RahHair dye without synthetic ingredients and unnecessary chemicals is becoming increasingly popular. It is even possible to dye gray hair with organic herbal hair dyes. Depending on your hair quality and color, some smart tricks may be needed to achieve a good result.
In this post, we answer the most common questions about dyeing your hair naturally.
Contents:
- Why should I dye my hair with organic hair dye?
- Dye your hair as often as you like
- Why is white or gray hair more difficult to dye with organic hair dye?
- How do I dye gray hair with organic hair dyes?
- What should I consider when choosing a hair color?
- How long does the color last?
- Things to consider when dyeing your hair with organic hair dyes
- Frequently asked questions about herbal hair dyes
Why should I dye my hair with organic hair dye?
As age takes its toll, it is not only gray strands that begin to appear. The hair follicles shrink, hair grows more slowly, and hair growth decreases (hair loss).
Some people also develop thinner hair strands and poorer hair quality. Therefore, it is especially important not to dye your hair with chemicals that damage the hair and irritate the scalp.
Natural and organic hair dyes:
- is made from herbs and is plant-based.
- contains no chemicals that damage or irritate the hair and scalp.
- coats the hair strands with a protective film.
- strengthens the hair and adds shine.
- is biodegradable and does not harm our environment.
Dye your hair as often as you like
Since organic hair dyes do not change the hair’s natural pigmentation, they do not damage the hair. You can therefore dye your hair as often as you like. Your hair will only become stronger and shinier.
Think of each dyeing session as a hair treatment! You just have to take the plunge and give it a try. Always do a test strand first (for example, at the nape of the neck).
Why is white or gray hair more difficult to dye with organic hair dye?
The plant pigments in organic hair dyes coat the hair strands by binding to the hair’s natural pigments.
Since gray hair has little pigment and white hair has no pigment at all, plant pigments adhere poorly or not at all.
How do I dye gray hair with organic hair dyes?
Generally, plant pigments adhere poorly to hair with little pigment, except for red henna, which is an exception. The red color pigment is small and can also adhere well to white hair.
This gives us the advantage of being able to add pigment to hair that is low in pigment. This makes it possible to apply another color over the red pigments if you want a color other than red.
Single-step coloring
There are a few lucky people with gray (not white) hair who achieve a really nice result without coloring their hair in two steps. Usually, those with fine strands and hair that is not too smooth are the ones who get good results with a single application. This can range from blondes to brunettes.
Feel free to give it a try if you think you belong to this minority. Darker hair with white strands is virtually impossible to achieve a good result with using only one application. In that case, two-step coloring is essential.
Two-step coloring with blonde herbal hair dye
Two-step coloring with blonde herbal hair dye is for you if you:
- have light hair and want to dye it a blonde or light brown shade
Step 1: Blonde herbal hair dye
Since you want a light end result, 100% red henna would be far too red and dark for you to use as an intermediate step. The intense red color will show through your light hair color, which is not always desirable.
You should therefore first add red plant pigments with a blonde shade. Yes, really!
Blonde dyes contain varying amounts of red (double-check the ingredient list for Lawsonia Inermis). The result will not be intensely colored; instead, the gray strands will receive a little extra pigment, just enough for the color in step 2 to adhere.
Step 2: Blonde to light brown herbal hair dye
You can apply your second and final herbal hair dye directly after rinsing out the color from step 1, or the following day. The longer you leave the color on, the better it covers the color from step 1.
Two-step coloring with red herbal hair dye
Two-step coloring with red hair dye or 100% red henna is for you if you:
- want to dye your hair a brown or dark shade.
Step 1: Red herbal hair dye
Choose a hair dye containing a high percentage of henna 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. This gives the hair plenty of extra pigment that adheres properly, which is needed for step 2.
Brown and dark shades usually contain a lot of blue. Blue color pigments are large (compared with, for example, red pigments) and therefore need more highly pigmented hair to adhere properly.
The advantage of red henna is that it is permanent. Even if the color fades somewhat over time, there is enough pigmentation that the next time you only need to dye the roots, which saves both time and money.
Step 2: Brown to dark herbal hair dye
You perform the final step with your dark herbal hair dye in the same way as step 1, but using a brown herbal hair dye. Dye your hair immediately after the red color or the following day.
What should I consider when choosing a hair color?
There are five important things to keep in mind when choosing a color:
- It is not possible to achieve a lighter hair color than your own because organic hair dyes do not contain bleaching agents. However, you can create the illusion of lighter hair. For example, dark brown hair can gain lighter highlights from a reddish-brown color mixture.
- It is possible to achieve the same or a darker color than your natural hair color.
- If you choose a hair dye that is much darker than your own, a two-step dyeing process is required regardless of whether you have gray hair. If, against expectations, you dye your hair directly with a dark color, you will very likely get greenish-blue discoloration in your hair. This also applies to people with naturally cool hair colors without any red tones, such as ash blonde.
