Henna Hair Dye
You need to use a acid medium to apply henna. Lemon juice does this very well. When mixed together it releases the dye and bind to the keratin in your hair. This makes Henna permanent.
Step One: MIX IT! Mix enough henna with lemon juice to make it like the consistency of mashed potatoes (see photo below). If lemon juice is too harsh on your skin, use something less acidic like grapefruit or orange juice. You could use vinegar or wine, but your hair will be a little stinky for awhile. Don’t use boiling water or your Henna will fade and be an ugly orange.
- Short Hair (use 100g or 1 cup)
- Collar Length Hair (use 200g or 2 cups)
- Shoulder Length Hair (use 300g or 3 cups)
- Waist Length Hair (use 500g or 5 cups)
Step Two: REST IT. You need to let your Henna paste rest for several hours. I usually mix the Henna in the morning and apply to my hair at night. Letting it rest allows the slow dye release and will give you the BEST results. Cover your Henna with a plastic wrap and let it stew.
Step Three: MIX IT AGAIN. It’s been several hours and you are ready to apply. Mix some more lemon juice with the paste mixture until it is the consistency of yogurt.
Step Four: APPLY IT. WEAR GLOVES. Henna is permanent and it will stain everything it comes in contact with. This is the messy step. I have a few suggestions to make it easier. Get in your bathtub and fill it up with water. Apply the Henna while standing in your tub. Or, you can go outside and apply. Bring a mirror.
- Do not be stingy. Apply generously and thick for a deep, rich color.
- Comb your hair and divide it into sections.
- You can put the Henna in a piping back, squeeze bottle, or just use your fingers and apply. I find the latter to be the easiest.
- Start at the back and work the Henna down to the scalp. Apply it thick! Then bring down the next section and Henna it. Make sure every bit of hair is THICKLY coated…like cake frosting. Don’t be afraid to use plenty of Henna and don’t be afraid to get messy.
Step Six: RINSE IT. Time to rinse out the Henna. I have shorter hair so this step isn’t too difficult. I take a nice long shower and rinse it out completely. I follow it with a wash and condition. When my hair was much longer, I used to fill up the bathtub and lay down in the water. This helped get the Henna out of my hair.
A few things…
- Henna may seem really bright at first. Do not panic…it will darken over the next few days if you used the acidic mix. It will take about 3 days to settle into the true color.
- Once again, DO NOT be stingy with the mix. More is always better with Henna.
- You can use this on beards too if you would like!
- Some people can’t stand the smell of Henna. I, personally, love it. It’s earthy and sultry. If you can’t stand the smell, you can add 1 TB of powdered ginger, clove, or cinnamon to your Henna mix.
- Order “body-art quality” henna from HERE.
- Check a local Indian store to buy it SUPER cheap!!! Just make sure it’s 100% Henna!
How To Dye Your Hair With Coffee!
1/2 cup conditioner (I used the most natural one I could find)3-4 Tbsp organic instant decaf coffee (the decaf part is optional, I was just being extra careful)
Instructions: Mix the two ingredients together until the coffee dissolves. Put a brown towel around your shoulders, dip your fingers in the “dye” and spread it evenly throughout your hair, starting with the roots. Clip your hair on top of your head so you don’t drip the mixture on anything, and leave it on for at least one hour. If you wait longer, it will start to dry and that makes it more difficult to rinse out. Rinse, but don’t wash, your hair until the water runs clear. Style as you normally would. The first time you do this, you’ll probably want to do it two days in a row (if you have grays).
Notes:
- Use more conditioner and more coffee if you have long hair. My hair is thin, so this amount worked.
- Don’t worry about dripping the “dye” on your skin or sink—it doesn’t stain these things (but it might stain clothes or furniture, which is whyI recommend the hair clip and brown towel)!
- This is not for blonds!
- If you have grays, you’ll want to do this two days in a row to get full coverage initially
- You’ll need to do this once a week if you want to keep the results (I wash my hair every 2-3 days)
- Many of the recipes I looked at online involved brewing coffee (I tried this the first time, and it was way too watery and messy)
- I read that putting a plastic bag on your head could help the color to “process” but I didn’t try this, and I don’t really recommend it (it just seems unnecessary)
- Mixing this with henna would probably work amazingly well too, and probably help the color to last longer
- You don’t have a lot of specific control about what color your hair will be–this is more of a “stain” and the mixture looks a lot lighter than you would think it would (assuming your conditioner is a whitish color)
- After the first time I did this, I stopped measuring the conditioner and the coffee–it’s not so exact that you need to measure precisely
Coconut Oil Hair Treatment
What You’ll Need-• 3/4- 1 cup melted virgin coconut oil (preferably organic, get it HERE)
• 10-15 drops of your favorite essential oil
• Optional 1 TB raw local honey (think hair food!)
