How Red is Too Red?

I've been dying my hair with henna for about 10 years -- bright, coppery red, dark, muted auburn red, dull penny red. My 13-year-old daughter has been using henna on her light brown hair since she was 10 -- would have been since she was 5, but I had to put my foot down. From the time she could talk, she's had a burning desire to be red. She's also had a burning desire to be a pediatrician, a dentist, a billboard painter, a muy thai belt holder, a rockabilly model, a make-up artist, a professional snowboarder and a lawyer, but I had to put my foot down. She now says she can be all those things -- on a stage . . . with firey red hair.

Last night we 'did up' our hair with red henna enhanced with boiled red wine, lemon juice, and a few drops of sandalwood and clove essential oils. Normally, the henna stays in the hair for at least two hours, but for some reason, last night we went three. What a difference an hour makes. Or maybe it was the red wine. Hers came out a vibrant coppery auburn, mine a bright coppery orange. It'll be another couple of days before the color settles to its true shade, but in the meantime, we both get to hear, "Gawd! Your hair is RED!" And until the typical henna scent dissipates, we also hear, "Your hair smells like pumpkin pie -- and cow patties."

Being a lifelong redhead, I must say there's no such thing as 'too red', and natural henna is the best way to get there.