Light Mountain Natural Henna – Color the Gray

After having a hair color experience I did not like using Light Mountain Henna I decided to give the brand another try.

But this time I used Light Mountain Henna – Color the Gray, in hopes this line would make my gray disappear into the rest of my hair color.

I like the ingredients on this product, and because of that, I didn’t mind giving it another shot.

I selected the color Mahogany because the box read if your hair color is black than Mahogany would make it warm black. So I thought that would be a cool color for me. But, I guess, what I should have done was consider the color of my gray hair and not the color of my actual hair.

My gray before the henna.

My hair after the Henna. I don’t like this color. I just wanted the gray to turn black or something close to it. When will I learn?

I Want Thickness

As well as length but right now my thin hair needs to fluff up.

However as I age, my hair does too, and I am desperately trying to figure out a way to reverse the thinning process.

I have experimented with many tricks including trimming on a full moon and making potions to promote thicker hair. Now I am applying Shea Moisture’s Thickening Moisture Mist in hopes of achieveing one of my hair goals.

I used the product for the first time last weekend. I wonder how long it will take to provide any type of volume. I wonder if it does work will I have to always use it for maintenance. I wonder if it will only give the illusion that my hair is thick but in realty it is still thin.  I wonder if I can really change the texture of my hair. Well… based on personal experience with perms, changing the texture of the hair is very possible.

So, over all, I guess I will just have to wait and see.

Homemade Hair Rinse

In a previous post I included Horsetail and Nettle herb tea in my homemade shampoo in place of water. Now that I am using over the counter products instead of my own concoction I decided to add the herb mixture to my weekly ritual as a rinse before shampooing or co-washing.

Horsetail and Nettle are excellent elements for hair care. You can find them in many store bought products and they can also be purchased in the form of a supplement, powder, tincture or leaf. I bought my leafs from an herb store in the East village in New York City called Flower Power.

Horsetail has been used as a remedy for hair growth and to prevent hair loss for thousands of years. Horsetail is rich in silica which is what the body needs to naturally stimulate thick, long, healthy and strong hair.

Nettle, also known as Stinging Nettle because of its tingling sensation that irritates the skin to increase blood flow and nourishment, has been used to achieve healthy hair since the ancient times. Applying a Nettle solution can increase the blood flow to the scalp. It also oxygenates hair follicles and strengthens hair fibers, promoting healthier, shinier, fuller hair. The results of Nettle do not happen overnight, but continued use will eventually produce excellent results.

In addition to achieving healthy long hair, I am on a quest to make my hair thick and full, so Horsetail and Nettle are perfect plants for me to use. During my weekly ritual on Saturday, I combined the two herbs and used them as a hair rinse. This is what I did:

One teaspoon of Horsetail (l). One teaspoon of Nettle (r).

Two cups of water.

Pour the water in a pot and boil. Make sure the water is at a bubbly boil before adding the herbs.

Turn off the fire and add the plant mixture.

Steep the leafs. I steeped for 24 hours. The longer it steeps the stronger the rinse.

Strain the liquid.

The rinse is ready!

On dry hair, bending over a sink, I poured on the Horsetail and Nettle rinse. I put on a plastic cap (have a towel handy because the liquid will run down your face and neck) and left it in for approximately 45 minutes. I rinsed it out then proceeded with my weekly hair care regiment.

Trimming on a Full Moon!

Is trimming your hair during a full moon an Old Wives’ Tale or a factual hair care ritual that has been practiced by many for centuries resulting in thicker fuller hair?

There was a full moon last night. I heard from a variety of people that trimming or cutting your hair during a full moon promotes full and thick hair. Cutting your hair on a full moon in Leo is especially beneficial since Leo is the sign of the Lion which is born with a full lush mane.

Some people like to cut their hair on a new moon when it is in Taurus, Cancer, Scorpio, Capricorn and Pisces because hair is said to grow faster, healthier and longer.

The Old Wives’ Tale about cutting the hair at the new moon (or full moon, depending on where in the country you are) simply stemmed from the convenient  “Calendar Markers” of the moon’s phases to remind people to keep up certain grooming habits. Since the moon is “new” or “full” every four weeks, then the hair would be cut once a month. Traditionally, the entire family (or at least all the men) would get haircuts on the same day for the sake of expedience.

I haven’t tried this hair growth method but last night I decided to give it a go. I do not trust a stylist to trim my hair because I am afraid she/he may get scissor happy and cut off more than needed. This has happened several times before. So I purchased a pair a Tweezerman Scissors for $15.00, watched a few YouTube videos on “Trimming Your Own Hair,” and trimmed my hair for the first time with great results. I am so proud of myself. No more rough ends. My hair is smooth and soft from root to tip.

I picked the night of a full moon to trim because I decided to follow the tradition in search of fuller thicker curls. Saturday night apparently was a wonderful time to test the folklore because it was a “Supermoon” that appeared larger and closer to the Earth in more than 18 years!

If you didn’t trim or cut your hair last night you can still do it tonight and get the same effect. This weekend is exceptionally special for the “Supermoon” because of the Spring Equinox. 

I don’t know if the legend is fact or fiction. I’ll just have to keep you posted.

This is what I did:

• Instead of shampooing I co-washed with Mill Creek Botanicals’ Jojoba Conditioner.
• Afterwards, to touch up my gray hairs around the edges, I applied Clairol Professional Beautiful Collection’s new Advance Gray Solution in midnight black. This is a semi permanent color with no ammonia or peroxide. I put on a plastic cap and left the product on for one hour.
• A deep conditioning followed with Giovanni’s Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor. I added a mixture of peanut and coconut oil to the deep treatment. I let it sit wearing a plastic cap for one hour.
• While my hair was still wet I selected a small section, detangled the piece, stretch it, then trimmed just the ends.
• Then I twisted the trimmed section and moved on to the next piece.

When your hair is trimmed you should not notice it. If you do then you probably received a hair cut instead of a trim.