some more recent shots.

I took some pictures of my curls tonight. I did a henna/cassia mix this morning. I used 50g of cassia and 25g of henna, mixed with lemon juice and chamomile tea. When it was time for application, I added in 1/4 cup of honey and 1/8cup coconut oil.

After rinsing/co-washing, I applied the Marc Anthony Easy-Lites to air dried (top 3/4 of my hair) and blow dried. I applied BKT solution to the 1 inch new growth and blow dried/flat ironed it (yes, I can just blow dry and flat iron 1 inch). I applied KCCC to the lengths of my hair. I applied Living Proof mousse to the majority of my hair, and applied Living Proof Amp to select individual strands for definition. Seven hours later: not too bad, given our strange cold weather and high humidity.

here are photos of my hair after a days work, in the florescent lighting:

Read on for more photos!

Lightening henna'ed hair Part II

I lightened my henna'ed hair and lived to tell.

I had to take a head on shot for my graduate school ID:

My henna ritual

I used to do a pretty standard henna preparation, but now I do a henna/cassia mix to avoid my hair from getting too dark.

- I use 1/2 cup cassia (bought from HennaSooq) and 1/3 cup BAQ Henna (Dulhan or Jamila).

- I use about a cup (or 8 oz) of hot/warm chamomile tea. I use chamomile due to its natural staining ability. If you are not concerned with toning down redness, you can use any tea.

- I also use the juice of 1/4 a lemon, if I have it on hand. This is another hair lightening modification, although if you add in lemon juice to any henna mix, the dye will release faster, due to the high acidic content.

1. I combine the henna, tea, and lemon juice in a bowl.
2. I whisk until my mixture resembles cake batter.
3. I seal the container. I have been using Glad Press n' Seal, but saran wrap works the same way.
4. I wait 12 hours.
5. I add in some coconut oil and honey. Henna can be drying on its own, and lemon juice can be especially drying. I also oil my ends with coconut oil before applying the henna. From my experience, so long as these things are added after the dye has released, they pose no threat. Honey is a natural humectant, so odds are it will only benefit your henna experience.
6. I apply the henna to my entire head, making sure to fully saturate the roots.
7. I leave the henna in my hair for at least 1 1/2 hours but always less than 4 hours.
8. I rinse/co-wash with a silicone free conditioner as many times as needed. Afterwards, I condition my hair normally.

I have previously experimented with other acids in the past. My first few henna treatments were done with coconut milk as the acid. I know other women have had success with it, but I never got the great result that I have gotten using teas. My experience with warm water was the same.

With regards to Amla, I don't use it. It is supposed to aid in curl retention and give a darker brown cast to the henna, neither of which I want.

Footnote: Henna is messy. Make sure you have plastic gloves and saran wrap. I also keep baby wipes at hand to easily remove henna when it touches areas that are hard to get to or hard to remove.

I hope this is helpful!

Lightening Henna'ed hair, Part I

Part I:

I have lightened my henna'ed hair and lived to tell.

Here is a photo of my hair color, post BKT, before my first henna

My hair was straight (post BKT during that 3 day waiting period) in the above photo. I am starting to realize that I only photograph myself when my hair is straight. That needs to stop.

Here is a more recent photo:

So this photo was taken two months ago, and the one above was taken a year ago in June. You can see the ends of my hair are basically black, with a red tint.

Honey Lightening

I found out about honey lightening on the LHCF. Basically, honey has naturally occuring peroxide, and when mixed with other peroxide boosters (cinnamon, cardamom, coconut oil, olive oil) it can have a lightening effect on hair (over the course of multiple treatments). 

I can not speak to whether honey lightening works. My skin and scalp are sensitive to cinnamon. I found out the hard way. Fiery red lines down my face that looked like chemical burns. They subsided in an hour, but I knew that I was going to need to take another approach.

To be continued............... (part two will cover some popular at home hair lighteners)

Henna

Here are some popular online Henna resources:

The Henna Page
Mehandi.com
Henna for Hair
Henna Sooq

What is henna? 

Henna is a plant (lawsonia inermis). The plant is finely ground into a powder, and when mixed with an acid, after for allowing for the appropriate amount of time, the dye molecules release. It stains skin temporarily and stains hair permanently. Lawsone, the dye molecule, has an affinity for protein in skin and hair.

Why use henna? 

There are many reasons why people use henna on their hair. Henna is a very effective dye, and people looking for a beautiful shade of red can achieve it with henna, so long as their hair is light enough in color (Lucille Ball was known to bleach her hair and then henna over it to achieve her famous red shade). Henna can effectively cover gray hair. If you have just a few grays, here and there, henna can turn them into beautiful highlights. I think it is especially pretty on people with naturally dark hair and a few grays. Henna can have "conditioning" type effects. I use quotations because some scientists argue that henna is not a "conditioner" in technical terms.

