Some bleach their hair to give gray or silver color to hair. It would help if you never did it. So, here we are going to tell you how to dye hair grey without bleach or chemicals.
Bleaching is done to lighten the natural color of hair or to remove the existing color from previous hair dyeing. It is usually done when you want to dye your hair with a new shade of color.
We all go gray naturally as we age. But some attention seekers love to flaunt silver hair as a fashion statement. And so they dye their hair gray to get that so-called ‘granny look.’
What does bleach do to hair?
Normally, bleach is used to lighten the hair color. It engages in chemical reactions with the melanin and irreversibly removes the natural hair pigments/color.
When normal hair is bleached, it leaves a yellowish tint on the hair at first. Bleach also reacts with the dark eumelanin, so some red, orange-red, or gold residual colors may appear on hair after lightening.
Bleaching the partially gray hair may turn its color to light brown-blonde according to the potency of the bleach. White hair, however, lacks all pigment and contains no color, so the hair will stay white.
Most hair-bleaching products contain hydrogen peroxide. It reacts with melanin and eliminates its ability to absorb light, resulting in a color change.
In addition, hydrogen peroxide weakens the cell membrane, and this makes the hair brittle and weak. It damages the lipid on the surface of the hair and this makes the hair dry.
Over bleaching, your hair may cause split ends, brittle strands, hair breakage, and loss of natural pigment and color.
Considerations before you dye your hair gray
Before you proceed to dye your hair gray, be sure of its processes and effects on your hair.
It is easy to dye your hair gray if you have naturally blonde hair or light brown hair. In this scenario, you can have gray or silvery hair with single bleaching or dyeing of your hair.
But, if you have naturally black or brown hair, it is going to be a lengthy process. The process will involve repeated bleaching over a period. Your hairstylist will have to strip your natural hair color by bleaching your hair a couple of times. Generally, colorists recommend lifting hair only a few shades at a time.
If you have damaged hair from previous bleaching or dying, you may require a haircut. Then, you may have to wait for the hair to grow before you dye the hair gray.
Related Article:Â What Causes Gray Hair And How To Reverse Gray Hair?Â
Dyeing your hair grey without bleaching
Repeated bleaching or harsh dyeing can destroy the integrity of your hair. For this reason, while whitening your black or brown hair do it in a slow process.
Do not go for super-light hair all at once. You can achieve beautiful-looking grey or blonde hair with a few dyeing sessions.
Color your hair two shades at a time—and wait a few weeks in between lightning sessions. Preferably, let a professional colorist do the coloring because a professional colorist can easily assess what processes will entail giving the desired color to your hair.
Your hair colorist may use hair-lightening products instead of bleaching. They are usually semi-permanent colors. A few hair-lightening treatment sessions may be required to lighten your hair. Once the hair is sufficiently light, the colorist will use a semi-permanent gray color hair dye on your hair.
Please note hair color lightening products also contain chemicals. This can still cause damage to your hair but to a lesser extent than bleaching.
Natural recipes for lightening your hair without bleaching
You need to lighten your hair before you apply the gray color to your hair. Multiple natural solutions can gradually lighten the dark shade of your hair.
Here are a few recipes of home remedies for hair lightening:
1. Honey and Cinnamon
A mixture of honey and cinnamon is excellent for hair color lightening. You can also go blonde just by using honey on your hair. You can add other ingredients like olive oil and cayenne pepper to increase the impact of lightning.
Ingredients:
- Honey – 3 tablespoons
- Cinnamon – 1 tablespoon
- Cayenne pepper – 1 teaspoon
- Olive oil – as required
Method of Using:
- Apply the extra virgin olive oil all over your hair 30 minutes before fixing the hair mask.
- Make a lotion-like mixture of honey, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper in a bowl.
- Apply the mixture evenly all over your oiled hair
- Let the mask stay on your hair for 30 minutes
- Finally, rinse your hair with cold water and organic shampoo; use a color-protection conditioner.
Repeat the whole procedure twice a week until you achieve the desired color shade before applying the grey color hair dye.
2. Chamomile tea
Chamomile contains organic chemical properties that help in lightening the dark color of your hair. You can make your hair color two or three shades lighter only by using a chamomile tea mask on your hair.
Ingredients:
- Chamomile tea – 15 grams
- Hot water – 100 ml
Method of Using:
- Steep 15 grams of chamomile tea powder in 100 ml of boiling water
- Allow the tea to cool down completely
- Wet and dampen your whole hair with chamomile tea
- Allow your hair to dry naturally, and then rinse your hair with cold water
- Repeat the therapy thrice a week till you lighten your hair shade to the desired color.
3. Lemon juice
Lemon juice can naturally bleach your hair. You can turn your hair blonde by applying lemon juice. The citric acid in lemon is a weak oxidizing agent that can cause a reduction of melanin (coloring substance) in your hair.
Ingredients:
- Lemon juice – 25 ml
- Water – 50 ml
Method of using:
- Dilute the lemon juice in water.
- Transfer the mixture to a spray bottle.
- Spray the mixture on your hair till your hair is fully soaked.
- Allow your hair to dry naturally/in mild sunlight.
- After 2 hours, rinse the mask off your hair with cold water.
- Repeat the application thrice a week till you get blonde hair.
How to protect the gray dye?
Once you have done coloring your hair gray without bleaching, the next thing is maintaining the color.
It is easy to maintain the color without fading away for a month or two. Now let us see the hair care regimen you should follow to protect the color:
- Use mild shampoo and conditioner that is specially made for dyed hair
- Use shampoo, conditioner, and hair mask designed for color-treated hair. Shampoo the hair only when it is strictly necessary.
- Avoid using warm water to rinse your for it’ll open the cuticle of the hair and quickly wash out the color.
- Reduce the frequency of washing your hair, or else this can wash away the natural oils and hair dye.
- Do not use heat-dry on your hair; use the air-dry method instead.
- Avoid hair products that contain paraben, sulfate, or ammonia, as they cause color stripping.