anonymous-
I recently colored my (now naturally wal-nutty colored? seems after not coloring for a long time, that's what it is now when I've always had lighter goldeny browny red- so who knew?) hair w/ something I got from the local health food store here in the US called Naturint Intense. it's henna and all natural and made by (as I'm reading the box I saved right now) a UK company in the EU called Phergal.
I'm not seeing a website for it, but if you can't find it, let me know & I'll call the store I got it from & find out more for you.
anyway, I used 5C Light Copper Chestnut & it turned out dark, but has progressively lightened and and has pretty good shine, smoothness and color. and it was very similar to regular chem kits you get at the drugstore.

I'm w/ you as to liking the firey red shades and want to find a shampoo to keep it up or spark it from time to time, but have not started experimenting w/ adding hena to my shampoo yet as I've heard you can do which seems so-much-easier than constantly all over coloring, which I'm not good at & am too lazi to do myself often enough anyway or make appts at whatever stylist (le sigh) I'm trying this month.

hope this helps~

Thanks for the suggestion, knorl,
I don't think those super modern haircuts suit me, though. I'm too curvy and wear only 1920s-1950s vintage clothes. Plus, I think I'm too old for this.
No offence please!
I might just get it cut a little shorter, so my hair will look a bit healthier. The Courtney associations might come from my hair looking so damn ratty and not from the style..

PS: Sorry for the late reply, and awkward grammar. I think I have a "bad English day"

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I was out of town so it took awhile for me to post back. I am a little reluctant to try henna dyes at the moment because I have recently chemically dyed my hair and I've heard doing one over the other is a big no no. It will be an idea for the future though. As for the henna shampoo, does it have to be a kind with red tint to it, or do the ones designed to just give your hair some shine work just as well for bringing out the red?

anonymoose, I'm pretty sure you actually CAN use the hennae over chemicals, or maybe it's the vegetable dye (is or what is the difference?) but I'd be super cautious if I were you too.
products that shine the hair won't bring out the red, but you can try maybe mixing some cinamon or paprika or maybe ginger (? - any herb type spice that has a tint to it) to your conditioner if you're feeling brave...
years ago when I tried hennae I got from a friend, I unknowlingly added meat tenderizer to the mix, bc the color was good but the label was in spanish (a single army friend from puerto rico would cook at our house on the weekends) & boy did my hair STANK ! for weeks even! I was however, ridiculously popular w/ all the neighborhood dogs after that. just a word of caution.

I got my hair cut yesterday & I luv it!!!
it's the smoothe swingy undercut chin bob of my dreams after the edward scissor hand debacle that I had to grow out.
took a chance & went to a mall salon & didn't really care who cut it bc come on- it's not rocket science-and yah yah! my hair is sort of a soft cinamon color right now.
and I got glasses (as a backup to my contacts) & they are IT. large frame black cat eyes, w/ a taupe-y bone back & sides,w/ the coolest sunflower like engraving on the handles, it shows the taupe thru the black. the mr took a look at me last night w/ them on & my new hair and said
" ohhh very Librarian."

That's a good idea! I bet cinnamon would smell really good too. Just curious but did the meat tenderizer change the color? I'm not going to use meat tenderizer, but for some reason that question was the first thing that came to mind, lol. Also, I'm glad you like your new cut and glasses. It sounds wonderful :-)

I thought I should maybe clear up the herbal hair-colour mystery, since my other post was maybe a little confusing.

In blonde herbal dyes, they often use chamomile and powdered rhubarb root.
In brunette it's often powdered walnut shells.
Black herbal dyes often contain indigo and in red it's obviously henna, but since henna only produces a flame red, they now often mix henna with other herbs for variety.
I.e. henna plus rhubarb root = strawberry blonde, henna plus walnut shell = auburn, etc.

Some herbal dyes are really bad on grey, or very fair hair, (indigo will obviously turn out blue/green), but it says so on the package, if it's usable, on grey/white hair, or not.
I've used herbal hair dyes on chemichally treated hair, and it turned out fine, but I would always do a strand test, even on untreated hair, to see the result, because natural stuff is a bit unpredictable.

I'd also be careful with using spices, because not everything that is edible is necessarly good for the skin/scalp, and cinnamon and nutmeg, etc have strong essential oils, (cinnamyl alcohol, eugenol) that can cause allergies when used on the skin.
For that reason, bay leaves, and a lot of other spices are illegal in Europe as cosmetics ingredients, despite them causing no harm, when used for cooking.

