After reading a lot about henna hair dye I decided to give it a try. I always used chemical hair dye so I wanted to try something else. I was expecting a long and messy process, but honestly I was surprised! It took me about 10 minutes to melt the blocks down, I used 2 blocks of brun and 1 marron. Putting it on my head took about 10 minutes (or less), you need to be sure to cover all of your hair and that's a bit difficult with the consistency. Of course I had to clean my sink, and clean my floor a little bit... But I don't think it's a very messy procedure. I didn't hate the smell either. I waited 4 hours, and rinsed it out. Washing it out takes quite some time. After that my hair felt soft, looked shiny... It looks even longer haha! The henna scent in my hair is really subtle, almost didn't notice it.

Next time I will leave it on longer, and put more marron in it. Now my hair color is almost the same as it was, but more vivid.

You should give it a try! I really love it!

This henna did absolutely nothing to my hair. I wasn't expecting anything phenomenal either, I had natural black fine hair which was chemically dyed brunette 6 months ago. I was tired of the chemicals so wanted to try something natural. Picked up this henna, spent my whole day cooking it up and had my roommate put it on for me. I left it on for 4 hours, rinsing was such a pain in the bum, it smells like weed, which I didn't mind much. But the result was bad, my new black root was still there, and my caramel highlights were still there, nothing changed. Waste of money and time.

I tried this because I wanted to dye my virgin hair, but I didn't want to damage it with chemicals. The process was EXTREMELY messy and such a pain, it went EVERYWHERE! I had to leave it on for 5 hours.. When I rinsed it out (with great difficulty), my hair had an orangey tint in the light. My hair wasn't much shinier though. I think maybe I used the wrong colour, because I wanted more of an effect. I've now bought caca marron and will try that one out.

Love this!! I have been wanting to dye my hair since forever, but every time I do...disaster!!! I have been wanting to try henna but am not at all confident in my mixing/recipe ability. When I found out LUSH had these bars (caca..really?) I went out and got one. I dyed my hair the next day.

I crushed 2 bars up in a plastic bag, dumped it in a plastic bowl (don't use metal, I've heard...same for utensils) and added hot water a little at a time until I got a brownie like consistency. Then I got to work. I had put trash bags and newspaper all over my bathroom to catch drips and so forth, but guess what? I didn't drip any. At all! I was shocked. The longer you leave in on, the better. 2 hours is NOT going to cut it in most cases. I left it on about 6 hours or so while I piddled around the house. I rinsed it off with warm water and cheapie conditioner and after I blow dried my hair, I was in love! My light ash brown hair was now darker with auburn you can see in the sun/light. It was also super moisturized. I love it!! I will definitely be doing it again! The smell may turn some off, but I love it. It smells grassy.

I have uploaded 2 pics, one before, one after. After was taken with a flash...2 months later LOL

I have brown hair and wanted to try the product to make my hair deeper brown and more shiney. It did make my hair noticeably darker, so i was happy to see a color change. However, the smell was horrible, and stayed on my hair for days. The color also faded back to my natural hair color over the following days. I will not be repurchasing the product, mostly because of the strong, unpleasant smell.

**Edit: I uploaded the before after picture with short wavy hair, outside**
*I also uploaded my review to the CACA Noir page too.

I stopped dying my hair over two years ago once I realized it was falling out! I still had the occasional urge to darken my hair, though, as I think chocolate brown suits me better.... but I refrained from doing so because of the horrible image I had of clumps of hair falling out in the shower. *ahh!* It was then I decided to stop putting those horrible chemicals in my hair once and for all.
I began looking up alternative methods that were natural and safe for dying your hair. I found out about henna, but really wasn't up to buying my own mixes and experimenting with something so permanent. Do I use more indigo than henna or visa versa? Do i cover my head or not? How long? How often, etc etc.
So fast forward to about two months ago I found out about LUSH's Caca colors. (Lol @ silly name) Holy crap this stuff is perfect for those out there looking to change up your color in a chemical free manner! Beware though: patience and getting your hands dirty (or wear gloves) is required.
I give this product a 4 because it's exactly what I was looking for: a prepackaged henna/indigo hair dying product. However, it is expensive (but then again, with my short hair it'll last me a solid 3 dyes, so I basically pay 8$ per dye) and because I don't understand why they dont just package it already grated. The packaging itself is eco-friendly and minimal. I uploaded a before and after picture for everyone. (I have the short, wavy hair).
Here's my process for getting a dark chocolate brown hair with neutral undertones:
Prepping:
1. First, wear gloves!!! and if you are messy, cover the counters with paper/foil/whatever. Actually, even if you're not messy... cover everything anyway.
2. Using large hair clips, split hair into a few sections.
3. Apply Vaseline around forehead/ears/back of neck to stop Caca from staining your skin.
4. Brew 1-2 cups of BOLD, black coffee.
5. Grate 2 blocks (1/3 of the bar) of Caca NOIR & 1 Block (1/6th) of Caca BRUN with a cheese grater into a large glass bowl.
6. Mix the fresh cup of coffe into the finely grated Caca, stir until a pasty, yogurt consistency is met.
Application:
1. Wearing gloves I dip my fingers into the Caca yogurt (which smell very herbal, looks like poo) and apply to the lower/bottom part of my hair first. Make sure you massage the goop into all of your hair (working from the bottom, up). Don't be conservative here. Keep adding the Caca until your whole head is covered.
3. I then wrap in saran wrap and wrap in tin foil on top of that (to keep my head warm) and leave on for 4 HOURS.
Rinsing:
Honestly, this is the most tedious part, if you have a removable shower head be prepared to use that for a solid 10 minutes of just RINSING. Then add conditioner, rinse, conditioner, rinse, shampoo, rinse, shampoo rinse. If you don't, I think someone recommended using a hose outside- that's probably a good idea.
My hair felt thicker after I was done, but I cant comment on the softness... my hair is already soft, plus the amount of conditioner I used during the rinsing process probably had something to do with it.
Anyway, good luck! I think if you dont mind the time, and you want a natural, safe alternative to harsh chemical hair dyes, this is the stuff for you! continued >>

