DIY Organic Hair Dye affordable and healthy

 

Lets Talk about Healthy Hair. 

 

Well I am sitting at 45.. half way to 50. I am not only concerned about what I put into my body but also with what I put ON my body.  No more body washes, smelly soaps and lotions.  But I do not have to be without good skin care and spa treatments.  It is quite affordable to do these things at home.  Bathe in Epsom salts, baking soda and a little oil.. very nice.  Use sugar and olive oil on your legs before shaving.. smooooothe... There are plenty of ways to pamper yourself and be healthy without all the harsh chemicals. 

My hair has recently become an issue for me. It has been thinning a little and I have had a LOT of breakage. Boo Hoo!!!   I went through a very stressful time in my life which may have caused the hair issue (my health is good so that wasn't an issue)  Plus, the doctors looked at me puzzles when i complained about my hair.  I guess until I am bald, they are not concerned.

In the last few years I decided to Blond my hair around my face. That's when the damage began.   I have permed, straightened, dyed, highlighted, curled, scorched and just plain misused and abused.  I was using grocery store boxed hair dye.  It didn't matter the brand, it was chemical ammoniafied hair dye. My hair isn't horrible, I am Grandmother for goodness sake but my once thick and shiny locks are not what they used to be.

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, me in 1985.  Prom.  Oh what a night.. Enough reminiscing for now.

I am SHAMPOO FREE

So back to the damaging of my hair.  I started to notice that my bangs were breaking off.  I wasn't cutting them but they were starting to fall just above my eyebrow line.  I stopped using commercial shampoo in March 2012.  I have dry hair so i used an conditioner daily, I played around with different brands before settling on John Frieda Root Awakening.  It gives me some body.



About every other day or so, I put a tablespoon or so of baking soda into a cup of water while i am showering and pour it into may hair.  I work it around a little and rinse.  It helps get rid of the build up.  Recently I have been experimenting with this shampoo.  I use it once a week and it seems to work well too.  It is sulfate free.



I have been browsing through http://pinterest.com/  and have found lots of good suggestions.  I have slathered my hair in coconut, olive and argan oils and egg.  I have slept with these concoctions on my head because I have an awesome understanding husband.  I tried everything and the hair kept breaking and greying.

So what to do about grey hair when 1- I don't want to be grey and 2- I don't want to use the harmful chemicals of hair dye.  Well I had to say adios to the blonde highlights and try something new.  Sorry ladies, I don't know of any good stories about do it yourself blonde organic hair dye. 

This was early on.  I had just started highlighting around my face.. the bangs are still long and healthy.  It didn't take long though.

 

Here the breakage is noticeable.  I have not cut these bangs. Not at all.

I like the blond but it just isn't going to work out right now.

I was going to dye my hair with turmeric... YIKES!  got scared, changed my mind. 

I bought some henna and tested it on my hair.  It's still red in that spot but more like a carrot orange.  If you like that copper red, I highly recommend using regular henna powder to dye your hair.

  You can get this lovely shade of red.  I'm not quite there yet, maybe over the summer but not just yet.  I needed something toned down a bit.


COVER EVERYTHING IN NEWSPAPER
Wear something old.
You will need a bowl, something to mix it with, gloves, saran wrap and an old scarf or bandanna.

I went to JagDeeps Indian Grocery store on Ludlow Avenue in Cincinnati and purchased this. If they had a web site, i would have given them a plug here.  I paid 3.99 for this.  That is not a misprint or typo.  3.99!!!  amazing.

It comes in a powder.  It's quite explosive like powdered sugar so be sure to be gentle when pouring it out of the envelope, mixing it or moving it around.  I suggest you put down newspaper.  Use a glass bowl to mix it in or a disposable plastic container.  USE GLOVES or your hands and nails will be a lovely shade of brown. 

This is what it looks like dry






The box calls for mixing the powder with water. I did that at first but got a better idea. If i have to wear this stuff for 2-4 hours, I am going to give myself a lovely spa treatment whilst doing so.

I mix the powder with 1 egg and melted liquefied virgin coconut oil. Mix into a paste that is consistent with baby poo.

Don't worry, it doesn't smell like poo.  It's earthy, mossy, grassy... hippie cool man.

This is what it looks like wet.




Here is where I add about a tsp of pure henna so that there is a reddish tint to the brown.  That is completely up to you.  I am just trying to use up something i previously purchased.

Put on your gloves and start slathering.  Start at your roots and work it through.  This stuff is thick, not like conventional hair dye.  Work it through your crown and down the length.  Be sure to get it around your face if you tend to grey there quickly.  Here is what this looks like.


Beautiful!!!

okay now wrap your head in saran wrap. Please do not suffocate yourself.  Wrap up all the hair and clip into place.  Put a scarf or bandanna over it to look stylish as you baste in your protein rich, oil infused DIY spa treatment.  If you want to get really fancy, put a hot towel on your head and let your scalp and hair soak up all the goodness.

Even with the Saran wrap on your head, this dye poo will start to dry out a little and even harden in some places.  No worries, that's normal.  Leave on your hair and check every hour until you are satisfied with the results.  I typically leave it on for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Clean it off your skin best you can or else you will have some staining.

When it is time to rinse off, its best to use some sort of sprayer.  I have rinsed this off in the shower but that usually results in a full shower and bath scrub down following.  If you have a laundry tub or a kitchen sink sprayer, it's best to rinse there.  The rinse water will be a brown to khaki green color.  That's normal too.

The mud might want to stay on your scalp, following the rinse, take a good conditioner and work it with your finger tips down to your scalp.  Shower it out or rinse it out again.  You will more than likely see some more mud come out.  Again, normal. 

If you are interested in being healthy and want a very inexpensive and chemical free way to cover your grey, I highly recommend this technique.  If you have the time and patience, this is for you.  It's worth it in the end.

Please ignore the goofy look on my face and outdated style.  Do you see any grey?  I do not. 

VOILA! hair that is healthy, shiny and not so grey!

 

 

This technique combined with a hair, skin an nail vitamin containing biotin....I am back on the road of hair recovery.

 

 

 

http://pinterest.com/michelleswaw/