Natural Hair Colouring

[Jax]

This is a new area for me as I've always coloured my hair, most notably was the leopard skin effect mohican and then the purple flat top with bleach shoe shine effect tips :o

I'm much more conservative these days now my red, blonde and black stripes have grown out :D and am only having a very few bleach highlights as apparently blonde colouring has less chemicals. But my hairdresser of course always wants to put more chemicals on my head :rolleyes: so I'm gradually looking at alternatives for the future

I've known about chamomile and lemon washes for blondes (although I'm a mouse colour nowadays :( ) and vinegar for hair to give it shine, and then Henna being more natural as a colourant, which I have never got into although have done on some people back in my hairdressing days. So I thought I'd start a thread here for ideas and hopefully help somebody else out along the way!

[Jax]

Ooops just because I've heard of the lemon juice and vinegar etc, doesn't mean everbody else has :o sorry, so here it is;

Lemon Hair Rinse

Use diluted lemon juice in your final rinse when washing fair hair to increase shine. (1 part lemon juice to 8 parts water).


Vinegar Hair Rinse

Use diluted vinegar in final rinse for dark hair to add shine. (1 part vinegar to 8 parts water).:594:

[Jax]

Aha I've found something to cover grey hair on a forum called Pioneer Thinking, I've never come across this before;

Wash hair with one of the following rinses. Pour the selected rinse through your hair 15 times, re-rinsing with the same liquid. On the final rinse, wring hair, and leave for 15 minutes before rinsing with clear water.

Simmer 1/2 cup dried sage in 2 cups water for 30 min, then steep for several hours. Apply to the hair and leave on until it has dried. Rinse and dry as normal. Repeat treatment weekly, until you reach your desired shade, and then monthly to maintain your colour.


This user makes a strong 'tea' of Sage and a bit of Rosemary;
use equal amounts of rosemary & sage to 1 cup of water, combine ingredients and steep for 10 minutes, strain and use liquid for the colorant. "I strain it and refrigerate it, and before I wash my hair, I spray it on the base of the grey patches of hair, even have massaged it in. Leave it for 5 - 10 mins and then wash as usual. After a few weeks of this (I do this almost daily), the grey is disappearing."


It seems that "These processes must be repeated daily for a few weeks before you notice any changes." "After using the sage the normal coloring returns to the hair. It is not a 'color-change' shocker, and it softens and allows me to control the curls, and the amount of grey. I have used this through the years and it has never damaged my hair. I stop using it and the grey gradually returns and it is even pretier than the time before. My sister was totally grey headed and after a month of daily using this solution, she had her normal light brown hair. which she had not seen for over ten years, and she dabbs it on once or twice a week now to keep her normal color, and she is 40. I am 48 and do not want to be grey just yet."

[MrsB]

Hmmmm....

I shall bear it in mind for when I'm old enough to have grey.....:rolleyes:

*scurries off with scissors to herb pots on balcony*

[sharonjones]

Jax you must be so psychic!

i have been contemplating how to overcome my white hair that is sprouting out from under my reddish long locks. i too dont want to fill my scalp with chemicals anymore and have been wondering how to tackle the transition from long died to long natural hair.

[Jax]

Ah nice one Sharon ;) Have you ever considered henna? Your reddish locks are what have prompted me to ask, natural henna is good for all over colouring of the same colour, they are quite vibrant colours and of course you get the regrowth problem.

It's not an option for me as I'm littering blonde pieces all over to 'blend' with any grey and create a blonde illusion so that people won't be able to tell if I have any grey at all :D Well that and I'm terrible for not getting it cut regularly, so regrowth doesn't notice as much :o

[sharonjones]

hmm its been some number of years since i tackled henna, i remember it was very messy and took ages??

i like the sage rinse suggestion earlier in the thread, i might just try that out.

btw just to correct an earlier typo i meant 'dyed' not 'died' hair lmao!!!

[Jax]

btw just to correct an earlier typo i meant 'dyed' not 'died' hair lmao!!!
Yeah for gawd's sake don't kill it off!! :594:

[sharonjones]

lol :D :D :D

[Jax]

Here's a really interesting article about the problems with commercial hair dyes, and an extensive list of the bad chemicals many contain - natural news (http://www.naturalnews.com/022575.html)

I've also lifted off some more natural ideas for hair colouring, although I'm not so sure about the potato peeling one and catnip could be interesting around the moggies :fear:

For Brunette shades, rinse hair with one of these suggestions:

* The cooled water left after boiling unpeeled potatoes
* Teas made from rosemary, sage, raspberry leaves, parsley, or catnip
* Black coffee or black tea
* An infusion of tea, walnuts and coffee
* An infusion of apple cider vinegar, rosemary and coffee

For Blonde shades, rinse hair with:

* Infusions or teas made from Saffron, Turmeric, Calendula (marigold), Mullein
* An infusion of Avena Sativa (oat straw), Licorice Root and Saffron
* Chamomile tea
* Water from boiling chopped rhubarb in water, cooling, and straining

For red shades, rinse hair with:

* Cool, strong black coffee
* Teas made from rosehips, red hibiscus, calendula or saffron

For grey shades, rinse hair with:

* A Hollyhock infusion or Betony rinse to remove the yellow from grey hair.

And this site (http://www.longlocks.com/hair-care-recipes-cookbook.htm) has masses of natural ideas for haircare! One that I might try out as I have a mountain of Aloe Vera at the mo AND am adorned with fine frizzy mop, is this one;

Frizz control for curly hair - Ingredients 1 small aloe vera leaf Directions Snip off end of leaf and apply a dollop of aloe vera gel to palm. Work through hair to ends.

Although I also might try this one cos I love coconut!!! Tropical Island Conditioner - Ingredients 1 avocado and Organic coconut milkhttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=longlockshair-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0000CE3XD Directions Peel and pit avocado. Mash avocado and slowly add coconut milk until smooth and the consistency of hair conditioner. Work through hair to ends. Rinse after 15 minutes and shampoo.