So I'm one of those people that have been blessed with hair that has a LOT of volume. As in, a LOT LOT LOT of volume! Now I don't use hair extensions or weaves, so for a considerable amount of time, my hair is freeeeeeee. Right now I relax 2-3 times a year, which means it is fluffy most of the time. So when i have that small window when my hair is all silky and sleek, i turn up the shakara factor and make the most of it.
I have tried different hair dyes in the past, my favourites are Schwarzkopf in Violet Vision and lots of L'Oreal! Especially Couleur Experte. I still haven't tried the new Sublime mousse, but i have to say the idea of foam hair dye is awesome! Why didn't I think of it and patent it and cash in all that money!!!
Anyways, I had dyed my hair in January and in July I wanted to try something I've never done before... Henna! People always talk about how good it is for hair and I figured, why not? Here's what I used....
I used just plain henna, nothing fancy. got it for $1 at Kakulas. We usually add tea when we henna our hands so i figured, why now use it for hair-na? I mean green tea is supposedly good for hair isn't it? Here's what I did...
Before Henna.
My hair before definitely had traces of colour... Ghosts of Hair dyes past, if you ask me. Hehe. My hair before dye was dark brown, that reflected violet in bright light and it had highlights in it.
After Henna
OMG!the colour! I love the new colour! It's a rich, burnt, deep red. It LOOKED amazing! especially when wet. And because of the human error in application, the colour isn't very even which is GREAT cos that means you get high and low lights with no bleach and no ammonia. Yay!!
Pros.
Will I do it again?
Errrrr, yeah, why not! I have to find a solution to the dryness thing tho....
All in all, a good way to spend a Friday night!
Lotsa love!
Ummi :)
I have tried different hair dyes in the past, my favourites are Schwarzkopf in Violet Vision and lots of L'Oreal! Especially Couleur Experte. I still haven't tried the new Sublime mousse, but i have to say the idea of foam hair dye is awesome! Why didn't I think of it and patent it and cash in all that money!!!
Anyways, I had dyed my hair in January and in July I wanted to try something I've never done before... Henna! People always talk about how good it is for hair and I figured, why not? Here's what I used....
I used just plain henna, nothing fancy. got it for $1 at Kakulas. We usually add tea when we henna our hands so i figured, why now use it for hair-na? I mean green tea is supposedly good for hair isn't it? Here's what I did...
- I emptied henna contents into a bowl
- Added 2 teaspoons of green tea LEAVES to the powder.(btw, this is a fail! tell ya later)
- Add hot boiling water in small dashes.
- Mix Mix Mixy Mix!
- I Kept adding water and mixing till I got a smooth gooey green paste.
- Parted my hair into my usual DIY parts. (3 sections in the front and 4 at the back)
- Made smaller 1cm rows and slathered the paste generously from root to tips.
- After each section i massaged the henna into the roots like you would with a relaxer
- This is the part where you wear a shower cap. Seeing as i didn't have one, I wrapped my hair in glad wrap and tied a plastic bag on my head. Hehe! It was deeply satisfying, the plastic bag thing! Strange nostalgia for women in Naija that leave the hair salon with bags on their heads cos NEPA took light when they were in the hair dryer. :)
- Left it on for 3 hours then washed it out. (I know, too long, but I was busy okay! 1 hour would have sufficed.
Before Henna.
My hair before definitely had traces of colour... Ghosts of Hair dyes past, if you ask me. Hehe. My hair before dye was dark brown, that reflected violet in bright light and it had highlights in it.
After Henna
OMG!the colour! I love the new colour! It's a rich, burnt, deep red. It LOOKED amazing! especially when wet. And because of the human error in application, the colour isn't very even which is GREAT cos that means you get high and low lights with no bleach and no ammonia. Yay!!
Pros.
- Colour: If you love your deep reds and browns, you'll love this effect...
- Economical: IT only cost me a dollar! $1!
- DIY friendly: You don't need to worry about some chemical burning you or giving you contact dermatitis.
- Drying Effect: my hair felt starved of H2O. It was so thirsty I had to use a deep conditioning treatment immediately afterward. It's been 1 month since i used henna but whenever i wash my hair, i can still feel the dryness. You'll need to invest in heavy duty moisturisers to keep your hair healthy. I use a spray on Shwarzkopf moisturiser and seal it with carrot oil. Works wonders.
- Messy Bizness: It is sooo messy! OMG. Washing it off was probably the grossest state I have seen my bathroom in. Splat splat splat of gooey green stuff. The tea tree leaves made things worse. IT made the paste granular and chunks of leaves didn't disintegrate in the hot water like i had hoped.
Will I do it again?
Errrrr, yeah, why not! I have to find a solution to the dryness thing tho....
All in all, a good way to spend a Friday night!
Lotsa love!
Ummi :)
