Your hair may either be gray by birth or turned gray due to aging which is common nowadays in a contaminated environment. I know you tried various coloring options but henna for gray hair is probably the best solution I can refer to. This article is all about henna hair color for gray hair and how to use henna hair dye especially if you are doing this first time.

Gray hair is most commonly a sign of aging but it is not a worrying sign because you can easily turn them to black or your desired color again. However, it is important to understand the science behind the gray hair.

Why your hair turned grey – The hair has two types of follicles; Eumelanin and pheomelanin, and assists in the production of melanin through melanocytes. With time, when you are aging, the number of melanocytes decreases, and so does the amount of production of melanin. It must be noted that melanin is a pigment which is responsible for the black hair.

However, melanin is not just responsible for black hair, your hair color could be black, brown, blond, or red depending on your genetics. According to a research report published by Springer, on average after 30 years of age, people lose 10 to 20 percent of the melanin that results in gray hair. After the age of 50 years or more, half of the melanin is lost and so the 50 percent of hair turned gray.

Henna for Gray Hair – Our Review

Henna hair color for gray hair is considered the best solution to hide your gray hair over the cover of henna dye. Whether your hair turns gray due to an unhealthy lifestyle, poor eating, or due to the chemicals used, henna is a solution. Now, here, it is important to understand what henna is that we can use for gray hair.

Henna is a natural permanent hair dye that is used worldwide. It is obtained from Henna (Lawsonia inermis) which is a plant-based dye often known as mignonette, found in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, and South Asia. This plant contains the natural coloring pigment “lawsone” which is responsible for the black color.

The leaves of this plant are plucked, dried, crushed, and finally turned to powder form. The henna powder also has some additional medicinal benefits and is always in demand, especially in Western countries. It is also important to identify the original and fake henna powder as pure henna, without chemical additives, always leaves a reddish-brown color to your skin. So, it is always a wise decision to first test the henna dye before you implement it in your hair.

How to Use Henna for Gray Hair

Henna dye for gray hair is used in the same way as you do a normal chemical dye however if you are using it for the first time, I would recommend reading the below steps carefully before applying it to your skin or hair. Following are the steps that you must follow carefully –

• First of all, ensure that you require a hair dye, do not use it for merely white or gray hair. Also, it is not necessary that you can use it only for gray hair, you can use it for various purposes and different hair colors.
• Henna doesn’t turn your hair to shine more or brighten, so it is recommended to use some other dyes before you implement the henna dye. You can use red or other shining hair dye before applying henna dye however, it depends on your coloring requirement.
• Once done, allow some time for your hair to completely dry, and then you can apply the henna dye on the dried hair.
• If you don’t have any such special requirement of shining hair, you can directly use henna dye to your hair as generally a dye work. One more point to remember here, henna dye for gray hair comes with lighter and darker shades, so according that suits you.
• Tear the henna dye packet and empty it into a bowl or any utensil you want to make the solution.
• Now pour a specific amount of water into the henna powder to make a paste. Till the dye is properly amalgamated, you can wash your hair to remove any dirt and contaminant in your hair, otherwise, it stick to your hair with henna dye.
• Take a coloring brush and gradually apply it to your hair. You can also use your hands covered with plastic for better implementation of dye.
• Once applied properly to your hair, now wait for 2 to 3 hours, and then wash with the shampoo thoroughly.

Conclusion – What Do You Need to Take Care

Turning your gray hair to black, brown, red, or any other preferred color is not just about applying color and rinse hair. I recommend using the following guidelines to get the best results especially if you are using henna dye color for gray hair first time –

• Make sure you have selected the best quality and original henna dye. I will not recommend any brand as this is not a marketing copy, still, you can use the method that I already discussed above.
• Always keep aside a towel or cleaning cloth to remove the dye sticking to the skin. Though it may not be harmful, can leave stains on the skin.
• Don’t be haste, let the dye properly go through the root and meshed thoroughly, and only then rinse the hairs. Allow henna dye at least 3-4 hours before you wash your hair and do not use shampoo before 24 hours.
• Don’t be tense when your gray hair does not turn to black or the desired color, it will take somewhere 3 days to fully shine your hair.
• If you don’t have any previous experience of dyeing, I recommend using light shade before you fully go with dark red or black color henna. You can re-apply the darker one once the time of 72 hours passed.
• People often wish that their dye color work last longer but they don’t follow the procedure and guidelines offered. So keep it in mind and follow the steps mentioned above for the best results.