Natural Hair Care Ingredients What this document will provide This document will provide information about natural alternatives we offer, for hair-care. All natural alternatives take time and is not an exact science. In most cases they will not cause any harm but our advise is to try them in a limited manner to check for any negative effects. Why did we put together this document By monitoring the nature of the queries that are submitted in popular search tools, we have noticed that there is a lacuna in terms of information on how to use some of these ingredients. We hope that this document will go someway in answering these questions. Our advise to all our clients is to do their own independent research before deciding to use any of these ingredients. Why use natural products Please read the attached PDF document from the "The Daily Telegraph", Sydney, by clicking on this link. Cosmetics Could Be Killing You How do natural hair dyes work? Permanent hair dyes or synthetic dyes, contain chemicals such as ammonia or its substitutes that enables the diffusion of the tint into the cortex of the hair fibre to break up the melanin (the natural dye molecule you are born with) and replaces it with a new colour. Bleaching , Hair lightening etc. works similarly to enable the diffusion of the melanin in the cortex. There is no substitutes in natural ingredients that work similarly. Natural Ingredients, such as henna are tannins similar to black tea and are acidic in nature and stain naturally. Some tannins such as Henna seem to work better at retaining a colour on hair compared to other tannins such as tea. Henna contains a dye molecule called Lawsone which is orange/red in colour. When henna is coated on the hair, lawsone is absorbed into the outer layers of the hair (keratin) and creates a colour shade that is a mixture of the natural colour of the hair (melanin) and orange/red (from lawsone). Grey hair for example, has no melanin and will result in orange/red hair if dyed using henna. The lawsone molecule with henna is more effectively extracted by soaking henna in a slighly acidic medium such as lemon juice over 4 - 6 hours, which helps to break down the chlorophyll in henna leaves. The orange/red colour of lawson can be moderated/enhanced using black tea, apple cider, cinnamon etc. although its final effect will depend on the natural colour of the hair. For example colouring hair with a mixture of henna and indigo powders over 0.5 hours will tend to result dark brown colour on grey hair. Natural Indigo is different from henna in that it should not be kept on hair for more than 1.5 hours as it will tend to oxidise in air. The colour will darken in time as the indigo oxidises on exposure to air. It will result in blue/purple or green colour on grey hair if applied by itself. The best results is to apply indigo after hair is dyed using henna or by using a mixture of henna and indigo powder. Please see the usage instructions below. Hair can be shampooed or conditioned after an application of henna/indigo.There is no easy/natural way to remove the effect of lawson or indigo once the colours have set. The colour will fade,in around 4 - 6 weeks. Although the application of these ingredients do take time, the most important aspect in considering the use of these ingredients is that it will not damage hair. Why do we offer certified organic natural colour ingredients? The shift to using organic ingredients is four fold:- Some Blonde, Brown, Auburn, Mahogany, and other “shades” of henna are mixes of amla, indigo, walnut, rhubarb, and henna. Many variations have synthetic dyes or metallic salts added. Many of these products have no henna whatsoever and are chemical dyes. Our recommendation is that users of henna, satisfy themselves by checking the ingredient list. Lawsonia inermis - is the only plant that is actually “real henna” and it's light to medium/dark green in colour. Certified organic ingredients cannot contain synthetic ingredients, hence certfied organic coloured henna should be reviewed with caution. Is there a good site for information on Henna? Please click on the following link : Henna for Hair Washing Hair It should be stated upfront, that there is no natural botancial ingredient that can provide the same 'sud' effect as a commercial shampoo,as the saponin content in these ingredients is around 7 - 10% at a maximum. A soapy feel can be sometimes be obtained in extracts of these natural ingredients as they are specifically made with the saponin content concentrated to 25 - 30%. It is also a fact that there is a strong marketing correlation between a product that suds and cleanliness which will not be the case with natural ingredients. The Soapnut (Sapindus Trifoliatus) tree has grown wild in the forests of India, south east Asia and South America for thousands of years. Over this time, people have used its fruits effectively and harmlessly for many purposes. The soapnut powder we offer is certified organic and is the powdered form of the dried fruits. It has around 10% saponin content. As the powder is 100% natural it can be used on the most sensitive of skins, even on babies’ skin. Add 1-2 teaspoons of powder to a bath and enjoy the soak as the powder works its wonders. Alternatively, leave a couple of spoons of the powder overnight in a bucket of water and then use the water to wash hair. Washing with soapnut powder can also be done by mixing a small amount with water, smoothing over your hands, face, body and hair and rinsing. Hair washed with soapnut feels thicker and healthier and brushing it can make the hair really shine. It may even reduce dandruff and prevent hair loss.The longer you use the powder to wash your hair, the less you will need to use as the residual chemicals are removed. As there are no chemical foaming agents added, the powder does not lather. Conditioning Hair The amla (Emblica officinalis ) fruit, also known as the Indian gooseberry, comes from a small tree that grows throughout India. The fruit is one of the