海靈草染髮經驗分享 My Experience with Using Henna Hair Dye
在之前的文章中，我提到過使用小蘇打和蘋果醋來洗髮的經驗，這次我想分享一下我使用天然染髮劑的心得，提供化學染髮劑以外、更健康和環保的選擇。
為何選擇海靈草？
市面上大多數染髮劑都含有對身體有害的化學成成份，這些成份可能會對皮膚和頭皮造成刺激，甚至增加一些健康風險。因此，我盡可能避免使用這些化學產品，改為使用海靈草來染髮。這個染髮方法非常適合我，因為我不想改變黑髮的顏色，只想減少白髮的顯眼程度。我用海靈草（Henna）作為基底，它是把染料黏在頭髮上的物質。海靈草染出來的頭髮，顏色是橙色或金色的，但我不想變成「金毛」，所以加入木藍粉（Indigo），令頭髮的顏色變深，接近黑色。然後我再加入了紅色的茜草（Manjistha），讓染髮效果更有層次，更加漂亮。海靈草不但有染髮效果，更有護髮作用，長年使用後，我的髮質有了顯著改善，頭髮變得更健康、有光澤。
染髮步驟分享
在這裡，我簡單總結一下天然染髮的過程和一些小貼士，希望能對有興趣嘗試的人有所幫助：
- 測試染髮效果：在正式染髮前，可以取一些頭髮進行試驗，這樣可以提前知道最終的染髮效果，調教自己喜歡的染料成分比例──海靈草（橙/金色）、木藍粉（黑色）、茜草（紅色）；我通常每樣用一包。
- 洗髮準備：染髮前先洗髮，但要不要用護髮素或二合一洗髮水。這些產品會阻礙海靈草黏在頭髮上，影響著色效果。
- 準備染髮泥：染髮前一天或早幾個小時，先把海靈草開水，使其釋放染色份子；木藍粉和茜草則在臨染髮時才加入，加水混合成染髮泥。
- 防護措施：染髮時有些髒亂，因此建議穿著舊衣服，並關上門以避免寵物打擾。如不想指甲染色，記得戴上手套；為避免髮線、皮膚和耳朵染色，可以在這些部位塗抹凡士林。
- 等待染色：將染髮泥塗抹在頭髮上後，用保鮮紙和毛巾包好頭髮，並等待最少兩、三小時。
- 清洗頭髮：沖洗掉染髮泥時，不要使用洗髮水，以免過度沖掉顏色，只需用護髮素即可。
- 清潔浴缸：如果發現洗頭後浴缸被染色，可以用漂白水稍浸一下，染色就會褪去。
資源分享
- Henna for Hair：這是一個非常詳盡的網站，裡面有很多關於Henna染髮的資料。
- 染髮手勢示範：YouTube 教學影片
- 購買地點：在香港時，我從Zensory購買染料，來英國後，我在Amazon購買：海靈草+木藍粉，茜草
In a previous post, I talked about my experience of using baking soda and apple cider vinegar for washing hair. Today, I want to share my thoughts on using natural hair dye, offering a healthier and more eco-friendly alternative to chemical dyes.
Why Choose Henna?
Most hair dyes on the market contain harmful chemicals that can irritate the skin and scalp and even pose certain health risks. That’s why I try to avoid these chemical products and use Henna instead. This method works great for me because I don’t want to change the colour of my black hair – I just want to cover up the grey strands. I use Henna as the base. This is the material that adheres the dye to the hair. However, since Henna gives a orange/golden colour, and I don’t want to end up with a ginger look, I add Indigo to darken the colour, bringing it closer to black. I also include Manjistha to add a touch of redness, giving the colour a sophisticated touch. Henna not only dyes my hair, but it also conditions it. Over the years, my hair has become noticeably healthier and shinier.
Hair Dyeing Steps
Here’s a brief summary of the dyeing process and some tips that might help those interested in trying it out:
- Test the Dye: Before committing to a full dye job, take a small section of hair to test the colour. This lets you see the final result and adjust the proportions of Henna (orange/golden), Indigo (black) and Manjistha (red) to your liking. I usually use one packet of each.
- Prepare Your Hair: Wash your hair before dyeing but avoid using conditioner or 2-in-1 shampoo, as these can affect the dye’s ability to adhere to your hair.
- Prepare the Dye: The day or a few hours before you dye your hair, mix the Henna with water to release its dye molecules. For Indigo and Manjistha, only mix them with the Henna and some water right before applying to your hair.
- Protect Yourself: Dyeing can get messy, so wear old clothes and close the door to keep pets out. If you don’t want your nails stained, wear gloves. Applying Vaseline to your hairline, skin, and ears can help prevent staining.
- Wait for the Colour to Set: After applying the dye, wrap your hair with cling film and a towel, and let it sit for at least two to three hours.
- Rinse Your Hair: When rinsing out the dye, only use conditioner. Avoid shampoo to prevent the colour from washing out too much.
- Clean the Bathtub: If the tub gets stained yellow after rinsing, a brief soak with bleach will remove the colour.
Resources
During my research on natural hair dyes, I found some great resources that I highly recommend to anyone interested:
- Henna for Hair: A comprehensive website full of information on dyeing with Henna.
- Dyeing Demonstrations: YouTube Tutorial Video
- Where to Buy: When I was in Hong Kong, I purchased my dyes from Zensory. Now in the UK, I get them on Amazon: Henna & Indigo, Manjistha
