For some, henna for gray hair offers a natural, adjustable, and cruelty-free alternative to commercial hair dye brands. For others, it does not provide enough color options and can be inconvenient and messy to prepare and apply. Since some pros and cons do not apply across the board, most people will have to try dyeing gray hair with henna for themselves before determining whether it is an option that works for them.
Many types of henna hair dye are considered a natural hair dye and do not contain any chemicals or other synthetic ingredients. Too, many companies that manufacture and market henna hair dye and other henna products do not conduct any animal testing. For many people, the absence of chemicals and animal testing makes the product a worthy one, whether they are using henna for gray hair or for some other purpose.
Some henna hair dye users experience hair that looks and feels healthier than before they used the henna. So, a woman using henna for dyeing gray hair that is not in the healthiest of conditions might find the health of her hair improves after using the henna. Too, similar to other kinds of hair dyes, some henna hair dyes include a product specifically for adding gloss and shine to otherwise dull hair.
Usually, people who use henna for gray hair can adjust the strength of the color themselves. Unlike commercial hair dyes, which are designed to provide one version of a color, henna dyes allow the user to lighten and darken the color by adjusting the mix. This is beneficial for people who might want to try different versions of the color before deciding which looks best on them.
Unfortunately, henna sometimes looks unnatural on gray hair. This might be due to the color or quality of the dye, or the person’s hair type beyond just color. Sometimes, hennaed hair itself, beyond the color, does not look like natural hair. Many people find that when using henna for covering gray hair, they must undergo more than one treatment. For busy people, or those who want to color their gray hair in one sitting, multiple treatments aren’t convenient.
Depending on the product, the user might have to mix her own henna hair dye. This might not bother some users, but others prefer a simpler, less-messy procedure. Also, henna hair dye typically only comes in colors of the red and brown families. For example, it would be difficult or impossible for someone with gray hair to find henna hair dye that would dye her hair blonde. Some users feel dying their gray hair to a drastic red, auburn, or brown color would be more extreme than a blonde or ash color.
Using henna for gray hair does not work for everyone. Some people experience no satisfactory results when dyeing gray hair with henna. This might be because henna has a more difficult time “attaching” to gray hair than it does hair that has not yet turned gray.