a) being stuck mostly at home with hardly anyone seeing me;
b) the fact that even though I think it’s now allowed in Illinois again, my asthmatic self doesn’t plan to go to a hairdresser for a really long time; and
c) my general tendency over time to reduce the amount of nasty lab-created crap that I ingest or apply to my body
to experiment with natural DIY hair color. My original color is dark brown (with maybe a bit of reddish highlights in the summer if I am outside a lot), but at this point I am probably about 60% gray (thanks, Dad!).
I tried various colors of Lush henna, which worked OK, but didn’t really cover the gray completely (and the Noir is definitely not black). My hair is pretty resistant, so I realize it may take multiple applications, but after I think 4 rounds, it was getting ridiculous.
So then I went to straight henna powder mixed with black tea and lemon juice, which gave me a pretty insane orange (which toned down a bit after a couple of days, but not a whole lot). I followed it with a mix of about 3/4 indigo and 1/4 henna, with a teaspoon of salt, which I let sit for about 4 hours. It toned down the worst of the orange, but still isn’t as dark as my actual hair color, and has more orange to it than I would like. All in all, better results than the Lush (and a hell of a lot cheaper!), but not quite what I am going for.
So I am also seeing suggestions to use strong dark coffee, beet juice, sage tea, rosemary, mustard oil, and all sorts of other natural DIY things to darken hair and cover gray. Is anyone here knowledgeable in these matters, or am I stuck with more trial and error? I wouldn’t mind some red tones if they were more burgundy than orange. We do have a giant sage plant in the yard, so maybe I will try that next…
Grape koolaide will give you dark purple. Doesn’t last long. But it smells good. YMMV
The lil’wrekker does cosplay. Her main character was Harley Quinn. She would dip her ponytails in blue raspberry and cherry koolaide . Worked really well.
I am not aware of any natural product that does what you are asking. A lot of so called Natural Henna sold contains additives (like Lead acetate) which the FDA has tried banning - see here https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-products/hair-dyes
Back in India where I grew up, there were Henna trees/shrubs around. The girls would take the leaves, grind it up and put temporary tattoo art with them. It never came out to be as dark as the stuff sold in the stores.
So if I were to pick, I would pick a Revlon or Clairol or a mainstream brand of hair color that is extensively tested by FDA . I would not pick some obscure brand that calls itself “natural” or “organic” with no lab testing to back it up.
I am hoping for experiences with natural-ingredient hair dyes, with Kool-Aid most certainly is not. I am giving a try with a black tea and sage mixture now, as I had both of those things around anyway.
I used straight henna powder mixed with straight indigo powder, and mixed them myself, not prefab hair dye from a box. I don’t mind puttering around in the kitchen - I have nothing but time to experiment right now! If it takes a few tries to get where I’m going, that’s OK.
Eva_Luna : My suspicion is that a lot of straight henna powder is not straight henna powder but has additives in it. As a person of Indian origin, our family members get “straight henna powder” from time to time and going by the colors it produces we have a strong suspicion that it is not straight.
Unless there is a lab test report or FDA certification, I would doubt that it doesn’t have additives.
One unsolicited vote for embracing your silver. I did it 3-4 years ago and I love it. I can promise you that your natural hair color is more flattering than any dye you can put on it. I know the social conditioning is strong and deep, but maybe allow the idea to start percolating. What better time than now!
I tried various combinations of henna and indigo and amla and gradually got closer to matching the existing chemically dyed dark brown, but the roots were still lighter and more red than what I was looking for. So I went for the nuclear option; pure indigo over the henna/indigo/amla for half an hour, and bingo! Finally got what I was looking for. It had a kind of faint greenish cast to it in the front where the hair was the most resistant, but that disappeared when I washed it the next morning (it must have been residual indigo). And the resistant bit darkened over the next day or so, probably a result of the henna developing further. (Those of you who have done henna body art will know that the henna is kind of orange when the paste first comes off the skin, but darkens to brown over the next couple of days.) Next time I might leave the indigo on for a bit less time for a slightly lighter dark brown.
So I totally recommend giving it a try - the author sells the necessary herbs on her website, or there are, of course, innumerable suppliers online and in Middle eastern/South Asian grocery stores (I got the henna from a seller on Etsy because I don’t want to set foot in a store right now). My hair is less dry and frizzy than it’s been in many years, and my scalp doesn’t itch! I am glad to ditch the harsh chemicals.
I used to do the real henna thing. Henna alone makes it red (remember to mix it with orange juice or some mild acid first and lit the mixture sit overnight before applying). Henna then Indigo = brown to black. I did one coat and it turned into a chocolate brown rather than the intended black, which I liked, so I did it.
Not to sound like some kind of marketing asshole, check out the info (and products) at:
They sell the finest in natural hair-care and they are very cautious in making sure that they are selling clean non-adulterated supplies.
Can’t recommend them enough, I’ve used their products for about a decade.
Oh, that was definitely one of the places I went to for info! The layout of their website is kind of a train wreck, though.
I am now wondering how the henna and indigo powders that I can buy at local South Asian grocery stores compare, though - this henna powder is a lot cheaper, for example, and given the store’s customer base, I imagine they are particular about the stuff.
I tried a couple of rounds of a black tea/sage decoction, and it didn’t do a whole lot, but that was what I expected anyway; it’s apparently supposed to build up over time. But I got impatient and did another round of henna once the amla arrived in the mail (about 1/2 henna, 1/4 amla, 1/4 indigo). I did use the rest of the black tea/sage decoction as the liquid when I mixed that round of henna; tea and amla do seem to tone down the orange, but not enough for my taste, at least in those proportions. That was when I decided to try the nuclear indigo option.
I will probably keep playing with the proportions, because it would be nice to have a slightly lighter color, and because it would be nice not to have to add an additional ingredient if I can get the color I want with just henna and indigo. All in all, I’m glad I gave it a try; it’s nice not to have to deal with the reek of chemical dyes. Yes, it’s messy, but I just covered the bathroom in a canvas drop cloth that I had in the house anyway and rinse it out in the stainless steel kitchen sink, and it’s manageable.
Nah, do not ever buy the grocery henna. You may be tempted by the price, and think it may be ok, but it is miles away from the good stuff. It may not waste your money, but it will waste your time. And it might ruin your hair.
