Blonde hair coffee hair dye before and after

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Dyeing your hair is not always an easy choice to make, especially considering the heavy chemicals often present in the dyes used in salons and home kits. Luckily, you can darken you hair naturally using coffee. This method is especially ideal for expecting mothers or people who want a less permanent coloring. All you need is some coffee and conditioner!

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   Brew some coffee. Brew about 1–2 cups (240–470 ml) of organic coffee. The coffee should be organic, because non-organic coffees usually have added chemicals and preservatives. Be sure to use a dark roast coffee or espresso.[1] This will help make sure your hair will darken with the coffee. Make this brew strong, by adding a little bit more coffee than 1–2 cups (240–470 ml) calls for.

   • You can brew the coffee however you want (a drip coffee maker, on the stove), but brewing your coffee in a single serve instant coffee maker might not brew the coffee as strongly as it should be to adequately dye your hair.
   • Let the coffee cool and use it when it is completely cooled, or lukewarm.

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   Mix the coffee with conditioner. You can use any kind of conditioner to mix with the coffee. However, thicker conditioners might make application easier. Mix 1 cup (240 ml) of the brewed coffee, with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of conditioner, and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the organic coffee grounds. Use a spoon to mix all of these ingredients together.

   • If you have longer hair, you can increase the quantity of coffee and conditioner used.[2] The exact measurements are not a rule, but more so a guide.

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   Apply the mixture to your hair. Apply this mixture to your hair using your hands, and consider using a wide-toothed comb to spread the mixture evenly through your hair.[3] Once you have added all of the mixture to your hair, consider pinning your hair up in a bun to keep your hair out of your face as you let the mixture soak in. Leave this mixture on your hair for at least an hour. After an hour, the conditioner may start to dry and harden.

   • Apply this coffee mixture to your hair in a bathroom with a mirror so you can contain any mess and see what you’re doing.
   • Drape an old towel (one you don’t mind getting messy) over your shoulders. This will prevent any of the coffee mixture from falling on your clothes and staining the fabric.

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   Rinse your hair. Rinse the coffee and conditioner mixture out of your hair in the shower. Don’t add shampoo; simply let the water clean out the mixture from your hair.[4]

   • You may need to repeat this dyeing process a couple times to reach your desired results.[5]

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1. 

   1

   Shampoo your hair. Wash your hair with some shampoo. You want to work with clean hair free of oils and hair products.

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   2

   Brew coffee. Brew about 2 cups (470 ml) of strong, organic coffee.[6] It may help to brew 2 cups (470 ml) of coffee, since you will be pouring the coffee over your head as a rinse. The more coffee, the easier it will be to pour on your hair.

   • Allow your coffee to cool down to room temperature, or even cooler.

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   Transfer the coffee to a large container. Once your coffee is brewed, pour the coffee into a large bowl or pot. Essentially, you need a large enough container to hold the coffee so you can scoop it up to pour on your hair, and also to collect the falling coffee as you hold your head over the container and pour the coffee on your hair.[7]

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   Rinse your hair with the coffee. Place the large bowl or pot into the shower and hold your head over the bowl. You can dunk your hair into the bowl, and use a small cup to scoop up coffee and pour it over the rest of your hair. This will be especially helpful to reach the back of your head, which will be unable to be dipped all the way into the coffee.[8] Pour coffee over your hair approximately 15 times. This will make sure your hair gets completely saturated with the coffee. Wring out your hair, and allow the coffee to sit on your hair for about at least 20 minutes to a few hours.[9][10] It may help to pin your hair up in a bun to prevent the coffee from dripping.

   • Alternatively, you can pour the brewed coffee into a spray bottle and spray your hair.[11] Either way, be sure to cover as much of your hair as possible with the coffee.

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   Rinse your hair clean. After you have let the coffee sit on your hair, rinse out the coffee with water in the shower.[12]

   • You may need to soak you hair with coffee a few more times in order to achieve your desired hair color.
   • Rinsing your hair with apple cider vinegar may help the coffee color last longer.

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Add New Question

• Question

  Can I put coffee on dry hair?

  

  Mindy Nguyen is a Holistic Cosmetologist and the Owner and Founder of Mai Blossom Organic Salon, an organic hair salon in San Diego, California. With more than 35 years of experience in the beauty industry, she specializes in combining Eastern philosophies with Western science to provide organic hair coloring and holistic hair styling.

  

  Holistic Cosmetologist

  Expert Answer

  Absolutely! Slowly pour the cool coffee into your dry hair, using your free hand to massage it into your dry locks. Then, use a wide-tooth comb to distribute the coffee from roots to end. Squeeze out any extra liquid and cover your hair with a shower cap. Leave the cap on for 45-60 minutes before rinsing it out.

• Question

  Does putting coffee in your hair make it darker?

  

  Mindy Nguyen is a Holistic Cosmetologist and the Owner and Founder of Mai Blossom Organic Salon, an organic hair salon in San Diego, California. With more than 35 years of experience in the beauty industry, she specializes in combining Eastern philosophies with Western science to provide organic hair coloring and holistic hair styling.

  

  Holistic Cosmetologist

  Expert Answer

  Definitely! If you have light brown to medium-brown hair, a coffee dye job can make your hair a half or full shade darker. It just depends on how dark the coffee is and how long you leave it in for.

• Question

  How can I make my hair darker naturally?

  

  This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Answer

  As well as using coffee (explained in the steps above), other ways to darken hair naturally include: Mustard oil, walnut shells, amla powder, black tea and henna powder. For information on using these and other ways to darken your hair naturally, see How to Naturally Darken Your Hair.

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• Keep a towel wrapped around your neck and shoulders because the coffee can stain your clothes.

• This hair-dyeing treatment works really well on brunettes who have lighter brown hair, rather than blondes with super light hair.

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• This method of dyeing your hair unfortunately doesn’t produce exact results. But, if you don’t like the way your color turns out, the coffee will fade out after a few washes in the shower.

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About This Article

Article SummaryX

To dye your hair with coffee, start by brewing a strong pot of dark roast coffee or espresso. Then, let the coffee cool completely so it's not hot when you're using it. Once the coffee is cool, pour it into a bowl and mix it with some hair conditioner and dry coffee grounds. When you're ready, work the mixture into your hair with your hands and leave it in for an hour. After an hour, rinse the coffee mixture out of your hair in the shower. To learn how to dye your hair using a coffee rinse, scroll down!

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