I've had some nasty rashes in the past, where I even needed emergency treatment, so I hope I can prevent anyone from having similar unpleasant experiences.

I hadn't even thought about that pherber- thank you!!!
I do not recall where I read or heard about adding spices for color, it was years before I was into natural products and the like.

the meat tenderizer as I recall added maybe a bit of copper to my hair, it was copper penny already at the time & it brought out the lighter blond bits to it. not enough to justify the horrendous smell!

I really liked the naturtint stuff I used; altho next time I may go for a lighter/brighter shade bc if I'm going to end up doing the same amount of work as to use a regular kit, I might as well as get the real color I want.

good luck & let us know what you eventually end up deciding anony

Thanks for the info!

I'm having hair-discontent blues. I'm LOVING the red color, but keeping it up is drying and starting to seem like it's damaging my hair...so I think I need to go shorter. I was at the salon getting the color refreshed, looked at some pictures, but I don't even really know where to start.

Any suggestions?

I've been told I have an oval face.

I'm having hair discontent too!
I can't do pretty much any of the cuts I like because my hair is too curly and I don't like to spend more than 5 minutes on it in the morning.

Okay, I tried to get the pictures to show on the post, but there's something wrong with the format so I seem to have to show it as links.

PS...my boyfriend likes this one:

http://www.short-hairstyles.com/short/s118.htm

And I like this one:

http://www.short-hairstyles.com/short/s27.htm

I actually think they're pretty much the same cut, aren't they? They're just styled a bit differently?

Yes, I agree, they are really similar, just one has a side part. I would take both pictures into your stylist and explain what you want.

I just cut my hair really short and I am so loving it right now. Esp. with these 90 degree days we've been having...

does anyone know how to trim bangs for the non-cosmatologist? i'm sick of running to the hair dressers just for my bangs, the wait and then i'm in the chair for only 30 seconds, plus the six bucks every few weeks. gawd. any decent tips would be great (i'm only afraid of trimming them too short, well, and too lopsided)

ok, for anyone else who cares theres some great videos on youtube on how to trim your own bangs

Hi all. I'm thinking about trying organic shampoo bars and remember someone posting a link to a company that sold them online, which I now can't find. Can anyone recommend a good place to shop for these? Or alternatively, has anyone had bad experiences with shampoo bars?

Maybe you are thinking of Lush? They have organic shampoo bars, I've tried "trichomania" and "karma komba" and like them very much.

Basin also has shampoo bars that I have tried and really liked.

how do I go about finding a saloon/stylist who works w/ natural based hair colorants?

is it asking too much to request (in advance) that if I bring in the kit, they acutally put it on for me?
and if so, what kinda $$ should/could I expect to pay for the service?

I am so lousy at doing my own hair, and I've bought this really lovely & most probably the very best shade of color for me in the veggie-based Naturtint- Copper Blond, but it's still a few shades lighter than where I am now and it would be sooo Obvious if I missed any spots.

also, is it too much of a faux pas to email a friend's sister on myspace that I have recently been in contact with again, who is a stylist back home & ask Her these things??

freckle, I found this:
green hair beauty
It's in Shoreditch, though, but you should be able to find more if you google "organic hairstyling"
And you can compare prices like that, so you know, what to expect.
I think organic hairdressers have a lot of idealism, so they should be open to those requests.

I wouldn't consider it a faux pas, asking someone on myspace for some advice.
A good indicator is to check, how many myspace friends someone has.
People with thousands of friends and a comment space full of bullshit (i.e. "I just bought you as a pet", "showing sum luv" glitter) probably won't bother replying, whereas people with an interest in their own friends (fewer friends, and more personal comments) are obviously more likely to answer.

such good advice pherber- Thank you again!
so far I am only coming up w/ Aveda, which is $$$, but I guess maybe it depends on how &much$ this really means to me in some ways you know?
le sigh
frustrating.
in some ways I think I am much more inclined to try something 'risky' in terms of coloring, knowing the materials and contents are less toxic.

and think I Will email that myspace friend, just to see. she's actually an old friend's sister that I am hoping to re-connect through, but was so sweet & excited to hear from me again that maybe she always liked me more than I thought back then?

i am in cosmetology school right now and have learned that red is so hard to keep vibrant 've found that using color depositing shampoos adds that extra hue of brightness back into your hair as well as only washing you hair 2-3 times a week max, that will preserve the color as well. i love the cuts you and your honey selected, they would both compliment yor features, the bangs you can make short or keep layered with the rest of the back lengths........

