has made it too yellow 🙁
Has anyone experienced this?
How long will it last for and anything I can do to get rid of it quicker?
Thanks!
Hey, it isn’t a natural solution, but there is a shampoo that, if used daily will tone down yellow. If you ever tried the chamomile again. The shampoo is shiny silver.
FYI regarding blonde hair: senna will impart a blonde hue when left on for a long time (for me, at least three hours). I used a henna mix once that included henna, senna, and indigo, and I ended up with blondish highlights and a definite blonde cast overall. I then found there were websites dedicated to blondes using senna to enhance their “blondeness” and also color grays more blonde.
P.S.: “Senna” or “Neutral Henna” are other names for the Cassia plant, and there are two varieties I know of that will give blonde and gray hairs a golden hue, if left on long enough: Cassia obovata, and Cassia auriculata.
I recently read about HairPrint. Does any one have any personal knowledge of it? It says it is very natural and covers grey back to your own color, whatever your color.
I tried Hair Print and really liked it. But it’s messy and a lengthy process. I think once you get the hang of using it though it could be less messy.
My experience: Hairprint says that if you change your mind the color will lighten each time you wash your hair. I did not find this to be true. After 4 months I had silver roots and more and then the natural dark brown. My hair dresser had to put highlights in my hair to make it lighter and blend so that I did not have the two tone color. It has been 5 1/2 months and the brown is still there. So make sure you want to color you hair every two to three weeks before starting to use this product. It is a 3 step process and very messy. The color is beautiful. My hair grows very fast.
You do get the hang of it after awhile. I have been using Hairprint for just over a year. It really works. If you have been treating your hair, the first few times your hair will be much darker than the natural color. The damage done from treating changes the hair structure causing the melanin to bind differently. No smell, food grade product. No burning. It only works for light brown to black hair. They haven’t perfected the process for blondes or redheads because that is a different melanin molecule.
I recently used Hairprint for the first time, and I love it! I got full coverage of my grays, and I’m about 60% gray(!), and my natural dark brown color has been restored! The health of my hair has improved, too. Yes the process is a bit time-consuming and messy, but nothing I’m not used to after using henna for a while, and the results are absolutely worth it. My hair grows really fast, so I will have to use Hairprint every 3 -4 weeks, which is normally how often I have to color my hair anyway. And it’s easier to work with than henna and indigo, and has no smell. Highly recommended!
P.S.: I’ve now used Hairprint twice, and will be using it for the third time very soon, and I’m still loving it! It’s getting easier and less messy now. I’ve gone from using two kits at once, to using only one kit at a time. The second time, with just the one kit, I just tried the bare minimum on the pretreatment step to see if it would work, but it didn’t take completely on the new gray hairs, so the next time, I will add baking soda and leave it on for much longer, and that should do the trick.
A couple tips: You really do need to protect your skin from getting colored with this one, even more so than with henna. I use either coconut oil or Ann Marie’s Coconut Honey Mask to protect my face, neck, chest, and ears, and that works very well (and smells great, and is good for your skin, too!). I also bought a scalp brush to help remove the residue from my scalp afterwards while shampooing, and that helps a lot, too.
Also note that Hairprint just came out with their own line of shampoos and conditioners, and among those they have their own chelating and clarifying shampoos, so those will help speed up the process! I just bought some, so the next time I prep for using Hairprint, I can clean, clarify, and chelate all in one step instead of three! So for me it will go like this, in a nutshell: use the chelating shampoo, use the pretreatment (with baking soda), put the protecting oil/mask on my skin, do the three Hairprint process steps (wearing gloves), and then finally shampoo (with the scalp brush) and condition.
Hairprint also just changed their packaging and also their pretreatment formula, and their application instructions have changed a little, too (see their website).
Hope this helps! 🙂
i use Naturigin-love it!!
So, I have a systematic reaction to hair dye that causes severe nerve pain in my head and top of my spine. I tried every health food store hair dye and the same thing happened. There is an amazing website called Henna for hair that is packed with information about how to achieve ANY color with plants. Here is my trick, using their info and my own experiments, to get grey hair colored blonde. I use about 10 oz. Of conditioner and mix 6 T of henna and 6 T of indigo ( pure, ordered only from hennaforhair.com)( NOTHING ELSE HAS EVER WORKED ) Mix it together and apply all over my hair. It’s messy, so use a plastic wrap or shower cap on your head, let it stay for 1 hour, rinse, but don’t wash it for a day. All the Grey hair is blonde hair! Like highlights! It lasts about a month, washing out gradually. It’s AWESOME!
Jenny, I would like to try your recipe. I just would like to make sure that you mean henna plus INDIGO. Is that right, for blonde highlights? I thought indigo makes black. I figure since you are using it with conditioner to dilute it that this may actually be what you use, and not cassia. I wonder if you will see this question?? Thanks!
