Lush Henna - Anyon done this without destroying the bathroom?

[AprilSeptember]

Ok. My thin, fragile hair has had enough. I have gone full-hippy (as DH calls it) and bought a block of Caca Rouge from Lush.

I like this more now I have found out it literally means "red shit"

After watching every single video I can find, I am excited to be a flame-haired Merida type, but less excited at the UNHOLY MESS everyone seems to make.

I am thinking, as I have chin-length baby-fine hair, can I do this upside-down over the bath to avoid destroying my bathroom? If I fill a bowl and then just sort of dunk and scrub until it's all in? We're about to put the house on the market so if I can avoid dying the bathroom orange, that would be ideal.

Or is newspaper/a tarp/the garden my only option?

Help!

I did mine in the bath tub. I'd fill the bath have a wash and then apply the henna. I'd then wrap my hair in cling film and a beanie hat. It does still drip down your face and neck so make sure you wear old clothes.

I have long thick hair so I have to apply it in the mirror but I can do it without much drip nowadays. I do lay down an old sheet on the floor.
Lush henna is a nice idea in principle but buying henna powder from eBay is much much easier. You don't have to grate henna powder and it makes a smoother paste which goes on easier with less splatting.
Also lush henna has cocoa butter mixed in which seems to affect the colour. When you've tried the caca rouge have a look for Moroccan henna powder on eBay and give it a try.

We did it in the dining room without much mess however the carpet is caca brown coloured to begin with so that might have disguised any mess.

A word of warning - section your hair well. Applying it is like trying to spread warm cow shit through your hair evenly and be careful with powder or box hennas. A lot of have some very nasty additives which wreck your hair and which some people can be highly allergic to. Lush Henna and the Body Shop Henna (if they still do it) are made from all natural products.

I had no trouble at all. I did get DH to apply it though and it was really thick so didn't drip.

I needed to read this thread. I’ve had a bar of lush henna in the cupboard for ages now but haven’t had the courage to do it.
I have bought Vaseline, rubber gloves and some plastic shower caps in preparation but not yet taken the leap. I think it’s going to do the sitting in the bath trick.

Just about. Best advice was to do it sitting in the bath. Take all your supplies up with you in advance - clingfilm, gloves, vaseline, towel you are prepared to make a complete mess of. Remove anything you wouldn't want to damage like bathmats from the bathroom as well.

When you are finished clingfilm like crazy and then clean yourself and the bath up straight away.

I didn't get much by way of drips but dunking wouldn't work for me (and I also have short fine hair), really need to go section by section as the paste is so thick. I got a bit tired this time around the top and you can see I haven't got my roots properly as you have to rub it right down through each section.

I do mine stood naked in the shower cubicle which contains the mess.
Top tip is break into chunks, mix with boiling water, then whisk with electric mix to Heinz tomato soup consistency. Slap on head, wrap head in clingfilm. Beany hat on top. I sleep overnight with it on

Follow all the excellent tips above AND invest in a bottle of that 'no rinse' shower spray stuff. I find liberally spraying that around the tiles/ grouting/ sealant beforehand prevented any staining.

"Warm cow shit"

Tbf that's what it looks like in all the vids. I figured the Lush stuff was like entry-level henna. I'm aiming for a nice coppery colour rather than a reddish colour and I have a very light base, so I'm hopeful.

The bath idea sounds great. Can I just glop it on and rub it in or is sectioning/brush essential? My hair is very fine and I gave up brushing regular dye on ages ago in favour of my glopping method :)

Also - do I need a mirror in the bath?

I did it without destroying the bathroom. I covered the floor with newspaper and clingfilm and wiped up spills immediately. I might have done it all in the bath if I'd had a handheld mirror though! It's a faff but doable.

I just glopped and rubbed as you put it without a sectioning brush. A brush would have just been a total nightmare and made it worse to rub in. No mirror - you really do know where you have been! I started at the back and worked up but next time will prob do a root section at the top first.

Also no mirror - I'm glad I don't know what I look like during the process

I stand on a dark towel while applying, which I can put straight in the washing machine if it gets dripped on. I don’t find the process all that messy though - I quickly wipe up any drips, but there’s no major clean-up operation afterwards, and I’ve never stained anything.

I don’t grate the henna block either - it’s pretty hard and I think that would be hard work. Just chop it into blocks, put in a glass bowl, cover with water, then heat over a saucepan of water on the hob. After about 10 mins the blocks will be very soft and can be stirred into a paste.

Enjoy! I love the colour - my dark brown hair turns a deep red-black colour with fiery streaks where I have greys.

I like using a paint brush with firm bristles to apply it, that works for me. I've just cut my hair but I had it very long. Take your time and get it covered well. Natural henna intensifies in colour if you dry it with a hair dryer, don't know if that is the same with lush. Good luck!

I grated it the first time. It was really hard work, took ages, henna went everywhere and my arm hurt.

Second time I didn't bother. I chopped it up into fairly large bits. Chopping it up in the glass bowl saved a lot of mess. It still melted the same.

I break mine by putting it over the edge of a stone step in the garden, standing on it with one foot and stamping on the overhanging bit, repeat. Dissolve in boiling water, place bowl in bathroom basin, hang head upside down and squidge in, going over and over with fingers for several minutes to get it all coated. Any drips get caught in the basin. Whack it all into a shower cap and then cheap microfibre turban before lifting head again. Wipe off any excess from skin with an old flannel. Leave to develop. Shower it out (takes me about 20 mins and lots of shampoo. Do NOT use good towels to dry.

I paid a child a slush puppy, a bag of popcorn and control of the TV for the night to grate mine.

We grated about half a bar for thick, bob length hair.

I'd definitely section. There's no way you'll get it through evenly if you splodge it on and hope for the best and if you have fine, light hair missed bits will show. Section into for and go through each section a slice at a time. I tried using a brush to apply it, the hairdresser in me made me. After persevering for the first section, I gave up and massaged it in with my hands.

Don't do it without gloves on, I had zombie grey nails for a while.

Also - I wash mine out with conditioner, works better than shampoo. It takes several washes and you'll still have some in the following day even if you think you don't.

The colour carries on developing over the next few days. I use marron and it always looks crap straight after I've done it, like I haven't bothered, and much better the following day.

Oh do post a picture of the results OP. I have used caca marron for years, I'm always flirting with the idea of trying rouge but never dared do it yet!

I also just get in the bath, glop it all in then wrap my head in cling film (attractive but keeping heat in intensifies the red) wrap a old towel over that and hose down the bath and myself I really don't find it that bad - it's more work than conventional hair dye but not that bad. It more than warrants the payoff. I could never get a copper, natural looking red with chemical dyes and my hair felt like shit. It feels lovely when it's been hennaed.

Will it dye my scalp as well as the hair though?

@Eminybob it shouldn't do, it never has for me anyway

You don't have to grate it - just melt it in a bain marie.

I grate and it is hard work but not as messy as big chunks falling about. I do in sections using a flat wooden spatula to scrape on. Use cling film it keeps it moist the whole time and it washed off much easier than leaving to dry where it goes solid. I mix 2 dif blocks together usually. Covers greys and makes hair shiney.