I'm the daughter of a cosmetologist.
My sisters and I have done just about everything there is to do with our hair.
And after dying it every 4-6 weeks for the last 4-5 years, and recently getting a perm and doing a few bleached streaks... I decided I want to be done with chemical hair treatments.
We have switched all our home cleaners and products to all-natural products, so why not this?!?
Well, I decided to try... drum roll please...
HENNA!
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| END RESULT! This is when Alex and I were walking to the Mache Conference downtown. This was my first time out of the house for weeks from being sick with mono. I felt SO sick this day! |
ATTEMPT #1
Brand:Surya Brazil
Cost: Aprox. $12 - could get 2 uses from
My Experience: Easy to use. Not very desirable results. It didn't turn out the way I thought it would. But it did leave my hair very soft and healthy feeling.
ATTEMPT #2
Brand: Light Mountain
Cost: Aprox. $7 - could get 2 uses from
Experience: Messy. Time consuming. But LOVED the results color wise!! It didn't leave my hair feeling nourished like the above brand.
So I have a pretty red color to my hair now. The parts that were black and still black but with a red hue to them. The blonde streaks I have underneath are as red as my roots. It looks... interesting... but I'm hoping as the black grows out, and I keep henna-ing it, it will turn out nicer each time.
Do I recommend Henna?
I've only done it successfully once, but I really like it! You can do black, browns, and red hues. I am all for natural products and since Henna's the only one I've tried, I can't say I recommend it over any other natural products, but I do over conventional products!
What are the Pros and Cons of Henna?
Pros:
- Healthy for your hair. It actually moisturizes your hair instead of damaging it.
- It dyes your hair in a way that has a bunch of really pretty shades and highlights and depth.
- It's not just a straight, bland color.
- It's cheaper then box dye (since you can often stretch one "box" for two dyes).
- You can play around with the Henna mix and add things like an egg or yogurt for more moisture or lemon juice or chamomile tea for more blonde hues.
Cons:
- It's time CONSUMING! You mix the Henna with water and have to let it sit 30 minutes to 2+ hours before applying to hair. Then, depending on the color you want, it needs to sit in your hair for 1 hour-4 hours before you rinse it out.
- It's very messy. Anything the Henna touches will be dyed an orange color for a LONG time if not permanently. You have to place vaseline around your face and neck to attempt to prevent skin dying. You also need to lay paper towels around the area you're working. You also need to take into account how and where you're going to clean your bowl/utensils. I recommend using a container you can throw away.
I've been dying my hair with Henna for a while now and I love it! I found a research paper on how to dye with henna and I lost it and wish I could find it again it was very very helpful. A couple of tips if you want a darker red hue...use something acidic like lemon juice or vinegar with the henna and let it set for at least 12 to 24 hours before applying to your hair. Also don't mix egg with it, although the egg will leave your hair feeling conditioned it blocks the dye from reaching the keratin and you will not have a very dark hue. Also you can mix indigo in with the henna or apply it after you've dyed with henna for a darker hue. Also if the hay smell is too strong you can mix powdered clove into your henna and it will help mask/remove the smell. Although for a good month or so after using the henna whenever I wash my hair it still smells of hay :) I also have bought henna powder from the bulkherbstore.com online and also bulk henna off of amazon and I have gotten about 3 applications out of ½ lb of powder but my hair is also very long so it takes more then if my hair was shoulder length or less. Sorry if my comments are too long :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the tips!! I'll try the lemon juice next time and see how it turns out.
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