Hi Sarah — here’s why Jenny’s recipe works (I know from 4 years of experience using and experimenting with henna, senna, and indigo): first of all, gray hair is highly resistant to henna/indigo mixes, and they will only color it very weakly. This is why her mix, further diluted by conditioner, only gives her gray hair a weak color (blonde), which in her case is what she wanted. In order to color gray hair black, you would need to first color it red with pure henna, which the gray hair will usually take up fairly easily, and THEN as a second step color the hair again, this time with pure indigo — and then you will get black hair. But mixing henna and indigo together and applying at the same time to gray hair just produces weak adhesion and diluted results. So, that’s why it worked for her, for the results she wanted! Hope this helps. 🙂
Hello Diane,
I am very much interested in Hairprint that you are introducing. Is it also a hair dye ? My hair starts becoming grey after I give birth (dont know why) and I am very frustrated about it. Having now a child I am very particular with the ingredients I use in hairdye and skin care… I have been seaching for the perfect hair dye, til I read your inputs… Thank God! Please help
This is a natural hair dye, yes!
Hi Jenny,
Hairprint is technically not a hair dye, as they explain on their website, but rather a color restorer: it restores your gray hair to your own natural color. Currently it only works for brunettes (light, medium, and dark), so if you’re a brunette, then yes this is a wonderful choice — safe, non-toxic, and all natural! I have dark brown hair and I’ve used it twice so far and love it, and am going to be using it for a third time very soon. They also just came out with their own line of shampoos and conditioners, and I used some today for the first time and love them, too! Good luck and best wishes! 🙂
Can you use henna on new growth roots with mid shaft of hair previously dyed, and or lightened ???
If so, how do you do it to take away the disconnected line at the roots with greys and lightened hair???
Hi Jenny,
I am interested in the mix you created with henna and conditioner – you said you came to that with the information found on the Henna for Hair site plus your own experiments. I am not looking to do blonde like you’ve done, but an ash light brown. Definitely not on the red / coppery side. My situation: I have been using chemical dyes approximately every eight weeks. I haven’t been happy with the color results, nor the gray coverage. I have recently learned about Hairprint, but my roots aren’t long enough yet to warrant going through their transition process and application process. I want to stop using chemical dyes completely, especially now that I know Hairprint is on the horizon. However, with my grays, I won’t just let my hair grow out a couple inches gracefully. I feel like finding a mix like you have discovered might be right for me in the interim. If you are still around and would like to share how you happened upon your “formula,” that would be great. Thank you!
LOL! My mother in law, who lives in Asia, uses coffee to color her hair! Apparently this is common practice among older Chinese women to cover their grey hairs. She doesn’t brew the coffee though. She adds a little water to the coffee grounds in her hands, makes a bit of a paste with it, and then rubs it into her hair. It must work, because I rarely see her with grey hair!
I would really like to try the Henna color I think.. sounds fun!
How long does she leave the coffee paste on her hair for?
Thanks!
Very interesting info. About 20 yrs ago my hair color was a very dark auburn, with a tiny bit of grey @ temples. I used a dark henna combined with strong coffee to create a darker auburn, as I found henna made my hair to “brassy” by itself. Everyone loved the color. Caution : Henna stains skin, clothes, furniture, & only lemon juice helps remove it from your skin. I’ll be going there again. I forgot that henna works so well. Now I have more grey (only around front of my hairline) but have been going to a hair stylist who dyed a lot of blonde streaks into my hair. I’m going to try using a henna again, without the coffee grounds as that made my hair darker. Now I just want to cover the Grey somewhat.
You might want to check out “Hairprint”! I had been using henna/indigo for 4 years, but just recently (last week!) switched to Hairprint, and am never going back. Hairprint is nothing short of amazing! 🙂
Question for Diane re using Hairprint: what was your natural color? Since you were using henna, it made me wonder if you were trying to go back to red. I’d love to try Hairprint but their website says it doesn’t work for those whose natural hair color was red. ??? My hair was never bright orange-y red, but more auburn which got browner over the years and now is a mix of brown (still slightly reddish) and grey/white strands. Thanks!
Hi Beth,
My natural color is dark brown. Hairprint currently only works for brunettes; they are working on cracking the code for redheads and blondes as we speak. The way I used henna to cover my gray was a two-step process: first just the red henna, and then a mix of henna and indigo which gave me a chestnut brown as a final color. Had to do this because gray hair is very resistant to henna/indigo mixes, so you have to prep it with pure henna first, so it has something to stick to. Hope this helps! 🙂
Beth, since your hair is mostly brown-ish, it might work! You could reach out to Hairprint and ask them, and see if you should try it. 🙂
Can you bring a store-bought natural brand to your salon and ask them to use it, or is that not cool?
