The Henna Hair Dye Experience

Thanks to Amelia Pond from Doctor Who (one of the best shows ever)I have wanted red hair for quite some time. I was waiting for the opportune moment for a drastic change and it finally came as I would be transferring Universities in the fall and becoming a design student. It was now or never.

I waited till precisely two weeks before move in day to schedule a cut and color (might as well get bangs while I'm at it). However, this turned out to be a traumatic experience. When the old disgruntled hair stylist finally began painting my hair with product she asked what I did to get my air so blonde. I casually said I use Sun-In quite frequently. Then she began screaming, "we need to get this out of your hair now!". Oh my goodness I thought my hair was on fire or something. According to this lady Sun-In has metallic salts, which react with the dye causing your hair to fall out. So I left the salon the same as when I came in, except now I felt like a sad wet puppy. 

I refused to accept defeat so I researched the contents of Sun-In as well as natural hair dye alternatives. Firstly, I found that Sun-In no longer contains metallic salts (it also says this on the bottle's label)and Second I found out about Henna for Hair. 

Henna Hair dye intrigued me because body henna is pretty cool so why wouldn't it look awesome on hair too. I looked through many photos and success stories. Also Henna dye is 100% plant based product that has been used for thousands of years and will not harm hair in any way. I also liked that the outcome was a little mysterious. It the resulting shade depends on the starting shade, so the end result can not be guaranteed. I did not mind this not knowing. 

So after much consideration I ordered 500 grams of Ancient Sunrise Rajasthani Twilight from www.mehandi.com. 

What you receive is a green powder. To make the Henna you have to mix the powder with lemon juice and then let it sit at least 8 hours in a warm place. I suggest someone else apply it to your hair, I for example employed the help of my dad. Also this helper should definitely wear scrap clothes and gloves. I found it helpful to cover my ears with plastic wrap and Vaseline. Remember the henna will stain skin too.(www.mehandi.com. has a very detailed pdf of anything you need to know about Henna Hair dye including detailed instructions on how to apply it, http://www.hennaforhair.com/freebooks/hennaforhair.pdf) But the most important part is to take a before picture.  

Before

Unfortunately, it will look and feel like you have a pile of dog poop on your head for the 2 - 6 hours that you leave the dye on your head. I left mine for only two. Then when you rinse it all off you will emerge looking like the little mermaid and smelling like a wet dog. (The hair will have a certain faint smell for a while afterwords. I don't really like it but other people actually enjoy the fragrance)

After 24 Hours

The color will darken as it oxidizes so here is a photo 

After 2 Weeks

This photo was actually taken right before I applied a second coat of the dye to cover the roots and get a richer color.

Personally I'm loving the new color and I've gotten several compliments on it. My mother however, as not yet fully gotten over the change. Henna dye was a good natural option and in conclusion, I would recommend this product. If you have any questions about my experience with Henna Hair Dye feel free to ask.