highest natural sources of vitamin C, and it yields an oil that has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine to treat the hair and scalp. It is said to penetrate the scalp and strengthen hair at its root, to stop and reverse abnormal hair loss and to promote stronger, healthier new growth. It is also an excellent conditioning herb. The natural Amla powder, Nature Shop retails is certified Organic. To use amla powder, make a hot water infusion with the powder and strain it. The tea can be used to rinse the hair after shampooing . The tea should be kept refrigerated and used within 4 days or preserved with an anti-bacterial preservative. Henna is the Persian name used in many languages to describe a the small flowering shrub (Lawsonia inermis). The Henna plant is found in many arid parts of the world including Australia, the Mediterranean, Africa and India. The best quality Indian henna comes from Rajasthan. Pure natural henna powder can be bright to deep green or light greenish brown in colour.Powder from the henna plant can be fine or coarse. Stains from henna powder made into paste is the result of the dye in the henna powder releasing when added to water or lemon juice and then applied to the skin or hair. The final colour of your hair after using henna will depend on the original colour of your hair. Grey hair will turn amber or orange while blond hair can turn dark brown or reddish brown. Nature Shop recommends that your trial the procedure below on a couple of strands of hair, if you have not used henna before. How much henna is required depends on your length and thickness of your hair. Rule of thumb is 100 grams per every foot of hair length. If your hair is short, use 50 grams of henna powder to make your paste. If color is as important to you as conditioning with henna, add to your powder a mixture of lemon juice or black tea and warm water at a 50/50 ratio (the water and/or tea should not be hot as it will destroy the henna). When conditioning is important but coloring is not, reduce the amount of lemon juice. The lemon juice helps the dye to release and therefore helps the paste to color the hair more effectively. Add the lemon/water liquid to your powder until you achieve the paste consistency like thick pancake mix. You don't want your paste too dry and you do not want it too thin. You want paste that you can scoop up with your gloved hands (using plastic gloves will prevent your skin from being dyed). Separate your hair to make application easier. Part your hair down the middle using your fingers. Then separate each of these two sections into three. Begin applying your paste to the back sections of your hair. Take your time and make sure that you have covered all of your hair with the paste from roots to ends. When you are sure that you have all of the hair covered thoroughly, cover your hair with a plastic cap. Then cover with a towel or scarf. Leave the paste on your hair for the length of time required to get both the coloring and conditioning desired. This can be anywhere between 2 and 8 hours. To avoid henna from staining your skin, apply a protective oil or grease like petroleum jelly around your forehead, ears and neckline. To prevent the henna from running from the edges of the plastic cap, place tissue around the edges of the cap. After the specified period, rinse the henna out thoroughly. You may also choose to use a shampoo and conditioner after rinsing. Dyeing Hair - Black The word "Indigo" means a "Blue Color" and is extracted from the leaves of "Indian Maddar", also known by its botanical name " Indigofera Tinctoria". Indigo powder is light green in colour that produces a black or bluish black dye once in contact with water. Using henna and indigo for hair coloring can result in black, raven black, blue-black, purplish black or burgundy black hair. The exact color result depends upon your original hair coloring as well as how you use your henna and indigo in this process. Henna and Indigo application can be done in either a two-step or one-step process. For a two-step process, your first step is to follow the instructions provided for using natural henna powder. Mix your indigo with water 1 hours before using. Cover and allow the paste (about the consistency of yogurt) to sit for a maximum of 1.5 hours. Always wearing plastic gloves, apply the indigo to your previously henna'd hair, in a back to back process. You can do it this way or wait and apply your indigo later. Apply the indigo to your hair making sure to cover hair from roots to ends. Separating our hair into smaller sections will aid in this. When your hair is covered with the indigo, cover your hair with a plastic cap. Then cover with a towel or scarf. Allow the indigo to remain on your hair until desired color is achieved. Performing a harvested hair test will help you determine how long this will take. Rinse the indigo out thoroughly. You may also choose to use a shampoo and conditioner after rinsing. If you chose the one-step process to cover gray, understand that your white hair may not become completely black with the first application. But with patience and repeat application, all of your hair will darken to the desired color. Accessories for dyeing hair Nature Shop offers a plastic hair dye applicator brush around 7 inches in length with firm bristles around 1 inch in length. The brush will enable the uniform application of hair dye from the hair roots, better than using gloves. Step by Step Directions on using Henna and/or Indigo for various colour tones The following Web page provides a easy to follow directions on using Henna and/or Indigo - Click here Purchasing these ingredients To purchase any of these ingredients Click Here Links for information on natural hair remedies Hair Care Centre Information on Using Soap Nut We leave you to decide on the merits of each article and should you like to share your views with the wider community, please comment via our Blog site.
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