Commercial Hair Dyes are mostly VERY bad for the health. This is because the harmful chemicals which are in them get absorbed through the pores of your skin. After entering through the pores of the skin, they enter the blood-stream, and find their way to the liver and other parts of the body. The liver stores nutritive elements for the body to use, but it also stores harmful chemicals as well, which is why using cosmetics on your skin, using herbicides, pesticides, and other chemicals, should be avoided. Chemicals stored in the liver can cause cancer, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and other diseases.
It is best to avoid using those harmful commercial hair dyes, and use natural herbal hair dyes instead. These don’t have the same vibrant colours which commercial hair dyes have, but they are still effective for either darkening or lightening the hair.
Powdered henna is a popular herbal dye and conditioner which is used for dying the hair, as well as the fingernails. This can be bought at many health food shops, and at shops which stock Indian spices. Henna herb usually produces a bright red colour, which can give wonderful red highlights to dark hair. If your hair is going grey, though, then henna powder does not work so well on the hair as a dye.
Here are a few suggestions for dying the hair with some other, easily procured, natural herbal hair dyes which you might like to experiment with.
Natural Herbal Red Hair Dye With Privet Leaves and Guavas.
Boil up two cups of privet leaves and two cups of red guavas in just enough water to cover. Simmer for twenty minutes. Let the mixture cool, then strain, add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Use the mixture to rinse the hair with. This colour will become more intense if the rinse is applied once daily for three days. This rinse could make your hair dry, so be mindful of that if your hair is already dry. A few drops of almond oil could be massaged into the scalp and hair after the dye has dried.
Other vegetable and herbal material which can be used to make a red dye for the hair are: chopped raspberry leaves, chopped raddish leaves or radishes, chopped beetroot leaves or beetroot, and cranberries. You would use 2 cups of your chosen vegetable or fruit, to 2 cups of privet leaves, just the same as the recipe above. Myrtle leaves can be used instead of privet leaves, in which case you would use 2 cups of myrtle leaves to, say, one cup of chopped beetroot and one cup of chopped radish leaves.
Natural Herbal Hair Dye With Brown Colouring:
Strong Sage Tea for brown colour: Simmer one cup of chopped sage leaves in two cups of water for 10 minutes. Let cool, add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and use as a hair rinse.
Strong black tea can be added to the sage tea for added effect.
Walnut Herbal Dye for dark brown colour: Pick 20 green walnuts which still have their outer husks on. Put into a bowl. Chop one cupful of walnut leaves and add to the bowl. Sprinkle over one rounded tablespoon of sea salt. Pour over just enough boiling water so that the walnut leaves and green nuts are covered. Leave overnight. Use the next day as a rinse. This rinse will darken the hair the more often you use it, so it could be applied several days running. Again, this herbal mixture is quite drying: It might not be suitable for all hair types. You could try massaging a little almond oil into the scalp after the dye has dried.
Alternatively, 2 cups of walnut leaves could be chopped and simmered in enough water to cover, for 20 minutes. Let cool, strain, and add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
Other herbal material which produces a dark dye for the hair: rosemary leaves, stalks and flowers, globe artichoke leaves, marjoram leaves, and elderberries and elderberry leaves. Select two cups of the herb, chop up, cover with boiling water, and simmer for 10 minutes. Leave overnight to infuse. Strain and use in the same way as for the other herbal rinses, massaging into the scalp and hair for three days in a row.
Herbs To Lighten The Hair: Simmer for 10 minutes 2 cups of chamomile flowers, or privet or myrtle flowers, in just enough water to cover. Leave to cool, then add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Use as a rinse for the hair.
Rhubarb Root To Lighten The Hair: Boil one cup of rhubarb root in two cups of water for 20 minutes. Let cool, then add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Use as a rinse on the hair.
Hollyhock Flowers To Lighten The Hair: Use 2 cups of hollyhock flowers and 2 cups of water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to cool, then add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and use as a rinse for the hair to help lighten it.
Use Honeysuckle To Lighten The Hair: Use 2 cups of flowers, stalks and leaves from the honeysuckle plant. Simmer in 4 cups of water for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and use as a hair rinse. More effect is noted if it is used over a period of several days.