Alternative Hair Colouring Ideas, Methods & Techniques

[hennalonghair]

Alternative Hair Colouring Ideas, Methods & Techniques


How we wear our hair is a reflection of who we are. Whether we embrace our natural colour or texture is a personal preference. Some people prefer their natural colour while others would like to either change or enhance theirs with either conventional hair dyes or some other alternative method.

This thread is dedicated to alternative methods of either changing or enhancing hair colour.

Some examples


Henna
Indigo
Hibiscus
Black walnut
Beet root juice
Carrot juice
Lemon juice
Coffee
Black Tea
Sage tea
Camomile tea
Koolaid


I would like to use this thread not only as a resource for others , but also as a tester thread for any of you that are willing to experiment with alternative methods of colouring whether now or in the future. While some people embrace their silvers some others may need a bit more time.
I will also be continuously adding links of info to this first post in order to help others along the way.

If you have any ideas or suggestions that you have either tried or know of, then please post it here.
It will be interesting to explore, investigate and possibly experiment with some healthier alternatives to colouring hair.
Note: ( not all suggestions have been used by me)



Here are some helpful links:


http://www.healthextremist.com/natur...all-naturally/
http://wellnessmama.com/5112/natural...color-recipes/
http://www.holistic-chick.com/2013/0...uring.html?m=1
http://m.wikihow.com/Naturally-Dye-Your-Hair
http://www.motherearthnews.com/natur...#axzz3FPdpRkWY
http://m.timesofindia.com/life-style...w/24691909.cms

[meteor]

Wonderful idea for a thread, hennalonghair!

I don't have much personal experience beyond honey lightening and black tea rinses, but I wanted to add a link to Nightshade's article and discussion on Hair Coloring with Herbs, Plants & Other Natural Ingredients - http://archive.longhaircommunity.com...ad.php?t=51646

[hennalonghair]

Thanks for adding this link meteor.
There are many threads and stickies for this type of thing but it sometimes takes much time searching through the site and although I realize that this thread isn't going to be popular I still think it could become a good resource especially for those who wish to stop dying with conventional methods or those wishing to transgress into the silvers with a hint of colour.

I have not tried them all but I have tried many

Ive used tea rinses ( black, green and a variety of herbal ones)

While I was growing out my henna I tried black walnut hulls but found it a bit too dark for my hair while a rinse of hibiscus and cranberry worked very nicely and stayed until my next wash. Even then a bit of colour was left so with many applications it would permanently stain hair.

I've obviously tried henna and have been for 35 years now
Indigo was tried but the colour doesn't stick for long
I'll be doing henna and hibiscus this weekend for a more vibrant red

I'm not too find of the idea of adding fruit or vegetable juices although I have no doubt that beetroot stains well as I'm sure carrot might also but lemon juice, no way. Some people dilute lemon juice down and spray it on their hair for natural looking highlights but it is very acidic and damaging to hair .
I'd also be worried about being caught in the rain with beetroot stained hair and looking like something out of a horror movie.

Sage tea I've read works very well for darker tones
And camomile for lighter tones ( blondes)

Koolaid? I'm not too sure about. purple grape flavoured hair?

Thanks Meteor

[Zugar]

Hi!

Decided to try to dye my hair with black tea yesterday. Made a pretty strong mix, used ten teabags with two cups of water. Also added a little bit of gelatin, after reading some people doing that. I left the whole thing on for two hours, then rinsed. Result? Disappointing. Though it is not supposed to be possible, a small part of my hair actually lightened! And it also dried my hair a lot

So I will not do this again

[Dreams_in_Pink]

I wonder how strong hibiscus is as a hairdye alternative? Would it show on dark hair? How fast does it wash out?

[lady mechanic]

I use henna mixed with 100% cranberry juice. It gives me that beautiful non fading red of my dreams that I sadly wasn't born with, without the fade out and damadamage from chemical dyes.

[hennalonghair]

I wonder how strong hibiscus is as a hairdye alternative? Would it show on dark hair? How fast does it wash out?

It's extremely strong in colour. If you look at my new avatar you'll see how much redder my hair is now. That's from henna and hibiscus so for any others wishing to tone down the oranges and enhance the reds, add some hibiscus powder or cranberry (like lady mechanic mentioned) or pomegranate juice to your henna mix. Oh yeah! It eliminates that henna flash that many dislike.
I'm intrigued to know exactly what type of henna you use because its certainly unique.
I've never quite seen anybody create that colour from henna alone. It's beautiful.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

It's a buildup of old henna layers. Henna orange turns burgundy in time, oxidation never really ends But i like the idea of using hibiscus, i wonder if it would work applied like a rinse and washed off after several hours? I don't want anything to interfere with henna dye release

[Rosetta]

Well, I can't vouch for any permanent effects yet, but I've been applying coffee topically to the hair at my temples, for the "caffeine for hairgrowth" thing, as the hair at my temples grows much slower than the rest (and is also much finer), and it seems to have had an unexpected side effect of camouflaging the white hairs I had there And it also seems to blend in very well with my natural dark blonde/light brown. Or then it's a case of reversing the grey/white somehow, I don't know

[hennalonghair]

It's a buildup of old henna layers. Henna orange turns burgundy in time, oxidation never really ends But i like the idea of using hibiscus, i wonder if it would work applied like a rinse and washed off after several hours? I don't want anything to interfere with henna dye release

Hibiscus won't interfere with the dye release at all. It will merely enhance the red tones in the henna.
I've done rinses of cranberry and pomegranite juice and it left permanent stain. Of course it wasn't as strong as powdered hibiscus but like Rosetta says, rinses can stain quite effectively.
I'm quite happy about this because it really opens up the vast ideas henna with other colour enhancing natural products.
AND do a google search on the benefits of hibiscus on hair. Yep! You'll probably be surprised