My first attempt at a henna gloss

SUCCESS!!!! :)

For those that follow me on Twitter(@sanguinerose81), you all know I attempted a henna gloss yesterday. My henna sessions normally involve henna, amla(or cassia, etc), a little bit of oil, honey, and maybe some green tea. It aslo would involve 18+ hours of sitting with what feels like a pound of dirt on my head. LOL!

This time, I wanted to try something different and see if the results would match the hype.

My arsenal:

• Jamila henna
• Cassia
• Marshmallow Root Powder
• Honey Powder
• Giovanni Smooth As Silk & TJ's Nourish Spa conditioners

Steps:

1. I first combined all of my dry ingredients. I didn't measure it out, so these numbers are all approximations: 1 box of Jamila henna, 3 heaping teaspoons of cassia and marshmallow root powder, and 2 regular teaspoons of honey powder.
2. After thoroughly mixing dry ingredients, I then mixed in tepid water(boiled and cooled down to room temperature); slowly stirring in until thick and lumpy(not too smooth or it becomes runny).
3. Once the mixture reached the consistency of lumpy mashed potatoes, I let it sit for about 20 minutes, covering with saran wrap to allow dye release. I've found that I literally get instant dye release with Jamila henna and with the other Ayurvedic herbs I combine with it.
   
4. After those 20 minutes, I then mixed in about a cup and a half of Giovanni Smooth As Silk conditioner. I ended up mixing just a little bit of TJ's Nourish Spa to get the consistency of a chocolate pudding.
5. I then sectioned off damp hair, and started applying the mixture from back to front, twisting each section until my entire head is covered.
6. I take the saran wrap, proceed to wrap until my head is covered(to the point of looking like a saran-wrapped conehead, lol). I then covered with processing caps and covered with a microfiber towel.
7. I don't always sit under a hooded dryer, but I sat under one for about 30 minutes on medium heat(after using my body heat for about 4 1/2 hours).
8. After about 5-5 1/2 hours, I rinsed out with warm water, cowashing twice using TJ's Nourish Spa, and then dting overnight with Hollywood Beauty Olive Cholesterol Deep Conditioner, rinsing in the AM and styling with Ori Organics Products.
   

Results:

I'm VERY pleased with my results. One of the noticeable differences is the ease at which I rinsed out all particles. One of the biggest headaches with henna is getting every bit out of your hair. Both of the conditioner(s) added, as well as the marshmallow root, helped in providing the slip needed to remove the mixture from my hair.

My hair also felt nice and heavy. In other words, my hair soaked up the conditioner which is a good thing as my hair is border-line low porosity.

I also had minimal shedding, something that I've grown accustomed to with henna treatments. Oh, and I only had the henna on for a fraction of the time, and still had a nice stain. More on the brown side, but noticeable, even while my hair was soaked with conditioner.

I twisted my hair the next morning (today) with Ori Organics and another positive I experiences was how much better the products took to my hair. When I wrote up my review a few weeks ago, I mentioned how there was no slip. This time, there WAS slip. Not a lot, but enough . I also noticed that my scalp was nice and clear. Henna and honey are naturally anti-fungal, so the seborrhea dermatitis is on vacay for the next week(if not longer).

So to sum my experience up....I'm a very happy Naturalista.

Below find pics of my hair

First two pics are of freshly rinsed off hair(w/flash, no conditioner).





Next two pics are of hair saturated with conditioner(no flash)





These pics are from today. I tried to show how the tint shows in the light(no flash w/the first pic)

Natural Urbanista

Have dry scalp?! Ayurvedic herbs to the rescue!

I’m guessing hormonal changes, or me possibly having dermatitis, have resulted in my scalp mimicking that of the Blizzard of 2010. Okay, I’m just sliiiiightly exaggerating, but if you’ve dealt with dry/flaky scalp, you can understand my frustration.

I’ve used products specific to treating the condition, but the results were temporary (as usual), and sometimes no product can treat the underlying causes of it. Also, many of products were a little harsher than I liked, so they are NOW sitting in my product graveyard. BUT, one thing I’ve found to help keep my scalp looking clean and healthy is the application of ayurvedic herbs to my hair and scalp.

When I started hennaing, I used just henna and amla. I noticed with the very first application that my scalp stayed clearer. After doing some research, I discovered that henna is an anti-fungal, which means it helps to treat fungal infections/infestations. Dandruff is the result of fungal infestation, so my scalp responding to henna positively isn’t too much of a surprise. But it was a surprise to me initially.

My goal now is to get back into doing my henna/powdered herb treatments monthly to keep the flakes at bay. There’s absolutely nothing cute about it, and I don’t want to get into the habit of scratching my scalp, which is a no-no no matter HOW good it feels because you’re causing damage to the scalp. As a result, it will continue to flake up as a defense-mechanism, if that makes sense. So it would literally be the never ending dandruff story. Yeah, that’s no good.

