Natural Purple Hair Dye- Reshma Femme

 

Update: After using this Henna, my hair was still very black. It darkened my hair, but it did not turn purple or anything remotely close to purple.

 

 

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I have been thinking about coloring my hair, other than jet black, for a while now. 

I was in a local BSS and came across this Reshma Playful Plum Henna hair color! 

I was beyond excited. But before purchasing this, I tried to find some reviews to see if it actually turned hair purple. I couldn't find any, so I guess I'll find out for myself. 

My Henna and Indigo Experience in Pictures

Hey Hey Hey. Happy Sunday!!!!

If you're interested in my Henna and Indigo experience

Keep Reading 

Natural Ways to Color Hair

I posted this back in 2010, but added some more mixes and decided to re-post.
Many of you are familiar with these, but I posted for those that aren't.
Summer is also the perfect time to try these out!
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Because we all know dyes/bleach can cause damage to the hair, especially if you are relaxed...here are a few ways to naturally lighten/color your hair. These may take a few applications to get a noticeable color.


*Please note that these can get messy. Take precaution by using gloves, wearing older clothes, placing Vaseline around your forehead,ears or nape area and safe guarding your floor.


Cinnamon

If you have dark brown or black hair, cinnamon will give your hair a reddish/brownish tint.

• Make sure hair is damp..best to use on towel dried hair
• Mix Cinnamon Powder and Conditioner in a bowl-There isn't an exact amount of powder you should add, but I would say at least 2-3 table spoons. The mixture should be enough to coat hair from root to tips.
• Apply mixture to Hair in sections from root to tip
• Wrap Hair with Saran Wrap or a Plastic Cap
• Let sit for at least 4-6 hours, best to leave in overnight
• Wash out with Shampoo and follow normal wash day routine.

Honey & Cinnamon
If you have dark hair, this will give a lighter brown highlight to your hair.

• Make Sure hair is damp- Best to use on Towel dried hair
• Mix 3/4 cup of honey, 2 table spoons of Cinnamon with 1.5 cups of conditioner
• Apply to hair in sections, root to tip
• Wrap Hair with Saran Wrap or a Plastic Cap
• Let sit for 8 hours
• Wash out

Coffee

If you have lighter hair, this will turn your hair a darker brown color. If you have jet black hair, this will give your hair dark brown highlights.
Use the darkest roast possible

• Brew about 2-3 cups of coffee first
• After washing hair, pour the brewed coffee all through your hair.
• Cover hair with a plastic cap
• Let sit for 2 hours
• Rinse out
• Follow up with a deep conditioning treatment because this may be drying to the hair or after pouring the coffee on hair, put some deep conditioner on top of it and let sit, then wash out as norma

Beet and Carrot Juice
If you have dark hair, this will give you a maroon tint. Some even resulted with red hair.

• Mix a half cup of beet juice and carrot juice together.
• Apply the mixture to your hair in sections.
• Cover with a Clear Plastic Cap and leave on hair for up to 1 hour either under the dryer or in the sun. Preferably in the sun.
• Rinse out
  If hair is dry, follow up with conditioner

Darken it Up

I took my twists out Thursday, rocked a braid-out yesterday and decided to do a Henna Treatment last-night. I felt like I needed to strengthen my hair a little bit.

 Because my hair ALWAYS has a reddish tint after applying Henna, I proceeded with Indigo.

My Henna Mix is:

200 G of Karishma Henna

enough warm water to make a yogurt consistency

1.5 teaspoon of Safflower Oil

* applied immediately after mixed

* kept on overnight

*rinsed out like crazy with just water

*shampooed scalp with sulfate free shampoo

*towel dried and then applied the Indigo

Indigo Mix:

100 G Indigo Powder

enough warm water to make a yogurt consistency

a few pinches of Salt

*applied about 8 minutes after mixed

* kept on for 2.5 hours

*rinsed out with Conditioner and shampooed scalp again

I really need to start using more Indigo powder because 100G isn't enough to cover all my hair, but for now, it did it's job.

About to wash the Indigo Out

After washing Indigo out- Damp Hair

Henna & Natural Ayurvedic Hair Care for Beginners

I found the below link helpful in terms of learning about Henna and Ayurvedic hair care. It is targeted to Salon owners, but it's useful for anyone.

So far, I have used Henna, Amla and Brahmi Powder. I have also used a few different oils such as Vatika, Shikakai and Parachute Coconut Oil.

