Khadi's Ayurvedic hair dyes are manufactured in India using traditional methods with recipes from the past. They operate according to Fair Trade principles, employ local people, and child labor is absolutely excluded. The hair dyes are BDIH certified (certified natural cosmetics), 100% herb-based, vegan-friendly, and chemical-free. In addition to herb-based hair dyes, Khadi also develops high-quality products for hair and body whose unique properties are based on traditional formulas of hand-picked herbs and highly concentrated plant extracts.
Having trouble covering white/gray hair?
The problem with herbal hair dyes is that they often don't cover coarse white and gray strands well.
On my chalk-white and thick strands, dark brown shades don't cover at all, and black isn't even recommended for gray hair—it simply doesn't work.
I can dye the white strands with pure red shades or mix 10-30% dark brown into a red shade.
I've also tried applying a dark brown Logona or Radico dark brown on top, but it didn't take.
Khadi became the solution to the problem.
Now we can all color our gray hair.
Let me take you through this amazing journey!
Consistency
Khadi provides clear instructions on water temperature when mixing the color powder. Note that different shades require different temperatures. Dark brown should be mixed with water at 50 degrees Celsius. They seem to know what they're doing. Khadi's hair dyes are permanent and will stain both floors and skin. They therefore recommend using rich cream/oil around the hairline and ears, placing newspapers on the floor, and wearing old clothes. But I could have skipped all the newspapers, as the dye neither crumbled nor splattered. Still, I might as well protect the floor anyway in case I make a mess when least expecting it. Khadi's hair dye is very creamy and almost feels like a cream hair dye.
Coverage
The dye I tested is Khadi Dark Brown and it doesn't go as far as Radico hair dye. One package is enough for shoulder-length hair.
If you have thick or abundant hair, it's safer to get an extra package, so buy two.
How to get good results on white/gray hair with herbal hair dye
Khadi recommends a 2-step coloring process for gray to medium blonde/medium brown hair if you want dark brown, black, or indigo as the final result.
For an intense and full coverage result, you should first color with bright red using either Henna, Amla, or Jatropha, and then color with a dark shade on top.
Color the roots
Slightly less than half a package of hair dye is needed for the roots. I had Sante Natural Red at home, so I colored my roots with it and let it process for 1.5 hours.
2. Color all of your hair
Since it got so late, I continued coloring the next evening with Khadi dark brown. I let it process for 2 hours and only used the included cap (no towel on top). Something I noticed was that it felt really nice on my scalp. The other hair dyes are also pleasant and soothing, but Khadi felt extra nice. Perhaps it's the neem herb that makes the difference. Khadi's creamy hair dye is easy to rinse out, which is appreciated when coloring late in the evening.Khadi recommends not washing with shampoo immediately after coloring, but waiting at least 24 hours. I only rinsed with water, no conditioner. I had mixed a bit too little dye, so it was sparse in some areas, but look at the result!
3. Check out the result
It worked! Next time I need to color with the red shades that Khadi recommends in their 2-step coloring process and black. As a bonus, my hair gained strength and shine!
1. Hair before coloring (dry hair)
My hair before coloring. White roots and a bit of old reddish-brown color remaining.
2. Results after the first step
After 1.5 hours with Sante Natural Red. In bathroom lighting it looks almost brown, but in reality and especially in daylight, the hair is very red.
3. Results after the second step (wet hair)
After 2 hours with Khadi Dark Brown, wet hair.
4. Final result (dry hair)
After 2 hours with Khadi Dark Brown, dry hair. The thin "baby hairs" in the front became really dark brown and the coarse white strands turned brown. The red is not visible at all.
Rating of Khadi's herbal hair dye
Pros:
complete coverage on white hair with 2-step coloring using red as a base.
creamy and doesn't crumble.
extra pleasant on the scalp.
easiest to rinse out compared to other herbal hair dyes.
gives extra healthy and shiny hair.
Cons:
– of all the herbal hair dyes in the shop, Khadi feels the least economical.
Tips:
Some people consider it a drawback that Khadi doesn't offer many shades to choose from, but I don't see this as a problem since you can easily mix a unique color with the base colors available. So mix away!
Is there a big difference between Khadi's and Radico's herbal hair dyes?
Khadi's hair dyes consist of herbs, just like Radico's hair dyes. They are similar in content but not identical. Here you can see examples of the difference in ingredients (INCI) between two dark brown shades:
Khadi Dark Brown: Indigofera Tinctoria (Indigo) – Lawsonia Inermis (Henna) – Emblica Officinalis (Amla) – Eclipta Alba (Bhringaraj) – Azadirachta Indica (Neem).
Radico Dark Brown: Lawsonia Inermis (Henna), Emblica Officinalis (Amla), Eclipta Alba (Bhringraj), Indigofera Tinctoria (Indigo), Trignoella Foenum-graecum (Methi), Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis(Hibsicus), Coffea Arabica (Coffee), Rubia Cordifolia (Manjistha).
