Henna Hair Day!!!

Today was the day!  My Mehandi Body Art Quality (BAQ) Henna arrived yesterday and I couldn't wait to give it a try.  I have died my hair for several years (since it started getting "natural" aka gray hightlights) with whatever was on sale.  My sister in law mentioned that she was dying her hair with henna and indigo to avoid using the strong chemicals on her hair but to still cover the gray.  I thought that sounded like an excellent idea and went to the Henna for Hair website to read up on it and place my order. I ordered a set of two 100 g packets of Ancient Sunrise henna.  I wasn't sure whether I would need two packets or one.  The instructions said to use 100 g for short hair and more for longer than shoulder length hair.  Once I saw how big the packs were, I decided to go with one pack.

Here's what I did.  I got the kit and read that it had to "cure" about 12 hours to activate the dye in the henna.  Here's my recipe:

Pour the packet into a glass or metal bowl.  Add 1/2 cup of something acidic.  I used 1/4 cup of "lemon grenande" lemon juice (you know, the ones that look like a plastic lemon) and 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice.  It formed a thick paste which I covered with wax paper and left to sit overnight.

This morning, I added more liquid to bring it to a cake mix or yogurt type consistency. You can use more lemon juice or tea or things like that. I used 2/3 cup of Lipton tea and 1/3 cup of purified water.  I also added 10 drops of lavender essential oil and 1/2 cap of tea tree oil.  The lavender and lemon cut down on the strong smell of the henna.  I must admit it looks pretty yucky and green and icky.

I applied the paste to my roots first and then put thick clumps on the rest of my hair.  I made sure to cover the edges but wipe it off my skin with a wet cloth whenever it got on it so it wouldn't stain.  When all the hair was covered thickly, I put on a shower cap (you can also use plastic wrap) and left the henna on for 1 1/2 hours.  It wasn't hard to leave it on since I made it like a brownie mix and it wasn't runny at all.  The directions suggested to leave the henna on for 1 - 4 hours so I decided to try the low end this first time.

I rinsed it out in the shower (don't be surprised if the water runs really muddy and green).  It took a while to get it all out and for the water to run clear.  I added a little conditioner after and rinsed again.

I got out of the shower to a beautiful red head of hair!  It is supposed to get deeper for a few more days and stay for 6 months or so.  I'm guessing I have to do the roots every so often but we'll see.  Pictures are posted below.

This is the goop.  Looks yummy, huh?

BEFORE:  You can't tell but the color is a mousy blondish red.

AFTER:  The color is a beautiful clear reddish blonde.