As of now, the only product that had negative effects on my hair was the Vatika Oil. Let me just say I was shedding like a dog!

I have found that the powders made my hair stronger and they remain a staple(Henna and Amla Powder) in my regimen although I don't use them as often as I used to.

http://hennablogspot.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Henna-and-Ayurvedic-Hair-Care-at-Your-Salon.pdf

Amla Treatment

As a prepoo, I do a mix of:

*Amla Powder (1 of the above boxes)

Warm water

Coconut Oil

I apply it to my hair in sections from root to tip and end up with this:

*I rinse the Amla out of my hair and wash with Shea Moisture: Moisture Retention Shampoo only

*Then I proceed to Deep Condition with Suave Professionals Shea Butter and Almond Conditioner mixed with Aloe Vera Gel and Hemp Seed oil- Kept that on under my foil cap for 2 hours

 *After rinsing out the DC, I applied Roux Porosity Control for 1 minute then rinsed

*Towel dried my hair for 10 minutes

*Applied my leave-ins(Chi Keratin Mist and Nexxus Headress) 

*Added some Chi Silk Infusion to small sections then blowdried my hair using the tension method

 

*Hesh Amla powder has the following advantages:

- promotes hair growth
- controls hair fall

- cures scalp infection

- controls premature graying of hair

How I Henna and Indigo

I had some questions on what I use for my Henna Mix..so here you go.

I do Henna and Indigo Treatments quarterly and have replaced my Henna Glosses with Amla Treatments which I do weekly.

*Remember to use gloves when applying both henna and indigo

My Henna Mix consists of:

100 G of Karishma Henna

Black Tea(I made it with 4 tea bags and I boiled 3 cups of water.)

1 egg ( only if I need protein but this can be ommitted)

1 tablespoon of oil (I used a mix oil but extra virgin olive oil or castor oil were my staples in the past)

When it comes to how much tea I poured in, I believe it was 2 cups, but I just pour it in very slowly until I get a thick consistency.

*Apply immediately in sections, cover hair with plastic cap then bag and keep in overnight(only because I usually put it in very late)

Not done mixing yet...as you can see the clumps, but this is the consistencly I generally like

Rinsed out the next AM

Cleansed scalp with Shea Moisture Shampoo then apply Indigo

Indigo is easier

I just mix 100G of Indigo and warm water from the sink
Once again I pour the water in slowly
I then add like a tspn of salt and mix well

I apply IMMEDIATELY

Place Plastic Cap on head

Keep in for 2 hours
Rinse Out thoroughly with just water

Apply my Moisturizing Deep Conditioner
Keep DC in for about 2 hours
Rinse Out

Weekend Hair Plans

I plan on doing a Henna and Indigo treatment on my hair this weekend because I am well overdue.

as you can see my hair has been relaxed- update will be at the end of Dec.- Not too happy with the results!

My hair is a reddish/brown color because of the Henna Glosses I do weekly/biweekly and I prefer Jet Black hair!
I would like to do Henna/Indigo treatments quarterly and the last time I did one was in August.
As said before, I feel like the Henna strengthens/thickens up my hair...so I am doing the most to finish this year off with a bang.


*Hair update coming soon

Got Some More Indigo Powder :-)

I did my first Henna and Indigo treatment last year. SEE POST HERE!  And I loveed the results. Unfortunately, I continued on with Henna Treatments minus the Indigo and my my hair lost the jet black look.

When my hair is jet black, I think it looks so healthy and fuller for some reason, so I am going back to Henna and Indigo treatments.
I will be doing those once every 2 months, maybe more often depending on how my hair feels/looks.

I purchased 500G @ $30.00 + $8.00 shipping from http://www.ayurnaturalbeauty.com/
Shipping was extremely fast! I love that site especially since I can't find Indigo ANYWHERE!!!

Graduated from Henna Glosses

If anyone recalls my first few Henna treatments, I always mixed in Conditioner and only added about 1-2 table spoons of Henna, which made them a Henna Gloss.

http://6footlonghair.blogspot.com/2010/08/henna-gloss.html

 I no longer mix in Conditioner and now do full blown Henna Treatments.

Here is my Mix:

150 G of Henna

Enough Black Tea to make a yogurt consistency

1 Egg (for Protein)

1 Tablespoon of Castor Oil

I apply in sections using an applicator brush to get my roots and demarcation line really well

Once completely applicated, pull hair up then apply a plastic bag over head

Keep in overnight

Rinse

Rinse

Rinse

and Rinse Some more in my sink

Then I shampooed with diluted Black Soap

Then I applied a moisturizing deep conditioner(Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose) mixed with some oils in sections

Kept that on for about 2.5 hours then washed out.

