I LOVE HENNA. I used to play with it in middle school, applying art to my hands and arms, although I’ve never tried it on my hair. Reading your post made me smell henna and yearn for it.

I must say that I have dyed my hair twice with drugstore dyes since finding out I was pregnant, but your henna-dyed belly is totally inspiring – definitely something I need to do in my third tri!

I love http://www.mehandi.com/! When I first found that site, it was all henna and an e-book on how to dye your hair (over here —> http://www.mehandi.com/shop/hennahairbook/index.html). Now they have oils, soaps, jewelry, pet products… They don’t specifically *say* that they are vegan, but at a glance, I don’t see anything icky in them (besides the bone jewelry, I guess).

Following the advice in the e-book, I’ve always *warmed* my henna, and wrapped my head. The only time I have ever had a problem with henna was last month, when I used some year old product. There wasn’t much power left in it, but it was okay.

I documented my first foray into smearing smelly plant material on my head. I think it was about three years ago. It is always approximately this much fun ^_^: http://pics.livejournal.com/animamea/gallery/0000xfrb

What a great timing! I’m in *desperate* need of dying my hair. At first I thought I’ll try and let my hair grow out to see what the real colour looks like and maybe even leave it like that, but the sad truth is that I hate my real faded greyish light blonde colour… So I have to dye my hair!

I was going to find an organic hairdresser to get my hair done, UNTIL I realised how much it costs. I don’t want to lose much length anyways so I guess I’ll just forget about the haircut and dye my hair myself …which rises the question of where to find a good blonde natural vegan hair dye!

I’ve dyed my hair once with blonde henna and the result was a cool ultra-blonde (a little yellowish even) old school colour. Which I loved but some people thought was odd. I didn’t care about the ingredients back then but I’m certain it had lots of bad stuff in it. Now I’d like to be sure it doesn’t.

And two summers ago I dyed my hair light pink with a vegan (probably not too toxic) hair dye, which I loved, but it faded away very quickly. Does Manic Panic last for long?

It’s awesome that you fixed yourself a nice henna colour all by yourself! And just to know that it consists of TWO things and both are all natural.. that’s amazing! It does look good! I guess the next step would be adding some sort of colourants to get other colours? Are you going to try that?

I love Henna. I use it every six months or so because I’m lazy! The 5 hour commitment (I leave mine on that long too, under a shower cap) is a little much for me. My hair is naturally almost black though, so I don’t get a very big change, just some extra richness. I’ve dabbled in indigo, too, which is also great fun. Love your belly decorations!

I love the results of henna, but the process is so much work! Or maybe I’m just lazy. I’m trying to dye my hair LESS since I’m sure it’s bad for me, but I should probably just switch to henna since I know I’ll want to keep dyeing it every month or so. The few times I’ve henna’d I’ve liked the results, but I don’t like leaving it on my head for hours and I don’t like having to wait overnight for it to set up.
So really, laziness and impatience. Those are the reasons I don’t henna more!

Henna I adore thee! I’ve been using it for 18 years now-holy crap! Seriously? That means I’m almost, gasp, 35?
Anyway, so happy for you that you like the results
The longest I leave it on is for an hour, as I’ve read that once it completely dries, it stops dye-ing. So, it may not be necessary to leave on for hours.
I’m actually headed to get another henna tomorrow. Can’t wait

I did henna once and loved it! It made my hair the prettiest color.

Your hair looks really nice! And I like the design on your belly. Nice decoration. I always said I preferred henna to tattoos because they’re changeable.

I had henna done to me twice. Once in Egypt and once in West Africa. It was a cool experience!

I LOVE henna. During the three year period when I had hair about your length, I dyed the hell out of it, every color of the rainbow, it was great fun. Once I grew it back out again, I returned to be exceedingly cautious with coloring. When your hair is midback, anything that damages it is soooo not an option! (And I would have to bleach it to take out color before doing a new one.) So once I decided to henna, I knew it was a forever-more decision.

I highly recommend using only Body Art Quality (BAQ) henna – i.e. pure henna powder with nothing added. Anything you pick up at the drugstore is fairly suspect, unfortunately! Pretty sure Sayward was good on that.