- Red henna provides a permanent color result. Herbal hair dyes containing red usually last longer. Plant dyes without red henna wash out faster. Red henna is listed as Lawsonia Inermis in the ingredients list.
- The powder dyes are fresh products that produce more intense results compared with 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 provides a permanent result.
Hair dyes containing 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 semi-permanent dye. The color result then lasts for approximately 4 weeks before being completely washed out.
Things to consider when dyeing your hair with organic hair dyes
Organic hair dyes, or herbal hair dyes, differ from chemical-based hair dyes. For beginners, there are a few things that may be useful to know.
Preparation
- Clean hair – Your hair does not need to be freshly washed. What matters is that it is free from styling products, dirt, grease, 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 using herbal hair dye if you have recently dyed or chemically treated your hair.
- Dry/damp hair – You can dye both dry and damp (freshly washed) hair.
- Metal – Herbal hair dye can react with metal. Therefore, do not mix your herbal hair dye in a metal bowl or with a metal fork. Also, do not use metal hair clips when dyeing your hair.
- Dry skin – If you have dry skin, it is a good idea to apply an oil or richer cream to your face. If your skin is stained anyway, it can easily be removed with oil or soap and water.
- Test first – Always do a strand test! Although herbal hair dyes are free from allergenic chemicals, you may still react to natural plants. A strand test also serves as a check, allowing you to see the result and determine how long the dye needs to process.
Coloring
- Green plant dye – Regardless of which shade you choose, the dye paste will be green, as it consists of finely ground plants.
- Color systematically – color in sections, section by section.
- White/gray hair – requires extra herbal hair dye paste. The white or gray strands must be completely covered with the dye mixture (no gray strands should stick out).
- Color brush – forget backcombing brushes and other substitutes. Invest in an herbal hair dye brush, so you can easily color section by section. It also makes it easy to apply an even, precise amount of dye mixture that covers the strands. The brush can make a big difference and save you a lot of time. It will last for many years.
- Processing time – A longer processing time makes your color last longer and can also produce a more intense/darker result (compared with a shorter processing time). Leave the dye on for 2 hours or longer for maximum color intensity.
After coloring
- Shampoo – do not shampoo for 24 hours to give the color a chance to set properly. This will make the color result intense and long-lasting. This applies especially if you are dyeing hair with low pigment content. Organic conditioner without soap ingredients is fine.
- Oxidation – the color result can oxidize and become darker. 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. Seal the bag with a bread clip and store it in a cool, dark place; it will keep for several months.
- Bleaching your hair – bleaching your hair after using an herbal hair dye is a bad idea. The hair will often become discolored, especially if the hairdresser is not familiar with plant dyes. It is therefore important to always do a strand test to avoid surprises.
Frequently asked questions about herbal hair dyes
Here we have compiled common questions and answers about herbal hair dyes. Is there a question you cannot find the answer to? Feel free to comment on this post and we will answer your question.
Why am I not getting any color result?
The reasons may be many, such as:
- your hair was not clean of dirt, oils, styling products, various leave-in products, or chemical residues.
- you left the hair dye on for too short a time.
- the color mixture was too diluted and runny (too much water).
- the color mixture was too dry (too little water), crumbly, and difficult to apply.
- you applied too little hair color to your hair.
- you have chosen a color that is lighter than or too close to your own hair color.
- you have too much pigment-poor hair (gray, white, or cool-toned hair that has no red in it at all). You need to color your hair in two steps or mix a little red into your color mixture.
What should 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 will give you a lighter or more muted color result.
Wash out the color with shampoo once or repeatedly immediately after coloring. The longer you wait before shampooing, the more difficult it will be to wash out the color.
Why didn't the color result turn out like the picture on the packaging?
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 in color (as most people do), the colored hair will have variations in color too.
In addition, some hair types absorb red pigments more easily and have more difficulty absorbing blue pigments. The same hair color can therefore produce different results on different hair.
Therefore, always do a test strand to avoid an unwanted result. If the result is not quite what you wanted, you can dye your hair again with a different color or mix your powder color with another shade.
Why does my hair become redder with each coloring?
Most herbal hair colors contain more or less red. Some of the red pigments probably remain and become more pronounced during the next coloring. Instead, dye your hair with a less red color (if you have a blonde shade, choose a lighter blonde).
Can I mix herbal hair colors?
The great advantage of herbal hair color in powder form is that you can mix them to create a custom color. Mix the powders first, before adding water.
Why don't I get any color result in the first step of a two-step coloring process??
Try increasing the development time, or leave it on for the maximum time. If that doesn't help, you simply need more red color pigments in your initial coloring in step 1.
- Try adding one tablespoon of red henna during the initial coloring with a blonde shade.
- If you colored step 1 with a reddish-brown hair color, you should instead dye your hair with 100% pure henna.
Are you wondering about anything else regarding dyeing your hair with herbal hair color, or do you have any good tips to share with the rest of us?
Feel free to leave a comment!
