As I sit with a pile of henna on my head...

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Posted by Alison on January 31, 2004 at 19:41:33:

So, I was mixing up some henna for my hair this afternoon (I know I
promised I'd use your stuff next time, Catherine, but I was getting
impatient). The powder I'm currently using is some picked up at an
Indian market--nice coppery stain last time, though it has green dye
in in (ewww) that stained my gloves. So, the powder is exceptionally
green, which leads me into my story.

I didn't really start hennaing until I was 17 or so, mehndi or my
hair. I had definite signals that it would all end up with henna in
the end (drawing intricate designs now remnicent of Indian bridal
henna in gel pens on my hands during classes, penchant for dying my
hair red...). My mom suggested when I was about 16 that maybe we
should try dying my hair with henna because I wasn't happy with semi-
permanent hair dye (which is all I was allowed to use).

She had dyed her own hair with henna when she was younger, in the
80's before she had me. One of her best friends then was a hair
stylist, so they'd henna eachother's hair. This was before I was
born and when I was very little, and we were living in Atlanta.
Fresh henna wasn't too hard to come by in such a big city, and they
added cloves and coffee to adjust the colour. She had a clue what
she was doing, and I liked the very dark auburn colour her hair was
in the pictures from that time, so I agreed.

We got a box of Light Mountain or some such from a health food
store. I distinctly remember her saying that we had to get the "fire
red" or whatever because the others had different things in them, not
just henna. Righto. We mixed it up in the kitchen, liquid of half
coffee/half water. It smelled...like henna, in retrospect, but at
the time it was pretty gross. After letting it sit for an hour as
per the directions (whether the directions were my mother's or the
box's, I was never quite sure) and then slathered me up. We wrapped
my head in Saran Wrap, and I remember sitting down at the computer to
play around for an hour or two, and saying:

"How can something green turn my hair red?"

How naīve I was...*ducks the stones being pelted*

The colour never did turn out well; the henna was likely dead, we had
no acid to speak of...heh. When I started hennaing my own hair
(after months of mehndi and reading hennapage) I used the good
stuff...and my hair is now happy and red. But I thought I might
waste some of my sitting around with gloop on my head time and share
a silly story.

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: So, I was mixing up some henna for my hair this afternoon (I know I : promised I'd use your stuff next time, Catherine, but I was getting : impatient). The powder I'm currently using is some picked up at an : Indian market--nice coppery stain last time, though it has green dye : in in (ewww) that stained my gloves. So, the powder is exceptionally : green, which leads me into my story. : : I didn't really start hennaing until I was 17 or so, mehndi or my : hair. I had definite signals that it would all end up with henna in : the end (drawing intricate designs now remnicent of Indian bridal : henna in gel pens on my hands during classes, penchant for dying my : hair red...). My mom suggested when I was about 16 that maybe we : should try dying my hair with henna because I wasn't happy with semi- : permanent hair dye (which is all I was allowed to use). : : She had dyed her own hair with henna when she was younger, in the : 80's before she had me. One of her best friends then was a hair : stylist, so they'd henna eachother's hair. This was before I was : born and when I was very little, and we were living in Atlanta. : Fresh henna wasn't too hard to come by in such a big city, and they : added cloves and coffee to adjust the colour. She had a clue what : she was doing, and I liked the very dark auburn colour her hair was : in the pictures from that time, so I agreed. : : We got a box of Light Mountain or some such from a health food : store. I distinctly remember her saying that we had to get the "fire : red" or whatever because the others had different things in them, not : just henna. Righto. We mixed it up in the kitchen, liquid of half : coffee/half water. It smelled...like henna, in retrospect, but at : the time it was pretty gross. After letting it sit for an hour as : per the directions (whether the directions were my mother's or the : box's, I was never quite sure) and then slathered me up. We wrapped : my head in Saran Wrap, and I remember sitting down at the computer to : play around for an hour or two, and saying: : : "How can something green turn my hair red?" : : : How naīve I was...ducks the stones being pelted : : The colour never did turn out well; the henna was likely dead, we had : no acid to speak of...heh. When I started hennaing my own hair : (after months of mehndi and reading hennapage) I used the good : stuff...and my hair is now happy and red. But I thought I might : waste some of my sitting around with gloop on my head time and share : a silly story.
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