Henna Hair Coloring Tips: Lush vs. Light Mountain

Being born with mousy (blondish? brownish?) hair and an ounce of vanity will lead to a lifetime of hair coloring... Unfortunately, lots of exposure to the sorts of chemicals found in typical hair dyes will lead to allergic reactions in people sensitive to such things.

I started using Lush (http://www.lush.ca/) henna because I still wanted to color my hair, but didn't want the hives or scabs that resulted when I used L'Oreal or Garnier. At the time, my hair had been highlighted a little too zealously so I ended up with bright orangey-red hair. Kinda pretty yet kinda too much for me.

As my hair grew out, the color softened. Henna coats the hair shaft like lacquer, so red henna over mousy gives you reddish-brown. If I had skin tones that truly suited auburn, that would've been fine. I tried Lush Caca Brun to tone down the red, but then my hair became too dark and I looked tired.

With repeated henna-colorings, the only way to remove ALL the henna is to grow it out. You can remove some of the coloring by soaking your hair overnight in olive oil, which leads to gradual fading along with amazing conditioning. Don't bother trying peroxide or other harsh methods, unless you're willing to cut your hair off if things go bad. I tried peroxide for a couple of hours - as long as I dared - and it made my hair dry but didn't remove any more henna than the olive oil treatment.

Since henna does gradually fade a little as it wears down and washes out, I thought I'd try another company's product, since they offered wider color choices. Just take a look at the henna hair coloring options from Light Mountain (available on Amazon):

I tried light brown, found the color a little dull at first, but was very pleased at how soft it left my hair. After a few washings, it fades to a very natural-looking light brown with subtle reddish highlights. Light Mountain's henna does a better job of concealing stubborn white hairs than Lush henna.

After much research, my tips for using henna are as follows:

Powdered henna in a squeeze bottle offers the best coverage for gray roots. Instructions for Lush henna are to melt the squares in a sauce pan with a bit of water, then dab it on. This is not a great way to cover all of your roots, and it's terribly messy. Better to buy henna in a powder, and mix it in a squeeze bottle, for ease of application.

Mix the powdered henna with water that is about 50 degrees Celsius in temperature. In my experience, getting the henna "as hot as you can stand it" in the hopes of fully covering gray leads to a burned scalp and frizzy hair. It doesn't lead to better dye release either! If the water is too hot, the dye in henna releases too quickly, and potency is lost before you can even apply it. What you want is water at about the same temperature that you would drink your tea at, between 40 and 60 degrees Celsius. Right after mixing, squeeze it into the roots of your hair as you part each section with a comb. Don't go all the way to the ends, so that there is less color buildup - you want the ends of your hair to fade a little for an ombre effect.

For extra highlights and faster dye release, add a teaspoon of lemon juice. Henna dye release occurs either when you heat the henna, or mix it with an acidic liquid, or both. A bit of lemon juice - not so much that you dry your hair - will increase the potency of the dye, and also help develop highlights. An antidote to monotone hair color! In my experience, it's best not to add anything except the lemon juice and hot water. Adding spices such as cinnamon or cloves might enhance the smell but won't change the color, and adding olive oil or any other conditioner to henna only reduces the strength of the dye.

What I love about henna is that it straightens and conditions my hair, as well as enhancing the color, making hair care so much easier! And you can color again as soon as roots appear, without any negative consequences. The only downside is that you need to reserve 2-3 hours per treatment, since henna can take as long as 3 hours for full dye release. Thankfully, plastic wrap and a scarf or toque will keep it covered until it's time to wash it out! Cheers for the winning product!