LUSH • Henna - Caca Noir • Treatments

catn2kittens on 7/21/2008 9:48:00 AM more reviews by catn2kittens

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Every time I use this I wonder if it's worth it, especially since it is soooo hard to rinse out, but I get so many compliments and my hair feels so great, vanity prevails! I add a couple of teaspoons of salt to help the indigo along, leave it on for 8 hours wrapped in plastic wrap and a wooly beanie hat, and I end up with dark, dark brown hair with an awesome burgundy shine.

Pros: Compliments galore, super shiny hair
Cons: rinsing process is just exhausting, no escape. The smell is also pretty gross, like cow manure and grass (THAT kind of grass...)

**hopefully helpful hints**
I have used this product 3 times, and each time I get a bit more sure of myself. The biggest pain is in the preparation of breaking up the block, 1st time I put it in a bag, bashed it with a hammer and just squished the lumps out once I got the water in; 2nd time I grated it with a cheese grater as recommended by Lush staff (took FOREVER and I was exhausted afterwards, not recommended!) and this time I blended it in a food processor. The food processor worked but took a while and was hard to clean, honestly the hammer worked just as well and was faster, I plan to do this from now on. This time I applied the henna before bed, plastic wrapped my hair, put a towel on my pillow and left it overnight. Not the best night's sleep but no sore neck from carrying 10 pounds of cow manure around on my head for 8 hours.

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theblackqueen on 4/14/2008 7:18:00 PM more reviews by theblackqueen

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Green    

So my boyfriend and I picked this up thinking it would be a fun alternative to whatever garbage we put in our hair anyways. We both dye our hair black but he had just recently got his trimmed down so it was back to its natural brown-y color and my hair has major roots and has faded.
The procedure was long and arduous; we didn't particularly mind the heating of the caca and it smelled wonderful at first but later on it started to smell like burnt pot.
We caked it on and waited for hours and the smell gave us both horrible head aches.
Unfortunately the smell made my boyfriend sick (I'm putting this politely) and after 4.5 hours of having the stuff on our head and washing it off there were no results at all for him and minimal results for myself. Over all the caca made my hair a little bit shinier, but the effect didn't last too long.
Don't waste your time with Caca noir, it takes for ever to do and the results are not worth it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* OmToast on 3/20/2008 11:51:00 PM more reviews by OmToast

