It’s a messy business, henna. I remember watching my mother patiently cake her own head in dark green sludge when I was a child, emerging four or five hours later with a bright coppery mane of curls. I remember helping her reach parts that she couldn’t do herself, carefully spooning it onto the nape of her neck or behind her ears, trying not to touch the skin. Even with all the modern-day updates, applying henna is pretty much as ceremonial, tedious, and hilarious a process as it must have been back in ancient Persia, where it originated. At the end of the day it is very much like smearing a big cow pat on your head.
I won’t go into details about the process (to learn how to apply Lush henna, find full instructions here) because that would take forever; instead I’ll tell you what I thought of the product and results. Most henna has a distinctive dried-leaves kind of smell, and this is no exception, although it has been perfumed with some lovely natural oils so it's not too intense. I left it on for 3 hours, but you can leave it on overnight if you want to. The great thing about henna is that there is no such thing as too much. The results will vary depending on your hair colour, but for images of how it turned out on me, just scroll down to my previous post.
The thing I really, really loved was that it left my hair in BETTER condition than before. Usually any kind of colouring will do damage, but henna fills your hair follicle, leaving it softer, thicker, and shinier. Don’t expect it to turn jet-black hair into Ariel’s fiery mane, as henna cannot lighten hair, only add more color. However, if you’re interested in going the chemical-free route, and want a color that looks like you were just naturally blessed with it, I couldn’t recommend this enough. I’ll definitely be buying more and reapplying within a month, to maintain my new auburn look!
If you’ve ever tried Lush bricks, or any kind of henna, please do share your stories below!
