To Caca or not to Caca?!

Fuzzy_Duck

My boyfriend bought the Caca Noir for me a few years back on my birthday and I never had the guts to use it! There are too many bad reviews of it, and even the positive ones complain about how hard it is to apply and wash out. I think if you want to go down the henna route, there is better henna out there you can use.

My main reason for not trying it is that I've been dying my hair for years with packet dye and didn't like the idea that I couldn't dye over it if I didn't like the result.

Oh yes, and again this is only from reviews and pics I've seen but the Caca stuff doesn't seem to make much of a diffence to your hair colour. Assuming you get a good result it just adds a tint, and for some people it hasn't made any difference at all.

Hopefully they'll be some henna lovers along who can recommend a product to you

missingink

jenniewb wrote: »

With the chemically straighten (BKT?) maybe ask the salons who offer it first as they;d be best placed to tell you if henna affects this.

With the mess, all I can advise is a day inside or if your lucky enough to have one, in the garden. Maybe tie all your hair up, place it under a shower cap of some sorts to prevent the mud clumps falling off around your home and then house blitz! DIY, move all your furniture around and then back again, have friends over for a DVD night in.... there are ways around the mess if this is something you really want to do- its only one day/night/however long you leave it in for and the main thing to be wary of (if your hair is tied up and inside a cap) is the plug in the bathroom shower/bath. See if you can get a plug sieve cover thing- places like lakeland and 99p stores seem to sell them, it catches the larger clumps of mud which would otherwise cause a blockage.

As I said previously, there aren't really any salons local to me who specialize in my hair & the treatment of it. I do my hair myself because of this & this is probably a contributing factor to the poor state it is in.:(

Finding stuff to do for 6-8 hours is no probs-always plenty to do around the house here!:rotfl:

Good tip about the sieve!:)

brook2jack

I and my daughter use cacas. She uses Marron which gives a lovely coppery tone to her fair hair and makes her look like a natural chesnut red head. I use Brun which colours over the grey and gives a lovely shine and looks very natural plus unlike synthetic dyes your hair doesnt go ginger in the sun if you are a brunette. Both of us feel our hair is in much better condition afterwards.

To help the process we have a " hair cutting collar" from bettaware. It cost about £4 and looks a bit like a material version of the collars dogs wear after operations. It catches the bits of henna as you apply it and then we just shake the collar off in the garden.

Cover your hair in clingfilm after and then a towel or shower cap and no mess gets anywhere. We do it on a saturday night and watch a film afterwards.

The longer you leave the henna and the warmer it is the stronger the result. So if you are not sure leave on for maybe only an hour.

You only need to use a few squares unless you have long hair. Grind it in a food processor and you get a much smoother mix.

missingink

Fuzzy_Duck wrote: »

My boyfriend bought the Caca Noir for me a few years back on my birthday and I never had the guts to use it! There are too many bad reviews of it, and even the positive ones complain about how hard it is to apply and wash out. I think if you want to go down the henna route, there is better henna out there you can use.

My main reason for not trying it is that I've been dying my hair for years with packet dye and didn't like the idea that I couldn't dye over it if I didn't like the result.

Oh yes, and again this is only from reviews and pics I've seen but the Caca stuff doesn't seem to make much of a diffence to your hair colour. Assuming you get a good result it just adds a tint, and for some people it hasn't made any difference at all.

Hopefully they'll be some henna lovers along who can recommend a product to you

I reckon I'll be just the same-buy it then be too scared to use it!:rotfl: Still have a peroxide kit I bought a few years ago to highlight my hair. Looked at it again last year & the bottle of peroxide has expanded!:eek: Still got it though.:o

I know a lot of regular users of henna swear by the natural powder form, but it seems far more expensive, just as complicated to mix & apply & just as unpredictable with the results.

I too have seen before & after pics & agree that they seem far from impressive. There don't seem to be that many pics around though & the ones that are are pretty poor quality tbh, so I don't know what to make of them.

Quite a few people who didn't seem to have good results on first application & after initial oxideation period of up to 48 hours, have tried a second application of the same henna or another shade. It seems that the more applications you do, the more vibrant the colour.

missingink

brook2jack wrote: »

I and my daughter use cacas. She uses Marron which gives a lovely coppery tone to her fair hair and makes her look like a natural chesnut red head. I use Brun which colours over the grey and gives a lovely shine and looks very natural plus unlike synthetic dyes your hair doesnt go ginger in the sun if you are a brunette. Both of us feel our hair is in much better condition afterwards.

To help the process we have a " hair cutting collar" from bettaware. It cost about £4 and looks a bit like a material version of the collars dogs wear after operations. It catches the bits of henna as you apply it and then we just shake the collar off in the garden.

Cover your hair in clingfilm after and then a towel or shower cap and no mess gets anywhere. We do it on a saturday night and watch a film afterwards.

