Hair color without synthetic ingredients and unnecessary chemicals is becoming more and more popular. It is even possible to dye gray hair with organic herbal hair colors. Depending on your hair quality and color, some clever tricks may be needed to get a good result.
In this post, we answer the most common questions about dyeing hair naturally.
Contents:
- Why should I dye with organic hair color?
- Dye as often as you want
- Why is white or gray hair harder to dye with organic hair color?
- How do I dye gray hair with organic hair colors?
- What should I consider when choosing hair color?
- How long does the color last?
- Things to consider when dyeing with organic hair dyes
- Common questions about herbal hair dyes
Why should I dye with organic hair color?
As age takes its toll, it’s not just gray hairs that appear. Hair follicles shrink, hair grows more slowly, and hair growth decreases (hair loss).
Some also experience thinner hair strands and poorer hair quality. That’s why it’s especially important not to dye hair with chemicals that damage hair and irritate the scalp.
Natural and organic hair colors:
- is made of herbs and is plant-based.
- contains no chemicals that damage or irritate hair and scalp.
- coats the hair strands like a protective layer.
- strengthens the hair and adds shine.
- is biodegradable and does not harm our environment.
Dye as often as you want
Because organic hair colors do not alter the hair's natural pigmentation, they do not damage the hair. You can dye your hair as often as you want. The hair just becomes stronger and shinier.
Think of each dyeing as a hair treatment! You have to dare to take the step and try. Always do a test strand first (for example, at the nape).
Why is white or gray hair harder to dye with organic hair color?
The plant pigments in organic hair colors coat the hair strands by binding to the hair's natural pigment.
Since gray hair has little pigment and white hair has none at all, plant pigments adhere poorly or not at all.
How do I dye gray hair with organic hair colors?
In general, plant pigments adhere poorly to pigment-poor hair, except for red henna which is an exception. The red pigment is small and can also adhere well to white hair.
This gives us the advantage of being able to add pigment to pigment-poor hair. In this way, it is possible to apply another color on top of the red pigments if you want a color other than red.
Single coloring
There are a few lucky souls with gray (not white) hair who get a great result without coloring their hair in two steps. Usually, these are people with fine hair strands and not too smooth hair who succeed with just one coloring. This can be anyone from blondes to brunettes.
Feel free to try if you think you belong to this minority. Darker hair with white is almost impossible to get a good result with just one coloring. Then two-step coloring is a must.
Two-step coloring with blonde herbal hair color
Two-step coloring with blonde herbal hair color is for you who:
- have light hair and want to color to a blonde or light brown shade
Step 1: Blonde herbal hair color
Since you want a light final result, 100% red henna is far too red and dark for you to use as an intermediate step. The intense red color will shine through your light hair color, which is not always desirable.
You should therefore first add red plant pigments with a blonde shade. Yep!
Blonde colors contain more or less red (double-check the ingredient list for Lawsonia Inermis). It does not give an intense color result but the gray hairs get a little extra pigment, just enough for the color in step 2 to take hold.
Step 2: Blonde to light brown herbal hair color
You can color with your second and final herbal hair color immediately after rinsing out the color in step 1 or the next day. The longer you leave the color on, the better the coverage of the color from step 1.
Two-step coloring with red herbal hair color
Two-step coloring with red hair color or 100% red henna is for you who:
- want to color to a brown or dark shade.
Step 1: Red herbal hair color
Choose a hair color with a lot or 100% henna (Lawsonia Inermis). This gives the hair (including white strands) an intense red shade.
The more gray or white hair you have, the more red is needed in this step. The hair then gets a lot of extra pigment that sticks well, which is necessary for step 2.
Brown and dark shades usually contain a lot of blue. Blue color pigments are large (compared to, for example, red pigments) and therefore need more pigmented hair to adhere well.
The advantage of red henna is that it is permanent. Even though the color fades somewhat over time, the pigmentation is enough that next time you only need to color the roots, which saves both time and money.
Step 2: Brown to dark herbal hair color
The last step with your dark herbal hair dye is done the same way as step 1 but with a brown herbal hair dye. Dye immediately after the red color or the next day.
What should I consider when choosing hair color?
There are five important things to keep in mind when choosing a color:
- It is not possible to get a lighter hair color than your own since there are no bleaching agents in the organic hair dyes. However, it is possible to create the illusion of lighter hair. For example, dark brown hair can get lighter highlights from a brown-red color mix.
- It is possible to get the same or darker color than your own natural hair color.
- If you choose a hair color that is much darker than your own, a 2-step dyeing process is required whether you have gray hair or not. If you were to dye directly with a dark color, you will very likely get greenish-blue discolorations in your hair. This also applies to those with naturally cool hair colors without red in them, such as ash blonde.
- Red henna gives a permanent color result. Herbal hair dyes with red tend to last longer. Plant dyes without red henna wash out faster. The red henna is called Lawsonia Inermis in the ingredient list.
- The powder dyes are a fresh product that gives more intense results compared to the ready-mixed cream dyes in tubes.
How long does the color last?
Warm and red herbal hair dyes last longer, as red adheres more easily to the hair strands. Red henna gives a permanent result.
