Herbal teas & liquids that can be mixed with your home hair colors
Liquid is the ingredient that activates your organic hair colour. Some liquids are more effective than others at releasing the dye component and giving you great, even coverage. Below we look at the many liquids that can be used in your hair colors and give tips and suggestions on what liquid is best for each of the different colors. We have broken it down into 4 color categories BROWN, RED, BLONDE & INDIGO
BROWN organic hair colors
(Caramel Shadow, Chestnut Shadow, Deep Chestnut Shadow, Honey Shadow, Walnut Shadow, Chocolate Shadow)
Our brown tones have 2 different mixing methods. One is for grey coverage and one for non grey coverage. Here we will look at both methods and which liquid is best to be used and why.
GREY COVERAGE LIQUIDS to use:
Step 1 sachet - best liquids to use in order of preference
1. Diluted apple cider vinegar (30% ACV to 70% water - 3 parts ACV to 7 parts water)
apple cider vinegar is mildly acidic and helps to activate your step one for optimal grey coverage. It treats the hair and makes is soft and shiny. It is recommended you use this liquid if you are using our Pre wash shampoo bar as it helps to balance the alkaline of the pre wash bar and leave your hair healthy after colouring.
2. Diluted Lemon juice ( 20 to 30% lemon juice to 80 to 70% water)
diluted lemon juice is acidic and helps to activate your step one for optimal grey coverage. Its sole purpose is for colour activation and will not give any extra benefits to your hair like the ACV. This is a good alternative if it is all you have in the kitchen when it comes time to mix your color. Some people may experience an itching sensation when using lemon juice due to the high concentration of citric acid. If this occurs stop using diluted lemon juice and switch to ACV or black tea ( see below ). If your lemon mix is too strong it may leave your hair feeling a bit dry after colouring. If you feel this is the case we suggest you use an alternative liquid next application.
3. Black tea ( brew a normal cup of tea and allow to cool to a warm temperature before mixing with your color)
a brew of black tea is mildly acidic and will help to activate your step one for optimal grey coverage. It is mild and gentle and generally safe for those who become irritated when using diluted ACV or diluted lemon juice. Black tea does not have any benefits and although it does contain tannins it will not change the shade of your hair colour. This is a great alternative if you find the ACV & lemon juice too strong for your hair or if you only have black tea in your cupboard when it is time to mix your hair colour.
Other liquids that can be used as an emergency back up if you don't have any of the above. Please note to get the best color and optimum coverage the above 3 liquids are what we recommend. If you find yourself in an a position where you cant wait and need to mix your colour asap you can use the following liquids as an emergency back up only: diluted apple juice, diluted red or white wine vinegar, diluted red or white wine, diluted regular vinegar
Step 2 sachet - best and only recommended liquid to mix your step 2 sachet is warm water. The ingredients in step 2 are a little bit more sensitive and if you use any other liquid other than water you may find the coverage to not be as good. For this reason ONLY USE WATER for your step 2 activation
For more tips on mixing your brown shades for optimal grey coverage please read this article here:
For general tips on colouring grey hair please read this article:
For general tips on making your hair color smell nice please read this article:
NON GREY COVERAGE LIQUIDS to use:
For non grey coverage mixing method we suggest you use warm water only. We have found this the most effective way of activating your organic hair colour. It is gentle on the hair and scalp and we all have it at home. Make sure you use warm water and not boiling water as hot hot water can ruin the dye component of the organic hair colour. You can add some essential oils if you wish which we talk more about in the below article.
For more tips on mixing your brown shades for non grey coverage please read this article here:
RED organic hair colors
( Strawberry Shadow, Copper Shadow, Red Shadow, Deep Red Shadow)
Our red tones have one mixing method which makes it easy. Below we look at the different liquids you can use for mixing your organic hair color.
LIQUIDS to use:
1. Warm water
through much testing we have found that warm water is the best liquid to activate your red colors. It is gentle on the hair and scalp and gives optimal coverage.
2. Chamomile tea
a brew of chamomile tea will help to give soothing qualities to your mix. Chamomile is calming and is good for the scalp.
3. Rosemary tea
a brew of rosemary tea will help to promote healthy hair growth. Rosemary stimulates circulation and is a nice addition to your hair color or treatment
4. Hibiscus tea
a brew of hibiscus tea will give a bit of a boost to the red and assist with any split ends. It is a great treatment for your hair and good addition to your red hair color.
For more tips on mixing your red shades please read this article here:
For general tips on making your hair colour smell nice please read this article:
BLONDE organic hair colors
( Sun Shadow )
Our solo blonde tone has one mixing method which makes it easy. Below we look at the different liquids you can use for mixing your organic hair colour.
LIQUIDS to use:
1. Warm water
through much testing we have found that warm water is the best liquid to activate your blonde colour. It is gentle on the hair and scalp and gives optimal coverage.
2. Chamomile tea
a brew of chamomile tea will help to give soothing qualities to your mix. Chamomile is calming and is good for the scalp. It also adds golden tones to your hair so will boost the blonde
For more tips on mixing your blonde shade please read this article here:
For more tips on colouring your hair with blonde shades please read this article:
INDIGO BLACK organic hair color
( Indigo Shadow)
Our Indigo Shadow has one mixing method and only one suitable liquid which makes it easy.
For best results and optimum coverage we recommend you use warm water only.
If Indigo gives you an itch you can add a couple of drops of pure peppermint essential oil to your mix but that is it. Please do not experiment or add any other liquids to your Indigo Shadow as it is a sensitive ingredient which doesn't like to be mixed with other things. If you add liquid that is too acidic the colour will not work, So best bet is to stick with water.
For more tips on mixing your indigo shade please read this article here:
For more tips on colouring grey hair with Indigo Shadow please read our article here:
For general tips on making your hair colour smell nice please read this article:
