I used henna on my hair, and this is what they don’t tell you.
Hi friends! Thanks for clicking on my clickbait!!!! 😘 ❤️ 🤗
If you wanna see the finished results, you’re either gonna have to read this post or shame scroll to the bottom to see the before & after photo.
SO…I decided to henna my hair using half a brick of Lush henna in Rouge, purchased circa 2017. I wanted to share the steps I took to achieve this almost-red-head look. I am no source of truth, but my life does feel like a source of comedy at times, so thanks for coming along for the recap of this episode I’ve affectionately titled: “Girl…..Alright…..Good Luck 👀 😵💫”
1. Gathering Supplies
Besides my 2017 (half) brick of henna, I also used:
A bowl I didn’t particularly like anyway
Gloves I bought last minute
A bunch of cling film
My least favorite cutting board & knife
An old container of vaseline I forgot I owned (does vaseline expire? 🤷🏻♀️ idk!)
A tube top (optional)
Hair clips I had lying around
Some sort of hot water vessel (I used an electric kettle, 10/10 would recommend)
(Mood lighting courtesy of my plant grow light.)
2. The Setup
Once I had all my items, I chopped up my henna block until it was crumbly. After the chop, chop, chop, I set the bowl to the side and boiled some water (enough for my henna and a cup of peppermint tea 🫖).
To melt the henna down Lush recommends using a double boiler, but who has time for that (not me….). I added a bit of water to the bowl of henna and started to stir. I gradually added more water until it was a consistency which would make you question if you should bring your dog to the vet.
It also has an interesting smell, almost like something you might find in the home of your hippy friend who hikes too much and has herbs hang-drying on their walls. The scent definitely resembles grass and not the hehe kind…
It was time to suit up!
Now you’ll remember from above, I specifically put on a tube top to negate the need for additional t-shirt clean-up.
I tried my best to make a shawl wrap of sorts by wrapping the cling film around my neck and shoulders. I have quite full/thick hair so I wasn’t even going to attempt sectioning it off, but I feel like it would be super helpful if you have that type of patience!
I spread some vaseline around my hairline and ears, which I later found out was an absolute lifesaver. I would recommend using a Bernie Sanders-LIBERAL amount of vaseline. Unless you’re going for that faded dye hairline look, well then…who am I to judge?
Alright, so to recap, we have:
A high-fashion skimpy poncho
My least favorite bowl full of dog poo excuse me, henna 🙄
My face lubed up like a sex party
Long yellow gloves, like I’m about to serve up some cafeteria lunch, but make it fashion 😉
( Before things got messy 👀 )
3. The Application
Just when I’ve started to second guess my decision to alter my hair, it’s time to do the damn thing! I stood facing myself in the mirror, asking myself:
Have I bullied myself into this?
Why am I doing this? I love my brown hair!
Is this a cry for help?
All valid questions, no time for answers!!!
It’s show time baby!
Using some hair clips, I pinned up most of my hair, leaving a layer at the base of my head and got to work with a technique that can only be described as…well…feral?
Grabbing a glob of warm dog poo, I mean henna, I started at the root of my hair and rubbed some on, and then worked my way down rubbing the mixture into the layer of hair. I had no clue if the henna was absorbing into my hair, so for good measure, I took chunks of hair between my gloved hands and rubbed them together like a boy scout starting a fire.
I repeated this with several other chunks of my hair until my head resembled something akin to what a rat might call home. When it looks like your hair is so matted it may never recover from the disaster you’ve imposed on yourself, you are in the homestretch — don’t give up!
With the leftover henna, I globbed it onto the top of my head and made a thiccc layer on my middle part and on the edges of my hair around my face. Look, I’m no beauty influencer, but I am not about to have some wack-a$$ patchy hairline!
I wrapped my head in a produce bag because that’s what I saw on YouTube, and I asked my Alexa to set a timer for an hour. Lush recommended at least 2 hours, but Halloween is over, and I didn’t wanna look like Pippi Longstocking all grown up! (In hindsight, I probably should’ve left it in for 2 hours for a deeper orange/red….oopsies, hehe!)
So, while I waited for my timer, I cleaned up all the little henna dollops on my floor that flew around during the application and wiped down my table. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Five stars for being an adult! 👏🏻 👏🏻
( Wow guys, think I missed a spot? 😉 )
My Alexa goes off and it’s show time once again! Lights, Camera, Action. While hopping into the shower, I did have a fleeting thought… I hope this henna doesn’t stain my ENTIRE body and make me look like a jaundice patient… However, the time for those questions is long gone.
I ended up rinsing the henna out, double shampooing, and applying a conditioning mask because, like I said, Halloween is over & Chucky ain’t cute!!!
The Results
Overall, I am quite happy with the way it turned out. YouTube did say it takes about 48 hours for the final color to settle in, so results, sadly aren’t immediate. ☹️ ☹️ ☹️
Idk if it was the henna or the double shampoo & deep conditioner, but my hair felt sooo smooth after my shower. The color is quite subtle and doesn’t feel like a huge change, just enough to satisfy my brief quarter-life crisis.
In conclusion:
It’s no secret that my full name is Alison — but I feel like my natural brown hair is “Ali“ & this red-ish hair is “Sonny”.
Ali goes for a walk in the park and finds a nice bench to sit and people-watch. Sonny wears socks and sandals and does yoga in inconvenient places (the subway platform).
Ali washes her dishes before she heads to bed. Sonny only has one spork she uses for EVERYTHING.
Ali books a reservation ahead of time for that cute bistro she’s been eyeing. Sonny forces you to forage in Central Park because “there’s so much good stuff”
Ali enjoys a nice Sunday snuggled on the couch with her coffee, watching some TV. Sonny doesn't subscribe to the media industrial complex & refuses to participate in complicit consumerism.
Well friends, you’ve made it this far, you deserve the ✨reveal✨
I’m sure you’re thinking — There is barely a change! I’ve been bamboozled! & to be fair, yes you have & I AM SORRY! but I never actually said there were drastic results. AND I did say it was clickbait in the beginning, you had your warnings!!! 👀
Overall, I think If it did henna again, I would probably follow the recommendation and leave it in for the full 2 hours, or maybe more, to get a brighter more orange/red result.
Live, laugh, love, & learn my pals! 🤪