Hair dyes with some red henna range from semi-permanent to non-permanent.
It simply depends on how red the color is. When an herbal hair dye is not permanent, the color lasts as long as a toner. Then the color result lasts about 4 weeks before washing out completely.
Things to consider when dyeing with organic hair dyes
Organic hair dyes or herbal hair dyes differ from chemical-based hair dyes. For beginners, there are some things that can be good to know.
Preparations
- Clean hair – The hair does not need to be freshly washed. The important thing is that it is free from styling products, dirt, oil, etc. Otherwise, the herbal hair dye may have difficulty adhering to the hair. Herbal hair dyes also adhere poorly to chemically treated hair. Ideally, wait 2 months before dyeing with herbal hair dye if you have recently dyed or chemically treated your hair.
- Dry/damp hair – It works just as well to dye dry hair as damp (freshly washed) hair.
- Metals – Herbal hair dye can react with metals. Therefore, do not mix your herbal hair dye in a bowl or with a fork made of metal. Also, do not use metal hair clips when dyeing your hair.
- Dry skin – If you have dry skin, it’s a good idea to moisturize your face with an oil or richer cream. If the skin still gets stained, it can easily be removed with oil or soap and water.
- Test first – Always do a strand test! Even though herbal hair dyes are free from allergenic chemicals, you can still react to natural plants. A strand test also works as a check where you can see the result and know how long processing time you need.
Dyeing
- Green plant dye – Regardless of which shade you choose, the color paste will be green, as it consists of finely ground plants.
- Dye systematically – dye in sections, part by part.
- White/gray hair – requires extra herbal hair dye paste. The white or gray strands should be completely covered with the color mixture (no gray strands should show).
- Color brush – forget back brushes and other substitutes. Invest in an herbal hair dye brush, so you can easily dye section by section. It also makes it easy to apply an even and perfect amount of color mixture that covers the strands. The brush can make a big difference and save a lot of time. It will last for many years.
- Processing time – Longer processing time makes your color last longer and can also give a more intense/darker result (compared to shorter processing time). Leave the color on for 2 hours or longer for maximum color result.
After dyeing
- Shampoo – do not shampoo for 24 hours so the color has a chance to set properly. This will make the color result intense and long-lasting. This is especially important if you are dyeing pigment-poor hair. Organic conditioner without soap agents is fine.
- Oxidation – the color result can oxidize and darken. Therefore, wait 24 hours before deciding to dye your hair darker.
- Leftover dye – the mixed paste cannot be saved, but you can save the powder itself. Clip the bag with a bread clip, store it cool and dark, and it will last for several months.
- Bleaching hair – bleaching hair after an herbal hair dye is a bad idea. Usually, the hair gets discolorations (especially if the hairdresser is not familiar with plant-based dyes). That’s why it’s important to always do a strand test to avoid surprises.
Common questions about herbal hair dyes
Here we have gathered common questions and answers about herbal hair dyes. Missing a question? Feel free to comment on this post and we will answer your question.
Why am I not getting any color result?
There can be many reasons such as:
- your hair was not clean from dirt, oils, styling products, various leave-in products, chemical residues.
- you let the hair dye process for too short a time.
- The color mix was too diluted and runny (too much water).
- The color mix was too dry (too little water), crumbly, and hard to apply.
- You applied too little hair color to your hair.
- You chose a color that is lighter than or too close to your own hair color.
- You have too much pigment-poor hair (gray, white hair, or cool hair color that has no red in it). You need to dye your hair in two steps or add some red to your color mix.
What do I do if it turned out too dark?
You can shampoo your hair if the color result is too dark or not at all what you expected. This way, you get a weaker or more muted color result.
Wash out the color with shampoo once or several times immediately after dyeing. The longer you wait to shampoo, the harder it is to wash out the color.
Why didn’t the color result look like the picture on the package?
Because natural herbal hair color sits on top of your own hair, the result is individual and completely unique. If your natural hair has variations (which most do), there will be color variations in the dyed hair as well.
Also, some hair types absorb red pigments more easily and blue pigments less easily. The same hair color can therefore give different results on different hair.
Always do a strand test to avoid unwanted results. If the result wasn’t quite what you wanted, you can dye again with a different color or mix your powder color with another shade.
Why does my hair get redder with each dyeing?
Most herbal hair colors contain more or less red. Some of the red pigments probably remain and are enhanced with the next dyeing. Instead, dye with a less red color (if you have a blonde shade, choose a lighter blonde).
Can I mix the herbal hair colors?
The big advantage of herbal hair color in powder form is that you can mix them for a custom color. Mix the powder colors first before adding water.
Why don’t I get any color result in the first step of a 2-step dyeing??
Try increasing or maximizing the processing time. If that doesn’t help, you simply need more red color pigments in your first dyeing in step 1.
- Try adding a tablespoon of red henna during the first dyeing with a blonde shade.
- If you dyed step 1 with a reddish-brown hair color, you should instead dye with 100% pure henna.
Are you wondering about anything else regarding dyeing your hair with herbal hair color, or do you have great tips to share with the rest of us?
Please feel free to leave a comment!
