Many people dye their hair, and while they get decent results from salon hair dyes or even the dyes from their local drug stores, over time you can over-process your hair from dyeing it too much. Your hair can become brittle and dry, and even learn to repel hair dyeing colors and come out simply black every time you dye it due to the over-processing. It happened to me, and as a result I had to grow out my unhealthy strands and start over in growing new healthy, untreated hair. If you want to avoid damaging your hair while still producing a new hair color and style now and then, try these wonderful home-made hair dye recipes and tips to change up your do without damaging it over time!
To liven up dark brown hair or to darken lightish brown locks to a richer color, try a rinse of cold dark black tea or black coffee. Simply take your unwashed hair (oils left in the hair allow the strands to absorb color better than washed hair) and saturate it with cool dark black tea or coffee (the darker the better). Rinse immediately with cool water. Cool water helps the strands close and absorb the color. Then apply the “dye” again and leave on the hair for 15 minutes to a half hour (the lighter the hair, the longer you should leave it on). Wrap the hair in a towel to avoid dripping everywhere then rinse out again with cool water. This process should have immediate results as a highlighter, and repeating this process 2 or 3 times a week will result in luxurious, shiny, darker brown locks. The caffeine in the hair also promotes cell growth and boosts hair regeneration, leaving it shiny and supple as a result, without running the risk of your hair turning out pitch black. It will fade over time, and will also fade without repeated use. To increase the dyeing properties of this hair dye technique, create a mixture of equal parts dark tea or black coffee and conditioner. Leave on for 3 to 5 minutes every time you apply conditioner to your hair to maintain lovely brunette highlights without damaging your hair. For people who already drink coffee, you now have a use for the wasted coffee you throw out every morning before brewing a new cup! Another great thing about this hair dyeing creation is that it won’t dye your skin.
For the quickest results, wash your hair with the dark tea or coffee and rinse with same up to 15 times. When you’re ready to rinse it out, leave in for 15 minutes to a half hour and rinse finally with clear water. This more advanced technique is better suited for lighter hair trying to darken. For highlights, simply rinsing a few times a week should produce proper results. You should not harm your hair or skin repeating the rinsing process as long as you need to to get desired results.
To richen and brighten blonde hair, lemon juice is a great product that many people know about. But adding cooled chamomile tea to your solution will produce lovely honey results and pretty highlights. Combine a cup of lemon juice with 3 cups of strong (cooled) chamomile tea and wash your hair with part of the solution. Rinse your hair in the solution as well and sit in a sunny area for an hour to allow the lemon to naturally bleach your locks and the chamomile to shine in its golden-honey color. Finally, rinse the solution with cool water and follow with a good conditioner to prevent over-drying from the use of lemon juice. For less drastic results, particularly with darker blondes or brunettes who want lighter highlights, add 3 tablespoons of water to a gallon of water (you can use up to a cup of lemon juice to a gallon of water if you want slightly more dramatic results) and wash and rinse with the solution until the gallon is gone. Before your final rinse, once again find sunlight and bask in it for up to an hour before rinsing in cool water and applying a nourishing conditioner to the hair.
For best blonder highlight results, use lemon with chamomile to brighten up already blonde hair and provide alternating highlights. For darker-toned hair, strong strengths of lemon juice with water will produce the best results. You can also apply straight lemon juice to your regular hair conditioner to continuously provide high-lighting results, or even spray equal parts lemon juice and water (or lemon juice and chamomile tea) to your hair prior to leaving the house if you want the sun to bring out your highlights all day more quickly. Just remember, the more lemon you use, the more conditioning your hair may need. Be careful to keep this solution out of your eyes.
Even redheads can enhance their color naturally by using a beet juice and carrot juice combination in their hair. Equal parts carrot juice and beet juice or straight beet juice for redder hair are great products in getting vibrant red highlights. Simply wash and rinse the hair in 1/2 cup carrot juice to 1/2 cup beet juice (make sure to wash hair in the solution first, leave on for 15 minutes to a half hour, and then rinse with the juice, leave on again for 15 minutes, then finally rinse with cool water). For brunettes or blondes wanting copper or red highlights, wash and rinse the hair with equal parts black coffee and beet juice, leaving the solution on for 15 minutes prior to rinsing with cool water. Blondes, be careful when dyeing your hair red as you may get pinkish results. For blondes wanting red highlights or redder hair, it is best to apply beet juice to your conditioner and dye over time, and for very dark brunettes wanting red highlights it is best to dye with straight beet juice when washing and rinsing.
For redheads wanting the best results, dye according to your coloring. For darker redheads, add beet juice to your daily conditioner to upkeep your color, for lighter, strawberry redheads add both beet juice and carrot juice to your conditioner, and for very light redheads add simply carrot juice to your conditioner for best results.
To dye your hair naturally at home, it is best to wash and rinse with the solution many times prior to rinsing with water, and upkeep the color by adding the mixtures to your conditioners for lasting results. Any hair color can achieve a natural highlight (even black hair can get light-brown highlights with the coffee wash or by incorporating lemon juice and coffee together, or can get red highlights with straight beet juice in their wash-and-rinse) but the key is diligence and persistence to keep and achieve the best natural color. The more dramatic results come from the most active use, and even simply incorporating a home-made dye to your conditioner can produce lovely natural highlights and healthy hair. You can get creative in your hair-dyeing techniques, combining beet juice with lemon juice for example, and lying in the sun for an hour to see what results you will get. This guide allows you to know what these household products will do to your hair, and you can mix and match them accordingly to get the best results for your hair without over-processing or over-dyeing.
Personally, I love the beet rinse for my hair. I am a dark brown brunette with natural copper highlights, and the beet dye shines up my hair and makes my copper highlights less orange and more blending with my dark chocolate brown hair, which is lovely for summer. Plus, it smells like candy. In the winter, I add coffee to my conditioner to darken my locks and the copper highlights turn more golden brown, which suits my winter attire perfectly. It’s fun, it’s easy, and my hair has been happy and healthy ever since I started dyeing it naturally. It’s all about getting a little creative.
