I've never dyed my hair.  I started getting grays fairly early in my 20s and now it's getting to be more than I like.  I really don't want to use chemicals.  Besides the health/carcinogen concern, I know I wouldn't keep up with it enough and would wind up with the line of gray roots that my mother promptly dyes over on her own hair. 

I don't mind some gray.  That's why I've put up with it for so long.  But I have very dark brown hair and the grays are standing out a lot lately.

My aunt uses henna, but she has darker (almost black) hair and her dye job reminds me of when my friend used red kool-aid as dye in high school--it looks completely unnatural. 

I don't want to change my hair color (at least not drastically)  I just want to blend the grays a little better--you know, make the grays look like highlights instead of grays.

I was thinking about using the coffee method, which seems to have a simplicity that's more my speed.  But now my question is, does any old coffee work?  For example, is instant the same or is instant technically some sort of chemical fake-coffee?  See, I don't have a percolator, but if instant won't work, I'll totally attempt any alternative brewing suggestions. (would making a makeshift teabag with coffee grinds work?)  Do different coffees have different shades?

Anyway, looking for help!  Thanks a bunch for any advice you can give.

Hello, ak, and welcome to the boards.  I'm afraid I have no personal experience with this and can only think to direct you to hennaforhair.com for you to look at the info there.  You can use amla to give henna and/or indigo a cool brown tone.

Good luck, I hope you find a solution that works for you!

Welcome!  You can also check out the Mehandi.com site.  The amla added to the henna and indigo will in fact give you a cooler brown tone.
I myself haven't tried the coffee method.  For great information you can check out the two sites.
HTH :)

Coffee staining isn't as effective as coloring. Not even close. The color deposit is extremely sheer and certainly would not cover grays. It also washes out completely every time you wash your hair.

Any coffee will work - the stronger the better. But also be aware that your hair will reek like old coffee for as long as you leave it in. The scent lingers even after your hair dries.

It's perfectly fine to experiment with but don't expect spectacular results. The color will likely be too subtle to notice at all. At least that was my experience.

A word of caution about henna also: it's extremely time consuming and a bloody ton of work. It can also be drying.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

Thanks for the input.  Just trying to get ideas.  I still don't know if/what I'll wind up doing.  This is a big help though.

You're welcome.  Let us know what you decide to do and how it turns out!