This is the LAST WEEK for the Natural Hair Care Contest! It’s very easy to enter. Just send us an email (hennasooq@gmail.com) with your regimen, and a good quality picture or two, and we’ll enter you in the contest. The deadline is this January 29 at midnight.

Tami has shared with us her hair regimen. It’s very gorgeous. I love the rag curls!

WASHING: I am using the Sweet Honey shampoo bar & LOVING it! I lather 2 times with the shampoo bar, rinse well, then I use 1 oz of apple cider vinegar in 2 cups of water as an after rinse.
 
DRYING: I very rarely use any heat products on my hair. I let it air dry after combing carefully with a wide toothed comb.
 
CURLING: I have just recently discovered rag curls! I cut up a terry cloth towel into strips & wrapped hair in them, slept overnight with the rags tied in. In the morning I had fabulous curl! I spritzed a little water to loosen the curls & bobby pinned.
 
OILING: I regularly use grapeseed oil and/or olive oil on my hair to keep is moisturized & healthy. As I do not use silicone products, it provides slip & calms down fly-aways.
 
COLOR: I have been using Jamila Henna for the past 2 years. Here are my mixing instructions:

• Combine in a glass bowl: 100 grams of Jamilia (2008 summer crop) henna with approx. 1.25 cups of cooled chamomile tea
• Add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
• Mix with electric beaters to make a pudding-like consistency
• Cover with saran wrap (right flat on the mixed henna so no air can reach it) not just at the top of the bowl
• Let sit at room temp for 6 hrs
• Scoop into ziplock & freeze. I find that freezing it gives it a much richer stain
• I allow it to thaw out when I am ready to use it.
• Wash & lightly towel dry hair
• Use a root touch up brush (from a beauty supply store) to make 1/4 inch parts & then apply henna right to scalp
• Once all the root area is coated, apply left over paste to all hair
• Once all the henna is applied, I cover my head with a plastic shower cap & cover any areas of hair (such as at temples) with saran wrap
• After the shower cap is on, I add a wool cap to keep the heat in
• After 4 hours, wash out the henna with a bottle of cheap conditioner…use liberally & rinse well 
   

CONCLUSION: I am so happy with my hair since I started taking better care of it. I had some minor health issues about 3 years ago & started looking at ways to detoxify my body. In addition to changing my diet & eating habits, I also wanted to cut out any other toxic properties. I was a chronic boxed hair color addict & started to do research on the toxicity level of permanent boxed haircolor. I realized that after 10 years of dying my hair with toxic chemicals that I had to find an alternative. I started getting premature grey hair at 17 years old & at 33 am not ready to be “grey haired”. I discovered henna through henna for hair website & then found long hair community and really started to see how much the general public is missing when it comes to having healthy hair.
I cut my hair pixie short & ordered my first batch of Jamillia henna in February of 2008. From that time, I have continued to grow my hair & it has never been silkier or healthier than it is now. The old boxed color is long gone & healthy, strong, glossy hair is what remains…thanks to natural henna!
Here is a link to my blog: http://ilovehenna.tripod.com/index.html