• 1/8 tsp Vitamin E oil
• Whisk the honey and Viatmin E oil into the melted coconut oil if you’re using them
• Add the essential oil and stir
• Apply starting at the ends and work your way up (apply evenly and liberally but not dripping. I drench my hair anyways.) Comb it through using a wide tooth comb
• Wrap your head in a shower cap or just clip it back up and out of the way
• Let the oil sit for at least 1 hour. I leave mine on all day when I can
Essential Oils for Dry Hair
Adding essential oils to your coconut hair treatment will boost its repairing qualities.
Here are a few of my favorites for…
Dry Hair:
• Lavender
• Rosemary
• Myrrh
• Geranium
• Carrot seed
• Sandalwood
• Yarrow
• Birch
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Myrrh
• Geranium
• Carrot seed
• Sandalwood
• Yarrow
• Birch
• Parsley
For Normal Hair:
• Lavender
• Lemon
• Eucalyptus
• Parsley
• Geranium
• Carrot seed
• Geranium
• Rosemary
• Eucalyptus
• Parsley
• Geranium
• Carrot seed
• Geranium
• Rosemary
For Oily Hair-
• Rosemary
• Lavender
• Lemongrass
• Tea Tree
• Cypress
• Lemon
• Eucalyptus
• Birch
• Basil
• Sage
• Thyme
• Yarrow
For Abused/Sun Damaged Hair-
• Parsley
• Lavender
• Chamomile
Homemade Hairspray
2 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
a couple of drops of isopropyl alcohol or vodka (optional, but helps preserve the hairspray longer.)
Directions
1. Mix water and sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. If adding alcohol, stir in before transferring to a fine mist bottle.
Note: It’s best to keep this in the fridge so it won’t spoil, especially if you don’t add any alcohol. If you add the alcohol the shelf life will be longer, but as with all homemade beauty products, if something smells fishy, toss it.
All Natural pH Balanced Shampoo Recipe
Ingredients
1 can of Coconut Milk (or about 1 1/2 cups if you like to make it yourself.) (where to find coconut products)
1 3/4 cups pure aloe vera gel (like this)
1 3/4 cups pure aloe vera gel (like this)
Directions
1. Mix both ingredients in a bowl using a wire whisk to fully incorporate.
2. Pour mixture into ice cube trays. (I used two full trays.)
3. Put in freezer and wait a few hours until frozen completely. At this point you can transfer them to some sort of bag or container, or just keep them in the trays.
To use: Take one cube out before you want to use it (at least the night before) and keep it in a small container or bowl in the fridge until you are ready to shower. Use as you would normal shampoo (about a quarter size amount).
Work into the scalp and then move toward the ends of your hair. Let sit for 30 seconds or so and then rinse completely. This will not lather… so don’t keep adding more thinking it will get your hair “more clean.” Like all good things in life, a little goes a long way.
Place any remaining mixture back in the fridge to use next time you wash your hair. The shelf life of each cube is about 1 week in the fridge. Just be sure to take a new cube out when you use up the other one.
NOTE: I’d highly recommend giving this shampoo some tries before judging it. Even if you’ve been doing ‘no poo there can be another detox phase (usually MUCH shorter than the original switch from conventional shampoos). I found that my hair was a little greasy and my scalp slightly flaky for the first couple of times I used it. By the fourth it was great, though.)
How To Detox Your Hair
The No Poo Method For Healthy Hair
All Natural Deep Conditioner
1/2 cup fresh coarsely grated coconut meat*
1/2 cup fresh coconut milk (where to find coconut products)
2 teaspoons raw honey
1 fresh vanilla bean, cut into small pieces (optional, but really heavenly)
*Fresh coconut is always going to give superior results. Check out these great posts on how to open a coconut and how to make your own coconut milk.
Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine the coconut meat, milk, and honey.
2. Place vanilla bean in a coffee grinder and grind until smooth. Combine vanilla with coconut and honey mixture.
3. Pour mixture into palms of hands and apply to damp hair.
4. Leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water.
to taste
