We’ve got some sage advice that will give you great-looking locks with less gray and no harmful chemicals.

If those silver streaks are cropping up more frequently and you’re not ready to embrace them, then the herb sage might be your answer. For a long time, sage has been used to naturally darken hair and hide grays. It’s a practice that had almost been forgotten, but it’s luckily being revived just in time to save your style.

Not only does sage darken your hair naturally, but it also won’t strip it of natural oils and leave it dry and fragile. On top of that, sage can help stimulate new hair growth and reduce hair loss. It makes you wonder why you haven’t tried it before.

A little more about sage

The botanical name of sage is salvia officinalis and it has a lot of nicknames, but they all contain the word sage so it should be easy enough to find.

If you want to grow sage, it’s an evergreen shrub and so it needs some space to really take hold and grow. The green leaves have a silver hue to them, and in late summer they will bloom with a small purple flower. It slightly resembles lavender.

Sage is a member of the mint family. Although it’s native to the Mediterranean, it now grows just about anywhere and thrives without much care.

Sage has an interesting history and was one of the more important herbs for health and longevity. In the Roman Empire, sage was considered a miracle herb, Egyptians used it for fertility, and in France, it was a common tea.

While sage has a laundry list of ways it can potentially boost your health and improve your longevity, it’s the way it can help your hair that is most interests us today. So, let’s look at sage as a hair wash.

Of course, before you get started, let’s stop for a moment to say Gray is beautiful. We love gray hair at Hair La Vie.

Sage hair recipe

Sage has pigments that stain your gray hairs naturally and turn them darker. The science behind sage dyeing suggests that it’s the natural tannins in the tea that provides the color change.

It’s not known what process actually “fixes” the color to your hair rather than washes it out, but people who use sage tea hair rinses report that the change in their hair occurs over time and relatively slowly as opposed to actual dyeing.

To make your sage tea you only need 3-4 sprigs of fresh sage, or you can substitute fresh with about a tablespoon of dried sage leaves and two cups of water.

Place the sage in a pot with water and boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat, cover the tea, and let it simmer for three to five minutes.

Remove your tea from the heat but keep it covered, and let it steep for a couple of hours until it is cool. Strain the fluid from the herbs and reserve the liquid to use your hair rinse.

Sage hair rinse tips

Now that you have your sage, there are a couple of different ways you can use it. For the best dyeing results, apply it to your freshly washed hair and work into the scalp and then down through the length of your hair.

Don’t rinse. Simply squeeze out excess liquid and towel dry your hair with an old towel, as it will stain. It’s suggested you do this two to three times a week.

Another method is to massage your sage tea into your scalp and down through your hair every other night. This method is nice if you have time to sit and wait for your hair to air dry at night, but if you don’t you may get discolored bedding.

Once your grays are covered sufficiently, keep some sage rinse handy for weekly refreshes.

Additional benefits of sage

Sage is not only a secret herbal dye, it also has antioxidant qualities. These qualities make it the perfect spa treatment for your scalp at home. Sage can open up your hair follicles and boost scalp health. It’s also a natural method for treating dandruff.

If your hair is thinning, sage can stimulate new growth and help to reduce hair loss. If you’re currently using a lot of products on your hair, simply switching to non-caustic, natural sage will boost your hair’s health and leave it feeling lighter, softer, and fuller. And if you are using several different products on your hair, you might want to consider switching over to a few base products instead. Hair La Vie's Shampoo and Conditioner Set is a great place to start. This Shampoo and Conditioner Set was designed specifically to change the way you wash and condition your hair. We've formulated this hair care system to completely revitalize and rejuvenate your hair using an unprecedented combination of 21 natural oils, extracts, vitamins, proteins, and amino acids. It's a great starting point to building a healthy and clean hair care routine. 

Final thoughts

You can fight gray hair with sage tea. That’s a pretty remarkable statement considering how much money people spend annually to combat aging and keep their hair color looking natural and youthful.

Making sage tea for your hair is a fairly simple process and you can make a large batch if you want so you have a convenient amount on hand. You only need enough for a rinse a couple of times a week in the beginning and then weekly for maintenance. You'll want to start your routine with a nurturing and detoxifying wash and rinse and Hair La Vie's Shampoo and Conditioner Set is a great place to start. 

While we know gray hair is beautiful, Hair La Vie wants you to feel and look as beautiful as you want to be, and the healthiest way there is a natural way.