There are many reasons why people dye their hair. Some women do it just to change their look – from a brunette, they might opt for a red or lighter hair color. Others do it to cover grey hair, something which men also go through. It’s no wonder why hair coloring products have become very popular over the years.
But what if you’re looking for ways to change your hair color without spending a dime? Or maybe you’d simply like to improve the overall color of your natural hair at no cost? We will cover that in the next sections, and find out how frequently consumers in the US use hair coloring products in general.
How Frequently Do We Use Hair Coloring Products?
First, here are a few statistics on how often people use hair coloring products:
- According to Statista.com, from January 2013 to March 2014, approximately 24,000 adults used hair coloring products in the last six months. Out of this, 4% used professional hair coloring services 4 times or more in the last six months.
- For 2011, 5% of American households have had 2 to 3 hair colorings within six months in 2011.
- For 2013, the top vendors of hair coloring products in the US are: L’Oreal Paris, Procter & Gamble, Garnier, Revlon, John Frieda, Developlus Inc., Soft Sheen Carson, OB Labs, Hoyu, Goodmark USA.
A lot of people do use hair coloring products and L’Oreal Paris is the leading brand in the US. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money having your hair color-treated at home or in a pricier salon, find out how you can dye your locks for free in the next section.
Top 10 Ways to Dye Your Hair for Free
Are there actual ways for you to dye your hair without spending a dime? Definitely! Check out our top ten list of some ingenious ways to dye your hair without spending a dime:
1. Quit dyeing your hair in the first place, embrace the grey
Embrace the Grey: It’s Who You Are!
There are women who panic upon seeing the first traces of grey hair on their scalp. Some experience greying hair as early as their late twenties, while others have grey hair during their thirties or forties. Instead of obsessing about coloring every bit of grey hair that shows on your locks, why not lovingly embrace it?
Grey is such a lovely, elegant color and when you match it with non-frizzy locks as well as an even shade of grey, you are bound to become a silver vixen! Depending on the degree of greyness of your hair, there are things that you can do to improve its overall color. For instance, if the grey and black area looks like uneven stripes, you might want to use a natural hair dye that will make the hue a lot more even.
If the color of your grey hair is very even but the texture of the individual strands is less than desirable, simply use a mask that will restore the moisture of your hair. Go online and look for recipes that you can whip up using the ingredients in your very own kitchen.
2. Refresh your hair color with coffee or tea
Next, you can use coffee or tea to hide the existence of grey hair. These two kitchen staples can actually be used to stain your hair.
If you’re using coffee, make a really strong pot and allow the black liquid to cool. Then, mix two cups of leave-in conditioner with two tablespoons of ground coffee, plus the cold coffee that you just brewed. Let the mixture sit for around five minutes, then massage onto your hair. You can also soak your hair with cold coffee or tea then let it sit on your hair for up to one hour before rinsing.
3. Clarify your hair color using beer or champagne
No matter what your existing hair color is, you can clarify its existing hue using beer or champagne. Hollywood actress Catherine Zeta-Jones uses this trick to maintain her gorgeous locks.
It might be a bit messy to use a can of beer in the shower, so use flat beer on your locks and let sit for a few minutes. The smell might be undesirable, so make sure to wash it off with shampoo and conditioner afterwards. Beer is said to contain proteins, vitamins, barley and hops which all help develop healthy hair.
4. Color your hair using vodka or cranberry juice
Similar to how brunettes can use coffee or tea to hide the existence of grey hair on their locks, redheads can enhance their hair color using vodka or cranberry juice. Cranberry juice is specifically for redheads while vodka can be used by blondes to clarify their hair color. After allowing your hair to sit in the drink mixture for up to an hour, use your regular shampoo and conditioner to get rid of the smell and wash it all off.
5. Go naturally black with henna
If you have black hair, you can use henna to cover grey hair. Those with lighter hair shades can also use henna to completely change their hair color. Aside from being a natural, low-cost hair dye, using henna on your locks makes it incredibly soft, shiny and healthy.
You also would not have to deal with any damaging effects that chemical-based colorants have. Aside from black, there are other shades and colors of henna dyeing products that you can choose from.
6. Use herbs to color your hair
You Can Use Herbs to Dye Your Hair!
Another low-cost or no-cost option to dye your hair is to use herbs for coloring. If you want to lighten your hair organically, for example, simply mix a cup of lemon juice with three cups of chamomile tea. Repeat a few times per week to lighten your natural hair shade.
If you want to go red, mix half a cup of beet juice with half a cup of carrot juice. Massage onto your locks, let sit for one hour before rinsing. You can also use a cp of rosehip oil with two cups of water; three hibiscus tea bags with two cups of water; or one-third of a cup of crushed marigold flowers with two cups of water.
For a darker shade, you can use half a cup of dry sage with two cups of water. There are many herbs that you can use to color your hair, depending on whether you want to go lighter or darker.
7. Use a color enhancing shampoo
Doing an overhaul of your hair color or completely changing it is quite costly, especially if you are going from light to dark or vice versa.
To minimize the costs, simply use a color enhancing shampoo. There are many brands of color enhancing shampoo in the market which you can use as a hair dye alternative. These have formulations that strengthen the color of the hair, but minus the chemicals associated with using hair dyes. These rinse off pretty fast but if you use them plenty enough, the existing color of your locks should be enhanced.
Related: 10 Ways to Save Money on Shampoo? Yes, please!
8. Request hair coloring product manufacturers for free samples
L’Oreal, Procter & Gamble, Garnier and other beauty product manufacturers are more than willing to send out product samples to their customers. This is especially true if they are introducing a new color or a new line of hair coloring products in the market.
In order for you to try out a new shade, simply e-mail the manufacturer and ask for a free product sample to be sent out to you. You can also scope out the promotional events at supermarkets or malls where free hair coloring services are given to customers, which are usually offered by beauty product manufacturers.
9. Make your own organic hair dye
If you want to make your own organic hair dye, all you have to do is look for recipes online. For instance, to lighten your hair naturally, you can mix three cups of cinnamon with eight ounces of yogurt. Massage onto damp hair and let sit for up to eight hours before rinsing. The acidic nature of the yogurt will lighten your hair naturally.
10. Use natural ways to enhance the color of your hair
Finally, you can use natural ways to enhance the existing color of your hair using staple ingredients in the kitchen.
Egg whites, for instance, give your hair a lot of extra shine while an avocado hair mask mixed with olive oil will restore hair moisture. Honey, a natural humectants, locks in the moisture in your locks. Even if you have greying hair or if your blonde locks are fading due to chemical damage or too much sun, there are natural solutions that you can use to enhance the color.
If you would like to change your hair color or enhance the existing hue of your locks, there is no reason for you to spend a lot of money on it. There are plenty of natural solutions that you can go for, ranging from natural hair dyes to ingredients like coffee or tea which all enhance the color of your hair.
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