Like laugh lines and dark spots, gray hair is a natural sign of aging. In fact, you should consider your first silver strand a right of passage. For most, this happens in the late 30s or early 40s, but for others, premature grays can appear as early as 20 and under due to genetics.
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While more people than ever are embracing salt-and-pepper strands, you may want to cover yours up — and that’s okay, too! There are certainly ways to get back to your glossy color. Consulting a colorist at a salon is always a good step, but if you want to avoid the constant maintenance and cost, or the chemicals in dye, there are also plenty of natural techniques you can attempt at home.
For those of you who want to take that route, here you’ll find 10 natural ways to cover gray hair. Anything from coconut and lemon (imagine the amazing scent) to beets and carrots. Choose the remedy you resonate with the most.
Black Coffee
No, you don’t need to drink the coffee to get the results. Why does this work? Simple. The coffee will cause a darker tint in your hair, which basically makes the gray disappear for a week or so, depending on how often you wash your hair. It works wonders on black or brown hair, but don’t use coffee when your original hair color is blonde.
What you need:
- One strongly-brewed cup of black coffee
How to do it:
- Brew the pot of coffee and wait until it cools down.
- Go to the bathroom or someplace where you can pour the coffee through your hair while massaging it in.
- When that’s done, you just have to let it sit in your hair for 20 minutes until it’s absorbed.
- Now, rinse your hair with water only (no shampoo).
- Repeat the process twice a week.
Black Tea
Moving from black coffee to back tea doesn’t change much as it has the same effect with the same process, although this solution requires more time. If your natural hair is light, you can also choose to use other kinds of tea like chamomile (for blonde) and rooibos tea (for redheads). The effect of black tea lasts for two weeks on average which is why we recommend to repeat the process every two weeks.
What you need:
- 2 tsp black tea leaves (or a different kind depending on your natural hair color)
- 1 cup of water
How to do it:
- Boil the tea in a cup of water and let it steep for a couple of minutes.
- Set it aside to cool.
- Apply it to your hair by massaging it in and leave it for about an hour.
- Rinse your hair with cold running water (without shampoo).
- Repeat this process every two weeks.
Black Pepper and Yogurt
This combination is made for dark hair types again where the yogurt functions as a conditioner that makes your hair soft, silky, and shiny. Since this mixture lasts usually for 2 to 3 days, we recommend to repeat the process 3 times a week.
What you need:
- 2 grams of black pepper
- 1 cup of yogurt
How to do it:
- Mix the pepper and yogurt until it’s a gray paste.
- Massage the paste in your hair from the root of your hair to the tip. Be careful, if pepper touches your eyes, you’ll not like this method.
- Leave it for an hour and wash it out with a sulfate-free mild shampoo.
- Repeat the process 3 times a week.
Blackstrap Molasses
The last remedy for people with dark hair (black or brown): blackstrap molasses. It’s a part of the sugar cane’s refining process. Sugar cane is turned into juice and boiled once to create cane syrup. A second boiling creates molasses. And a third boiling creates the result, a dark liquid with the lowest sugar content of this process.
When using this consistently the results stay longer and longer. At first, we recommend you use this on a daily basis, and then when you start to see results (usually after three to six weeks), you can do it twice a week. Just be warned: It’s the messiest technique.
What you need:
- 1/4th cup of blackstrap molasses
How to do it:
- Wash your hair with warm water and squeeze out all excess water.
- Apply the blackstrap molasses from the root to the tip of your hair until everything’s covered (including your scalp).
- Leave it in for 30 minutes and rinse it out with cold water (and sulfate-free shampoo).
- Repeat the process twice a week.
Coconut and Lemon
For blondes, one of the best natural ways to cover gray hairs is with lemon. The added coconut oil in this mixture helps prevent the graying of hair by preserving the pigment cells in your hair. An extra benefit that you get from using this method is that your hair will smell amazing, too!
What you need:
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (squeezed from a lemon)
How to do it:
- Mix the ingredients in a bowl until it’s one liquid.
