Which Teas Darken Gray Hair?

Hair color covers up a gray mane, but salon dyes often contain chemicals that aren't friendly to your locks. If you prefer something gentler, you can darken hair naturally by making your own herbal tea dye. Dried herbs produce a tea that gives gray hair rich color and subtle highlights.

Woman with gray hair standing on a bridge (Image: Jupiterimages/Stockbyte/Getty Images)

Darken Gray Hair Naturally

To make your own natural dye, add three black tea bags to 1 cup of boiling water. Mix in 1 or 2 tablespoons of dried sage, rosemary, nettle or elderberry -- the amount to use depends on how much you want to darken your hair. Let the tea steep overnight and then remove the tea bags and strain out the herbs. After shampooing as usual, pour or spray the mixture over your hair. Work it in from roots to ends. Do not rinse. You may not notice any darkening effects at first, but your hair will get darker with each treatment. Repeat the treatment daily until your hair is as dark as you'd like.