How many times have you thought about changing the color of your hair, but you’ve been scared because of the damage that hair dye sometimes causes? It’s the kind of dilemma that most of us have been through at one time or another in our lives.
Typically, hair dye damage happens due to one of three things—the dye that’s used has ammonia in it (which can really dry hair out”>, hair is not consistently deep-conditioned after the dye is applied or hair is colored too often, stripping it down to its literal core—well, cortex.
Does this mean you should skip out on changing the color of your hair? If you want to drastically alter your hair color, go with an ammonia-free dye, get a professional to do it and treat your hair like high-maintenance fine silk in between retouches.
However, if you’re not currently looking for anything too extreme—you just want to intensify the color you already have or add some highlights—there are some natural ways to dye your hair at home; these ways won’t only amplify the hue you want but are actually really good for your hair too!
Coffee Beans
Are you a brunette who wants to add more color depth and sheen to your hair? One of the best ways to do that is to add some coffee beans to your tresses. Not only will the caffeine in coffee stimulate your hair follicles and speed up your hair growth, the coffee itself can also heighten the hue of your hair while covering up greys in the process.
Using coffee to color your hair is easy. Simply get some organic ground coffee beans and pour around a half cup into your favorite conditioner. Apply the combo to your hair, let it sit for 20 minutes, and then rinse it out. You should notice a deeper, darker tone to your hair, almost immediately.
Lemon Juice
If you want to gradually lighten your hair without the harshness of the ammonia that’s in commercial dyes, lemon juice is a good alternative. Because the properties in lemon juice are photosensitive, this is a cool thing to try during the summer season when the sun is at its peak.
Putting one cup of freshly-squeezed lemon juice and ¼ cup of distilled water into a spray bottle and spraying on your hair a couple of times a week is one way to gradually lighten your locks. Or, if you want to keep your hair extra-soft while lightening it, add a tablespoon of almond oil and a teaspoon of ground cinnamon into the bottle. It will still lighten your hair (although it might take just a bit longer”> while keeping it moisturized, too.
Herbal Tea
Herbal teas are also a wonderful route to go. If you have dark hair, black tea contains properties that will stimulate hair growth while darkening your tresses. If you have blond hair, chamomile can remove dandruff, provide lots of shine and also give naturally glowing highlights. If you’re a redhead, take your hair to new heights thanks to the zinc, copper, calcium, and potassium that’s in crimson-colored Rooibos tea; it’s the kind of tea that will brighten your red hair and deep condition it too.
For all of these teas, all you need to do is put four tea bags (based on the color results that you want”> into two cups of boiling water. Let it steep for an hour or so. Then add ½ cup of conditioner to the tea, apply it to your hair and leave it on for an hour (or overnight for even more intense results”>. Your hair will look beautiful and feel amazing.
Carrots and Beets
Carrots and beets are both loaded with antioxidants. Your hair needs those in order to fight off free radicals so that it can stay nice and strong. Using the combination of carrots and beets is another great solution if you want to intensify your already red-colored hair or add some soft red highlights to another hue.
This is another natural dye that provides quick results. Mix ½ cup of pure carrot juice and ½ cup of fresh beet juice together. After shampooing your hair, apply the solution on your hair and cover it up with a plastic bag. Either sit out in direct sunlight for an hour or under a dryer (this will accelerate the process”>. Then rinse, condition, rinse again, and style as usual. Your hair will definitely appear redder in color.
Walnuts
When it comes to the overall condition of your hair, walnuts contain plenty of potassium and omega-fatty acids. You need both of these to keep your hair healthy and strong. But if you have brown hair and you want it to appear even darker, walnut shell powder will do it.
Making this is simple. All you need to do is put five tablespoons of shell powder into three cups of boiling water; let it boil for about 15 minutes. Let the powder steep for 3-4 hours. Apply the solution to freshly-washed hair, let it sit for 20 minutes and thoroughly rinse the solution out.
Molasses
What if all you want to do is cover up those random strands of grey that seem to be popping up more and more? The remedy is probably the last thing you would’ve ever considered before, but it’s bBlackstrap Mmolasses to the rescue!
What makes molasses a reliable remedy? A lot of us grey prematurely due to the lack of copper that’s in our system. Blackstrap mMolasses contain approximately 14 percent of the recommended daily allowance. If you make a hair mask that consists of ¼ cup of plain yogurt, two teaspoons of molasses, one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and two drops of rosemary oil and apply it as a deep -conditioner for 30 minutes, it will start to gently cover the grey. (You may need to do this 2-3 times to notice a major difference.”>
As you can see, there are ways to dye your hair that are both affordable and convenient. Give these a try. You may realize that the hair color solution you were looking for was in your kitchen the entire time!