I'm not sure how many of you can relate - but I have individual braids and I've been scouring the net for an elegant updo or bun to try for my friend's wedding. Well today I came across a lovely video on youtube on how to make a "sock bun". I've always seen women wearing this style but never knew how the heck to recreate it, especially with my type of hair and in braids. Let me tell you, it is easier than it looks, and I now have found my wedding 'do!!! YAYYYYYYYYYY.... shoot this may be how i keep it the remainder of the time I have the braids. Its HOT down here and having hair down on my neck just irks me. anyway, i'm so excited that I had to share it even though sock buns aren't exactly buzz worthy news! LMAO Cut a gal some slack plz. I wish I could post a picture but i couldnt get a good one. I'm still working on perfecting it anyway. G'day ladies!

aloha my darlings! here's my hair dilemma, and one I know you can assist me with. I have a costume party to attend in july, and the theme is based on the movie 10,000 bc. so I know everyone's gonna be wearing caveman attire....I decided I want to go as fire. I'd like to get my short hair to stick up in flaming points, and I know I can get some color sprays for my hair, but what product will be best to make sure it defies gravity all night? counting on you folks

Aqua Net. The Cadillac of Hairspray.

if you want to achieve volume, LOTS and LOTS of backcombing (teasing the hair) and try maybe a styling wax or pomade, they have incredible hold. try a craft store and find a product (styrofoam?) to go into your hair to keep the "flame" shape

Does anyone here have hair advice for a gal that has a ton of curly hair and lives in a hot and humid tropical environment? My hair usually looks like a bird's nest, unless I attack it with a bomb of products, and even then it stays nice and curly for just a couple of hours, then it frizzes up like crazy again! I usually just cut it short, but I want to grow it long again.

mahalo plenty for the advice, jnsp and hpmc! I'll see what works best...fyi, I have really short hair -- like pixie cut -- so styrofoam backing is not necessary for it...

I read that to give your hair a sublte but noticable boost, get a hair color only 1/2 shade lighter than your natural color and leave it on all over only for 2 minutes (instead of the 25-30 that is standard) and then rinse it off. also, put the color on your tips very last, so the color was slightly lighter, mimicking your shading from childhood.
I don't know about the 2nd part of that, but I think I will def try the first part.

I am going to a more beauty-stocked health food store tomorrow and will see what I can find as I am still holding back from using the bright copper red I already bought. (too much upkeep!)

ok so I did it last night.
I bought a new color of veggie based color at the health food store, this one is 6 G Dark Golden Blonde which is totally & compltely NOT it at all, as it's really (even in the picture) a dark copper.

anyway, I brushed it on after I combed my hair exacly the way I like it best, and then used an applicator brush to accentuate places around my face & then put it on sorta all over, I wasn't particular. left it on an additional 2 minutes, sudsed it up in the shower per instructed, and then rinsed.

at first I didn't notice anything but today I see sort of copper shimmers all over, and I like it!
it isn't obvious, but it has given my hair a slight cinamony sheen to it that is more noticable in the sunlight.

what i Really liked too, was that it's giving me a boost towards the brighter red shade I love most, but w/out the commitment & danger of not doing a good job & missing spots.

***deleted****

I am tha thread killahhhhh! MUUUAHAHAHA LOL

So I took the braids out, and cut all my hair off down to about half an inch. And my husband hates it. I know he does because if he liked it, he would be singing its praises. He hasn't said a word. Barely acknowledged that I did it. Oh well.. its done now. I think I look damn cute.

sall good pherber, totally understandable. x.

treehugger, those are both pretty rad cuts imo. i also like these (not necessarily for myself tho):

Hey Kon, How did it go taking your braids out, it usually takes less time to take them out, right? I haven't had braids in forever. So, what kind of short style are you rocking? Natural, relaxed, texturizer (sp?)?

It took longer than I expected to take them out (I kinda took a nap in between LOL). But yes a lot less time. I love braids, just hate the process and the removal. I'm all natural now babe- it's so liberating!!!!! I was kinda disappointed when I cut the relaxed ends off, Nelly. It looked nothing like I expected, so I just broke out the clippers and buzzed it down to a tiny little fro. It wasn't too much of a shock because I've done it a few times before. I was never brave enough to keep it natural though. This time I'm hoping to stay this way. If I can get this dang webcam to work right, I may be able to get a pic of it. If not, I'll have to try something else.

Hi friends
Wear your hair with your face line and fel the difference.

