A Safer Way to Dye Your Hair While Pregnant or Nursing

I have to admit that I am a big fan of dyeing my hair. I have bleached my hair and dyed it all different colors since I was in high school. I think I have dyed it just about every color you could possibly think of. However, my hair was not in the best condition after all of it. I started to get breakage, split ends, and really dry hair. This still did not seem to stop me. I would cut out as much of the worse parts and dye it again.

Luckily, I became pregnant and it changed my whole routine. I decided to stop dyeing my hair throughout the whole pregnancy because I was afraid that the chemicals were too hazardous for the growing boy inside me. I had recently dyed my hair black, which was a great idea, because I would not have to do any touch ups during the whole thing. Being pregnant made my previously, severely damaged hair so much healthier. It started to grow faster and the texture changed dramatically. It looked and felt so much better. I believe that it was due to all of the hormones. I knew that it might not stay this way after delivering the baby, since the hormones would not be the same. In fact, after I had my baby, my light roots started to show and they looked brittle and dry.

I did choose to breastfeed my son, so I was determined to find a product that would be safe for both of us. After searching several beauty salons and the Internet, I came across a product known as henna. I had heard a little bit about it before, but was never too sure about the details. I started to research it for myself, because I really wanted to change the color of my hair without causing damage again. I learned that I needed to find a place that sold 100% pure henna, not the product known as "black henna", which actually has metallic salts and other dangerous ingredients that could cause blistering and other health risks. This made me a little nervous. I finally came across a website called www.hennahut.com, that guaranteed that their product was all natural, chemical free, and had several testimonials as well as before and after pictures. I was still a bit skeptical, but decided to give it a shot.
I ordered the dark red henna product, received it in a few days, and wanted to use it right away. The process, unlike with traditional store-bought dyes, can take 30 minutes to 3 hours! (Some people have even claimed to leave it on overnight so that it can catch properly). I know, it sounds a little ridiculous, but if it was safer than the other dyes, I chose to endure it. It had a dirt like, earthy scent to it, but nothing too bad, in comparison to the dyes I previously used. I was told that I could use various teas to give it a better scent, so I used black tea. It also had to be caked on, having a muddy type of texture to it.

After 3 hours of sitting with saran wrap (to lock in the moisture), and constant strange looks and laughter from my baby, I washed it out. It took a while to get all of the gunk out, but I finally managed to. Well, the instructions clearly state that no soaps or shampoos are to be used for 48 hours, so I was only able to rinse it all out. The reason that shampoos and soaps should not be used is because it takes about 48 hours for the color to lock in and settle to it's final color. My hair smelled pretty earthy still, but it was nothing to make anyone puke about.

After those two days, my hair had turned to a deep red color and immediately felt and looked entirely better. I loved it! It felt so soft and looked shinier. I couldn't believe how different my hair felt and looked! I have only been using the product for a few months, and I can honestly say that there is nothing else that I have tried in the past. In only two months, one pack of henna each month, my hair has grown quite a bit. I can't even really see any split ends anymore. The color is amazing and people are always complimenting me and wanting to feel my hair. I am definitely glad I discovered henna for myself, and definitely recommend it for other moms and moms to be who still want to dye their hair.