Sorry it's been so long. I was in 6 different states this summer including Alaska! More about that later though.
First things first I have to tell you something. I did something crazy. Something that was ridiculously permanent.
This was the before pic. See the nervousness? It's written all over my face :)
You might be wondering why I brought this on myself.
1. I love being a redhead. I've tried multiple dyes but they all fade and wash out ridiculously quickly.
2. Those red dyes leave permanent marks all over my towels
3. Those dyes are killing my hair and hurting my budget
I'd heard about henna quite a bit and watched numerous YouTube tutorials on it. Here are some things I've found.
1. Henna is all natural and known to be really good for hair
2. It is supposed to last longer
3. It's cost effective!
The downside?
It's super permanent, looks different on everyone, and the process is a bit more lengthy and messy than the regular dye.
What really pushed me to do it though was Ashley's post at http://www.writingchapterthree.com/2014/02/henna-hair-color-before-after.html
I'll just be real with you. I have such a blog crush on Ashley that she could do pretty much anything and I'd give it a try. She seemed to really love the results of dying her hair with Henna though and had been dying her hair for a few decades so I decided it was time for me to take the plunge.
After lots of research I decided to use Rainbow Henna's Persian Red. I purchased two bottles of it for $13 on Amazon (that's less than $7 a bottle! Goodbye box dye or fancy hair salon color!). I thought that with the length of my hair I might need more dye than is in one batch. Below is the method I used and the results!
Materials:
Glass mixing bowl
Wooden spoon (do not use metal!)
Saran Wrap
Rubber gloves
Disposable shower cap
Henna
Boiling water
* 2 tsp lemon juice
*Essential oils (I recommend lavendar) or red zinger tea (for smell!)
* = optional
Method:
The rainbow henna included instructions so I just followed those.
1. I grabbed a large mixing bowl and poured one box of henna in and then the boiling water into the bowl slowly (a little bit at a time until the henna is the consistency of brownie batter). I also added lemon juice because I wanted copper highlights.
2. let the dye sit to allow the Henna to release. You should see a color change, Henna should look orangey! I've heard of people allowing the henna to release in the bowl all night but optimal time is 1-3 hours. I allowed mine to sit for one hour outside in the shade with 80 degree weather helping the color to release.
3. I then applied the Henna on my hair outside with a towel I didn't mind damaging and with my sweet sisters help (she's a life saver). It took about 30 mins to apply. I only used one box and I have looooong hair!
4. We wrapped my hair in cling wrap then placed the shower cap on and let it sit on my head for 2 1/2 hours.
5. Rinse henna out in shower until the water runs clear. I conditioned because henna smells terrible and my hair was a bit gritty from the Henna. (Don't shampoo for 24 hrs after using Henna!) I also added some silk keratin smoothing balm which made my hair feel more conditioned and smelled better!
I dyed my hair outside and did the initial wash out outside before showering and conditioning. While I probably will continue to do it this way as to not dye a bathroom I rent, it isn't as messy and permanent (on skin) as people make it out to be. Henna definitely got on my ears during application but I rinsed them quickly and thankfully didn't have orange ears.
The Results:
I absolutely loved the results. My hair felt silky and like added vitamins had been put in it! The hair color has lasted for 3 months! Here's an after photo I took about 4 weeks after the application. I highly recommend giving this a try!
*note Henna is ridiculously permanent so you can't dye over it for a long time. This blog has the most helpful tutorial I've seen!
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