People around you will like them and you.

I just came across a wonderful site and it is great.

RestyleMe is a style advice website that allows people to rate other people's styles.
Being stylized by the others is how they want to see you.
Its wonderful wearing what your loved ones want you to wear.

---------------------------------
You can also visit :
http://RestyleMe.com - Style Advice, Show Off Style, Fashion Advice

Kon, I love braids too, but hate the time they take to get in and take out, plus it can get really pricey. Going natural is very liberating! Have you seen that documentary about the billion dollar industry that is black hair care? I cannot find it on the tube right now, but when I do, I'll post it for you if you haven't seen it. Basically, it's a billion dollar industry and it isn't controlled by us. Not cool. Not to mention, they are all petroleum based. ewww! But, the hair shows that go on all over the country are hilarious!
Also, it takes less time to do my hair now that it's natural, which means I do not have to spend four hours in the shop because my hairdresser cannot plan out her day correctly. That lady was trifflin'.

My hair hasn't been relaxed in about ten years. My afros are never shaped right, because the top part grows faster than the sides and the back grows at its own pace. I think it's because my hair (yours too probably) has different textures. The front has a different texture than the back etc. Right now, I have thin dreads a little bit longer than shoulder length. Whenever I cut them I am going to rock a small mohawk fro' tapered like a triangle, the sides will be faded not completely shaved. I saw a girl with one and it was so cute!

Wow... i never heard about that documentary (of course not LOL). Girl, I can count on one hand how many times i've had my hair done professionally. i'm a do-it-yourself-er. I've found some awesome ladies on the tube that do vids mainly about natural hair care and all the products (many all natural) that they use to care for their hair. And YES my hair is like 2 different textures, so its super kinky/coily in the top and sides and kinda straight in the back. WTF??? Thanks genetics... I can't stand that but what can ya do right?? I secretly covet your dreads!!! LOL My hair will not stay twisted for anything. Maybe once it gets a little longer it will stay put. This is like the 6th time I've taken clippers to my head since like 2002 - and I always went back to a relaxer (or texturizer) cuz I didnt know what to do with my hair. Going to see if I can maintain it natural this time, I'm armed with info. No more creamy crack for me! If you want I can PM you some links to my fave hair care videos. LOVE youtube... a wealth of knowledge on there. Or if you have some tips for a natural "newbie" you can PM me.

If you do the mohawk, i so wanna see it!! That sounds cool as heck. Much love!

For sure Kon, let's PM eachother and talk hair!

I'm lovin' the hair talk. I basically keep mine at a chin length/ear length bob, which helps my thin hair appear fuller. My hair didn't always used to be thin, but when I started getting noticeable greys when I was 24, I started dyeing it on a regular basis. For the past 3 years, I've been doing the root touch-up thing every 6-7 weeks and doing a full color process (coloring all the hair on my head) about once a year. It's kept my hair healthier, but it's still on the thin side. After playing with a lot of different colors in my younger days, now I tend to stick to something close to my natural dark brown color, which also helps my hair appear thicker. I also make sure to take a vitamin D supplement at least once a day, which helps keep my hair & nails strong and can promote hair growth.

Here's some pics I took recently when I was messing around with my digital cam. Mostly to preserve the memory of my hair color before I go entirely grey, which isn't too far in the offing. ...Ach! I'm not ready!

= bump=

I'm gettin' my hair cut tomorrow!!

I'm looking at this : ( Straight Haircuts -Section 8, very far left corner if it doesn't go right to it)
http://beauty.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite...hairstyles.com/
or this one : ( Straight Hair Cuts -Section 10, 2nd row, 3rd pic over)
http://beauty.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite...hairstyles.com/
both are short bob's, and I'm leaning more towards the first one, which to me is almost like a modern china doll only my hair is now a dark walnut w/ coppery streaks which I plan on doing even more so after the cut, to make it a little wilder.

I haven't had Bangs in.. years I think. but I have 3 very deep & distinctive worry lines (imagine!) striping across my forehead (which I think is large anyway) so am ready to give it a go again.

good vibes would be appreciated!

out of the two i definitely like the pic in the eighth section better.
i recently went back to a bob with bangs again and i really like it.

thankyou hiddenpoet;
that's pretty close to what I got today... sort of a chin legnth china-doll bob.
the bangs are taking some getting used to; I keep trying to sweep all my hair to the right like I used to part it, but I like it, I'm pretty sure, lol.

the henna/vegetable dye I am using {to highlight} my stylist was all for and said it looked Very natural- so Yah Me!
at least, it'll be natural till I get more and really go at it.. as I am feeling better, so is the urge to be a bit out there again.

you are welcome!
i really wanted to use henna but i couldn't because i've been dyeing it for so long and the two don't mix. so i had a bleach out & went back to manic panic instead. how's the henna working out for you?

