Lush Rouge Henna Review

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Today I am sharing my Lush Rouge Henna Review!

A few months ago, I decided I was kind of bored with my brunette hair. I love brown hair, and I really enjoyed the golden brown shade I had for a while, but over time, I started to feel it looked a bit dull on me. Since I’ve been so focused on using hair care that is better and healthier for my hair, I really didn’t want to go back to dying my hair with hair dyes or lightening it with bleaches, so I began to research some natural alternatives. I ended up finding tons of reviews on the Lush Henna Hair Dyes. When I tell you that I read hundreds of reviews, I mean it. I spent days reading reviews, watching videos, and I even sent a question or two to the Lush team – shoutout to Daisy, thank you for your help!

Why I decided to switch to henna hair dye

There were quite a few reasons I decided to switch from chemical hair dyes to natural henna hair dye. The main reason though is because I have wanted to move away from damaging hair processes and my hair has been through the wringer with chemical hair dyes and bleaches. After looking up henna and understanding its immense hair and scalp benefits, it felt like a good route to go. Henna has antifungal properties which makes it a great hair treatment for those who struggle with dandruff or other scalp irritations. In addition, it is known to be a conditioning treatment and can actually help strengthen the rest of your hair. There are even some studies that show that henna can even improve and accelerate hair growth. Lastly, when I was looking up the various hair colours you can achieve with henna, I really loved how vibrant, rich, and natural the colours looked.

What to watch for:

When you’re picking out henna, you want to be careful that you do not pick any henna that contains metallic salts (also sometimes referred to as mineral salts). The reason you want to avoid these is that they react very poorly with chemical dye if you choose to go back to chemical dye. Some people have noted that their hair has smoked, broke off, and even melted. You really want to research the henna you purchase because, sometimes, they can contain ingredients you do not want to play with. These ingredients can be damaging or cause issues if you choose to go another route with your hair in the future.

Why is the lush henna a bar rather than a powder?

Lush’s Henna bars are as much a conditioning treatment as they are a hair dye. The reason they come in a block-form is that the henna has been combined with cocoa butter and other ingredients to make it thicker. Because it comes in a block, it is also pretty much packaging-free which makes it more environmentally friendly.

How to use the Lenna Rouge Henna:

You want to first begin by breaking your large henna bar into chunks. This will make it easier to melt. The bar comes with 6 squares, I have fairly long hair now (mid-back level) and I only use about 4 each application. I could probably get it down to 3 squares per application but I would really need to master the application process (I tend to drop a lot and it’s a big mess!) In a glass or ceramic pot (not metal) you want to melt down the bar while adding hot water to it. You want to eventually have the consistency of melted chocolate. I tend to put my squares into a glass bowl and then place that over a boiling pot of water to make a makeshift double-broiler. I find this melts down the bars quite quickly (about 15 – 20 mins) and is much easier than just slowly melting it down using hot water. Once the henna is all melted, you want to allow it to cool for a few minutes before applying it to your hair – otherwise, it could burn. If you don’t want to stain your hands, you’ll want to wear gloves. I have tried to wear gloves through the process but I often find myself taking the glove off so I can get a more precise application. Though, my hands do look orange for a day or two. You can also read Lush’s guide to using henna here.

What was the application like with the Lush Rouge Henna?

The application process for the Lush Rouge Henna is messy and it’s difficult to streamline this messiness, as the product tends to clump and fall as you apply it. I’ve done the henna treatment 3 times now – twice in the first two weeks (the first time you apply henna is may not last as long as you want it to, so you may have to reapply soon after to build your results) and then again after about 8 weeks, and each time its been a bit of a mess! If you choose to do this treatment, make sure you are wearing dark clothing (I wore just a black sports bra and black sports shorts) and place dark towels or newspapers on the ground. Remove anything light or stainable from your bathroom before you begin the application process. After you’ve applied your henna, you’ll want to leave it on for about 4 hours. Some people leave it on overnight, though I have not tried that. A little pro tip: to get a richer & warmer colour, you want to keep the henna warm on your head. That’s why I like to wrap my hair with a plastic bag then apply a heat cap. Heat up your cap in the microwave throughout the day to keep your henna nice and warm.

Do results show immediately?

No, they do not. You’ll notice a bit of a tint to your hair immediately after the treatment, but the colour actually takes about 24 hours to fully develop! So, don’t be disappointed if you don’t see your full results right away. For example, here is my hair immediately after rinsing out the Lush Rouge Henna:

Here is how it looks after about 24-48 hours:

And here is my hair after using the treatment 3 times. Quite a bit more depth of colour, much richer.

How to rinse out the Lush Rouge Henna:

Once your henna has sat in your hair for a few hours, it’s time to rinse it out – and this is also a messy process. Word of caution: if you look around you as you wash this henna out, don’t panic – the muddy mess on your walls and at your feet will rinse away! You want to rinse the henna out with conditioner rather than shampoo and you’ll need to repeat rinsing it out a few times in order to get all the grittiness out of your hair. It takes a bit of time.

Will I continue to use the Lush Rouge Henna?

I’ve used the Lush henna 3 times now and I really like it. It’s easy to find and purchase (a major benefit during these COVID-19 times), and the Rouge is a safe formula. I would recommend really looking into the other colours though before applying them as they do contain indigo which can make your hair green if you ever choose to lighten it following applying those hennas. I am currently looking into powder formulas to switch to as those may be easier to mix & apply but I haven’t found one that I have yet made the jump to try. I’ll keep you updated though.

Lush Rouge Henna Review Summary

It’s a great product that is easy to use, though messy. I absolutely love the shade of red that it gives my hair, though I was disappointed the first time I applied it and it faded so quickly. Now that I’ve done this treatment a few times, the colour has built up nicely on my hair and seems to last well. Visit Lush online to order your own Lush Rouge Henna!