I have dark brown hair. The trouble with having dark brown hair is that it really shows any, ahem, silver strands. Now, I’m not particularly vain and have no problem with grey hair per se, but I don’t like it when there’s just a smattering in an otherwise relatively youthful head of hair (I’m 37 in case you’re wondering). It makes me look a bit uncared for.
My usual strategy is to zap it with a chemical-based semi-permanent hair dye in a dark brown colour – quick, easy-ish and does the job of covering those pesky greys, but this time, I fancied a change. I’ve been having a bit of a flirtation with Lush products recently. I got a copy of the ‘Lush Times’ on a recent visit and it was there that I came across their range of hennas. To be honest, I wouldn’t normally have contemplated henna-ing my hair. I did it once when I was younger and I remember it being messy and smelly, but something about the Caca range really appealed to me. I liked the fact that there are different shades and that it contains cocoa butter and something to help with the, er, aroma.
There are four different shades: Brun, Noir, Marron and Rouge. I chose Marron as it claimed to be great for giving brown hair a chestnut tinge whilst covering grey nicely too. It comes in a kind of bar of six blocks and basically, you break off as much as you think you’ll need. (I started off using two thirds of the bar and this was enough for my very thick, shoulder length hair). You can then either grate it or bash it up a bit before placing in a heat proof bowl and covering in boiling water. Next step is to mix to a runny paste (I was told to make it the texture of double cream). If you can keep it warm whilst applying it, so much the better. As with any hair dye, you need to wear old clothes, gloves and use old towels. You should rub some vaseline around your hairline and over your ears too! Dollop the henna paste onto your hair then wrap in cling film and leave for upto four hours. The guy in the shop said that you can leave it for longer but it won’t make any difference to the colour after that amount of time.
I only left mine for two and a half hours as we were going out. Washing it out is a bit of a challenge as it’s VERY thick and grainy. I started with my head over the bath using the shower attachment to get rid of the worst, and then got into the shower and shampooed it three times. I conditioned it too. It probably took half an hour of rinsing, so be warned! Also, be aware that your bath and surrounding area will get incredibly messy, so have something to hand to clean as you go.
So, to the results. Well, I’m impressed. It does what it says on the tin. My previously dull locks now have a lovely, warm reddy-orange tone and the grey bits are a vivid chestnut colour in the light. The condition has improved too, thanks to the cocoa butter. The only downside to Caca is the smell. Even though Lush have added essential oils, there’s still a pretty strong earthy pong, which isn’t unpleasant as such, just a bit overpowering. G and I were going out for the evening and I was a tad conscious of the whiff coming from my head. It was gone by the next day though.
If you’re looking for a natural alternative to your usual hair colour then I can definitely recommend Lush Caca – after all, it’s not every day you dye your hair with poo.