I LOVE the hena. it's actually a veggie type of dye.. yes henna I suppose, but as "all natural" as I think you can probably get w/out it coming out of a baggy being passed from friend to friend from unknown sources. (I did that once, & don't recommend it.)
I mean, you can go to a shop that uses Aveda (?) products, and they too are all natural as I understand, but truthfully I can't afford something like that, or I could, but am looking for ease & speed w/out a lot of "root commitment" as I am sooo Over doing the whole head dye and want something less work.

I use some stuff called Nauretint (Pheregam? I posted about it back a ways, just read back if you're interested) & it's from the UK but I get it at the health food store. it's very much like regular DIY hair color, only in my case, I apply it w/ a hair color brush, and do it more as highlights & then leave it only about about 1/2 the time the directions say. gives very natural results; I went from being a Flaming redhead, to a softer, easier to maintain copper bruenette tho am about to liven things up a bit just for giggles .

the best thing about the henna/veggie dye is.. you can do it as often as you want w/out harm or damage to your hair. my hair is softer, shinier & healthier for it too.
= end ramble w/ apologies.=

I woke this morning w/ total cropped chaos BEDHEAD & Love It and so have decided not to comb it indefinately today ! yah short hair!!

can't afford aveda myself either.
that's the greatest advantage to stains over dyes. you can just keep doing it and it won't wreck your hair. it's almost time for me to slap some more colour on here. how often do you think you'll need to touch up due to fading with the henna? are you experiencing fade at all with it?

I used to use these fairly frequently. Shiny, shiny, subtle colour.

i'll have to try it out later. i still have a lot of purple and orange to go through first.
also, it is incredibly immature that i laughed when i saw the word caca?

ohh ap- very tempting!
but then I thought to myself " self: don't fix what ain't broken!" bc I really am very into my Naturetint stuff and still experimenting. however- when I get beyond that, as surely I will in time, I am so checking that out! thankyou!

hiddenpoet(hp from here out eh), I have not so far had any grow out or noticiable fading w/ the henna, but I think it's bc of how I am applying it, and I only went about 1/2 shade up from my natural shade. (ok maybe a whole shade. my natural color keeps getting darker & darker & it's freaking me out!) as it fades, it blends totally naturally. which is why of course, I think I am about to go a whole 2+ shades lighter for the next time I highlight w/ it.. bc I'm getting bored w/ the more natural look & want to liven it up again.

I bet the orange & purple look fantastic!

Kind of off topic, but has anyone had any experiences with perms? I've been thinking for a while now about wanting fuller curlier hair, and thinking about getting a perm. But the word itself is scary to me, conjuring up images of 80's tight curls. I know it's not like that anymore, but wondering if anyone has any advice?

I'll admit to having done the perm thing once or twice. I, um, had one of those '80s tight perms for a brief while in high school (in the '80s...I just thought I should mention that in my own defense, heh). I've always had fine, mostly straight hair which I've finally learned to accept and deal with. But after college in the '90s, I got tired of it and decided I wanted loose curls, so I did the perm again. ...Anyway, my point in sharing all this is to say that in my case, I was told that because my hair is fine, it doesn't take perm chemicals easily, so the hairdresser had to leave them on for an extra long time and use extra strong chemicals to make sure the perm took. Before you make the leap, I'd recommend having a conversation about it with your hairdresser, talk about what kind of curls you want, and make sure to ask if your hairdresser thinks your hair type could handle the perm chemicals. Some hairdressers are also more skilled at giving perms than others, so you want to make sure your person is experienced.

Another recommendation I'd give is to maybe try a 'perm for a day' thing, just to see if you like having curls. I know back in the '80s, they used to sell this temporary perm stuff in the drugstores. It would last for a day or two, and then you wash out the curl chemicals with shampoo. If they still sell that stuff, that may be a way of checking it out before making the bigger commitment. Or get your hairdresser to do a wet set/cold wave (whatever they call it), where they just wet your hair, set it in rollers and pop you under the dryer so you have curls for a day. This is also something you could do yourself, but I know from my own experience that I suck at setting my own hair in rollers, so some extra help is always appreciated.