Home made hair dye?

[BabyLedWhining]

I used to dye my hair fun colours decades ago when I was young and it was all fields and then I gave up on all that and let my hair grow back to its actual colour and haven't dyed it for years.

Recently I bought a box of brown dye to deal with my many greys and the instructions were basically.

Do a patch test.

No. Seriously, you must do one.

If your skin starts to blister don't' dye hair.

If your head explodes dial 999 immediately.

So I'm googling as I never did a patch test in my life so surely I'm fine and then I find out that dye allergy has a cumulative effect and can strike at any time. We've got a nasty history of skin allergies in my family and google has scared the shit out of me. Why do I google? I know not to google. But anyway henna can also cause bad reactions now? and meanwhile I'm sitting here grey and considering coffee as I know I'm not allergic to that... but the YouTube videos look shit and that's stupid right?

Thoughts?

Do a patch test and then dye it in 48 hours surely?

Yes, but what if my face explodes with the patch test (I am prone to face explosions that become infected).

Patch test behind your ear. Or go down the henna route BUT do not get a henna dyes (found in health food stores and the likes) as they contain metalic salts and sometimes PPD. Get pure powder (henna mixed with indigo powder for brown hair but not sure if the ratios) or go to lush and get one of the Henna bars in a brown colour.

Very, very few people are properly allergic to pure henna powders. (Just as very very few people are allergic to pure plants / herbs etc used in natural beauty - e.g.: coconut oil or Aloe Vera. Although I should say I am one of the very, very few people who are actually allergic to Aloe Vera - go figure - but I'm not allergic to henna and it's what I use to dye my hair).

The internet horror stories are from people who have used 'henna dyes' or purchased black henna (no such thing) and it contained PPD so the had a reaction. PPD is the stuff in proper dye that most often causes allergic reactions.

Proper henna from lush is really good :) and like pp said it's only the crap fake stuff that's not really henna that people are allergic too. I can't use chemical hair dyes but proper henna is fine!

Thanks Thanks

I'd read about the henna bars but I guess they can make people with grays go orange I might try it once and see how it works on me. I'll do a patch test with the henna anyway .

Who's allergic to aloe? Must be an easy way to get the Forever Living people to fuck of though!

Also I thought Indigonhenna was 'black henna'? Maybe not though it was all a daze of Daily Mail scare articles and me clutching my scalp

Thanks User, do you happen to have greys at all?

Try a semi permenant

Do the patch test - any itching or irritation, just wash it off and don't use.

Holland and Barrett sell a more natural dye, although it obviously still contains chemicals.

I would buy a box dye that only needs to be on for 10 minutes, rather than 20+.

Yeah it doesn't cover grey brilliantly but it does it well enough. I tend to use the darkest brown and use it every 6 weeks or so. The grey does stay lighter still but much less noticeable.