New & Improved Method for Natural Purple Hair (Natural Eggplant Hair Color with Logwood)
More photos before we get to the recipe. Note that this one shows a lighter colored spot in the middle which only has henna on it from before (didn't get any logwood). Also, I'm still growing out old indigo black hair at the bottom.
INGREDIENTS:
Alum pre-soak:
- 1 tsp alum powder (potassium aluminum sulfate) (Or 2/3 tsp aluminum sulfate). There are many options on Amazon.
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (here to ph balance the pre-soak, since alum is very acidic on its own)
- 1/3 tsp guar gum (ideally, disperse into glycerin). Do not use xanthan gum as it may interfere.
- 1/2 cup warm water
- If you make a larger batch to last you a while (i.e.: 32 fl oz, as I'm planning), you'll need a preservative. I like Neodefend, and I make my own by mixing the two raw ingredients.
Dye mix:
- 2/3 cup logwood powder to make an infusion. Using the powder straight is problematic because the pieces swell to a larger size, making them difficult to rinse out. Buy logwood powder either on Etsy or Amazon. (If you have chips, you just need to soak them overnight before boiling and straining.) Optionally, try replacing part of this logwood portion with manjistha, alkanet, or sandalwood for redder, indigo/katam for blacker, or acacia catechu for browner. Do not use hibiscus, amla, or aloe (too acidic, which deactivates logwood).
- 2/3 cup sidr powder. I found some for a great price on eBay. (Those allergic to latex might not be able to use sidr due to its wax's similar molecular structure.)
- Distilled or reverse osmosis water without added minerals (I use 1.75-2 cups.)
- Baking soda - Use 1 Tbsp per every 100g of logwood powder (which weighs 4g/tsp) (I use 1 Tbsp plus 0.81 tsp.)
- Guar gum 1/8-1/4 tsp to thicken as desired
Directions:
- Henna your hair. It's easier to do this on a separate day.
- Before you prepare your dye mix, first prepare your alum pre-soak:
In a cup or jar, add 1/2 cup warm water (about 120-140 F) and then, with the stove fan running, add the alum and baking soda. Do not breathe in the sulfur dioxide gas that escapes; it's not dangerous but can exacerbate asthma symptoms.
Place guar gum powder into a large measuring spoon and mix it with enough glycerin to completely cover/disperse all powder particles. Add it to the cup/jar and use an electric mixer to thicken (or shake vigorously). Set aside for your shower.
- Get in the shower and first wash your face, ears, and hair. Do not apply conditioner. Apply your alum pre-soak to your hair (including roots), clip it up, and finish the rest of your washing/shaving.
- After at least 20 minutes has passed, thoroughly rinse out the alum pre-soak, taking care to avoid mouth and eyes. (Alum is safe for skin because it isn't absorbed, but don't ingest it.)
- Time to prepare your dye mix. Place logwood powder into disposable paper teabags and put them in a pot with the distilled or RO water. (Alternatively, you could strain it after boiling, with a coffee filter or 30 mesh strainer.) If using logwood chips, place them directly into the water the night before to soak before boiling and straining them with any ordinary strainer.)
- Boil for 5 min. While it's boiling, place your sidr powder and guar (or acacia) gum powder into a mixing bowl and mix up thoroughly.
- After turning off the stove, wait a few minutes and use a touchless thermometer on the pot's orange liquid to make sure that the liquid's temperature has dropped below 140 F.
- Add the baking soda and stir well. It'll turn from dark orange to pinkish purple.
- Remove teabags and pour or strain the liquid into your mixing bowl that contains the other powders (choose a non-plastic bowl for health reasons).
- Stir until your mix has a yogurt-like consistency. If you need more water, put it in your logwood pot first so it picks up more logwood dye on the way in. If your mix looks too watery, gradually stir in a little guar gum until thickened as you like. Your mix is ready. (Note that another option is to partially prepare it before your shower, stopping before the point of adding the baking soda, bringing everything to your bathroom, and then finishing up right before application. Easier than drying off and walking to the kitchen, and it too won't allow for premature dye expiration. Baking soda accelerates oxidation.)
- Apply immediately with gloves on and cover your head when done. (An oversized silicone swim cap with winter hat on top for warmth is my method lately.)
- Leave on for 3 hours. (I've found that 4 hours isn't any better.)
- Rinse out the dye. Do a vinegar rinse to rebalance your hair's ph, or make sure your conditioner is mildly acidic (pH of 4.5 to 5). Make sure it doesn't contain the ingredients listed below so that you don't reverse all your efforts.
- Enjoy your new color!
To keep the purple color, avoid hydrogen peroxide, chlorine, bleach, salt, highly acidic mixes, coconut oil, shea butter, most other oils, and all butters. However, you can use jojoba, rice bran oil, daikon seed extract oil, Abyssinian oil, and cucumber seed oil, which don't penetrate hair and, therefore, don't remove the color.
Worried about the aluminum in alum? No need. Aluminum salts don't get absorbed into our skin and, just to be sure, I completed a hair mineral analysis (using non-head hair) to check whether my body was accumulating aluminum after dyeing my hair with alum for 1.5 years, every 1-2 months. My result was almost zero, so I'm emboldened to continue. You also get aluminum from food.
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for any adverse reactions or health issues that appear to result from any methods or ingredients described in this blog or on my Facebook posts. While they all should be safe based on my research, unexpected reactions may occur. Try at your own risk.
Comments
Post a Comment