My hair is crazy. At one point, it's soft and silky and really quickly, there's flakes and frizz all over.
Perhaps it's the weather, perhaps it's my diet, perhaps it's the water condition but whatever it is, my hair is not happy.
I had been curious about this henna block from LUSH for a LOOOONG time already but never seems to get around with trying it. Being an Asian, I am familiar with henna as tint but it's not just that! Henna is also effective in preventing dandruff and soothing scalp from itchiness. That AND hair growth stimulator. So the last time I went to LUSH store, I made sure to pick this up.
There are four shades available; Caca Rouge (red), Caca Marron (auburn/chestnut), Caca Brun (chocolate brunette) and Caca Noir (black). Yes, caca means poop. Yes, it looks like poop. Get it? Get it? Haha! Anyway, these blocks are all-natural blend of high quality Persian henna, cocoa butter and essential oils such as rosemary and clove bud oil for fragrance and helps boost hair growth. To achieve different hues, other ingredients such as Indigo herb (for darker, bluish tint), coffee (for darker, warmer tint) and lemon juice (for reddish tint), are added.
Because my natural hair is blackish brownish, I chose Caca Rouge, hoping it would tint my hair deep auburn. Now, the process is quite messy. I'll run you through it.
First, you gotta cut up the amount of squares you need. Each block is of 6 squares. For my chin-length hair, I started with 2 squares, which later I found is just nice.
You are going to melt the squares so for quicker process, crush the squares to smaller pieces. Some suggested shaving or grating, but I just put the squares into plastic bag and crush with my stone pestle. Worked perfectly fine.
Now you have pieces of the henna blocks, throw them in a glass bowl that you would not care if it stains, put the bowl on top of a pot of boiling water, like double boil.
Then, add in hot water little by little. You could also just pour in hot water instead of double boil but I prefer it this way to ensure the mixture stays hot for longer time. Stir, stir, stir until it achieves a brownie batter texture and consistency. The smoother, the easier to wash it out of your hair later. Some suggested to add more fresh lemon juice, or red wine, or tea leaves to make the tint redder but at this first try I wanted to try it as it is. Might try adding one of those stuff next time.
NO MORE PICS AFTER THIS BECAUSE THIS IS WHEN IT GETS MESSY
!!! APPLICATION TIME !!!
To apply, you need to smooth coconut oil, or Vaseline, or anything that could prevent staining, along your hair line. Then put on gloves, grab some mixture and apply to your hair evenly and thoroughly. You can use comb, trust me, I tried, but because I was doing it on my own, I found using hand much easier. The mixture should be as hot as it could be for more vibrant colour. The henna bits will scatter everywhere, so make sure you cover the floor with newspaper and put on socks or something to avoid walking around the house leaving trail of henna stains behind. BUT, this is why it is important to have the mixture at the thicker side so it wont be as runny and messy. So, once you're done, roll up your hair in a bun or something, then wrap your hair with cling wrap to make sure it stays warm. Leave it on for at least 2 hours. I left it for about 4 hours and the tint was there but not as vibrant. The colour will develop even stronger in 3 days time but it depends on your natural hair colour too. So if you have lighter hair, I imagine it would take less time to saturate the tint.
OVERALL,
I love going through the process. Messy, maybe. FUN? For me, YES. But even better? My hair becomes very, very, very silky smooth, less frizzy, less fall out and less flaky. Will I try again? Definitely. But maybe force my husband to apply for me. For 25 AUD$, I admit it's a bit expensive but I'm all about worth and this block is so worthy. You get amazing colour AND you get amazing hair treatment benefits.
So, have you tried henna as hair natural colouring? Would you? I'd love to know!
❤︎