I don’t have to retouch the color pretty much ever, though every once in a while when I do the roots I do the whole thing. I find the process pretty easy at this point. I just prep the henna the day before, or maybe that morning, and glop it on when I get home from work. Actual application takes 15 minutes tops. Sometimes I henna before bed and just sleep with it (VERY carefully wrapped!) otherwise I go very Afro-Cuban and fancy a headwrap for myself so I can venture outside LOL.

The one caveat I have is that I always have to wash it TWICE before *all* the henna powder is out. Meaning, wash, dry, rewash. It’ll look okay after the first wash, but a very fine dust remains that will end up on my comb, etc. However, I have hair that is midthigh (!) so I am pretty sure that is a big factor LOL!

I have pics of the first time I hennaed here: http://easierthanyouthink.wordpress.com/2010/01/17/first_henna/

I’ve used henna hair-dye from LUSH Handmade Cosmetics and had some pretty faboo results. I was a seeerious redhead for a while

A few months ago I made the switch from chemical dye to henna thinking it would be safer because it is more natural. Then I got to thinking about how it’s not regulated and as with many imports it could contain hidden substances. True henna is red, but I have been using a blend of henna & indigo to achieve a dark brown color. It looks and smells like plant ingredients, but how can I be sure it doesn’t contain harmful metallic salts and the like? Is sticking to my natural “ash” color the only guarantee? I want certified organic!

@little deer I recommend http://mehandi.com (run by the woman that runs http://thehennapage.com and http://hennaforhair.com, both excellent resources). They will tell you where your henna was grown and I’m sure can give you details on how it was grown. And the henna they sell, they check each batch to ensure it is pure henna, nothing added.

I would love to know what brand you used. I’ve not dyed my own hair as I’m already a redhead, so true henna wouldn’t do anything for me. But I’ve dyed someone else’s hair with it and it was a huge mess. All mud and sticks, and I ended up dying the towel I was using with it. Yours looks all smooth and easy to apply.

MINNA I would look into something called cassia. You can get it at hennaforhair.com where you can also get henna and indigo. I don’t know that it dyes per se but it is recommended for blonde hair to “brighten” it. On the site they also have a big grid of hair colors that people have submitted and given their recipes for.

I’ve been wanting to henna my hair for a while now. I was going to ask my friend who’s going to beauty school to do it for me but she’s been brainwashed and won’t touch anything with henna in it. She’s told me why, and it’s rediculous. “You can’t use any professional hair color in it when it’s been hennaed.” Oh darn! I’m trying to get away from it anyway, despite her claims that it’s better for you than what’s on store shelves. She’s probably right about that, but I still want to use as few chemicals as possible. I love having red hair, so I may have to save up a little and order some henna to make myself and my hubby (who has a thing for red hair ) happy. Seeing your results make me want to do it even more!

@ LisaMaddox ..Wow, there’s “Read Henna for Hair in Estonian”. How awesome! That does *not* happen too often Thanks!

Ooo, love it! I’ve always been wary of hair dyes but this henna stuff, maybe it’s for me! Thanks for sharing. I LOVE the red shade you had!

I loved the color of your hair after the henna, but I think I loved even more your belly decoration…

wow it’s good to have you back (also, it seems to me like the community bloomed while you were out, I see lots of new faces around, which makes me super happy).

random question, not at all related to henna, but I’m pregnant, and thus interested to see what kinds of homemade things you come up with for your little one. What will you use for teething? Just frozen chewers, b/c many people use tylelon or numbing cream in the mouth? What kind of diapers do you use? Diaper cream? I’m eager to see how you’re able to apply a non-toxic to your baby’s health as well.

@Courtney: There are lots of “henna” products (those are sarcasm quotes, btw) that have weird chemicals in them to produce unnatural reds/purples/etc. You can’t use other chemical products over that junk or you might fry your hair. Body art quality henna (nothing but plant material) won’t have that problem.

@Minna: Mehandi.com has an awesome community. I’m sure they have plenty of willing translators. ^_^

@Minna & Sunnie: Cassia is like henna. It imparts some of the plants’ color, but will not make a dramatic change (i.e. black to blonde) like chemical dyes.

@little deer (and everyone else, I guess): Mehandi.com now sells henna that has been tested for chemicals, and they certify that the products are pesticide free. It’s not specifically organic, and it *is* imported, so it’s really a matter of how you feel about it.

@Josey: I know this wasn’t aimed at me, but here are my two cents anyway ^_^

I liked Hyland’s teething tablets (http://www.hylands.com/products/teething.php) but they are not vegan. Humphrey’s teething strips *are* vegan, but I have no experience with them (http://www.walgreens.com/store/catalog/Health-Needs/Teething-Relief-Swift-Strips/ID=prod4185937&navCount=1&navAction=push-product)

My friend made up a batch of diaper ointment that was made of beeswax, some manner of oil, and maybe some zinc (it’s been a veeery long time since my daughter was a baby!). For the blessedly few diaper rashes, she gave me the same ointment with some comfrey (and possibly other things).

I was also in love with Burt’s Bees, but I’m not sure how I feel about the company now that they’re owned by Clorox.

Wow on the same wavelength as always. I JUST bought another batch of henna last night because I’m getting ready to do mine again. Like several posters above, if you are thinking about going this route, buy from MEHANDI.com. Fantastic site – fast shipping, great service, premium products. And another tip – USE CARROT BAGS and an assistant.

Personally I die once with henna, then again with indigo for deep blue-black. Time consuming and a bit of a pain (messy) but hey, it’s powdered plants… no chemicals. I will point out though that I haven’t seen anyone mentioning the hazards of going from chemicals to henna and vice versa… starting to henna usually seems ok (test first), but once you’ve hennaed chemicals can be, um, iffy if you try to go back.

If you want a blend of a color rather than straight up red and don’t want to play mad scientist check out Logona Herbal Haircolors (www.naturaleurope.com). They are premixed blends of henna and indigo, etc. Just remember it depends on your natural color… I am able to get the blue-black on my hair because it’s naturally very dark brown. A blond might not be so successful.

Sayward: I do miss my bleached chunks. Too hard to not do the whole head so I dyed over them and I can’t bring myself to ever bleach again I think…

Wow, awesome response! Thanks for all the input everybody. I love hearing your experiences, so keep ‘em coming. Y’all are great!

@ LisaMaddox – Hmm, how did you warm the henna? I wrapped my head but I didn’t warm my henna. That sounds interesting.

Your pics are adorable!

@ Minna – Other readers have already given great advice (I was also going to recommend mehandi) but I wanted to say you should link to pictures when you dye it! =D

Manic Panic lasts if you bleach your hair first and then let the dye sit for 5+ hours. But you do have to bleach it first.

I’m not sure if I’ll try mixing plant pigments . . . though I really like that idea . . . now you’ve got me thinking!

@ Heather – Girl, I hear ya! Nothing like thinking about how long you’ve been dying your hair to make you realize how old you are! Eep! haha

@ Ginger Baker – Your hair is amazing – love those pics!

@ little deer – I understand your concern! You definitely need to find a reputable source. Looks like others have made some great suggestions – hope it helps!

@ Green In Oak Park – Sorry, I don’t have a brand name. I bought it from the bulk section of my market. I’d say go for a reputable online retailer!

@ EroSan – I feel the same way! All these new friendly faces – it’s so great!

@ Josey – I use cloth diapers, a variety of types that I picked up (mostly used), but Bum Genius are by far my favorite. I use the brand Earth Mama Angel Baby for baby products including the bottom balm. It’s an amazing company, all natural and organic, and all their products score a ’0′ on the cosmetic safety database. When he’s older I’ll be making most of his products, just like I do for me!

For teething . . . well, I plan to cross that bridge when I get to it. I haven’t really done my research yet though, I’m afraid. Sorry!

@ sarah – I’m doing the same. No bleach . . . for a while at least.

Thanks!!

I browsed Mehandi website and read about cassia. It seems like a wonderful way to dye and condition your hair naturally and I would love to try it!

I googled “buy cassia in Melbourne” and found no decent results. I’m not 100% sure if it’s impossible to find an Aussie online store for cassia hair dye but it doesn’t seem to be a very popular and well-known thing! Which makes it even more exciting

..the only problem is that if I order it from Mehandi, it’s going to cost me 35 bucks for international shipping, and that’s expensive. So I’ll try my best to find an Australian store for that! If not, I guess my only option is Mehandi.

Sayward -

I’m not Lisa, but I warm my henna too. Just put your glass bowl over a pot of water, double boiler style, and let it heat up gently. Good old Brownian motion – it frees more lawsone molecules so they can bond with your hair! I also plastic wrap my head to trap both the moisture and heat, so the henna stays active for longer, resulting in a brighter color.

I use an black bowl for my henna and put it in a sunny spot. I live in Arizona, so I leave it outside in the summer (and then have to use pot holders to bring it into the house!) or on a windowsill in the winter. If I mix it at night, I’ll put it on a heating pad, or near the stove while I’m cooking.

@ Minna – Good luck with the searching! And update us with the results please. =)

@ Cindy & LisaMaddox – Thanks for the warming advice (and explanation – makes perfect sense). I’ll try warming it next time!

re: baby stuff. dunno about elsewhere, but a grocery store in the UK makes a gorgeous bottom butter with coconut oil, olive oil, shea, and chamomile. It smells lovely and when my baby was little I put it in all her little crevices each morning and night and it was wonderful for preventing diaper rash. In fact she didn’t have one until she was nearly a year old and that turned out to be a fungal rash anyway. Plus it made her smell lovely

I’m sure something like that would be easy enough to make.

Teething: babies aren’t supposed to chew on frozen stuff. They make really nice, rubbery pre-toothbrushes for babies that worked better for us than ANY topical application and she could move around to chew where she needed it. Also, it’s good to be going all-natural, but just keep in mind that you may need to resort to an actual painkiller (not topical) if your little one is truly miserable. We never needed it for teething, but there’s nothing like a week of 102 degree fevers to drive home the point that it’s not always possible to do all natural in all situations and we all just do the best we can.

I finally ordered my Cassia Obovata – from that website – http://www.cosmica.com.au. I forgot to take a good “before” photo unfortunately, but I can guarantee that there definitely is a change in the colour of my hair. If I had somehow bleached it before, it would have dyed it golden yellowish blonde, right now it just dyed the lighter parts of my hair a bit. And it definitely feels very healthy, smooth and soft!

I mixed cassia with lemon juice and let it sit for 12 hours. After applying (had my boyfriend do it, hahahahaha) I let it sit in my hair for about 5 hours. It did smell like earth too, haha, but in a positive way! My hair still smells like that, it’s like a nice mixture of earth and the scent of flowers.

All in all I would say that it takes a lot of time and energy to mess around with cassia (it kept melting under the cling wrap on my head and it was sooo annoying!) and the results (at least the colour) aren’t all that amazing. But! I think I’m starting to like how soft and silky my hair is and although I’ve never been into hair care, I might try this again when my hair gets dry and dull.

And now the pictures!
http://xoxo.planet.ee/juuksed.html

(PS – The rash on my face isn’t because of cassia, so no worries.)

Minna! Thank you so much for posting your experience and especially the photos! I’m sure it helps everyone to get a good idea of Cassia, but for me personally I’m just thrilled to finally put a face to the name! YAY! =D =D =D

Oh, and your hair does look so beautiful and healthy!

I don’t like the smell of Henna, especially if it’s applied to the hands. I know it’s much better than idustrial dye but I just can’t stand it. My man doesn’t stand it either. There is a wedding custom in my country which consists of the bride having henna tattos which I find rather ugly and the smell is just unbearable. Take a look :http://www.taus.it/club/images/henna.jpg I’m not really keen on dying my hair, but if ever I think of doing it I will resort to henna for sure!

@ Rorita – I know what you mean about the smell, but I do love the way it looks! What country are you from?

@Sayward: I’m from Tunisia. Ever heard about it?

@ Rorita – I’ve heard of it but I’m not too familiar with any details. But I’m thrilled to hear from readers all around the world! *runs off to Google Tunisia* =D

Tell me what you found out!

@ Rorita – Well, I didn’t know it was on the Mediterranean! Which of course got me thinking about the food, so I did a bit of research. Now I’m dying to try Tunisian food!

Well! I can post a couple of recipes on my blog! That sounds like a good idea to try them! Cuscus, Tajine,Brik,Hsai…

@ Rorita – Yessss! I want to try all of them!