My hair was really soft, yet strong after. At first I was scared of doing full Henna Treatments because some complained about breakage after doing so, but the key is to follow up with a Moisturizing DC.

I recently stumbled on Karishma Henna at an Indian Grocery store near my parents house and I must say I like this Henna. I only paid $2 for a bag of 150G, so I got a pretty good deal.

BUT any Henna that is Body Art Quality will work JUST AS WELL!

Contains Pure Henna, Amla, Shikakai, ARITHA,BHRINGRAJ and selected

Herbs as described in Century old Indean Vedas. Regular use of

Karishma Herbal Henna, Darkens Hair, acts as natural Hair

Conditioner, Controls Dandruff & prevents Hair loss. Due to natural

cooling effect of the herbs used it improves eyesight and gives sound

sleep.

While applying, I ran out of some. I was like scraping for some henna, hence the little bit of black hair you see.

Dyed My Hair Black with Henna and Indigo

Guess how I spent my Friday night and Saturday Morning? Well, I guess the title says it all...but I dyed my hair black with Henna and Indigo.
It was a looong process, but so worth it. I was sick of the my brown/reddish hair that the Henna Glosses gave me and wanted my hair black again. I didn't want to do a rinse because those wash out after a few washes and I definitely didn't want to do another chemical application with a permanent dye, so the next best thing was Henna and Indigo.

I did a full Henna Treatment first opposed to a Henna Gloss so:

• I mixed about 100G of Henna Powder with about a table spoon of Castor Oil, tea spoon of Coconut Oil and water- Creating a Yogurt Consistency (I just slowly add water, no measurements, until I get the mix thick but not too thick. The key is to make sure it's not runny and easy to apply.)
• I didn't let it sit, I applied it to my hair immediately, section by section
• Covered my hair with a plastic conditioning cap, then a plastic bag for added protection, then my scarf
• I let it stay in my hair overnight.There was no dripping, thank goodness. I had the Henna in my Hair for about 12 hours although you really only need to leave it in for 2-3 hours.

Then I rinsed it out in my sink, the next morning with just water. There was still a little henna left in my hair after rinsing it but that doesn't matter. The indigo needs to cling to something which is why it's best to do a Henna treatment before applying Indigo. If not, you will end up with Green hair.

Next:

• I mixed 100G of Indigo, a teaspoon of salt(for better dye release) and slowly added water creating a yogurt consistency
• Put my gloves on(didn't use it for the Henna, but should have)
• Applied to my hair immediately in sections.(you HAVE to apply it right away and can't let it sit for no more than 15 minutes because once mixed, the dye releases and you want the dye to release on your hair)
• Covered hair with a plastic cap, plastic bag, then scarf
• Let it sit in my hair for exactly 2 hours
• Rinsed out with water in my sink(best to do in sink unless you want a stained shower)
• Applied a Moisturizing Deep Conditioner and let that sit in my hair for 2 hours
• Then rinsed out

My Hair feels great, it's jet black(which I love), it's permanent and I did it the all natural way.
They say that indigo may fade away a little, but for the most part it's permanent. Also beware of using a chemical dye before or after doing Henna and Indigo...you may end up with weird looking Greenish Hair.
I read that you should wait a few days before actually shampooing the hair, so I will continue on with my current regimen this weekend. I shampoo weekly, so missing one weekend isn't going to kill me.

Although this is a long process, it's worth it.  I want to Henna at least one more time before the end of the year, so I will be doing a Henna and Indigo treatment sometime in December.

Before the Henna and Indigo:

After: My hair is a little damp in this pic

My Hair Air dried- I was going to blow dry, but decided against it because I am on a personal no-heat challenge until the end of the year

Back to Black- Amla Powder

If you recall, in an attempt to thicken my hair, I was doing Henna Glosses. I did see my hair get a little thicker, but it also gave my hair a reddish/auburn tint. It was actually very noticable to me and others began to compliment on it as well. But....I became sick of the color and wanted my black hair back...so I did some research on products that can naturally turn hair darker and help with growth and came across Amla Powder. Lucklily I live near an Indian Grocery store and found Amla Powder for about $2.50, so I decided to give it a try last night.
As it gets colder, I become soooo lazy with my hair, so I wanted to deep condition and do the Alma Treatment at the Same time without having to go into the shower more than once.

