Lush Henna Cacas

I used Caca Rouge and Caca Noir, like blocks of choc - they came beautifully wrapped and boxed (in popcorn!) from the Lush site. They smell kind of weird - not unpleasant, herby and slightly sweetyfied.

Easy to mix in hot water they melted down to a gooey slithery slop which smelled nice. I heated again over a saucepan of hot water on the hob. DO NOT USE THE MICROWAVE- you will kill the herbs' chemical action!( I know- I did this once before!)

My hair is a chestnutty brown with bits of grey and is normally shiny anyway, but I had messed it up with some vile chemical dye under my fringe. I usually use henna so it is quite reddish but I fancied a change. I left the goo on for 4 hours copiously wrapped in clingfilm.

It contains henna, indigo and lots of lovely NATURAL ingredients. My hair has turned out an amazing deep blackish red - hard to describe but it is gorgeous, I feel like an Egyptian goddess. My grey has gone silvery reddish highlights- virtually disappeared. Fabulous and well worth the money! If you are gothic just use Caca Noir- it is verry rich and black. Washing out a nightmare. The bath looks super gloopy- not for if you have a luvverly perfect bathroom ( I don't thank god!).

You needs loads of shampoo a shower and loads of super gloopy intensive conditioner (like Dove) to get the stuff out. The trick is to slather on loads of conditioner shampoo and then conditioner again- rinse for ages.

Lush Henna Cacas hair colour is natural, and therefore kinder to the environment, your skin and your hair, and it won't damage your hair because it is a heat reaction not a chemical one. I get about three application with the one big block, and it makes my hair super shiny!

The smell might annoy some people, and it takes a while to rinse out. It is also messy, so make sure you cover the floor with newspaper; then you can just sweep it all up and dispose of it.

To make rinsing it out easier, I added some conditioner to the mixture, so it will also condition your hair a little more! To rinse it out I just stick my head under the tap, so it leaves both hands free and I can rinse it out much faster!

Firstly, my previously damaged hair was bleached a very light shade of blonde, and I have tried the Cacas Brun, Marron and Rouge.

I must warn light haired individuals that use this product, that it must be left on the hair for a minimum of 7 hours, otherwise your hair may not absorb enough of the pigment, due to it being a natural colourant without accelerants such as hydrogen peroxide etc...

The Cacas Brun will leave your hair a dark brown, which will suit individuals with naturally light, medium or dark brown hair, and it will also add shine. I wouldn't recommend it for lighter haired individuals, as a red shade needs to be replaced to blondes before a brown pigment is added, to prevent the usual green tinge that may occur (use the Cacas marron/rouge first).

The Cacas marron can be used on any shade, as it is a mixture of red and brown. On my hair it produced a purply/red/brown shade close to mahogany. I must stress that this colourant was left on my hair for a minimum of 7 hours.

The Cacas Rouge is the one I currently use, which produces a bright RED shade on my hair. On the lighter shades of hair it will produce a vivid shade of red, although after 3-4 applications, the colour will become much richer and deeper.

Instructions of use:

1) Grate the blocks with a regular cheese grater into a pyrex bowl (you can use metal as long as it is dry).

2)Place the pyrex bowl over a pan of simmering water (in pan), and add boiled water to the grated henna mix. Add water and mix until you reach the consistency of double cream.

3) Clear bathroom of towels, floor mats, and anything that may absorb dye

4) Make sure hair is untangled, and clipped into 1/4 segments (2 at the front, and 2 at the back). In the bath/shower apply the henna to your hair.

5) Wrap your hair in clingfilm (may cause embarrassment if answering the door).

6) Leave for a minimum of 7 hours (I slept with mine wrapped in clingfilm and a towel, and I got fantastic results)!

7) Rinse Henna from hair with lukewarm water (please take into account that this takes a minimum of ten minutes due to it sticking in the hair). Once all the Henna has been rinsed from the hair, apply a conditioner and leave on for 5 minutes.

Well I hope the above instructions have been of use to somebody. The Lush Hennas definitely improved the condition of my hair, and the colour was superb.