FitWell Portal: Natural Hair coloring

You can make natural hair dye out of herbs and plants.

Chemical hair dyes are damaging to the hair and bad for your health. Natural hair dyes can be used as an alternative to chemical dyes. These natural dyes can be made in your own home. They will not lighten hair because they do not contain chemicals that strip the color out of the hair. They will only darken hair. These natural hair dyes work by coating the hair strands with color and staining the hair.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You'll Need

Henna Sage Rosemary Saffron Walnut shells Kool-Aid Gloves

Steps

Step One

Color your hair with natural henna. Henna hair color is made from the dried ground up leaves of the Lawsonia inermis plant. It works by coating the strands of hair color. The color gradually fades over a six-month period, but some people have reported the color to be permanent. Henna can be used to dye your hair shades of blonde, brown, red and black. It can only darken your hair, so choose a shade that is darker than your natural hair color. Make sure to only buy natural henna products. Read the ingredients on the package to make sure that the product does not contain any harmful chemicals. Henna should not be used on hair that has recently been chemically dyed or permed and hair should not be dyed or permed after the use of henna. The chemicals can react with the henna and cause an undesirable color reaction.

To make the henna dye: Add the package of henna powder with enough boiling water to make a paste the consistency of thick pudding. Add water slowly, a little at a time to get the right consistency. Allow the mixture to cool before putting it on your hair. When the mixture is cool, coat your hair, cover your hair with a plastic bag and leave the mixture on for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Instead of water, you can mix the henna with coffee to add a darker tone to your hair. You can also add essential oils to the mixture to add a nice smell.

Step Two

Rinse your hair with herbs. Use rosemary and sage to darken hair to a brown shade. Use saffron to add a golden red tone to hair. To make an herb hair rinse, steep a handful of the fresh herbs or three spoonfuls of the dried herbs in two cups of hot water for 10 minutes. The more herbs you use in the water, the stronger the hair rinse will be. Strain the mixture and pour it into your hair. Let the rinse sit in your hair until you hair fully dries, then wash your hair. This rinse can be repeated as often as desired for subtle hair darkening results.

Step Three

Darken your hair with coffee. To darken your hair with coffee, make a regular pot of coffee and let it cool. Pour the cooled coffee in your hair and let it sit until your hair dries, then wash it out. Use the coffee rinse as often as desired to darken your hair. Coffee temporarily stains hair and gives it a darker color. The lighter your natural hair color, the more the coffee will stain the hair. Coffee rinses can permanently stain blonde hair.

Step Four

Make your own natural hair dye with walnut shells. Walnut shells dye hair a dark brown. The results are permanent on some people. Other people will experience a gradual fading. To make a walnut husk hair dye. Remove the nuts from the walnut shells. Crush the shells into small pieces. Put the crushed walnut shells in a pot and add just enough water to cover them. Simmer the mixture for 30 minutes. Strain the cooled mixture through a cheese cloth. Wear gloves when working with the dye because it will stain skin. The dye will also stain clothing and some counter tops. To use the dye, apply it to the hair and let it sit for 45 minutes before rinsing out.

Step Five

Dye hair a funky color with Kook-Aid. Note: Kool-Aid is not a natural hair dye because it contains food coloring. Apply Kool-Aid to the hair, allowing it to sit for up to one hour before washing out. Use any color Kook-Aid that you desire. The red Kool-Aid mixes work well. The lighter your natural hair color is, the more dramatic the results. Kool-Aid can permanently stain blonde hair. Note: Kool-Aid is not approved for use as a hair dye and may cause skin reactions. Use at your own risk.

Cut a small chunk of hair from your head from an unnoticeable spot and test the dye on that hair swatch before using it all over your head. This way you can see if you will like the results, before you have dyed your whole head of hair.
Kool-Aid contains food coloring. Pregnant women and people who are sensitive to dyes should avoid using Kool-Aid as a hair dye. In addition, Kook-Aid is not approved as a hair dye and has not been tested for safety as a dye. Use at your own risk.