So if you’re interested in trying henna or other Ayurvedic herbs, but you just weren’t sure, this is a great excuse…I mean, reason, to give it a try.

Oh, and if you’re feeling extra daring, you can steep the powders in oil, straining with a cheesecloth(into a bottle/container), and using the resulting infused oil on your scalp. Add Vit E to help preserve the mixture longer or store in the fridge when not in use. Easy peasy and your scalp will love you for it! :)

Another Henna Experiment

It had been about 6 months, maybe 7, since I’d done a henna treatment. The reasons? It’s messy as hell AND because my amla supply was depleted. *sad face* I also didn’t want my texture to loosen as that can be one of the “side-effects” of frequent henna usage. Also, my finances didn’t(and don’t) allow me to splurge on amla, which helps to minimize texture loosening and with facilitating dye release. But then I had an idea.

*light bulb flashing*

I have a WHOLE BUNCH of powdered herbs that I purchased last summer that actually have reported benefits for the hair. So…..why not incorporate the powdered herbs to my mix? Time to play kitchen/bathroom chemist again. LOL!

The plan:

1. Jamila Henna (Lawsonia Inermis, mixed with another non-boxed henna)- We already know the purpose of henna, right?

2. Cassia (Cassia Obovata, Cassia Obvata)- Conditions hair in a manner similar to that of henna, providing body, aiding in detangling, scalp conditioning, and provides shine/sheen to hair.

3. Burdock Root (Arctium Lappa)-Contains mucilage and starches that soothes irritated skin and membranes and is one of the most effective herbs for promoting hair growth and reducing the amount of hair shed.

4. Marshmallow Root (Althaea Officinalis aka Gulkhairo)- Soothes both the skin and scalp. Used alone(or with other ingredients), it provides excellent relief from skin and scalp irritation while leaving hair soft and shiny.

Sounds decadent, right? Yes, it does. Now, IS it as decadent as it sounds?

*drum roll please*

Results:

So, I applied one box of Jamila henna, a couple of tablespoons of another henna, five big spoonfuls of cassia, and maybe four of marshmallow root and burdock root. No, I didn’t take exact measurements. Who does that anyway? :P I also used green tea for my acidic liquid(although it likely wasn’t needed, but I like it anyway), and I finished it off with some sweet almond oil.



The mixture looked like chocolate pudding. You’ll notice in subsequent postings that I liken EVERYTHING to food. Just a forewarning. :)



I experienced instant dye release and began applying the mixture to my hair. Since my hair was already sectioned off from a previous twist out, it was easy to apply. What I noticed with this mixture that I hadn’t experienced in previous henna treatments was how much slip I had. It literally glided onto my hair. It was smooth, and there was minimal splash. I think the marshmallow root had something to do with the slippage, as I remember reading that it provides a detangling benefit when combined with hot(semi-hot) water. I’ll have to research that a bit more before saying that definitively.

I applied the henna mix at around 9:30 pm (twisting up my hair to keep my sections intact), and kept the mixture on throughout the night and into the following afternoon/early evening. After 19 hours of being a human bobble-head, I began the task of removing a pounds worth of “dirt” out of my hair. LOL!

To prevent clogging up my tub, I filled up a bucket of warm water and dunked my head, swishing around for a few minutes. After getting the majority of everything out, I THEN rinsed my hair out in my tub and begin cowashing to remove all the remnants of powered herbs. I don’t always get every single, minute piece out, but I never have so much where I pulling it out days after.

After rinsing, I DT’d for as long as I could tolerate. Since Elasta QP changed the formula of my beloved DPR-11, (*shakes fist in anger*) I’m either settling with the reformulated version which for all intents and purposes SUCKS, or Yes to Carrots Hair and Scalp Conditioner.

I rinsed it out and proceeded with my normal weekly routine, which involves twists and a subsequent twist out(later in the week). I used my trusty Giovanni Smooth as Silk conditioner as a cowash and leave in, deep treated with Yes to Carrots Hair and Scalp Conditioner, and styled with Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter Moisturizer for my twists.

The proceeding day, I noticed that my hair was pretty shiny. There was a bit more hang post-henna, but no noticeable elongation (which wasn’t a goal anyway). I also had minimal shedding. That’s always a good thing, but I won’t say the henna necessarily contributed to that. I’d have to get back into a more consistent routine before making that claim, as I don’t do hennas enough for that.

So all in all, I’m liking the results. I’m loving the color tint, and LOVING the fact that these herbs help clear up my scalp. No buildup and no dry scalp. WOHOO! If I would’ve had my alma, it would’ve been even better! Ayurvedic herbs ROCK!