The longer you leave the henna and the warmer it is the stronger the result. So if you are not sure leave on for maybe only an hour.

You only need to use a few squares unless you have long hair. Grind it in a food processor and you get a much smoother mix.

You've just reminded me-we have a 'cone of shame'(dog collar)from an op one of our dogs had! I could use that!:rotfl:

I had planned to leave the henna in for at least 6-8 hours & I'd leave it in overnight if I could(but V much doubt I will!) I have V stubborn hair!:)

We don't have a food processor, just a hand blender. I have heard that double bagging the caca then bashing it with a hammer works pretty well & is better than grating. Good job-I struggle to grate a few carrots to make carrot cake, never mind a solid lump of caca!

jenniewb

missingink wrote: »

As I said previously, there aren't really any salons local to me who specialize in my hair & the treatment of it. I do my hair myself because of this & this is probably a contributing factor to the poor state it is in.:(

Finding stuff to do for 6-8 hours is no probs-always plenty to do around the house here!:rotfl:

Good tip about the sieve!:)

So maybe contact the company who makes the product? see what they say- whatever you decide to do, you'll be buying a product (unless your a bedroom scientist!) so somewhere along the line someone will have the knowledge. It just makes sense to ask now before hennering and finding out information when its too late.

Do you mean your hair is in such poor condition and no one will touch it or do you mean you have a certain type of hair and find it hard to find a salon? (in which case, come to London- salons for every hair type here!)

Fuzzy_Duck

missingink wrote: »

I reckon I'll be just the same-buy it then be too scared to use it!:rotfl: Still have a peroxide kit I bought a few years ago to highlight my hair. Looked at it again last year & the bottle of peroxide has expanded!:eek: Still got it though.:o

I know a lot of regular users of henna swear by the natural powder form, but it seems far more expensive, just as complicated to mix & apply & just as unpredictable with the results.

I too have seen before & after pics & agree that they seem far from impressive. There don't seem to be that many pics around though & the ones that are are pretty poor quality tbh, so I don't know what to make of them.

Quite a few people who didn't seem to have good results on first application & after initial oxideation period of up to 48 hours, have tried a second application of the same henna or another shade. It seems that the more applications you do, the more vibrant the colour.

I have lost count of the number of times I've considered henna, but I've always been too confused and scared to try it! Especially as hairdressers are often against the idea of henna- makes it even more worrying if it goes wrong and you end up having to visit one to fix it.

Have you considered vegetable dyes like Herbatint and Naturtint? If you fancy a change that's more gentle on your hair that might be a good alternative. They do a good range of colours and if you don't like the result you can still dye over it!

I think the issue is that even henna doesn't work for some people and can leave their hair dry and coarse, so it's all about finding what works for you

missingink

jenniewb wrote: »

So maybe contact the company who makes the product? see what they say- whatever you decide to do, you'll be buying a product (unless your a bedroom scientist!) so somewhere along the line someone will have the knowledge. It just makes sense to ask now before hennering and finding out information when its too late.

Do you mean your hair is in such poor condition and no one will touch it or do you mean you have a certain type of hair and find it hard to find a salon? (in which case, come to London- salons for every hair type here!)

Conacting the company may be an option but they are in America. Also I think they'd be more likely to try to steer me towards their own brand of chemical dye tbh.

I have a certain type of hair. There is one salon local to me that has been recommended but it's always closed! They do hair at the shop where I purchase my hair care products but the assistant said even she wouldn't have her hair done there!:eek:

belfastgirl23

Interesting that there are so many negative stories here. i've never found it that big of a deal. I don't grate or anything like that, simply break the block into the smaller parts already lined out on it (I find stomping on it works best for this!) then leaving it in really hot water to melt a bit, then squishing with gloved hands. i wear an old top and apply it over the kitchen sink with kitchen roll to hand - any that falls off gets scooped up and binned. then clingfilm, then a plastic bag, then either an old hat or a towel - the heat helps it to work. the worst thing I find is if I make it too runny, green liquid ends up running down my face and neck Afterwards wash off as normal and degunk the plughole if necessary - though it rarely is for me.

I really like the smell personally

All that said, I'm allergic to chemical dyes and many other haircare products so I can't comment on how it reacts with previously chemically dyed hair etc

flippin36

I use Caca noir once a month and it gives me a very dark brown/black colour. Half my hair is bleached (I'm growing it out), and very, very damaged - the Caca Noir saved my hair from the big chop as it stopped the breakage, gave a lovely glossy,shine. It smells nice (imo) but I have to keep up with the roots because it is actually Henna mixed with Indigo, the Indigo doesn't stick as well as the Henna so after a few weeks I get a very slight orange/red tint to my virgin hair. The Henna part is very permenant, the indigo becomes more permenant the more you use it.

It is very messy and it takes a few hours out of your day - but worth it for the conditioning and lovely colour it gives me.