Tips using Herbal Hair Colours

Henna is made from the pulverised leaves of the Henna plant (Lawsonia
species). The use of henna and other herbs as colouring agents and
conditioners have a long history. It was used extensively in ancient Egypt;
Cleopatra and Nefertiti are reputed to have enhanced their beauty with it.
Pure henna is an excellent conditioner for the hair. It protects the ends
form splitting and gives a glorious shine. It adds red colour to the body of
your hair, giving different effects depending on your own hair colour.
On black hair it imparts reddish tones which will show particularly well in
the sunlight. Brown hair becomes auburn and fair hair red. It gives shine
and brightness to red hair. In general, henna fades gently over 2 - 3
months, thereby minimising the effect of unsightly regrowth. Do not use
henna on bleached, chemically treated or very grey hair.
The following ingredients may be used to modify the henna colour:
Red Wine - use in place of water to impart burgundy tones.
Ground Coffee - dulls the red tones and gives a darker hue.
Beetroot Juice - (not tinned) will help impart a plum colour.
The following hair colours are a blend of herbs and henna which have
been blended for your convenience.
Burgundy recommended for medium to dark brown hair.
Chestnut Brown recommended for dark blonde to light brown hair and to
maintain brown hair colour.
Black is recommended for brown to black hair.
Golden Brown recommended for light brown hair.
Dark Brown recommended for light brown or darker hair.
Clear Henna is recommended for all hair colours to impart condition and
shine. Does not colour the hair.
Because the effect of natural dyes is unpredictable, it is essential to do a
strand test first so that the nature of your hair in terms or receptivity to the
dye can be gauged. Mix about a teaspoonful of the herbal hair colour with a
small amount of boiling water and mix into a paste. Apply the henna to a tiny
section of your hair, wrap in foil and after one hour rinse off and check the
colour. In this way you can see exactly how long you should leave the henna
on to achieve the desired shade and whether that shades suits you.
How to use Herbal Hair Colours
Set aside several hours.
Prepare the utensils. You will need plastic or rubber gloves, a wooden spoon,
an old towel, old clothes, and a plastic shower cap or cling film with which to
cover your hair.
Before applying the herbal hair colour rub cold cream or a vegetable oil
around the hairline, so that the skin will not be stained. Make sure not to get
any of this on the hair or the henna will not penetrate it.
Mix the herbal hair colour powder with enough hot water to give it the
consistency of a cake batter. You may mix a beaten egg throughout the
mixture to give it a better consistency and extra conditioning qualities. when
replacing water with wine or beetroot juice, replace the water completely, do
not just water it down. The liquid should be hot. You may also add 20 mls of
apple cider vinegar or the juice of half a lemon to every 50gms of herbal hair
colour as it will enhance colour development.
For dry hair you may prefer to use 20ml of sweet almond oil to every 50gm of
henna in addition to the water.
Apply the mixture either with a henna brush or gloved fingers on to hair, which
has been washed and dried. Apply to small sections at a time, starting from
the roots. If possible, work form underneath to the top layers. Lastly, do the
ends as these (in long hair) are often both lighter colourwise and our more
porous taking the colour faster.
Make sure the hair is evenly coated. Cover your hair with a plastic shower
cap or cling film as henna likes heat to develop the hair. For browner tones
cover the hair with a hair net to allow oxygen to activate its colour. The
ultimate colour of your hair depends on the original colour. Do not use on
grey hair, tinted or bleached hair.
Leave mixture on hair until completely dry.
Rinse thoroughly, shampoo and condition.
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