Here are the "conditioning" effects henna has on my hair:

henna binds to the keratin in hair, essentially coating the hair and adding bulk - my hair is naturally very thin - henna makes my hair appear thicker.

henna loosens my curl pattern - due to the same reason as above - more weight on the hair shaft produces an elongated curl.

henna makes my hair shiny, and it always feels smoother after a treatment. I think this is because the shaft is coated, cracks are filled in, and also because the curl, after being elongated and less kinky, reflects light better (not 100% on this one!)

What if I don't want red hair? 

Some will argue with me, but I think in order to get the full benefits of henna, you are going to have to be willing to put up with a bit of a red tint. No, you don't need to become a redhead. Indigo (a dark blue dye, also a plant) and Cassia (another plant that has a slightly staining yellow effect) can be mixed with henna to create a desired haircolor. Usually, people will henna before indigo or add an indigo mix to henna after the dye has released. It is not usually recommended to indigo first, as indigo has no conditioning benefits for hair. Cassia can be prepared with henna.

What henna should I buy? 

Always buy body art quality (BAQ) henna for use on hair. Do not buy "henna hair dyes" as they usually contain metallic salts and are not pure henna. Henna only comes in one shade: red. If you see "black henna" or "blond henna" it is not henna. It could be a indigo/henna or a cassia/henna mix, but there is no way to be sure. Don't buy it.

Where can I get BAQ Henna? 

I live near an area of town affectionately called "little India". It has the largest South Asian concentrated population in the United States. I buy my henna there. Chicagoans will know it as Devon Avenue. It is relatively easy to get BAQ (body art quality henna). Even if you don't find it in the first store, just go two stores down. My most recent purchase was a HUGE bag of Dulhan BAQ henna (1000g) for $10. I have also ordered from Henna Sooq in the past, when I was out of town or out of the country. They usually have specials on Friday, and I purchased a bunch of Cassia recently as I have been lightening my hair. Any of the links at the top of the page will have info on getting BAQ henna. I think that if you are a henna newb, online is probably your best bet. I actually purchased some non BAQ Jamila in store that was masquerading as BAQ. I could tell that it was not BAQ during the prep process, so I threw it away, but someone unfamiliar might not know what to look for.

BAQ henna will usually be:

- light green in color
- packaged in a sealed foil pouch or plastic bag
- come in a box with the sealed bag inside
- have an expiration date
- not say anything about hair dye on the box. the Jamila and Dulhan that I usually get in the store say nothing on them except "henna powder"

Thermal Reconditioning (TR) and the Brazilian Keratin treatment (BKT)

Thermal Reconditioning (AKA TR, AKA Japanese straightening):

Here is an article on NaturallyCurly.com - I would like to add my two cents. Thermal Reconditioning is a permanent straightening process that, depending on your hair type, can be less damaging than a traditional relaxer. However, if you have very curly hair, TR will not get your hair 100% straight, and multiple TR applications can be very damaging. It is a process that originated in Asia, as many Asian women have coarse (yet not curly) hair. The TR process made the naturally coarse hair much silkier, sleeker and more manageable. It was discovered that TR had a straightening effect on Caucasian hair, thus the fad was born. I TR'ed for 7 years. My 3c curls never got close to bone straight. They were slightly less curly. Here is a photo of post TR hair:

Straight? No. Less curly than before? Sure. More damaged? Yes.

I had it done when I was 18, and I did it myself after that, with much less damage than the hairdresser did. It cost about $350 the first time (I'm 30 now, so this was way back in the day), but I could buy the Bio-Ionic or Opti-Smooth stuff on Ebay and do it at home more safely and cheaply. 

BKT AKA Brazilian Keratin Treatment:

Here is an article from NaturallyCurly.com

According to Wikipedia, 

"Brazilian hair straightening treatments are a method of temporarily straightening hair by sealing a liquid keratin and a preservative solution into the hair with a hair iron in the United States. It has been banned in several countries including Canada and the European Union due to high concentrations of regulated chemicals in them."

Basically, if you dig Aphogee, you will love BKT. Keratin, or protein, is bonded with your hair by sealing it in with an aldehyde (formerly formaldehyde, although it's a bit taboo now). Protein, as we all know, can temporarily seal in gaps in damaged hair, making it appear to be in better shape than it is. BKT is basically a protein treatment on steroids - or not - really, the aldehyde is the key in the equation. Keratin, shmeratin. Formaldehyde is a preservative. A very powerful preservative that doesn't mess around. King Tut knows what I mean. As a hairdresser, it would be very unhealthy, and possibly fatal to perform BKTs on a regular basis. 

Here is a photo after my 3rd or fourth BKT:

(Here's my caveat - please read responsibly) As a consumer who has been doing TR for 7 years, BKT was life changing, and certainly not life threatening. I do BKT about every 3 or 4 months. I use an industrial grade fan (thanks, old artists roommates from the loft) in a well ventilated area, and I never get it on my scalp. Still, this is dangerous stuff. I have been cutting back a great deal, and henna-ing more (which has led to some color problems - check the henna tab!)

I think this may be to be continued.......