While we all try to take a more mindful approach to healthy, balanced and beautiful living, it makes sense that we should turn our attention to our hair care choices. Natural hair dye is a good option for those who want to change their color without the chemicals.

What Does Natural Hair Dye Mean?

When talking about natural hair dye it usually means that the formula used is mostly plant-based and free from added toxins and chemicals. One of the most well-known versions is natural henna hair dye. In fact, Henna is one of the only natural hair dyes on the market, the rest will usually be organic hair dyes that do contain some synthetic properties. Just because it has synthetic properties doesn’t necessarily mean it is harmful, but for those wanting to stick to as natural as it gets – henna is the best natural hair dye.

What is Henna?

Henna comes from a plant that grows in hot and dry climates. The plant's leaves are then picked, dried and ground down to a fine powder which makes a paste. It’s the same paste that you can see some of the world's cultures use to adorn their skin in stunning patterns. It can also be used to paint fingernails and of course - as an all-natural hair coloring. When using henna on your hair it can last for 4-6 weeks in a state of sheer vibrancy before it starts to fade.

What are the Pros of Henna?

Henna as a natural hair dye comes with plenty of bountiful benefits. Not only is it free from ammonia and toxins that can cause harm to the hair and the body, but it actually feeds your follicles with all kinds of goodness. Henna can help restore the natural PH balance of your hair and lead to it feeling and looking thicker, shinier and radiant with health.

What are the Cons of Henna?

While henna is au natural, some colorists say that it can cause problems to your hair. The main problem being that once it's in, it's difficult to get out. Of course, henna will fade or grow out with time, but you should also be aware that mixing henna and regular hair dye can have complicated chemical reactions and should be avoided.  

Henna also tends to be used to lend hair an auburn like glow rather than lighten so while it is a great solution as a natural hair dye for grey hair and covering, it won’t really work if you are looking to go lighter or to change your color to brown, black or some shade other than hennas natural coloring.

What are Other Hair Dye Solutions?

If you don’t want to turn your hair to a natural amber red color, then there are one or two other options for changing your hair color without the chemicals. For those who want to lighten their hair color; lemon juice and sunlight has been proven to lift the color. This is really only a tactic that light-haired people can use as for those who have black or dark brown hair, this method won’t really have the power to cut through your natural color.

If you want to select other colors then it may be tricky to do so without turning to some kind of synthetic product. Glosses can also be a good go-to as they tend to hold less peroxide and other chemicals in contrast to long term coloring solutions. Whichever you choose, always aim to select a hair dye that is at least full of organic ingredients to reduce the risks.

Have you used henna before? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.