How best to cover grey hairs

[CowboyHat]

I’ve finally admitted that I have too many greys just to ignore. I did consider embracing the grey but I don’t think I can face being grey yet (still in my 30s).

I have mid/dark brown hair and have never professionally dyed my hair or had any kind of highlights. I tried a box dye 6 months ago and it didn’t cover the greys.

What are my options? I’m in London and the prices for my local salons for any type of dying seem astronomical.

I should add that I’m normally very low maintenance. The thought of having to go to a salon every few weeks fills me with dread. I currently go every 4-6 months for a trim!

Like @Mumskisail , I use a mix of henna (2/3) and cassia (1/3). I also add cloves (for a bit of brown) and sometimes a bit of a darker pigment, such as walnut husk powder (and ginger powder to neutralize the henna smell). I have been doing it this way for probably 15 years; I am quite grey now, I guess about 30%, and it does a great job covering my roots. I treat the roots every 3-4 weeks and once every three months or so I do a whole head treatment.
As a child I was a redhead with auburn hair in adulthood, so reddish brown suits me. There are some very good sites telling you how to mix the henna for a shade you want.

Hey thanks guys. I use any henna that I think is just 100% henna, typically the best value one I can find, from Amazon. My latest is this:

H&C 100% Pure Natural Henna Powder (Lawsonia Inermis) 227 Gms (1/2 Lb) For Hair… amzn.eu/d/50WjxDT

Then I blend it with Cassia, again from Amazon, which gives a strawberry blonde colour and shine. It tones down the orange of the henna, which is especially important around the hairline where my hair is naturally lighter, especially in summer, and where it's finer and I have more white. I'm wanting to blend in the greys and gently lift my natural colour a little, rather than have a colour change to all of my hair.

You can definitely blend with other herbs to get darker shades which also tones the red. It's worth googling.

But if you are just starting out and want to keep it simple then I recommend the brand It's Pure - they have a range of ready blended colours and they guarantee it's 100% natural herbs with no nasties sneaked in, because they've designed the hair colour for cancer patients / those in remission who can't use chemical colour because it's carcinogenic. (If that's not a good enough reason to give up chemical dyes...!). There are lots of colours...

Organic Hair Dye - It's Pure Organics Herbal Hair Colour Chestnut amzn.eu/d/46KmH9h

I personally avoid Lush hair colours as they have a bunch of 7 so called natural ingredients in that are perfumes etc but that aren't actually good for you, also I tried Hennara hair colour and realised it's a blend of henna with chemicals, so my hair went dry and went lighter in the sun.

Finally, if you're new to it then do a strand test and make sure you're happy with the colour. I might start with an hour and I never need it on for longer than 2. I put the colour through all my hair every so often, maybe 2-3 times a year, but mostly I just do my roots and the first 2 inches.

What I love is that the colour naturally fades over time (Cassia is only temporary anyway), so if like me you're just blending the greys to your natural colour, then you don't get really obvious roots.