A True Story, with a Happy Ending!
After years of dyeing my hair with products ranging from the grocery-store variety, to the professional, my hair was stripped, to the point where it would break off in a stiff wind. Also, it was a horrible burgundy-orange color, uneven and ugly. On top of that, the last three times that I had colored, I'd started to have allergic reactions, progressively worse each time. One day, I went to my hairdresser (who couldn't offer coloring services, because the chain that she worked for didn't allow it) for a trim, and she whispered to me,"Do you know about henna?" She told me to get some and fix that mess on my head, and that I could get henna haircolor at the local co-op. Well, at that point, I thought, what have I got to lose?
So I procured a package of pure henna haircolor, and then started researching henna on the Internet. I quickly discovered that there were many, MANY people out there using it, and all of them seemed pretty happy with it. And, much to my disbelief, some of them had been in my shoes, and they claimed that not only would the henna cover up the old color, it would even the discolorations out. Even more unbelievable, they claimed that it would repair the damage, and return hair to its original, un-damaged condition or better! Right, I thought. It probably won't do all that, but it's worth a shot.
I prepared the henna according to the directions that I found on The Henna Page, in the section titled Henna for Hair (http://www.hennaforhair.com), and left it on for about two hours. The mix I went with was just lemon juice, water, and henna.There was no stench of ammonia, no burning sensation- it was oddly comfortable. My eyes didn't feel like they were on fire. Well, I thought, this is something completely different.
I rinsed out the henna, starting by plunging my head into my youngest son's baby bathtub, and then working the rest out using some conditioner. And then rinsed again, until all the gritty stuff was out. Toweled off. And combed it out. Guess what? I could run a comb through my damp hair for the first time in months, without any breakage! Wow, I thought, maybe what they say about this stuff is true!
Finally, I looked in the mirror. The color looked a little dark, at first. And a little too coppery. But then it dried, and it became- breathtaking. I had never seen hair shine, glow, shimmer like that before! And as the color finished developing (this takes around 24 hours), it just got better. And better. All of the damaged, dull, discolored stuff was fixed. It had completely covered over the weird burgundy and orange stuff, and the color was totally even. And it stayed that way!
These days, neither love nor money would sway me to use commercial hair dyes ever again. I once had a complete stranger ask me in a store if she could touch my hair, saying,"It's just that I've never seen hair like yours before!" That's how gorgeous this stuff makes your hair! I have to touch up the roots now and again, just as you would with a chemical dye, but when I do, I don't have to worry about what it will do to my hair or scalp, and the allergic reactions that I was starting to get with the other stuff are no longer a worry. (I have since learned that I should've been much, much more concerned about the allergic reactions I was having to the hairdyes, too- those allergic reactions can escalate suddenly, and leave you with lifelong health problems, or kill you outright- see our section on Black Henna, which is often made with hairdyes/PPD- click here.) Henna is safe, natural, and really, just one of the most amazing substances on the planet. Give it a try-
it'll make you feel pretty, too!
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