 |
| My hair in the sunlight |
Like I mentioned in
the April Empties blog post, I am using henna for about 4 years. I decided to
start using henna, after I had a pretty bad hair period, when I lost a lot of hair.
Looking for ways to improve and stop the hair fall, I came across henna.
I did some research
and discovered that it is very good for the hair, because it contains
practically all the nutrients it needs to look healthy across its length, to
feed the roots of the hair and thus stopping it from falling and it is also
good for the skin on the head, because it fights against dandruff and oiliness.
Another “side-effect” of henna use is that it prevents the white hairs to
appear. Taking all this into consideration, I decided I should go for it.
I wanted red hair. But
my hair is dark brown. So after all this time, all I got was dark brown hair
with red accents in the sun. at the beginning I did the foolish thing and mixed
the henna powder with red wine. All the colorants and chemicals that were added
in the red wine, when boiled changed and I got some allergic reactions and had
to stop the use of henna for about three months. Now I learned my lesson and I
use only boiled water.
 |
| Henna from Lush |
If you want to start
using henna, here are some tips:
·
Once you’ve
applied henna on your hair any chemical coloring will not be effective, because
the nutrients from the henna mask enter the hair follicles and seal them. So when
chemical coloring is applied these nutrients are being pushed even deeper into
the hair and the color ends up looking black, especially if your dye has peroxide
in it.
·
It helps
regenerating the hair burned by chemical coloring or heat.
·
You can
make it at home, like you would a normal paste, but you have to apply it as hot
as possible on wet, freshly washed hair and keep it for at least 6 hours.
·
If you
want a more light color you can stay without anything over the henna. Otherwise,
you should put something like a plastic shower cap over the hair and over it a
towel.
·
Henna powder
mixed only with water is very drying for the hair, so you can add some natural
butters (Shea, Mango, Cocoa) after you’ve achieved a homogenous paste and you
have the mixture in a bain marie or towards the end of the “cooking” process some
oils (Argan, Castor, Jojoba, Olive, Coconut, etc).
·
The
pigments within the henna powder will be activated by heat. So using boiled
water and keeping the henna bowl in bain marie until it also boils, helps
getting you a more intense color.
·
When you
rinse off the henna mask, try not to use any shampoo, only water and hair mask
or conditioner. The color will still be oxidizing for about 48 hours, if you
wash with shampoo right away, the oxidation process will be stopped. You can
then wash after 48 hours. Also by not using shampoo, but only hair mask (if you
have very dry hair I recommend not using a conditioner at all, it will only dry
out your hair even more, no matter how hydrating it should be – use only hair
mask) your hair will absorb more of the nutrients from the hair mask as well.
·
The color
will change constantly. I discovered that after every wash and depending on the
weather, the color looks different. In the summer, the sun intensifies the color even more.
·
You can
use non-colored henna and still get the same nourishing effects. Be aware, that
henna is highly pigmented and if you are a blonde and want to get red hair “the
henna way”, you might achieve a pretty strong orange. In any case, always use
loves, cover your shoulders with a towel and clean up the henna mask that might
remain on your forehead.
·
The black
henna is getting visible only after the 2nd or 3rd wash. The
red henna is the most pigmented and colors the hair more intensely than other
henna colors. Red henna is also the only henna that will cover the white hairs.
If you don’t want red hairs, you can mix the red one with some browns. The result
will be some brown white hairs.
·
Depending on
the hair’s structure, natural pigment and previous coloring, henna will color
your hair differently. In any case it is hypoallergenic (if you use pure bio
henna powder mixed only with boiled water) and the end result will always look
natural on your hair, so the damage of ruining your hair is slim.
·
Another thing,
henna smells natural, grassy. If you cannot get along with the smell, you can
always add some drops of your favorite essential oils. It will not only help
with the smell of the mask, but give you a feeling of well-being and help you
relax.
·
One of the
advantages of using henna is that no smell will stick to your hair. Whenever I go
to pubs, the smell of the smoke is not sticking to my hair. Because the oxidizing
part of the henna keeps all the external aggression away.
·
I usually
wash my hair with shampoo before I apply the henna mask and then 2 days after I
rinsed it off. Afterwards my hair is fluffy, shiny and happy, this is what I like
to call the “henna effect”. This healthy glow lasts for about 3-4 weeks. So I do
a henna mask every month.
·
It is important
to have a very good hair mask and to wash your hair before you apply the henna
mask, otherwise the nutrients and pigments might not get into the hair.
 |
| The red henna bar fom Lush |
·
No matter
what hair type you have, henna will help improve the hair’s texture and stop it from falling. It will
hydrate very dry hair, it will help with oily skin and also help you grow long
hair.
·
I always
use a wooden spoon and a heat resistant bowl, with which I prepare the henna
mask. I never use metal spoons or bowls, because metal will oxidize the mixture
neutralizing it.
The Lush henna is what
I like to call, “the easy way out”. The mixture has already been done (it
contains cocoa butter, lemon juice, rosemary and cloves oil), all I have to do
is to add boiled water and keep it in bain marie until it heats up. Towards the
end of the process I also add some vegetal keratin (about a tea spoon). The end
result will be very hydrating because of the cocoa butter. It also smells very
good and fresh, hiding the grassy henna smell.
The powder henna is
more complicated. I also boil the water and keep the paste it in bain marie,
but I like to add some castor and coconut oil, lemon juice (to intensify the oxidizing
process) and of course the vegetal keratin. I usually mix the Egyptian henna
from elemental with Rooibos powder, to get a more intense red color. The resulting
paste will be less hydrating, but when I rinse it off and apply the mask, the
hair will absorb more of the nutrients from the hair mask. In the end the hair will be just as hydrated.
No matter what henna I
use, none of the fragrances of the shampoo or hair mask will remain into the
hair. But in the course of the month the henna smell will diminish. Using henna
constantly helped me grow a long and healthy hair.
Whenever I do the
henna mask, I am trying to have 6-8 hours of relaxation, to feel good and enjoy
the SPA time at home.
Relax it is good for body
and mind!
Alex.
Nachdem ich für eine längere Weile nur Romane mit Fantasie und Zauberei gelesen habe, habe ich mich für den Horror- Roman “… și la sfârșit a mai rămas COȘMARUL” ("... und am Ende blieb nur der Nachtmahr") by Oliviu Crâznic entschieden. Ich muss gestehen, dass er mich für eine Weile ganz schön erschrocken hat. Die Geschichte ist sehr spannend und man kann einfach das Buch nicht loslegen, die Figuren sind typisch für die gothisch-romantische Literatur. Die Atmosphäre hat mich an Egdar Allan Poes Stimmung erinnert, was für mich immer ein Plus für die Schriften dieser Gattung ist.
