How to henna your hair

Prepare the night before. You'll need a whole morning off the next day for the dyeing process. The henna will coating your lovely locks for 2-4 hours to get vibrant results.

Mix henna with vinegar to the consistency of thick mud or clay.

Cover with plastic wrap and leave overnight for the dye to develop, not in the fridge just at room temperature.

It looks amazing! The smell? Not so great. Think earthy not chocolatey ;) If you don't like this smell mix ground ginger into shampoo and use when rinsing out the henna, it cancels out the smell.

Shampoo your hair, rinse, towel dry. Now comes the Henna, so pop on those old comfy clothes, grab your old towels, and don the surgical gloves again. Hop back into the shower recess for the messy bit!

With your head upside down, paste the mix from neckline to forehead, layer by layer coating from roots to tips, moulding the hair into a pile on top of your head as you go. Messy but fun!

Do this part in a place that is easy to clean up afterward... For obvious reasons. And always use gloves with the henna as palms of hands and soles of feet stain the fastest of all the skin.

When your hair is thickly coated clean up any henna on the skin around your hairline and ears. You can see the orange stain here - it will not stain as i got it off quickly... I hope!

Wash up those (now golden) gloves and leave them handy for later when you will be washing out the henna.

Pop one plastic bag tied at the neckline, then another over the top tied at the front. This time lends itself perfectly for a face mask. I like honey, cinnamon, cocoa powder & a drop of tea tree oil.

Don't forget to clean the bathroom!

Leave on 2hrs minimum to 4hrs full impact. When time is up, gloves on and rinse: get comfy, be patient. When water runs clear, or almost, shampoo (with ginger if using), condition and style normally.

This is the finished product on my flat brown hair after a full 4 hrs. Its a subtle auburn and the few greys around my temple have thrown much more red. The colour settles in by day 3. Give it a go!