As I mentioned in my last post, I needed to color my hair. I did so, and actually it'll be time to do that again in a couple of weeks, because I'm beginning to see roots. But I'm writing about it because I did something new.
First of all, I bought Caca Marron (from LUSH, as I mentioned in my last article). I guess it must be a popular color at my local LUSH (in Montgomery County Mall, Bethesda MD), because I have trouble getting it. In the past I've had to use Rouge and Indigo mixed together, and while it gives a similar color to Marron, the consistency is different. One thing that Marron uses in it is ground coffee, which is not in the other colors if I recall correctly.
Anyway, so I'm very happy with that color. I also did things differently in that along with the hot water, I took the mayo that I'd normally apply late in the process and actually mixed it in with the hot water and henna. I used a couple of tablespoons and just enough water to melt the henna.
I think that this is my new go-to procedure. It means I don't have to do the interim rinse that I mentioned in my last article, which saves time and aggravation and means not having to wash out a towel right away (we don't have a washer/dryer in our apartment, so this is a good thing). In addition, it makes it MUCH easier to wash out the henna, which is a big deal, especially with Marron, which is harder to wash out. It's messy, but there is no way to make using henna anything but messy. The best thing is that I can add a drop of tea tree oil and a drop of rosemary oil to the mayo before mixing it in, which will help out with my scalp issues. (My scalp is TOTALLY benefiting from no-poo though!)
One caveat to all this oil is that when I wash the henna out I do use shampoo. I just found that baking soda wasn't getting it all out. The shampoo I use is already sulfate-free, so I don't feel too bad about using it once a month like that. It's also formulated for color-treated hair, which means that it's a very mild shampoo apart from being sulfate-free.
Next time I do this, I will probably warm the mayo in the microwave first rather than adding it cold. But definitely I'm doing it again. My hair and scalp feel GREAT!
