My last post was about being eco conscientious by buying vintage and today’s post is about doing a bit more and going beyond the 4 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose) in some aspects of daily living. As I see it, every little counts. In my case, I have taken it to the hair.
Since I was a kid, I admired red tresses, silently. Once I was able to color my hair, I did it in many colors – highlights, black, light brown, blonde, and finally landed on red. However, hair color can be very damaging and since my hair grows so fast, I colored it often, hence the need to find a natural way to keep my red tresses, at least for now. I don’t know why it took me so long to discover Henna (just last month).
Once I learned that there was a natural way to color my hair, that was it, I knew I would not go back to chemicals. I researched the topic and learned that for Henna to work well and not fry your chemically treated hair (very important), it has to be one hundred percent organic henna with no metals or artificial additives to it. Henna is good for your hair as long as it is 100 percent organic – it will strengthen and give lustre to your hair, and repair damage. But if you make the mistake (I caution again) of buying cheap mixed henna it will cause damage to your hair, and in many cases, fry it or turn it green, due to the chemical reaction between your already color treated hair and the metals that the cheap henna contains. Henna, in its natural state, is a moss-green powder that turns red once applied to your hair; it comes from the plant Lawsonia inermis. There is no other color and the variations in color (brown, black, blonde …) on the market is due to indigo and other plant additives to create a shade; however, pure henna is red.
I have to say that I love the color, since it looks more natural and less “bottled.” This is because henna coats your natural strand of hair, highlighting the red already there, therefore giving a highlighted multi dimensional appearance to the hair. My natural hair color is medium brown with hints of red in it and my complexion is pinkish/reddish. One thing I wish henna wouldn’t do is to stain your skin, therefore you have to use protection and be very careful that it doesn’t get in your skin or surroundings (it can be messy). In addition, it takes longer to apply, from 1-3 hours, depending on the results that you are after. One great thing about it is that it continues to darken after the first application, so your color will end up deeper after the 5-7 day.
Here is a picture of the organic henna I use and the results.
I buy my henna online from Henna King (Henna Maiden) and this is what the package looks like. It includes henna, mixing bag, hair cap, instructions and tips, and plastic gloves. I would love if they could get it in a more organic packaging with less plastic.
Below is the initial result, after a day or so of coloring.
The red will come out as the sun hits the strand of hair, making it more natural looking – multidimensional color. As the first week goes by, the red tones will intensify.
Another way of “greening your head” is to curl your hair in a more natural way. The curls in the picture will last all day and I only used a sock (yes, 1 sock) to get the effect. I don’t use curling irons or rollers anymore. Here is a video so you can learn how to do it. It is very easy to do, simple, and the longer your hair the better, as you will get more curling effect.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post and found it of some use.
May 2, 2012
inkspeare