- Massage it into your scalp and go down to the tips until everything’s covered.
- Leave it in for 30 minutes.
- Rinse it out with water and mild sulfate-free shampoo.
- Repeat the process twice a week.
Henna
Henna is one of the most popular natural ways to color gray hair since it’s really effective in leaving a natural coloring pigment for redheads and brunettes. Although henna creates a red-orange color from itself, you can still achieve the result you’d like (tip: use chamomile to make it a little less orange).
Wondering how green henna powder creates a red-orange color? Manufacturers mix henna powder with other ingredients which turn it into a red-orange mixture when combined with those mentioned below.
What you need:
- 1 cup of henna powder
- 2 cups of lemon juice
- Optional: 1 tbsp vinegar (to help release the color)
How to do it:
- Mix the ingredients together and let it sit for about 5 hours until it thickens.
- Massage it in your hair and comb it through (this is going to be messy).
- Wrap your hair in plastic and leave it for 2-3 hours.
- Rinse your hair with water and use sulfate-free shampoo if you wish.
- Repeat the process once a month for the best results.
Herbs
Strong herbs can really help in the process of reversing the graying process. The only issue is that every natural hair type needs its own combination of herbs which we’ll outline here.
If you are a natural redhead, then you’re going to need calendula, marigold, rosehips, and hibiscus.
But if you have dark hair or you’re a brunette, you’ll need rosemary, nettle, and sage for your hair to go back to its natural color.
And last but not least, blondes can use chamomile tea but also calendula, marigold, saffron, rhubarb root, and sunflower petals.
On top of these herbs, you can also choose to use extra black tea leaves (for darker hair types) or catnip (for lighter hair types). It will make the colors last longer.
What you need:
- Combination of desired herbs (usually one cup or 4 tbsp will suffice)
- 2 cups of water
How to do it:
- Mix the ingredients together in warm water and let it simmer and cool for 30 minutes.
- Pour it over your hair and massage it in from scalp to tip.
- Allow it to sit for about an hour.
- Rinse it with water (and sulfate-free shampoo if you wish).
- Repeat the process once or twice a week.
Kombucha
If you are a fan of kombucha, you probably already know about all the health benefits that it brings. But did you know that you could also use it for your hair and reverse the graying process? Kombucha helps restore the melanin in the follicles of your hair and helps grow your hair dark and healthy.
What you need:
- 4 – 5 tbsp kombucha
How to do it:
- Soak your hair with the kombucha and leave it there for 20 minutes.
- Wash your hair with a sulfate-free shampoo.
- Let your hair dry with air (don’t use a towel).
- Repeat this process twice a week.
Walnut Shells
For those of you with dark brown hair color, this is the way to go! Be aware that this dye is immensely strong and will stain everything it touches. At the same time, this also means that it is super effective.
What you need:
- 1 handful of walnut shells (or walnut powder)
- 2 – 3 cups of water
- 1 pot
- 1 stove
- Optional: a cotton ball
How to do it:
- Crush the walnut shells and boil it for half an hour (for a more intense dye, boil the juice to a quarter of its volume).
- Allow it to cool down, strain if needed and pour through your hair. You can also choose to use a cotton ball and only apply it where it’s needed.
- Let it sit for at least an hour and rinse it out with lukewarm water to make the color last longer.
- Repeat this process once a week or once every two weeks (depends on the intensity of the dye).
All-Natural Root Touch-Ups
The final natural remedy on this list is a bit different from the rest as it is a product. In case you are not really a DIY hero, a natural root touch-up like this one by Pure Minerals can still help you cover up gray hair. All you need is the powder and a brush. It really works like magic!
What do you need?
- A root touch-up
- A spoolie brush or toothbrush
How to do it:
- Dip the brush in the concealer.
- Apply the powder with the brush to your roots, hair, around your face and eyebrows.
- Repeat the process on a daily basis or as needed.
Keep in mind that while there are a number of natural ways to cover gray hair at home, you’ll always have to continue coloring your hair since nothing is permanent. At best, you can extend the period between touch-ups.
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