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Hazel    

I finally mustered up the nerve to caca! In an ongoing attempt to eliminate unnecessary chemicals from my hair/skincare routine (supported by the sudden disappearance of my former HG hair color kit) I decided to attempt ongoing maintenance of my naturally medium-brown, dyed dark-brown, color with caca noir. I have very thick, curly, chin-length hair so I used 2 squares of the noir which turned out to be precisely enough to thickly coat all of my hair, and not one dollup extra. It had been about 5-6 weeks since I last chemical colored, but strand tests yielded no damage and, warily I observed, very little by way of results. Nevertheless, I proceeded with whole-head application reasonably comfortable that my hair wasn't going to fry or turn green.
PROCEDURE:
I boiled some water and, as it cooled, steeped some cinnamon herbal tea in it, which I then used (after about 10 minutes of cooling time) to melt the caca blocks that I had previously smashed with a meat tenderizer. I added just enough tea to yield a thick, creamy paste roughly the consistency of runny devonshire cream. To this I added approximately 1 tsp. each of salt and vinegar, as I'd heard it would help the henna adhere to stubborn greys, which comprise a noticeable but minority population of my fringe. I slathered on the caca, double-wrapped with plastic wrap and a shower cap, then topped with one of those bizarre spandex caps that seem to be favored by sweaty men in gyms -- just to completely contain the caca-mud-mess. I left it on 4.5 hours.
RESULTS AND MUSINGS:
First, I LOVE the smell of this -- sweetgrass and clove -- it's *wonderful*! The substitution of cinnamon tea for water was also nice in this regard. And, while the process is certainly more involved and messier than a home color kit, it's really not THAT generally messy. I gunked up 1 bowl and 1 spatula, both of which washed clean pretty easily. And careful application is comparable to regular kits, as well, I think. My results were much better than I had any right to expect, given the underwhelming results of my strand tests. My roots (naturally medium brown) are definitely a deep brown with chestnut highlights in bright sun, whereas the chemically darkened bits took on a much cooler black color which are neutrally highlighted but, in certain lights, reflect just the teensiest of blue glints. Greys were the biggest wild cards -- some appear a strawberry blonde, and others are just clearly VERY silver, thanks to the indigo. It sounds a mess but it's really very pretty! And i think that repeated applications will even out the very slight color difference between undyed roots and overprocessed ends, as well as just generally deepen the undyed bits. I think, when I do this again, I'm going to leave it unwrapped, so as to get more depth of color and less red highlighting. My hair is fantastically shiny and very soft, though it felt kind of awful while rinsing. It's in perfect condition. Which reminds me . . .
THE EVERPRESENT ISSUE OF RINSING:
I surpassed the abilities of my hot water tank trying to rinse this, it's true. And this is the only aspect of henna-ing that's a PITA (well, that and having to clean the shower afterward). Still, I managed to get it all out -- completely out -- by rinsing, then applying conditioner to soften it, washing, conditioning, washing and conditioning again. I recommend you use some el cheapo conditioner and shampoo for this, rather than wasting your good/daily stuff.
I'll definitely continue to use this -- I like the effect, I love the shine and I am very happy to have removed a passel of chemicals from my routine!
UPDATE (26 Aug 08): I took 2 months off (just too busy!) and couldn't figure out why, lately, my hair has been such a wreck. Then I remembered: no Caca! So I created the time, Caca'd, and my hair has returned to its shiny, sleek self. This stuff effectively controls frizz and enhances the texture of my superthick, coarse, curly hair in the GA summertime humidity! I'm a total addict.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Jaxappella on 2/17/2008 11:59:00 PM more reviews by Jaxappella

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

I used Caca Noir the second time I hennaed my hair. The first time I used Caca Brun and it made my brown hair a little darker, but extremely shiny. Well I used to have highlights and as they are growing out they got brassy. I mixed 2 blocks of Brun (what I had left from the first use) with 2 blocks of Noir. It made my hair a gorgeous rich mahogany brown. It's darker than my original shade, but still definitely brown. And best of all my highlights have pretty much vanished! They are slightly lighter than the rest of the hair but hardly noticeable. I LOVE it.
Many people complain about the mess. It's not the cleanest process, but luckily I have a friend who works at LUSH and he helped me with the process. The easiest way it to heat it in a small crock pot. You want it to be like a runny frosting (if that makes sense) and you need to use it as soon as it has cooled enough to touch, but is still hot. Make sure you wear gloves or your fingers will not be so attractive for a while. Also, I suggest having a crappy towel, a plastic shower cap and a hair elastic ready to help you with drips and to keep it under the cap. It's a week later and my hair is still insanely soft and shiny.

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Hrosik on 1/27/2008 10:52:00 AM more reviews by Hrosik

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

I have naturally darkblonde/light brown hair. After caca noir I have dark brown colour with red highlights. Smell of this product is like smell of a tea made on open fire, so nothing horrible. Application is quite simple if you prepare henna exactly according directions.

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juwel on 12/9/2006 3:30:00 PM more reviews by juwel

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Medium, Cool   Hair: Black, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I just did my hair with Noir, and I like how it feels, soft and bouncy. Haven't noticed increased shine, but I've only just washed the stuff out. My hair was black to begni with;... I'm Asian. Now it defniitely has a blue sheen. I like it, though I wish the blue had been more violet than greenish.

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lixatron on 4/24/2006 8:49:00 AM more reviews by lixatron

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

OK. Now this might just be me but I put this on and it gave me a horrific Migrane (i have never had these before, ever) and i was actually sick
And in the end my hair looked no different
Even without the crazy migrane this is really not worth the effort

STAY AWAY!!