Tried henna for the first time yesterday. I was told that it would cover up my grays, since I have dark brown hair and not trying to drastically change my natural hair color, I went with the caca brun. I had the henna prepared and applied at the Lush store (they do it for free - hello!) so that was a huge plus for a newbie like me. They sent me home with a shower cap on and instructions to wash it all out after two hours. Did that - sadly, my gray hairs are still visible, and now even more so since the henna slightly darkened the rest of my hair. My hair feels soft and conditioned, I will admit to that. I think I might try one more henna treatment in a few weeks, I really want it to work. next time I will remove the shower cap when I get home, as I was told that that will oxidize and darken the color even more. Perhaps that will help to darken the grays. In the meantime, I am going to go back to Lush as the employee who applied the henna asked me to come back and show her the results. I wonder if they have a refund policy?

I have been dying my hair exclusively with this product for the last 4-5 years now.

The pros

1) The colour - I leave it uncovered for 3 1/2 hours for a lovely rich dark brown colour with reddish highlights in the sun. People often comment on what a nice shade it is and assume it's natural. It's permanent but does fade slightly so I try and do it every 10 weeks or so to keep it fresh. Now I am getting a few greys I am trying to do my roots every 3-4 weeks too.

2) No chemicals - It's nice to know what I am putting on my hair and washing down the plug hole isn't harming me or anything else.

3) No packaging - Can't get much greener than 1 recycled paper bag can you?

4) Cost effectiveness - My thick, just-below shoulder length hair needs 4 squares, leaving 2 squares to do 2, root touch ups, making it pretty cost effective.

5) The Shine - Leaves hair very shiny and thick.

6) No Flakes - leaves my normally hyper sensitive scalp flake free.

The smell isn't to everyone's taste - but to be honest who likes the smell of eye-watering chemical dyes either?

My method.
Make sure hair is clean and dry to ensure - I use a silicone free shampoo and conditioner the night before and don't use any styling products.

I grate the required number of henna blocks down, add 4 teaspoons of coffee, 2 teaspoons of powdered rosemary, 2 teaspoons of powdered sage, 1 teaspoon of salt ,4 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Brew up a really strong black tea (reheat if necessary to ensure it is just below boiling) and stir it in until the mixture takes on a very thick, greek yoghurt consistency. I then apply to my hair and leave for 3 1.2 hours uncovered for a darker brown colour.

If I have got the consistency right I don't have many drips although I'd be careful with carpets and upholstery.

When it comes to washing it out. I just rinse my hair until the water runs clean, add conditioner to get the stubborn lumps and then shampoo and condition as normal.

It may seem like a ball-ache compared to normal hair dye but I am always SO glad when I have done it because the colour and shine is fantastic. It might be a bit more effort for me but it's nice to know it's a bit less waste for the environment.

I have had a couple of occasions where it hasn't really deposited colour as other reviewers have mentioned - but I now realise that I had probably overheated the mixture which affected the dye release of the indigo - I now only use just-boiled water rather than boiling water, and I don't heat the mixture on the stove anymore.

Fab stuff.

I give caca brun a 2/5 because it worked really well as a conditioning treatment, but that's pretty much it. I'm really, really disappointed in this product. I have fine hair with loose curls, naturally a dull medium brown. I've dyed/highlighted/etc. my hair since I was in high school. In college, I couldn't afford to go to a salon so I started using drugstore hair dye, which I personally always had great results from.

When I found out about LUSH, I researched the henna dye. I read that it was bad to use this on chemically treated hair and vice versa. However, I used this product twice and there are just so many problems with it.

-Packaging: I'm not sure why this isn't sold in a powder, it would be so much more convenient.
-Color: This caca brun did nothing to my brown hair. I wasn't expecting a drastic color change obviously, but I was hoping for a shine or SOMETHING.
-Convenience: Garnier Foam takes about 5 minutes to apply and I've never had a problem with it. This took an hour to do the first time and 20 minutes the second time I used it.
-Henna: I don't know how much actual henna is in this. I decided to just dye my hair with Garnier over the henna treated hair and it worked just fine! I read numerous accounts online about how henna is supposed to completely penetrate the hair and make it impossible for other color to hold, and how it can make curly hair flat. Well, my hair color has stayed perfect for a week now and my curls are as good as ever. So, how much actual henna is in this product if none of the henna side effects are present?

I did my research right and prepared the henna as I was supposed to, and I left it on for 8 hours.

Overall, this caca brun did not work for me. It kind of worked as a conditioning treatment, but there was zero color change and the hassle was just too much for me.

I wouldn't buy this again, not even in the other colors offered.

I LOVED this product. Especially because I *assumed* I was using a healthy alternative to drugstore hair dye.


That was until I discovered these 2 websites:

www.goodguide.com

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/


It turns out LUSH Caca Hennas are rated pretty much just as BAD for your health as most of the drugstore hair dyes!!

(See for yourself! Just search and compare on the websites.)

So LUSH must have some undisclosed, chemicals or ingredients hidden inside :(

It figures... Because no where on the package do they claim Caca is 100% natural.


So be warned... If you are going to use this product strictly to be more health conscience, you are better off buying henna powder and doing it that way because THIS IS NOT CHEMICAL FREE!