I have recently started getting patches of gray hair very close to my forehead and bangs area. I have been using some Clairol dye and recently also found a Surya henna mixture that reddens the gray--looks ok but I have to keep it on for many hours for it to work (the powder stuff just was too messy and didn't seem to work well for me). The problem is that my hair grows so fast that I am having to dye roots once a week! So I am leaning more and more towards the toxic dyes that work faster but I don't think this is a good option considering that I have to use it so often. Are there any other home options (non-toxic) for touching up roots that works faster or does anyone know of a way I can comfortably and securely cover my hair so I can keep the henna mixture on overnight without a mess. My hair is pitch black in color and the grays really stand out. Please help. Any suggestions that work for you would be great. It would be too expensive to go to a hairdresser every week, but I also haven't tried this either.
Thanks!
Wow...at least I know I'm not alone! I, too, need to cover up at least some of the gray. Mine is mostly around my face and causes me to look drawn and washed out, so my hairdresser does a color weave on me a few times a year. It doesn't eliminate the gray completely, but there's less of it to be seen. Good luck!
Hi there A.,
Having gone the over the counter chemical route for many years, and with fast-growing hair that requires doing every 2 weeks or looks awful, I just decided to go with one of the less toxic ones. I have used Naturtint (which a friend uses and I see was recommended by a poster above) now twice and I am quite pleased with the results. The gray is completely covered and the color looks natural and is a good match. It is as easy to apply as the old stuff, and you don't feel like the smell is giving you brain damage. Good luck. By the way, the other natural brands are good too I hear..
Check out some organic hair dyes at whole foods. There is one in a green box that works pretty well...I think it's called naturtint ? My friend and I both use it to cover grays.
Good luck
J.
Hello A.,
Sorry for the late response. I am also 47 years old with black hair and have been going gray for quite some time. There is a product called light mountain color the gray which is a henna product. I've read it is completely natural and safe. I have used naturint but it does contain PPD but they try to use the least amount of chemicals. It lasts quite well. I am going to try to use Sanotint which doesn't contain PPD. The only problem is they dont have black. The closest color is natural brown. Sanotint responded to my email and said they have customers that have black hair and the color goes on fairly dark and blends in with the gray. Good luck
I am 46 and stopped dying my hair about 3 years ago. I have dark brown hair and I have never gotten so many compliments about my hair as I have since I stopped dying. I stopped dying after seeing women who obviously dyed their hair and realized how fake it looked. Good-luck!
Dear A.,
I am 46 and getting quite a bit of gray hair too. However, my hair is blonde and my daughter insists they are not gray hairs, just really super light. (How sweet of her). I decided to just leave it alone and let it happen.
I don't know if leaving something on your hair overnight would be very good for it. It could cause it to become brittle and perhaps break off. Hopefully someone will know of some natural things you can use that will work more easily.
I have a friend who started going gray at 22. She's 1/2 Spanish, 1/2 Portuguese and very beautiful. She had very dark hair as well. Her brother was a hair dresser and she was in his shop every week for a touch up. She finally just said to heck with it and let her hair do it's thing and I'm telling you, just when you thought she couldn't get any prettier, she did. She had the most gorgeous hair and few believed her when she said it was natural and she had just quit fighting the gray.
So, that is always an option for you as well. If you want to try that option and can't bear to wait while the color fades or the roots grow out, you might want to see a professional who can help get you through that process.
I hope you find what works for you!
once a week is a bit much, I do understand as I also have dark hair, several whites at my temples (bang area), ears and they seem to pop up fast. However I'm usually the only one that notices it as my friends tell me they don't. So if you can go to 3-4 weeks that would be better for you and your hair, especially if you go the 'chemical' route as I finally have. Also too, it seems to pop up faster with the 'natural' hennas and such, they wash out, so if you wash your hair daily it will wash out faster.
Good luck,
Hi A.,
Good for you for wanting to avoid the synthetic chemical hair dyes - they have many downsides for your health. To sleep with henna mud in your hair - carefully wrap your "mud head" in saran wrap, then cover with a shower cap and a towel. Put a towel on the pillow as well. It's important to use body art quality henna for the best results. Check out http://www.hennaforhair.com/
There are some dietary changes that affect haircolor. A Chinese herb, Ho Sho Wu, has traditionally been used to keep hair black. Also, switching to a raw, vegan diet has helped return grey hair to normal color for some people. There are many books and websites about the raw food journey. In addition, if you google raw food meetups for your area, you are likely to find a local group of supportive people meeting for raw food potlucks once per month. Good luck!
Warmly,
K. Lee
Miessence Certified Organics, Independent Rep & Manager
http://www.aromatherapist.mionegroup.com
Certified organic haircare, skincare, bodycare.
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Get paid to do FUN organic spa parties!
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Or you could just accept the fact that you're 47, and your hair color is changing. If you let it grow out, you could get a really great streak. I started getting a gray streak just above one temple ten years or so ago (and I'm now 57), which extends through my hair. I do use Clairol Shimmer Lights, which is a "color-enhancing shampoo" that "refreshes blonde, highlighted and silver hair"--and I keep getting complimented on my hair. Good luck.
I also have problems with gray hair right along the hairline on my forehead. I have tried this Avon product that works like a mascara but it is really for your hair and to cover grays. They have black and brown and maybe one other color. I really like it because I just keep it with my make-up and apply it when I need it. It does wash out in the shower but hasn't seemed to come off in the rain or just rub off once it's dry. You can probably look it up on Avon.com.
Good luck! =)
Hello A.: Because of great strss due to my husbands leg being amputated; my hair started turning gray, and now is white. I had also tried all the nice and easy dyes which because gray doesn't hold color well didn't last long. My favorite was the white streaks that went through my hair or as my children called it the "Cruella Deville look". I fighure that God, worked pretty hard on this white hair and I just got used to it. Now I laugh when my stylist tells me "don't you ever color your hair it's perfect" or a stranger comes up to me and asks where I had my hair done cuz she has spent hundreds of dollars and no one can get it right. I still wish it would hod color at times but it won't and I figured it wasn't worth the expense. So get a great hair style that you love and just enjoy it!!
Good Luck, G.
Hi A.,
I started getting gray hair when I was in my 20's and did everything I could to hide it. Then one day I saw this gal who had hair dark brown like mine and she had the sexiest gray in her temples...I mean it was really cool looking!. After a few years of fighting with my gray I remembered about that gal...then I thought of Bonnie Rait and her fabulous gray streak and I decided to embrace my gray! Actually, mine is white - not gray. Gray hair is wiry - mine just lost its pigment so is soft and normal like the rest of my hair.
Now, I have dark brown hair and gray fills my temples and bangs and I am getting streaks in other spots too. I regularly get compliments on my hair and am asked who does my hair for me. :) I LOVE it! So my advice to you is stop fighting and start embracing...there is nothing as sexy as the highlights that come with the gray/white around the temples and bangs...especially with the dark hair. It is a striking combination and you will get positive compliments on it I am sure!
Just my thoughts!
Warmly,
J.
Loving what Mother Nature gave me...
I dye my hair about every 3 weeks and I use what they call temporary color or semi-perm. This usually washes out in 10 washes but it doesn't have the harsh chemicals such as ammonia. Also, look to color your hair a little lighter. If you are going to color your greys a little redder you must color your hair reddish brown etc. To blend. You can do this for a few more years and when you get tired of it, try something else or go el nat-ur-al! smile