Hi Janine,
Would love to hear about your experience if you do that!
I tried that once, in a way: A local salon had a deal where they asked people to bring in their own hair color product, and they would get a discount on a coloring job. But when I brought it in, they said they only apply their own line of color products, and were just going to take my product and throw it away — it was just a promotion, like a “trade in.” However, I have heard that some salons will apply henna for you, for example, but you need to ask in advance and see if: a) they will actually do it for you, and with your product, and b) if they’ve done it before and actually know what they’re doing.
I have used hairprint 5 or 6 times and love it. Still struggle with covering perfectly on temples but the gray continually grows anyway so it’s worth it to me to not use the harsh chemicals, so just like any hair color you have to do it every 4-5 weeks or when you prefer due to new growth. I take it to my hair lady at the salon and she doesn’t have a problem doing it. It doesn’t hurt to ask. I do pay her more because it takes longer than the regular salon coloring. I am really wanting to just go natural gray tho now but am having a hard time finding something natural to put on it to enhance the gray so it doesn’t look so dull. Anyone have anything that you use?!!
Diane.. You didn’t say where to buy these products & would apple cider vinegar rinse be better to help “set” the color? How much guar gum do you use & does it affect the color? Thanks for your input.
Hi Dot — Sorry, just saw your questions to me today! Here are the answers: you can find Light Mountain Hair Color at stores like Whole Foods, but I just ordered it directly off their website. For the guar gum, you add one teaspoon per box, but I typically added two teaspoons and it worked even better (but any more than that and it got too slippery and separated). The guar gum does not affect the color — it’s just a binder/thickener, and it helps it stick together and get into your hair and stay on your hair better, and acts as a conditioner, too — I found I needed far less conditioner afterwards when using guar gum. As for a vinegar rinse, you would have to email the folks at Light Mountain and ask them, as I don’t know — it just says to use conditioner as the final step. However, all that being said, I must tell you that I don’t use henna any more!! Just last week, I tried Hairprint for the first time, and now I’m never going back to henna. Hairprint is so much better! I recently discovered it on another post on this very website! 🙂 If you look up the article about Hairprint where it won the “We Heart” contest, you’ll see my comment there, too. 🙂
Doesn’t Hairprint contain PPD? I am extremely allergic to PPD
Hi Molly — no, Hairprint does not contain PPD. If you go to their website, you can read all the ingredients it contains. They are all natural and non-toxic. And I’ve used it twice now and I still love it! Getting ready to use it for the third time soon. 🙂
What do you suggest for medium length dyed brunette hair transitioning to silver? I have been contemplating the change for a few years but dread the ‘line’ while it’s growing out. I know color-lifters will fry my age brittled hair so won’t go there. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
If you haven’t died your hair before, try Hairprint. It will return your color to your natural one.
Hi Marina, what is hair print ?
@DebPolatty: I’ve always heard that we should go one hair shade lighter for every decade of our lives. I’ve been doing that and now that I’ve decided to “go grey” there is hardly any difference. No discernible roots showing. It’s quite amazing and I’m ver
I use Light Mountain Natural Hair Color to cover my gray, and I love it — it’s all natural and certified USDA Organic, and though the process is messy and long, the results are worth it! They only use dried powdered henna, senna, and indigo leaves — and that’s it! You add distilled water. Handy tip: I also add guar gum as I’m mixing up a batch, and this makes application SO much easier! I don’t know how I got along before it. Note that since I have dark brown hair, I have to use the two-step process: color with just Henna (Red) first, and then color with a mix of Henna and Indigo (Chestnut) to get a beautiful dark brown with reddish brown highlights. Oh, and the Henna is also a natural conditioner, so it’s really good for your hair! Just be sure you do a final rinse with tons of organic conditioner. I do this, and my hair comes out feeling like silk, and with tons of natural shine. Highly recommended, if like me, you’re not ready to go all gray yet. 🙂
Update: I just recently switched from using henna/indigo to using Hairprint! Please see my various comments below for more info. And thanks to Ann Marie for spreading the word, because that’s how I discovered it! 🙂 Hairprint is awesome!
Oops! ‘whole our grey’ should be ‘owning our grey’! 🙂
Well this looks amazing for those of us either not yet experiencing grey hair or determined to cover it. But what about the (hugely growing!) number of us whole our grey? It seems more porous than pigmented hair, and is thus prone to yellowing (and, sometimes, even slight greening). Whilst certainly not everyone’s choice, grey hair can very much can be – once your eye adjusts 😉 – gorgeous in its own right.
Cheers,
Ashley
i see women getting their natural color “dyed” silver in the salon i go to… You are right on trend, naturally:)