Lush henna how much

Slowly add boiling water until the henna is covered. Stir well and keep it warm. Ensure the henna stays comfortably hot in your bain-marie or heat-proof bowl while applying.

Apply and let it sit. Leave on for about two hours. Wash out with shampoo and condition as usual. Check out these lovely goodies. Rouge Star rating star-filled star-filled star-filled star-filled star-empty. Gorgeous red glow.

Noir Star rating star-filled star-filled star-filled star-half star-empty. Dark blue-black shine. Marron Star rating star-filled star-filled star-filled star-filled star-empty.

Rich chestnut tresses. Brun Star rating 4. The first thing you need to do is clear a whole day — this is a slow process and you will need time. Lush henna comes in big blocks. If your hair is predominately your natural colour with greys here and there and you try to use a darker henna without using red first, the greys will be very highlighted, especially if you go straight for black. It kind of defeats the purpose, so best to get it red first.

Depending on the colour you want, prepare to get a few different blocks. Since my hair is dark brown and I want to keep it that way, I went with option three and got three blocks. The amount you need really depends on the thickness of your hair. Put it all over your face and neck, any parts of your chest, shoulders, arms, legs, and feet left exposed — henna goes everywhere.

I chopped it until each piece was roughly the size of a chocolate square and put it in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add boiling water from a kettle gradually, stirring, until the henna reaches the consistency of pancake batter, not crepe batter. It should slowly run off a spoon on its own, but not too easily. It takes a bit to melt, so I used a whisk in the end to make sure all the chunks were gone.

A dye brush would probably be easier, I used my hands and it was fine, but I will say having something to divide your hair in to sections is definitely worthwhile. I used the pointy end of a make up brush, but you could use the pointy end of a comb. Starting in the middle, take a section of hair and start applying henna to the roots.

And the henna is heavy, so it is an effort to flick between dry hair and henna-covered hair. Doing the roots first is much easier. The back is a little tricky, so I covered my hands in the stuff and rubbed it on to the back of my scalp like I would with shampoo. When I felt sure that was all coated, I started on the length. When you have long hair like I do, it can take a while to ensure every strand is covered because the henna is so thick and gritty.

I spent time pulling chunks of my hair apart and rubbing more of the stuff in. When I thought it was all coated, I put more through the roots and the ends to make sure. Lift it up and twist it in to a high bun on top of your head. For henna to develop red, it needs heat. I tied a bag over my hair and left it for two hours to keep the heat in. Getting this stuff out is an effort. And your shower will end up looking like a kid ran through new turf with a sprinkler. Rinse and rinse until the water runs clear.

The great thing about henna is you can go over it as many times as you like without damaging your hair, so go for it! When your hair is totally dry, prepare the henna exactly as you did with the red. Douse yourself in petroleum jelly again, make sure surfaces are covered, and chop the blocks.

I wanted dark hair, so I used Brun and Noir. Mix them together over the saucepan and start the process again. The only real difference here is the developing time.

Dark henna needs time to develop. At least four hours, in fact. You also want it to dry hard on your head, and a bag would slow the process down. Since my hair is fine, it ends up looking and feeling like I dipped it in a bowl of grease when I use shea butter, so I shampooed my scalp.

I then ran conditioner through it to smooth it out, and dried it as normal.