I used henna in the 1970's. I am sure the product is different by now. If used as a dye, white hair might be bright orange and I know you cannot use regular hair dye over it if there is a mistake. I used it lightly to add red highlights to my dark brown hair but had reservations about it when I found out it turned greenish from the chlorine in pool water. I appreciate the idea of using something all-natural but on white hair you are taking a big risk IMO.

Always do a test to check for reactions. I just saw a young girl whose arm was covered in blisters from a black henna "tattoo". They say she may be permanently scarred.

I want to do it. I started graying at 18, and now at 34, I'm not ready to embrace it! However, I want to avoid traditional hair dye. It doesn't seem wise to let all those chemicals soak on my head for an hour every 6 weeks, though I do love the results. I just worry about the long-term effects.

I've had friends use henna on their hair before successfully. I'll ask what brands.

I should mention my hair only has a small (but noticable) percentage of gray, and my friends had even less, so our experiences might differ.

In my area, some salons offer it. You might want to try that first and if you like it, try it at home.

I don't really know what i have under here--i've been dying my hair for years. I suspect I am mostly white from the times I can see my roots. I want to embrace it but I think I must not be ready since I'm on here asking about henna. I feel like it will really age me. But then, do I care? I won't age at all if I die from cancer from the chemicals. I'm just nervous about the whole thing. Are there any safe hair dyes?

Can you even use henna on top of commercial hair coloring?

I am not aware of any reports/research results which indicate that hair dye causes cancer. Where can we read about that?

There's no definitive link to hair dye and cancer, at least not yet. There are some conflicting studies about some links found between hair dye and certain cancers.

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/caus/risk/myths/hair-dyes-fact-sheet

My personal opinion is it's not a good idea to use dyes, especially not at the frequency that is needed to keep grays away. Other people can decide otherwise based on the research if they want to. I'm worried it's one of those situations where they won't know it's dangerous until the damage is done, like cigarettes.

I'm in the same boat, Anne. I haven't been able to find any really safe dyes other than henna.

I don't think a vegetable based dye or henna will cover your gray for long. Both of my daughters have tried various henna dyes (Lush is one) and it's rather time consuming, although they do it for the red highlights and conditioning.

What about going back to your natural color and then having highlights put in until the gray gradually grows out?

I never got so many compliments on my hair as when I was finally all gray....Before it was trendy (about 10 years ago) I got stopped daily and complemented (ftr, it made me uncomfortable, but I'm lazy enough to not want to color it)...

You will find it liberating rather than aging.

I've been thinking of trying Hairprint. It's safe and claims to turn hair back to it's original color. It has pretty good reviews.

https://www.myhairprint.com

I have my very dark brown/black hair colored with vegetable dye. My hairdresser suggested this option because while I do not have a great deal of gray hair, what I have is in the most noticeable configuration around my face (from the back you can nary see any gray.) With vegetable dye, the color fades out over time without any outgrowth. With the dye, my white hair appears a bit lighter in color than the rest of my hair. I wash my hair every other day and go for coloring every six to eight weeks. The only salon that offers vegetable dye where I live is Vidal Sassoon.

Hair dye and cancer is really only something that a hair stylist working with dyes almost daily for many years and especially the dyes from the 70s-90’s, has to worry about.

There are hair toners that can be applied and gradually fade over time, those will be the semi permanent, Demi permanent uses lower strength developers, but the only one you will be able to get full coverage on natural/virgin grey and white hair is permanent dye. Even then the coverage can be uneven. Henna is more of a stain applied to the hair and has a very limited color range, and to get rid of henna you have to cut and/or grow the hair out so you can cut the henna treated hair off.

The only thing I know? It takes 48+ hours to see its full results with bright orange for that time. Then, it tones down. Just in case you decide to do it. So don't worry until it's past that amount of time.

Hairprint apparently doesn’t work for redheads and blondes. Oh well.

I believe Sprouts and Whole Foods carry a brand of Henna dye. Also Indian markets carry Henna. See if you can find a place in your area with experience and ask questions. Like someone mentioned maybe they can do a test patch to see how it'll turn out.

had totally natural LIGHT blonde hair till well after college. colored it for a while and then just said the heck with it. i wear my hair very short to begin with and have never been a hair person. gray is slowly taking over and IDC!! if i woke up tomorrow and had hair like Jamie Lee Curtis... would be thrilled. if totally white... WOW!!

I have dirty blonde hair and I too have told myself it's just hair. Who cares if it turns gray. Why stress over something that happens to all of us? :)

Has your hair gone gunmetal-y yet? That’s the in-between color most blondes will have before gray and silver/white shows up in full force.

I wanted to be one of those people who embraced going gray- but that is not how the cookie crumbled. The gray makes my hair look messy and I think it makes people see me as much older (I have zero wrinkles.)