This Odorless, $16 Hair Dye Is the Best I’ve Used on My Gray Strands

I started dyeing my gray hair at home a few years ago because as much as I loved visiting the salon, the upkeep, timing, and cost were starting to weigh on me. I’ve tried numerous different at-home hair dye kits in an attempt to cover my rapidly growing gray roots with mixed results; some are too fake, some are too expensive, and some are way too messy. (A handful downright irritated the crap out of my scalp, too.) I searched online for an ammonia-free hair dye and the gentle formula of Herbatint Permanent Hair Color Gel appealed to me, as did the $16 price tag. 

Herbatint Permanent Hair Color Gel is safe for sensitive skin, thanks to its ammonia-, paraben-, alcohol-, and fragrance-free formula. It’s gentle yet powerful, with eight organic herbal extracts included to help give you coverage, shine, and great color. The easy-to-use gel comes in more than 35 hair colors, ranging from light copper gold to violet to mahogany chestnut, covering all ends of the hair color spectrum. The application process takes about 40 minutes and can lighten natural hair up to two shades. Each kit contains a bottle of hair color gel, a developer, and a sample of the brand’s Royal Cream Conditioner. 

After reading tons of reviews, specifically those by people with very dark to black hair like me, I went one shade lighter than I normally would the first time I used it. Using a food scale, I weighed out the right amount of color and developer according to the package directions. I was surprised to see that there was enough left in each bottle for two additional applications, getting the cost per dye down to about $5. The dye, which started thin and then became gel-like when mixed with the developer, was odorless and didn’t burn my scalp. I let it sit the maximum 40 minutes recommended for gray root coverage. 

Maybe it’s because I’m a lazy Taurus or maybe it’s because I’m left-handed, but I am terrible at applying hair dye. With other dyes, I usually have to do an insane cleanup job and often would find myself scrubbing the life out of my scalp before shampooing and busting out high-power cleaning supplies to get stains out of my tub. I did get the Herbatint Permanent Hair Color Gel everywhere, but it came off immediately and easily. I’m only mildly ashamed to say that after seeing how easily it came off the first time, I started applying it with gloved hands instead of painting it on during subsequent dye jobs. Regardless of how it goes on, I get natural-looking gray coverage every time — and a blissfully clean scalp and bathroom. 

More than 7,000 people on Amazon have given the Herbatint Permanent Hair Color Gel a five-star rating, with one shopper saying it’s “hands down” the “best box color” because it leaves “no brassiness,” has “no fading,” and their hair “still has shine” with “consistent color.” Another person, who used the shade 3N like me, praised its “beautiful color,” “no mess,” and “no color staining.” They added that they’ve tried “so many different colors in the past 40 years,” but that this is the color they’ve “always wanted.” 

Coloring your gray roots at home can be a finicky task with unpredictable results, but Herbatint Permanent Hair Color Gel is easy, affordable, and long-lasting.