04 DIY Hair Dyes Using All Natural Ingredients

Dying your hair is a great way to give your look a much-needed refresh or a complete makeover. But is it environmentally friendly?

Traditional hair dyes typically contain harsh chemicals that are toxic to the environment and their harmful effects can add up quickly. Consider this: Millions of people dye their hair multiple times a year and all that dye ends up washed down the drain. Water treatment plants aren’t typically equipped to handle the hazardous chemicals in hair dye, so the dye makes its way into waterways where it can damage water quality and poison aquatic organisms, leading to a slew of environmental problems.

There are several natural hair dyes that use sustainable ingredients that, when washed down the drain, aren’t environmentally harmful. You may even have the ingredients to make these natural dyes in your pantry already. If you’re in the mood for a makeover, skip the boxed dye or the salon and reach for these eco-friendly natural dye options to protect the planet.

Carrot Juice

To give your hair a reddish-orange tint, dye it with natural carrot juice. Orange carrots are full of a nutrient called beta carotene, which gives them their signature vibrant orange color.

You can transfer some of that color to your hair by mixing carrot juice with a carrier oil, such as coconut oil, and applying it all over your head to cover your hair completely. Wrap your hair in plastic and let it sit for an hour or more.

To help retain the color, rinse or spray your hair with apple cider vinegar after you remove the plastic. Repeat this process as needed for a more vivid color.

Carrot juice works best to dye light blonde hair and likely won’t work with darker hues. While carrot juice isn’t a strong enough dye to color your hair permanently, it can give it a nice temporary tint.

Purchase your carrot juice pre-bottled at your local health food store or, if you have a juicer, you can make your own. If you have a blender but not a juicer, you can blend carrots with water and then strain the liquid to get rid of any unblended carrot chunks.

Coffee

Coffee is a very temporary natural hair dye—it will likely wash out the next time you take a shower. But if you’re in a pinch and want to cover up a few grays before a photoshoot, coffee is an excellent eco-friendly option. Keep in mind, however, that if you have dark hair to begin with, you might not see a huge difference.

To dye your hair with coffee, you’ll essentially apply a coffee concentrate to your hair and let it sit. First, brew a strong cup of dark-roast coffee. If you’re going for a very dark look, you can mix extra coffee grounds in at this point. Allow the mixture to cool, then apply it liberally to your clean, damp hair and leave it on for an hour or two. Repeat the process to compound the color.

Henna

Henna is a natural red dye extracted from the plant Lawsonia alba.4 People have used it to dye hair and apply temporary body art for centuries. Henna is a relatively long-lasting natural dye, giving hair a reddish-brown hue for four to six weeks.

You can usually find henna in powder form at your local Indian or Middle Eastern grocery store, or you can purchase it online. Make the dye by mixing about one-half cup of henna with one-fourth cup of water to form a paste. To allow the color to strengthen, you can cover the mixture and let it sit for up to 12 hours.

Then, apply the paste to clean, non-conditioned, damp hair and cover it with plastic wrap or a shower cap. Let it sit for at least two hours, then wash it out.

To ensure you color your hair evenly, you can separate your hair into segments and dye each one separately.

Black Tea

Not only is black tea a tasty beverage with a number of health benefits, but it’s also an effective plant-based dye.5 Black tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. Growers allow the plants’ leaves to fully oxidize before they process and dry them, which allows the tea leaves to develop a nice dark brown color.

Black tea is a very temporary hair dye that can slightly darken your natural hair color. Make the dye by mixing one cup of water with one tablespoon of ground black tea leaves. Let the mixture boil until it has reduced by a third—usually about 15 minutes.

To apply, allow the mixture cool, pour it on your hair, and rub it in so all of your hair is coated evenly. Let it sit on your hair for about two hours, remove the wrap, and rinse your hair.

You’ll be left with temporarily darkened locks. Keep in mind that the new color will likely fade away the next time you wash your hair