Happy Hair

Hi there bloggy pals!!!

I am so super sorry!! It has been WEEKS since my last post!! How slack!! But I can tell you it has been a crazy few weeks!
But I am here and back and will have yet another post for you on the weekend involving some crafty goodness so for the mean time this will have to tide you over ;)

So as per the title today's blog is all about hair!! Woohooo! As of a few months ago I started to cut out chemicals from our home which also included chemical hair dyes..... Now I have to tell you this was a scary thing to do because true fact I am 21 and going gray.. Seriously genetics why???!
So the thought of being in my twenties and being completely grey didn't really appeal to me but I also didn't like what chemical dyes were doing to my hair which I am desperately trying to grow out!

I started googling like crazy to find natural alternatives and I found a whole bunch of information on the most magical plant in the world; Henna!!
Henna is seriously the work of wizards, its incredible stuff. Created from the dried leaves of the henna plant, it is a natural dye which works in an entire different way to that of chemical dyes. Henna actually bonds with the inside of your hair and colours from the inside out mending your hair as it goes. Henna comes in one colour only and that is RED! It also can not lighten hair as it fuses with your natural colour and enhances it. For example; my natural hair colour is a mid brown, so henna gave me a lovely auburn colour which is different shades of red in different light. If you have really light hair you will get more copper/orange hues, and if your hair is black your hair will still be black but with red highlights in the sun.
So if you don't like red then henna is not for you, but there is an alternative called indigo which will have you with gorgeous raven locks :)
I would also be a bit of a research freak and be 100% certain that henna is for you because it is very permanent as in you have to wait for it to grow out as colouring over top of henna'd hair can do some serious damage to your hair, so always do a strand test first and be sure to check out this Henna website for all the information you need :)

Let us begin on my third application of henna :)

So to start be aware henna is a whole lot messier that box chemical dyes! So when you get to the actual dying process be sure to wear old clothes and put down some news paper, and also scrub away any drops left in the sink or workspace as henna will stain everything!

You will need:

• Henna (body quality works best as it is the most "pure". I get mine from the local Indian grocery)
• A plastic container you don't mind staining, I use an ice cream container :)
• A spoon
• Something acidic such as lemon juice or lime
• plastic cling wrap
• GLOVES!!! (This is super important if you don't want fluorescent orange hands for the next week). 
• 3-4hours to spare.

So to begin you will need your henna. I use one packet which is plenty for my shoulder length hair, but if you have long hair you will need two packets. Here is the henna i got this time:

As you can see it is also so much cheaper then box dye or going to the salon at only$2.95 a pack what a steal!

 Henna powder to me smells like cut grass, It is a refreshing change to the pass out smell of normal dye.

 Add lemon juice, or in this case lime juice to the powder and mix in as much as you need until you reach a nice thick paste with a sort of Greek yogurt texture as pictured below:

 Once you have the desired texture you will need to cover your container and store it over night to allow the dye to release ( The acid from the lime juice releases the colours from the powder and leaving it over night will give you a nice vibrant colour)

So this is my hair colour pre-henna. As you can see there is still a nice red hue to it but I have a decent bit of regrowth going (Loki is always so photogenic while I am slumming it in my PJs haha)
After your henna has been sitting overnight it is all ready to be slathered over your pretty little head.
I always brush my hair to make sure there is no knots and then section up my hair to ensure even application. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of the process as my little helper was at work :(  and its all a bit messy to be taking the gloves on and off to snap some very unflattering pictures hehe. It is a good idea to apply some sort of barrier cream to your skin around your hairline such as Vaseline, I personally like coconut oil.
I found the best way to apply the paste is the same way that I would usually colour my hair just working with sections until the entirety has been covered generously, and if you have a bit left over just slap that on too and you will have a seriously sexy look a bit like this:

 Looks a bit like cow poo but that is ok! I use a bit of coconut oil on a cotton pad to tidy up any bits of henna on your skin. Now you will need to put cling wrap over your head to keep all the goodness in an develop a rich colour.

Extra for the conehead sequel.

Leave the henna in for 3-4 hours. I used the time to clean the house and get a bit of reading done.
Rinse out the worst of the henna over the bath or sink to avoid getting it on your skin. Once the bulk of it has been rinsed out jump into the shower and wash your hair as per usual with shampoo and conditioner (my personal favourite is Sukin it is 100% vegan with no animal testing or nasty chemicals, you can buy it online here). When you get out of the shower do not freak out! Your hair will be very orange at the roots! but as your hair dries the colour will settle:

Mega orange roots!

Colour in bathroom overhead light

Colour in sunlight.

So there you have it a nice pretty chemical free colour :)
Let me know in the comments below if you have ever tried henna or you are wanting too!

Until next time!
Stay crafty you little foxes!
Serena
xxx