How to Color Gray Hair With Henna

Color your hair with natural henna

Coloring gray hair with henna is a great alternative to harsh, commercial dyes. Henna is the common named for the lawsonia inermis plant. A paste created from powered Henna coats hair, which in turn bonds to the keratin proteins within the hair shaft. Henna on its own leaves gray hair bright red or orange, but a variety of other plant dyes, like indigo and walnut, will change the final color. Yes, it takes a little experimentation to color your gray hair with henna, but the results will be well worth it.

Things You'll Need

• Henna power (body-art quality)
• Acidic liquids like lemon, vinegar or wine
• Plastic gloves
• Glass or plastic mixing bowls
• Wooden or plastic mixing spoon
• Plastic Wrap
• Petroleum jelly or cotton strip

Instructions

1. Buy powered henna hair color online or from a natural foods, Indian or middle-eastern market. Look for body-art grade henna which is a higher grade and doesn't react with chemically treated hair. The amount to buy depends on the length of your hair. For example, shoulder length hair takes 300 grams of henna.

2. Start with a strand test and mix a small batch henna paste following the steps below. Test on lock of hair saved from your last haircut, hairbrush or cut from a spot you won't notice. The stand test is essential to determine how long to leave on the henna to produce the final color. If the color is not right, try again with a different timing or ratio of henna to other plant dyes.

3. Mix the natural henna powder in a non-metal bowl with lemon juice (or acidic liquid of your choice). The acidic liquid creates a chemical reaction that releases the dye in the henna. Stir the henna paste until it's the consistency of yogurt. It may take some time to get out all the dry lumps.

4. Cover the surface of the henna paste with plastic wrap and let rest. This can take anywhere from two hours to overnight. The dye is released when the surface of the henna turns brown, but is still a fresh green color underneath.

5. Mix other plant dyes to be added right before applying the henna paste to your hair. The ratio of henna to other plant dye will depend on the final color you want. For example, to achieve a light brown color on gray hair, the initial mix would be two-thirds henna and one-third indigo. (See the Henna Recipes in Resource below for more ideas.)

6. Add essential oils at this time, like tea tree oil or lavender oil. These oils help develop a deeper stain and give the paste a nice smell. Henna on its own can smell like straw.

7. Apply petroleum jelly or cotton strip around the hairline to keep the henna from staining your skin.

8. Start at the back of your head at the base of the hairline to begin coloring hair, applying in a good amount of henna to small sections of hair. Make sure every stand of hair is covered from the root to the tip. Make sure you wear plastic gloves.

9. Wrap your henna-covered head head in plastic wrap to keep in the moisture. Then, wrap a towel around your head to keep it warm. Warm helps the color develop. The waiting time will be based on the strand test.

10. Wash out the henna with warm water and conditioner. It may take several attempts. As with commercial dyes, don't wash your hair for a day or two. The resulting color may seem a little brassy at first, but be patient. It takes henna colored hair a couple of days to develop into a nice, rich color.

Tips & Warnings

• Coloring gray hair completely may take additional treatments of henna dye.

• Wipe up any drips. Henna does stain skin.

Resources

• Real people color their gray hair with henna and other plant dyes
• Henna Recipes for Your Hair