The Last Frontier in My Chemical Free Quest *** Henna

I have been researching hair dyeing with henna for several months now.  The recurring catch phrases "messy" and "smelly" in addition to "stains everything" gave me 'justification' for not undertaking the task.  But - as happens frequently at the beginning of every new year, a little voice inside starts prompting me to get rid of the bad chemical stuff in my life and take better care of my aging body.  And once again, I decided to listen to that inner voice.

And yes .... it was MESSY  (thank goodness I lined my bath tub with plastic & leaned over the edge of the tub to apply)

And there was nothing glamorous about it  ..... I spent 8 hours looking like this.  And what you don't see is how much it dripped and ran down my face and neck.  UGH!

In an effort to prevent my drains from clogging while rinsing the henna "muck" from my hair, I used two buckets and the handheld shower spray to remove the henna.  As you can see .... this would not be good going down the pipes.  And yes, THAT is what was on my head.  Imagine taking your hand and scooping up the muck on the bottom of a grassy pond .... now take a whiff .... Get The Idea Now?

Ahhhhhh but the end result makes the process worth it.  In low light, my hair is a shiny chocolate brown (top photo) and outside it takes on an auburn hue .... lucious.  I can only imagine the red highlights on a sunny day.

What I did learn for next time to ease the pain of dyeing with henna (and pain in the literal sense) .....

First - do not pile hair full of henna on top of your head.  It is HEAVY !  I woke up (yes, I slept with it on my head all night) with the most excruciating headache.  For once I think I was able to imagine why folks become incapacitated by migraines.  IT HURT LIKE H--L.  Note to self ... w-r-a-p hair around head under cellophane, do not pile hair on top.

Second - cover ALL surfaces.  I did pretty good, but got some dye on a couple of pillows.  I did not expect the henna to be so drippy after application.

Third - while toiling through the henna process - keep remembering how beautiful and chemical free your hair will be when done.  Within an hour after finishing the task and clean-up .... I was online ordering my next batch of henna.

The New Year is starting off OK and I hope 2014 continues bringing more new discoveries .... even messy ones.