Modern Exploration Through Medieval Turkish Life: Travels through Henna-land

Merhaba!

It is another day! Another excitement was waiting to emerge. And so it has. While gallivanting through the international grocery store I happened upon the Middle Eastern haircare section. There, perched upon the shelf, was henna for hair. It was not uncommon for women throughout history in Turkish areas to dye their hair this way. Women in all cultures have extensively pursued modifications of the body throughout the ages. Look at the evolution of face painting, body painting, hair painting...
So, being a red-head already, I found it an interesting challenge to attempt to dye my hair with henna. For 99cents I easily acquired the materials, and all I had left to do was convince my mother to help me.
The instructions are easy. Mix powder with water and make a past. Lather paste all over the hair. Let sit for at least an hour. Then rinse. My mother looked up techniques on the Internet, and it was advised to mix with lemon juice, or something similarly acidic, but my job would be HIGHLY displeased if I came in with orange hair, so we mixed it with just water to minimize this risk. It was a horrid, pea soup green color. It looked disgusting, but smelled like henna. Henna is a different smell, but not unpleasant. It has an earthy smell to it, as well as the tell-tale herbal scent.
Next came the lathering step. Armed with a pair of gloves and a hairbrush, my mom set about to the task. It was cold. It was goopy. It was touching me. Those were my thoughts. I began looking like a cartoon character, I'd go so far as to say a Kewpie Doll with my green hair that stuck straight out in any direction you put it in. We then wrapped it up in plastic and let it sit.
About an hour and a half later it was time to wash it out. What a process... You have to rinse until the water is clear. It was like washing mud out of my hair. It was caked in, thick, and GREEN. I'm surprised the tub isn't tinged now. Flakes of henna got everywhere, and it took two rinses of shampoo and one with conditioner before the water ran clear. And even while blowdrying and brushing it out, there was still henna flakes, but they'll brush out.
It came out better than it could have. If I do it again I'll probably leave it in longer, and start with the bulk of my hair rather than the front. The hair by my forehead is much lighter than the hair in the back. It darkens nicely, and it's not obnoxious, but it it noticeable. I looked like a lion while blowdrying it.
I feel it was a successful venture though. It would have not come out near as well without my moms help, so I send out a HUGE thank you to her. Who knows how it will come out next time. You can add different herbs and stuff to change the coloring, so we shall see.
Below are the photos taken throughout this process.

The Henna Goop