Part Six – Herbal Treatments for the Hair
“Color Me Pretty”
There are several plants, in addition to Persian, Indian or Egyptian henna, that add subtle coloring and highlights to the hair, some for blondes, some for brunettes, and some for redheads and gray or silver hair. Some henna formulations are neutral and do not add any color but do bring shine and elasticity to the hair; it actually coats the hair shaft.
I wouldn’t recommend using any of these plant dyes on white hair unless you are very adventurous!
Following the methods described in Part One for making Herbal Hair Tea, make a brew out of perhaps three of the following suggested herbs and repeatedly wash or brush through the hair over a large tub to catch and re-use the coloring brew. You could also use the powdered herb pack method as well, which is how henna is applied. As I said in Part One, “messy, but fun” !! Please wear gloves and old clothes, and have lots of towels ready as well.
I listed these herbs in the Introduction, but here they are again for your convenience.
chamomile flower – light hair
elderberries – very dark hair (experiment with this on a hidden strand first, this may dye your hair blue!)
grape leaves – dark
green walnut husks – brown (this definately stains)
henna – red tones to dark; these are storebought, but very traditional
hollyhock flowers – according to color
marigold petals – light and golden (this includes both common marigolds and calendula or pot-marigold)
mulberries – see elderberry, above, except they’re more purplish-black
mullein leaf and flower – golden
poppy petals – red or golden
raspberry leaf – dark
rhubarb root – golden
rose petals – according to color (doesn’t get very dark)
sage – for dark or grey, more for lustre than dye
St. John’s wort flowering tops – red or golden
I have used the golden herbs for adding highlights to my brown hair, but my hair is graying now, so I need to take a different approach. As a fun finale, Part Seven will feature a very unusual hair and scalp concoction for which yours truely will model LOL, and which I dedicate to my Grandma Lil and her luscious Ox-tail Soup…
… now I gotcha wonderin’, huh?