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vyjanet on 9/25/2005 12:23:00 AM more reviews by vyjanet

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

First of all, this product is EXTREMELY messy and inconvenient to use. Iis very hard to apply and remove, and it smells absolutely horrid, like herbal cigarette smoke. As a hair treatment, I find nothing special about it, it does leave your hair soft and a bit shinier, definitely nothing miraculous as it is advertised to be. As a hair colour, it is very subtle, keep in mind i had very dark brown hair to start off with. Caca darkened ny hair and gave it a reddish tint in the light. Overall, it is an ok product and i would buy it again.

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barbie16 on 8/27/2005 12:51:00 PM more reviews by barbie16

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I used this as I wanted a dark glossy colour without damaging my hair. It's VERY messy to use and runs everywhere if you wrap your hair in clingfilm. The colour is very black. It took over a year to grow out, even when I got fed up and cloured over it you could still see the ends of my hair were black. Only use if you want to enhance black hair or stay black for a long time. Made my hair fluffy, but on the plus side there is no wasteful packaging with it.

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ohlalasarah on 3/16/2005 5:24:00 PM more reviews by ohlalasarah

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Dry   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I've used caca marron and caca rouge on my hair for almost a year. The application is a bit tricky, but once you get a hang of it it is fabuolusly relaxing. Rouge leaves my hair soft, dandruff free and with a ton of beautiful highlights. It's natural and lovely on my sensitive scalp.

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jessiemay on 3/3/2005 2:28:00 PM more reviews by jessiemay

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I actually didn't try the caca noir. I wanted to review the caca brun, but there wasn't any so I am putting my review here. I have to say I am on the fence with this product...
I naturally have dark brown/almost black hair so when I heard the description for caca brun I thought I was good. The LUSH sales lady told me I would get a gorgeous brownish red sheen even with my dark hair.
The application was a bit tricky. VERY messy. And the cling wrap hair wasn't exactly the most flattering thing I've worn. Well, after 4 hours I decided enough was enough and washed it all out (VERY messy again).
Well to make a long story short, my hair turned BLACK. I thought I naturally had black hair, but the henna made it the blackest of blacks. This is definately not what I expected, since I was assured a brownish red sheen, but my hair was sooooo shiny and soft after. I might repurchase just for the absolutely gorgeous shine factor, but the colour is something yet to be desired... Although I must say the colour looks so natural you would think I never dyed my hair once in my life.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* dumpling on 12/17/2004 8:52:00 AM more reviews by dumpling

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

This stuff is incredible I put it on my hair yesterday for two hours and my hair (naturally frizzy, dullish brown/black) looks and feels wonderful, even my bloke commented on the condition & shine of my hair afterwards.
I know Henna isn't very popular on this site but if you think your hair is worth investing time and energy and don't want to slather your scalp in carcinogenic chemicals (regular dyes) then this is for you. Yes, it is annoyingly messy, but with the help of a (good) friend or patiently on your own, you will have great results.
My hair is now a beautiful, glossy shade of black, it has fabulous depth of colour, unlike most chemical dyes that always deliver dull, artificial looking results. And furthermore, this is not Henna alone, it has added essential oils & ingredients , so I guarentee if you do this properly ,your hair will be so lustrous .
BTW, some of the reviews have got the wrong idea about the preparation of this you DO NOT NEED TO HEAT THIS IN A PAN , you simply add boiling water (NO NEED TO GRATE) the block , as the water 'melts' the henna and mix to the desired consistencey.
Lastly it takes a while to shampoo out , but I'd rather toil with my rinsing than absorb peroxide & ammonia through my scalp, and the little particles nicely exfoliate the skin so my hair is completely dandruff free.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

carlasher on 7/1/2004 12:20:00 AM more reviews by carlasher

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Dark   Hair: Black, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I brought this product because I wanted my natrually dark brown hair (with natural red highlights) darker. I didnt want to ruin my hair with chemical dyes like I did before - even temp color.

Henna can be very messy to mix and apply, but it doesnt stain on contact as "regular" dyes do. It comes in a brick. I use about 1/3 of it each time I do my hair. It is passed the shoulders by 3-4 inches, but very thick (nappy/curly). I actually like the smell. It if very green - MUCH better than the chemical stuff IMO.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No