When I was about 8 years old I had a Black Henna Tattoo on my holiday in Turkey and had a reaction to it straight away. The tattoo art that was meant to fade within a few weeks stayed on my arm for years due to scarring which, being an 8 year old, I thought was pretty cool at the time as I wanted it to stay there like a "real tattoo" lol. Little did I know that that tattoo would trigger off a disgusting allergy to hair dyes in the future.
As someone who gets bored of my hair easily, I have changed my hair colour A LOT over the years. At first it would be a little itchy for a few days but as the years went by the reaction got more and more severe. I'd have scabs on my swollen ears and scalp that would leak with puss (sorry for the TMI), it was awful but I knew it would pass in a week or so, so being the person I am, I dealt with it (BIG mistake). That was until the last time I dyed my hair ready for my new job. My whole face swelled up and I had a black eye so I looked as though I'd been in a fight on the first few days of my new job! ..Not a good look at all.
People who have had a Black Henna tattoo when they were younger are more likely to suffer using hair dyes in the future. This doesn't always happen straight away and can be quite sudden and severe. It can also gradually get worse as mine did so if you have any kind of itching PLEASE be careful or avoid the hair dye altogether as it can get worse pretty fast. I've read stories of people being absolutely fine with hair dyes then suddenly dying or have gone into a coma because of it. Not saying this will happen to you as it is extremely rare, but just to make you aware of how sudden and severe the chemicals in supermarket hair dyes can be. I have some pictures in my video below of how it affected my face the last time I used it. (It got a lot worse after that but I have lost the pictures unfortunately.)
Since then I have been looking for ways to dye my hair naturally back to black from bleached blonde, that's when I discovered Henna & Indigo. Henna has been used for centuries around the globe and is even used to improve the quality of hair which is definitely a plus. Whilst researching I have come across some interesting facts and a lot of benefits of using Henna on your hair which I will upload to my blog later this week.
Watch my video below to see how I dyed it using these natural plant based dyes.
Please note: If you decide to try this method of natural hair dying it is important to know there is no such thing as natural "Black" Henna so if you see a henna product claiming to dye your hair black this is NOT natural henna and will include a dangerous chemical known as PPD. 100% henna will be in the form of green powder and will dye your blonde hair to orange/red. The indigo is what will create the dark brown/ black colour and will only work straight after the hair has been "henna'ed".
If you have any questions about using Henna or Indigo please comment below or message me on Instagram or Twitter @Shodease
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