HOLY CACAMOLÉ

Well hello there! Lots of crazy, life-changing things have happened in the past fortnight, from moving home, to FINALLY graduating from University. And yet amongst all the madness I found a little golden hour (or three!) to try out LUSH's henna hair-dye.

And I have to say that this experience was no less life changing than the others.

When it comes to hair, I've always stayed true to my brunette roots, whether it be enhancing my natural tones or venturing into redder shades (and that time I dyed it raspberry red...). I mean, OK, I've dip-dyed the ends blonde (ginger) before, but never went the whole hog. And although I often flirted with the idea of silvery locks, or beachy blonde waves, I never took the plunge. And I've decided I'm probably not going to any time soon.

I don't think blondes would suit my pastiness, and being blessed with sensitive skin I am absolutely terrified of bleaching my hair. Sometimes, I'd be absolutely terrified of dying my hair in general, with the chemicals lacing my scalp with a toxic tingle and the pungent fumes leaving me light-headed and nauseous. The experience of dying my hair has NEVER been pleasant, but I always stuck with it as I love experimenting with hair colour.

So, one evening, I was leafing through LUSH's Christmas catalogue, getting over-excited over cinnamon scented bubble bars and santa-shaped bath bombs. It was then, that I came across the LUSH Henna hair-dye blocks. I had heard about them before but never considered it as an alternative to my usual dye. I didn't think it would pack the same punch as hydrogen peroxide dyes, but boy was I wrong!

Dying hair with Henna is an ancient process, it's nothing new! But I think it's something that has always needed someone with the know-how and patience until LUSH came along and created an easier way to do it. There are four henna blocks to choose from: Caca Noir, Caca Brun, Caca Marron and Caca Rouge. I went for the Caca Marron block, because I wanted chestnutty, spicy, warm- looking locks. Henna can really smell (apparently) so LUSH have mixed in some essential oils to make it smell nicer and help nourish the hair. The main ingredients that give colour and shine are red henna, indigo herb, ground coffee and fresh lemon juice. The block also includes fair-trade cocoa butter to give it conditioning properties.

I was advised to use the whole block as this was my first time using the product. This allowed me to gauge how much I'd actually use and I had way loads of product left over so will probably only use half a block next time for my shoulder-length hair.

Now this is probably the messiest thing I have ever done. Before I started I placed brown towels (or old towels that you don't mind getting henna on) on the floor, around the surrounding area and I placed a hairdressing cape around my shoulders for max protection (you can get them for £1 in Wilkos!). I slathered on vaseline around my hairline and my ears to stop the product from staining my skin and I ensured I had plastic gloves handy. The staff at LUSH gave me two pairs when I bought the block. I was ready to go.

To prep the Henna, you will need: 
1) Sharp knife
2) Chopping board
3) Pyrex or heat-proof bowl
4) Saucepan
5) Kettle
6) Spoon

Firstly you chop the block up into smaller blocks, and then place them into the bowl. You then pop the bowl over a saucepan of boiling water on the hob, almost as if you were melting chocolate. Next, add some boiling water to the bowl and try to stir the mixture to help the melting process. You can add more boiling water to help it melt and make the mixture come together. You want the end result to be like a thick, melted chocolate. A little bit thinner than cake batter. Cake.

So this is the fun part. I grabbed a clean hair-dye brush (also £1 from Wilkos) and headed to my safe zone, ready to slap that mixture all over my tresses. I sectioned my hair, and I started applying the mixture to the back and then worked my way to the front of my head, applying first at the roots and then down to the ends. Once I had applied the mixture all over my hair and saturated the strands with it, I wrapped my hair up in cling film and then put on a shower cap (just to avoid me dropping bits of henna all over the flat). The cling film helps make the hair go redder according to the LUSH experts, and that was the look I wanted. I then set my timer for three hours, allowing for the henna to do it's thang for as long as poss. In that time I did loads of productive stuff like caught up on Gogglebox and First Dates.

Now because my mixture was so thick, it was rather heavy and quite difficult to manage without it plopping everywhere and falling off of the brush. I think I should have added a bit more water.
As I say I got into SUCH a mess, and I think it would have been cleaner to have a mate help me. But don't let this put you off! If you make sure the place is protected, it's quite easy to keep everything clean and henna free.

The smell was quite, ahem, natural. It was very pungent, but not so bad that you can't manage through it. If you wear the shower cap it sort of traps the scent in too, so you don't really smell anything when it's on. I found the product rather easy to wash out, it took a little time but once it was out, it was OUT. Not like some hair-dyes that never seem to leave. I washed the remaining out with my Bodyshop ginger shampoo (absolute fave!) and then it was time to dry.

After 24hrs

The first thing I noticed was how shiny and smooth my hair was. It was like silk! I then noticed how seriously beautiful the colour was. I was instantly in love with the warm, coppery tones. I read that the indigo herb takes 24hrs to develop so was aware that this colour would change. I'm writing this the day after the whole experience and can say that the shade is deeper, but still very red. It was only a subtle change but it definitely rounds off the overall tone.

The differences between henna and chemical dyes are that the chemical dye penetrates the outer layer of the hair strand to colour the inner layer. Henna dyes coat the outer strand (like a varnish) and so no penetration is involved*. This leaves the hair in good, shiny condition, and I can honestly say that this is true because my hair has never been so glossy. My hair feels really nourished too! As well as there being less/no chemicals in it – I am chemical burn free! Happy days! I've read that the colour lasts as long as a permanent dye, and that you can reapply as much as you like, the more, the better. So maybe in a couple of weeks time, when I'm glamming up for crimbo I'll give it another go.

I honestly can't recommend this product enough. I am so, so chuffed with my hair! I absolutely love it. The way it looks, the way it feels. Thank you LUSH!!!!!

          Before     &    Straight After

*Are you still laughing at the word penetration? Because I am.