Lush Henna

I'm not known for spending hours on my hair but, after a GORGEOUS haircut at Flint in Norwich I decided my hair also deserved some summery redness.

I used The Body Shop henna as a kid but as I'm avoiding them (cruelty free issues) I gave the Lush solid Henna a try. I've used their Caca Rouge once but this time wanted something a little subtler and chose the Marron (chestnut). Henna is a great natural way of getting a new look. When you use a chemical dye on your hair the ingredients don't just soak into your hair shaft, they also soak into your skin and end up in your blood stream. The Lush stuff contains lovely things like cocoa butter, lemon and essential oils. Not only does it colour your hair it really improves the condition too.

 

The first step is to put on your gloves and assemble your ingredients. I used three squares of the henna - use a sharp knife to cut the block - mixed with the juice of one lemon, a big spoonful of coffee and then covered it in boiling water. The bowl went over a pan of boiling water and I stirred for ages to get rid of all the lumps. I also gave it a bit of a whisk to get the last lumps out.

The next bit get's really messy so best to put down some old towels and get a friend to help if possible. Wear old clothes you really don't mind ruining and cover you ears, forehead, neck, just everywhere, with some Vaseline or lotion. Start applying the green gunk at the from the roots to tips. Work it into the hair really well, but be careful not to work it into your scalp. Wrap your head in a few layers of cling film and spend the next 1 - 6 hours relaxing. The longer you leave it, the richer the colour gets!

When you've had enough, rinse out the gunk. It takes a while, and it's quite sticky stuff, but you'll get there. Shampoo, condition and dry your hair as normal. Then do it again. Trust me, doing this will stop your dye ending up all over your pillow!

I won't lie to you, your hair WILL smell bizarre for a few days. I use coconut oil to mask it a bit, but you do get used to it. After a couple of weeks make a thinner gloop using half the amount of henna and leave it on for half the time. Then do the same every 6 - 8 weeks. This way your hair stays shiny and vibrant and lovely!