The first time I went natural, I was trying all sorts of things in my hair. I had just found all this information and was trying everything so my hair would look like what I was seeing all over the internet. It was as exciting as it was infuriating. It took me a long time to accept my hair curl pattern and that I don’t have as much hair as I would like to have. It was also at this time that I accepted that I would not be able to find everything I wanted to use on my hair in Bermuda. Especially henna!
Noone carries it in Bermuda, at least I have not seen it. So I when I found it here in Zimbabwe a few weeks ago, I bought it.
You may be wondering what henna is. Here is how Curly Nikki explains it on her blog:
For those of you new to henna, it is a green powder that leaves behind a translucent reddish-orange color. It will not lift/lighten your hair. I liken it to coloring on a black (or brown) sheet of construction paper with a reddish-orange crayon. In most lighting, the paper sill looks black, just shinier. However, if you hold it just right under the light, or step outside, you can see the hint of color. It’s the same with my hair. Indoors, the hair is a shiny, rich, black, but outside it looks as if I did an auburn rinse. For my brown haired curlies, your hair will appear auburn, no matter the lighting. Ladies with gray hurr, your strands will be copper after the first treatment and will darken up to a nice auburn with successive treatments. Henna makes my hair shinier, smoother, stronger, and heavier. It bulks up each individual strand and makes it less prone to damage. It makes my hair darker and heavier (less shrinkage). Important- do your own research and only then start your experimentation!
I used Curly Nikki’s routine for a henna hair gloss.
I used green tea, yoghurt and henna powder. You could use conditioner.
First I brewed tea, about 1,5 cups and added in about a 100 g of henna. I then let it sit for a few hours. Then I added a cup of yoghurt. I applied it to damp hair and let it sit in my hair for about four hours. I then rinsed it and deep conditioned my hair and then styled my hair. My hair felt softer and all my grays are now dyed.
As you can see it looks messy and it is messy. Not the best smell either but goes away after rinsing. Remember to apply with gloves or your hands will be orange afterwards.
I bought the henna at ZimSpice at Marimba Shops if you would like to get some for yourself. They did not sponsor this post but its the only place I have seen it in Harare so far.