Accumulation of titbits #3 / Stirring the cauldron :o)

Hihihihi or cackle, cackle, cackle ! Maybe not quite what you think when you read ‘Stirring the cauldron’. Well, I just gave it a magical and ritual twist in order to take away a boring procedure and turn it into something more magical. So, what the heck am I writing about? Hair colour! Yes, something really mundane, not exiting and certainly not magical. BUT is it??????? 

Now, we are not talking about a chemical bomb from the shop that is neither healthy for you nor the environment. I like to stir the cauldron by using 100% herbal hair colour. Why? Environmental friendlier, better for your own health, makes your hair shiny and healthy and they will keep you in suspense right to the end because you never know what happens . Now, I am NOT an expert as I only just started to mix, but there are some serious addicts out there experimenting like mad.

For the last 4-5 years I have been using a herbal creme that is already ready mixed and just needs to be applied. I was happy with it until now when I tried to mix my own. It is time consuming, but the result is even better. My hair colour looks a lot more even now and less orange but has a warm brown reddish colour in the sun, is more shiny and feels good. Unlike chemical colour which will destroy your hair, herbal colours forms a coat around your own hair. BUT the outcome is as individually as there are people out there. Herbal colour will work with your own hair colour and you have to go through trial and error to see what works and what you like. Grey hair will not be covered like with chemical but will always stay lighter. This is not a problem but quite the opposite. It gives the hair highlights and therefore a more natural look. I would not go back to chemical for any money. 

Now, before you run out and start stirring your cauldron and just slap it on, make sure you read up on it. Do your research. Don’t be afraid! I am not saying you will end up getting hurt or anything like this, but what I am saying is that you have to work with the right colours for your own hair. If you are a bright blond and you want to go dark mahogany you will end up bright orange . Also if you are blond you will not manage to go black with herbal because it only works with your own starting colour. The same the other way round. It does not bleach.              

My own mix here is researched from a beauty junky site where people spend a lot of time to write about there experiences which is a good thing for others. BUT herbal colour is simply something you just have to experiment with. I would put the site URL here, but it is pointless as it is German. It really is a fantastic site because people here try an go more natural from toothpastes, to air freshener, facial cremes …. and write about products that they have either found or make themselves.     

I have now used:

40 gr mahagony mixed with about 100 ml boiling water and half a lemon squeezed. Apparently lemon helps to bring the red out more. Mix the red separate from the black and brown.

20 gr black & 50 gr terra (brown shade with little red in it) mixed with about 250 ml boiling water and 15 gr baking powder (or baking soda). Hm! Why baking powder? Good question, but I don’t think I can remember the answer. The black will develop better and it will give the whole paste a more creme consistency. I think that was the answer.

I leave it to stand for about 5 minutes, mix it together and boil it again to really heat it up. Heat intensives the colour. Cool a little, add some conditioner and apply it to your hair. Wrap it up with silver foil, plastic cap and towel and keep it as warm as possible. Again, it intensives the colour.

Test a strand anyway to see what happens before you cover your whole head. Recommendations on the packed are 1 – 2 hours. One lady in the forum said that you need to leave it at least 6 hours to make sure it will stay permanent. Otherwise it will wash out to fast. This is what I did now and here is the result.

Some people slap it on and even sleep on it over night. The experiments they have listed are a right laugh, but also quite interesting what you can learn. If you just stick to what is says on the pack I don’t know if much will happen. Others enhance there mix with strong coffee or red wine, certain spices like chili or cayenne ….

Turn it in to a beauty ritual for yourself and it will be an enjoyable task.  

Important note: DON’T buy a cheap powder from the grocery shop around the corner. It has to be from some sort of shop where they guaranty organic quality. Apparently the plant is like a sponge when it comes to pesticides and you do not want this on your head. Probably not much better than using chemicals.