Here was my mix:

3 Table Spoons of Lustrasilk Cholestorol
a little less then half the box Amla Powder
1 Table Spoon of Coconut Oil
Enough hot water to make a creamy mixture

Mixed it up then applied to dry hair in sections
Kept on for about an hour
Washed out with diluted shampoo
then did a couple of Conditioner washes
Applied Leave-ins and did a braid out once my hair was about 80% dry....

So here's my hair with the reddish tint

And here's my hair after using Amla Powder

See below for Benefits of Amla Powder.

Henna Gloss

I have done a total of 3 Henna Gloss Treatments and didn't want to post about them until I felt like I received some of the benefits. I do feel like the Henna Gloss Treatments made my hair a little stronger which is the main reason why I did them, but it also gave my hair a reddish/brownish tint that I love!

                                                 Not sure if you can see it in this picture

So, here's a little more info on Henna:

What is Henna- Henna is an all-natural, safe hair dye that permanently colors hair without harsh chemicals. Body art quality henna is recommended over store-bought boxes of pre-mixed hennas because it is more pure, and can be safely used even on hair that has been recently bleached or synthetically dyed. Mixing body art quality henna and applying it to your hair will yield vibrant, shiny, soft, healthy-looking results

What is a Henna Gloss: A Henna Gloss is a Mild Henna Treatment(A full Henna Treatment uses about 100G of Henna or more basically a whole box mixed with water or tea,oils or so forth) that gives your hair deep conditioning benefits as well as a subtle color release. Doing a Henna Gloss will leave your hair soft and silky, but strong and healthy at the same time.

Why is Henna Good for the Hair- Henna is said to add extra conditioning benefits to the hair and also coats the hair to make it stronger and thicker. It is said to also loosen our tight curls. A lot of Naturals do Henna or Henna Gloss treatments!

Where Can Henna Be Purchased- I purchased mine (Reshma Henna) from http://ayurnaturalbeauty.ecrater.com/, but it can also be purchased at your local Indian Grocery Store

How I do a Henna Gloss:
Ingredients
3 Table Spoons of Reshma Henna
1.5 Cups of Moisturizing Conditioner (Treseme Moisture Rich Vitamin E Conditioner)
1 Table Spoon of Coconut Oil
1 Cap Full of Apple Cider Vinegar

Let it sit overnight

Next day:
Apply to hair like I would a full relaxer, in sections from root to tip. (this can be messy so place towels on the floor)
Place a Plastic Cap over my head
Let sit in my hair for 2 hours
Rinse Out
Deep Condition for a half Hour (this is important because sometimes Henna can make hair dry or hard at first)
Rinse out
Then add leave-ins as usual




More Info on Henna...Must Reads!

http://www.curlynikki.com/search/label/Henna
http://www.hennaforhair.com/faq/index.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_2050176_dye-hair-henna.html

Couple of Things I'm Waiting On.....

Before I took a vow to not purchase anymore hair products until I absolutely need them, I purchased a few things online. Of course I won't be able to use any of them until I take my braids out, but now I have something to look forward to when I do. :-)


Satin Pillow Rollers:

I bought some Satin Pillow Rollers, which I feel like I need. See, I want to do more braid-outs and actually wear them down and for them to look good with a nice curl on the bottom, I will need to apply rollers. I usually braid my hair at night, so pillow rollers are perfect for me because I can wake up in the AM, take them out, and hopefully my hair will look good. Of course I got satin because  they will help me retain moisture more.

Henna and Indigo:

I'm sure I said this before, but I like to think of more natural ways to do things with my hair. Now, I'm on a mission to thicken up my hair and I heard Henna makes your hair so much stronger. It also adds a reddish tint to your hair if after mixing it, you let it it sit for a while to let the color deposits out. I plan to mix the Henna with a moisturizing conditioner and some oil and let that mix sit for like a half hour. Then I will apply the Indigo which will turn my hair jet black. By using these two, I will have stronger and my favorite jet black hair with out having to get a color rinse. I will do this treatment 2 weeks before my next touch up then 1 week after. I read really good reviews about these two and the only caution I keep hearing is to make sure you do a  moisturizing deep condition treatment after because the henna can be a little drying.

I will of course give my opinion after I try it out.

 http://www.hennaforhair.com/

www.mehandi.com