You can prepare natural hair dye at home using ingredients like coffee or beet juice, offering temporary color changes. Here's a breakdown of how to use these:
Coffee Hair Dye
Coffee can add a rich, dark brown tint to your hair.
- Brew a Strong Pot: Brew a very strong pot of dark roast coffee. Let it cool completely. The stronger the coffee, the better the color payoff.
- Apply to Hair: Pour the cooled coffee over clean, dry hair, ensuring all strands are saturated.
- Wait and Rinse: Leave the coffee on your hair for at least one hour. Rinse thoroughly with water. You may need to repeat this process a few times to achieve your desired shade. For a deeper color, you can mix the coffee with coffee grounds to create a paste and apply that to the hair.
Beet Juice Hair Dye
Beet juice can impart a red or reddish-purple hue to your hair.
- Prepare Beet Juice: Boil a few beets until soft, then let the juice cool down. You can also use a juicer to extract the juice.
- Apply to Hair: Apply the beet juice liberally to your hair, making sure to coat all the strands you want to color. Wear gloves to avoid staining your hands.
- Wait and Rinse: Let the beet juice sit on your hair for at least one hour. Rinse thoroughly with water.
Important Considerations for Natural Hair Dyes:
- Patch Test: Always perform a patch test on a small section of your skin (e.g., behind your ear) 24-48 hours before applying the dye to your entire head, to check for any allergic reactions.
- Color Longevity: Natural hair dyes are temporary and will fade with each wash. Expect the color to last for only a few shampoos.
- Grey Coverage: Natural hair dyes may not effectively cover grey hair. The results can be subtle and vary depending on your hair type and color.
- Vinegar Rinse: After rinsing out the natural dye, consider using a vinegar rinse (1 part vinegar to 2 parts water) to help seal the color and add shine.
- Henna: Although not mentioned in the reference, Henna is a well-known natural dye. It's an involved process, but lasts much longer. Be sure to research reputable sources and follow instructions carefully. It's typically available in powder form, mixed with water and possibly other natural ingredients, and applied as a paste to the hair.
