Lush Henna Review

My hair is brown, in the summer it looks a tiny bit more multi-tonal, however it is still brown. Now i like being a brunette however i get a little bored of my hair sometimes, especially recently as it seems to have lost its shine and looks very dull. I have tried normal dyes before but hate having it grow out when I want my natural colour back, plus my hair is often pretty dry at the ends and dyes usually make this worse!  So when I came across a big bar of smelly green stuff when wandering around Covent Garden Lush I was intrigued. Henna works differently to hair dye, it doesn't penetrate your hair but rather sits on top of the hair. So after a quick discussion with one of the assistants, I decided on a block of caca marron (and yes it means poo … apparently they chose it to light heartedly point out that it is all natural), as i was too chicken to try caca rouge, a much brighter red apparently . Upon returning home I was pleased when i read the label to see that the ingredients are all natural, which again made it even more appealing – being bought up by a mum who loves organic and natural products does rub off on you a bit!

Admittedly the lighting was a lot brighter in the second photo, so my hair does look more reflective, but the colour difference was pretty shocking.

Now i must admit i wrote this post ages ago and didn't publish it, as i was saving it for this new blog. However this allows me to give some perspective into what my hair was like over the following months. I would say the henna lasted 6 weeks at its optimum, though this may vary on your routine; how often you wash it and what products you use. I tried to reduce the amount of  shampoo and conditioner I used as i was surprised how red the water was when i washed my hair. I also found more natural shampoos/conditioners worked best. Also because it actually takes far more effort to get the henna that hasn't dyed your hair off , than it does to wash a normal dye out - some henna may continue to come off in the next few washes/the colour may fade a little. What I liked though that instead of having to grow it out, it eventually faded, but even then i was left with much nicer looking multi-tonal hair.

Pros - At £7.75 for a block i was able to dye my hair twice and have over three months of gorgeous looking hair and even after this my hair remained shinier and nicer than before the henna. I have also had loads of compliments about my hair looking so healthy and shiny. Even my split ends don't look so bad!

Cons - Henna stains everything... your clothes, your towels, any surface it touches - so stockpile those old newspapers. Be careful and henna proof your house! Also you have to leave it on for quite a while (minimum of three hours, with some recommending you leave it overnight). You also have to chop/grate, mix into hot water etc... it takes more effort and time than a usual dye. There are also limited colours and you can never be 100% how it will come out on your own hair as condition can affect the colour - so do a few test strands first!

 Overall I give Henna 8/10, it gives your hair amazing shine and you get a vibrant colour as well as improved condition, without chemical damage to your hair. However I would recommend dedicating at least 5 or 6 hours to hennaing (preparing, colour developing and cleaning!), which isn't as convenient as other dyes.

P.S. Don’t skimp of plastic gloves, i have looked like an oompa loompa from the wrist down for two days now.

 This is after a lot of scrubbing and washing… and the henna was only on my hand for about 6 minutes!

   

Let me know if you give Caca Marron or any of the other colours a try - and if you manage to avoid making a mess.