 People have been changing their hair color for years. Many conventional products that we use now have ingredients that are toxic for us and have long-term repercussions for the environment. Henna is an all-natural, safe hair dye that permanently colors hair without harsh chemicals. Body art quality henna is recommended over boxes from the store of mixed hennas because it is more pure, and can be safely used even on hair that has been recently bleached or synthetically dyed. Mixing body art quality henna and applying it to your hair will yield vibrant, shiny, soft, healthy-looking results.
Henna is made from the powdered leaves of a desert bush called Lawsonia. Henna has been used for thousands of years to color hair and skin. Rainbow Henna, the most popular company, makes a variety of completely organic hair treatments ranging from blonde to black hair. Light Mountain sells an organic henna application kit for those accustomed to traditional home hair coloring packages. While many such treatments are available at natural health and beauty supply retailers, others, such as the Italian-made Tocco Magico, may be available only at salons.
Henna alone dyes hair orange-red, depending on the original color. Generally lighter hair turns a vivid orange, while darker hair may turn auburn or mahogany; black hair may only show a subtle reddish luster in sunlight. Some mix it with indigo for a darker color. While repeated applications of henna will turn the red darker, this can take a very long time to achieve. For people who want instantly dark red tones with a hint of brown, henna mixed with indigo is the way to go. By increasing the indigo-to-henna ratio, darker shades of brown, mahogany and other shades can be accomplished.
For the one-step method, you'll need to plan ahead. Six hours or so before you plan to apply the paste, mix your henna and leave to it sit so it forms well. When the dye release has occurred, you can mix in indigo, if being used. Keep some water in a separate bowl and then combine the two mixtures. Leave it for a few minutes so the indigo dye can release into the mixture, and then apply the mixture to your head. Cover the mixture with a bag to prevent it from drying out. Leave it for as long as desired (a longer time results in a darker color) and rinse out thoroughly.
In the two-step process, henna is applied and washed off by itself; the indigo is applied separately. The two-step process tends to produce a very dark result, so only use it if you truly want dark hair. First, mix up your henna paste, wait for the dye release and apply it to your hair, leaving it for a few hours or as long as desired. Just before getting in the shower to rinse it off, mix up the indigo paste, if you are using it. By the time the henna is out of your hair, the indigo will be ready. Apply it to your hair the same way you applied the henna, leave it on for as long as desired and then rinse it out.
Using natural hair dying methods such as henna will not only give you a chemical-free new look, but will not take a toll on the environment in the process! EnviroCitizen.org suggests you consider this before you dye you hair next time.
|
