Once upon a time, you had vibrant, shiny, perfectly even-colored hair. One day, as you combed and primped in the mirror, it appeared. White, wiry and unmistakable nestled in with the rest of your tresses: your very first gray hair. For many women, the next chapter in this story takes them to the salon, where they resign to costly coloring sessions (and toxic chemicals) to cover the spread of those unsightly strands. But is that the only way? We say nay.
Salon visits aren’t cheap. Depending on the length and health of your hair, you could dole out hundreds of dollars for a professional dye job. And with repeats required every six weeks? Not exactly ideal.
There’s also safety to consider. Ammonia, arylamines, persulfates, resorcinol, p-phenylenediamine—the list of harsh chemicals in hair dyes only gets longer and the names harder to pronounce. Technically the dye goes on, not in, your body, so it’s safe, right? Wrong. Both absorbed through the scalp and inhaled, these ingredients have been linked to a number of health problems, from skin irritation to asthma to cancer.
So how do you keep your hair looking youthful and vibrant? Try these safe, natural solutions for switching up your color or keeping those pesky grays at bay:
First, what’s the best way to color gray hair?
You do it naturally and you do it yourself! Restore rich, natural color with this 100-percent pure, botanical, at-home hair dye kit. Unlike mainstream, DIY hair dyes, Light Mountain products contain no ammonia, peroxide, heavy metals or chemicals of any kind. It’s easy to use, too. Just add water, apply and rinse for a stunning new shade, soft feel and shiny look. Our pick is Light Mountain Color The Gray.
Herbal Hair Color
Whisk away white strands with Herbatint, a unique herbal hair colorant formulated with herbs and vegetable extracts, including cinchona, rosemary and walnut husk, to gently color without harmful chemicals. This brand is ammonia free and won’t damage hair, so you can use it as often as you’d like without worrying about brittleness or breakage. If you’re not ready to commit to permanent color or don’t need grey coverage just yet, try Herbatint Vegetal Hair Color in Mahogany Chestnut for natural-based highlights.
Plant-Based & Permanent
A single application is all you need to nix gray with Naturatint, a botanical dye in cream form. Naturtint’s active plant ingredients open and flood hair shafts with natural micro-pigments, then lock in the new color when cuticles close. The result is long-lasting coverage—no streaky fade-out as the weeks go by. Bonus: wheat peptides and sunflower extract help strengthen and protect hair, restoring lost vitality and shine.