Does anybody else use coffee?

[LaFleurPrincesse]

Do any other brunettes use coffee to naturally increase their vibrancy and color richness? I've heard using dark coffee is best, but I never have it on hand so I stick with medium coffee. It makes my color gorgeous, rich, vibrant, I can't even describe it, but I love it. And it makes my blond highlights (which I hate and am growing out) more of the beautiful light brown I had wanted them to be in the first place. Does anybody else do this? What kind of coffee do you use? Do you add anything else? (I've heard adding black chocolate is good). When do you apply it and how long do you leave it sit for? How do you prepare it? It'd be cool to find out if anybody else does this and what their modus operandi and results are.

My Method
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Add ~1c boiling water to 1/4-1/3c medium coffee grains, stir and let sit for a few minutes.
Strain the mixture so that you have no grains in your brew, let cool.
Wet hair in shower then dip hair in coffee and let sit for about 30 seconds to ensure a good soak.
Do this on both sides, then pour half the remaining coffee on your scalp while tilting your head back.
Flip over and pour the other half over the parts of the scalp you may have missed.
Be sure everything is coated, you may want to use your fingers to very gently work the coffee towards your roots.
Let sit for 5-10 minutes, then rinse and condition as usual.

(Sorry if this thread has been done before, I looked around and did a search and didn't find one.)

[anniemae]

That is really cool!! I've never heard of this. I may have to try it.

How often do you do this? Do you do this every time you wash your hair?

[LaFleurPrincesse]

I generally do it once a week or before a big event. My hair is quite porous so it tends to soak up the color well and hold it for a while. I love it because it's not damaging like chemical hair dyes, and it's like your natural hair color, only better. Not to mention it's cheap. You don't need fancy coffee, as a matter of fact I use Harris Teeter coffee. Let me know your results if you try it!

Edit:
Oh, I also wanted to mention that my mother went on vacation and is currently borrowing my camera, but when she returns I'll try to get some pictures to share.

[LaFleurPrincesse]

I wanted to share more than just my methods and opinions, so I googled "coffee dye."

It doesn't Dye your hair so much as stain it. Kind of like a henna tattoo, or using red berries to stain your lips. Its only temporary. But on the upside, there are NO harsh chemicals that will harm your hair OR the environment. Also as a result of it being 100% natural, you can do it as often as you like. Good luck and how encouraging that people are interested in getting back to natural products!

http://www.ehow.com/how_2088905_.html

I do it all the time!
Just mix 1/2 cup (more or less depending on hair length) with a few tablespoons of your favorite conditioner. After you wash your hair, wring it out and apply the coffee mixture. Let it sit on your hair for 15 minutes and rinse with cool water.

Repeat once a week to maintain results and build up the color. The coffee stains the hair very well! Sometimes I add a tablespoon of warm olive oil as a "hot oil" treatment. It makes my hair so soft!! If you use oil rinse with warm water!

I have tried almost everything when it comes to these treatments. (keep in mind that the amounts I use is for shoulder length hair). The coffee method worked well on my dark hair, helped with shine and color intensity.
I used:
- 2 cups of leave in conditioner
- 2 tbs of ground coffee
- 1 cup of cold brewed coffee
Mix the leave in conditioner with the ground coffee and the cold brewed coffee in a bowl. Then put it in your hair like you would any 'regular' hair dye. Leave it in for 1 hour or as long as you see fit.

I'd recommend doing it because my hair feels really nice now and my husband thinks it looks a bit darker

Coffee is not just good for waking you up in the morning, it can provide a much-needed wake up call for your hair as well. Coffee brings out the red and brown highlights in dark hair and can even cover and blend in gray. You can add shine, facets and dimension to your hair using a simple coffee mix that does not contain any chemicals or unnatural ingredients.

If you do not see as marked a difference as you hoped for with your coffee rinse, repeat the rinse process for several days in a row. Sometimes natural dyes have a more subtle effect and can take multiple applications to achieve the desired look.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2343597_dye-hair-coffee.html

[MysticSpiral]

I don't use coffee, but I use Red Chai tea to bring out my reddish highlights in my hair (I have coffee brown hair, but it can be teased to auburn). I mix red chai tea with honey and olive oil, then add some flour to make a paste (though i want to test out using thicker oils instead) to make a mask. Then I leave it in my hair for awhile, and rinse it out.

[anniemae]

Thanks for this interesting topic!!

[LaFleurPrincesse]

Originally Posted by MysticSpiral

I don't use coffee, but I use Red Chai tea to bring out my reddish highlights in my hair (I have coffee brown hair, but it can be teased to auburn). I mix red chai tea with honey and olive oil, then add some flour to make a paste (though i want to test out using thicker oils instead) to make a mask. Then I leave it in my hair for awhile, and rinse it out.

Ooh, I want to try that! I also want to try turning my coffee mixture into a paste, it sounds like a paste would penetrate better. Some people suggested mixing it with condish but it seems like the condish would be absorbed and leave no room for the coffee to set in, so I'm not too sure about it. I definitely want to try adding olive oil and honey! How much water do you add to your chai tea, and how many packets of tea do you use? Thanks!

[LaFleurPrincesse]

Originally Posted by anniemae

Thanks for this interesting topic!!

You're welcome! I am very glad that you are enjoying it!

[MysticSpiral]

I use loose chai leaves, so it's about 1tsp for one cup (for drinking),but I use one cup with 2tsp for the paste. I use 1tsp honey, and 1tsp olive oil. Last night though, I tried making a paste with paprika (it was suggested to make a paste with a spice the same color as your rinse, but I was afraid to use the hot spice) I'm not sure if my highlights are any redder though, it might take some time.

For coffee, I'd suggest maybe making the paste with black coffee (dark brown) baking cocoa (med brown) or cinnamon (light brown).

[MysticSpiral]

Ugh, just undid my hair from letting it marinate in the paste, paprika was a no go tangles everywhere

[ricitos de oro]

This is so interesting! Thanks for sharing!

Do you think it would work on my dishwater blonde hair? Would it be really drastic since it's lighter? I've never dyed my hair, but I'm looking for a subtle change.

[wredna.anka]

Oh, I must try that! Do you use grain coffe or express?