I've been dying my hair for a long time now, and over the years I've gone from buying the cheapest most chemical laden brand I could find to searching out the most natural brand that I could find!
It's been a long journey and to be honest I've never completely found a brand I was happy with 100%. I've mainly been using a more natural brand but it still had some 'undesirable chemicals' in and so when I was contacted to try out some 100% natural Khadi Henna or Herbal Hair Colour I was very keen!
This was a whole new experience for me! I'm used to mixing bottles of solutions together to create a formula but this was very different. The Herbal Hair Colour is a green powder that you mix with water to form a paste. Depending on the colour Henna or Herbal Hair Colour you use, the water has to be at different temperatures. All the info is included for you and gives plenty of advice on the right temperature water, how to apply it and how to keep the mixture warm while applying it. The instructions said to add enough water to make a paste, but being a newbie I wasn't that clear on how thick it should have been so mine ended up a little runny! I think there needed to be a little more detail in the instructions in this area. However, the mixing was easy enough, I just used very very hot water (i'll admit I didn't test the temp) and kept it sitting in a sink of hot water as I applied the paste to my hair. I worked in sections to coat my hair from root to tip with a hair dye brush I bought from the store and massaged in the excess with my hands (definitely use the gloves provided as it can stain your nails), it was pretty quick to do. Then I simply popped the shower cap provided on my head, wrapped my hair in a towel and relaxed for an hour and a bit! You can leave this dye on from 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on how strong you want the colour, so I went for a time somewhere in the middle.
After that you simply rinse with luke warm water and then leave to dry, you don't shampoo it until a few days later as the natural warmth and exposure helps the colour develop more over time. It is incredibly easy to wash out and there is ZERO staining on your skin, I was so worried about having Henna dyed ears but it literally didn't stain at all!
THE RESULTS: COLOUR
To start with, I genuinely don't know what colour my natural hair is now (I mean I know it's brown, but I have no idea on the actually shade.) I've dyed it on and off several times in the past few years and just kept switching up the colour, and always keeping my hair long without any cuts or trims. I even had blonde highlights at one stage. This means that my hair colour was literally all over the place, it had colours here, there and everywhere and my tips always lighter than my roots. It's pretty hard to take photos of hair especially showing the colour but below are some 'Before' photos.
As you can see the colour is pretty all over the place with different colours popping up everywhere. So my main hope for the hair dye was to make my hair much more uniform!
I've never tried Henna before (apart from as skin decoration) or herbal Hair Colours (a mix of Henna and other Herbs) and had no idea what to expect! I always thought Henna would only be a really really fiery red colour so I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are loads of different colour choices in the Herbal Hair Colour range from Indigo to Red (pure henna), Black to Blonde and a wide choice of brunette shades! they are all made from a blend of different herbs; Henna, Indigo, Amla, Bhringaraj, Neem etc.
I chose the Khadi Light Brown Herbal Hair Colour* as I was keen to keep my hair in the same shade as the darker parts of my 'before' hair while giving it a bit of a subtle red pop without going too red or too dark and this one was said to give a 'Mahagony Sheen'! Below are the results of using the Light Brown Khadi Herbal Hair Colour on my hair and I'm really really happy with the results! The colour looks really rich and pretty natural and it definitely evened out my colour perfectly!
As its quite hard to see from the photos just how dramatically the colour of my ends/tips where changed I have done a bit of a more close up comparison.
THE RESULTS: SHINE & MORE
Surprisingly one of the best results from this Khadi Herbal Hair Colour hair dye is how incredibly shiny my hair now is, and not just after the first few days but still even after a week or so! It's wonderful! My hair also feels a lot softer and smoother, and it's definitely a lot less static and flyaway as it used to be. The info states that the Henna and other Herbs used coat the hair shaft like a gaze filling in any gaps which is why you get such lovely shiny smooth results!
However, I have to be honest, the process and results are a little stinky! The smell isn't terrible, it is just very earthy and sort of smells like straw or hay. I didn't find it too offensive and it's certainly not as bad as the chemically eye-watering smell you get from traditional dyes but it does tend to linger on the hair for a while. I didn't overly like it but it wasn't terrible and I think for results that come so naturally and healthily it is a very small trade off. Certainly hasn't put me off giving this Khadi Herbal Hair Colour hair dye again.
THE GOOD STUFF
Khadi Henna hair dyes are all made from traditional Ayuvedic formulas and are free from peroxide, preservatives, colour boosters/ additives, PPD and synthetic fragrances.
A box of dye (100g) also covers mid length hair and costs £8.90 from khadihair.co.uk which is a fair bit cheaper than other 'natural' hair dye alternatives!
OVERALL
Will I be using this hair dye from now on? ABSOLUTELY! I genuinely can't see myself using anything else from now on, not when the results are so good, so naturally!
Hey Mavs,
ReplyDeleteLoved reading through this - I went all out and stopped dying my hair after realising just how many chemicals went into it (and gosh it got dry!). This looks like a really good, natural alternative, so I will make sure to bookmark it if I ever decide to go back to being a dark brunette.
Besma (Curiously Conscious)
It turned out so well! I have a pot of henna dye I bought months ago, but I still haven't psyched myself up enough to use it! Great reminder, I really should get on that :)
ReplyDeleteI may have to try this for when I want to go darker again, I wish I could find a brand that naturally lightens the hair for when I want blonder tones!
ReplyDeleteEloise x | www.eloiselovesnature.co.uk
I'll have to try henna, I always wanted to but never did :) Your results are great and your hair are beautiful :) xx
ReplyDeleteI've never tried Henna before, but I'm really impressed by your results! The colour is gorgeous and your hair looks so glossy and healthy! xxx
ReplyDeletewww.justemma.co.uk - natural beauty, affordable fashion, everyday life
Looks amazing! I'm looking into this at the moment but can't decide which shade to try - light brown looks like it does quite a dark colour! xx
ReplyDeleteLovely result (as an old henna user I really know that thing about the blinding shine ;-), but imo your colour wasn't really that uneven before - I really don't know where the myth that hair has to be all one colour comes from, as natural (i.e. undyed) hair is never the same colour all over, so hair actually looks dyed if it is! :)
ReplyDeleteLove your blog and loving the hair!
ReplyDelete