Aritaum Bamboo Charcoal Peeling Gel Review

Aritaum is Korean brand mostly known for make up products. However in May this year they released skincare line Bamboo Charcoal. Products caught my eye and as soon as I started to run out of my Lemon D-Toc Peeling Gel I ordered Aritaum's one.

Product description: Aritaum Bamboo Charcoal Peeling Gel removes old, dead skin cells with bamboo, charcoal & cellulose. Keeps clear skin tone with excellent skin turn over effect. Controls dead skin cells and has moisturising ingredients.
How to use: 1. Wash and dry your face 2. Apply proper amount & spread it to your face all over evenly except the eye & lip area 3. Massage until peels of dead skin cells come out from your skin, then rinse it off with warm water. 4 . It's good to use this product once or twice a week but the number can be adjusted depending on your skin condition. 

Why bamboo and charcoal?

• Bamboo contains silica, that improves skin health by helping the body absorb essential minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Bamboo extract also offers anti-irritant properties, soothing the skin when applied directly through lotions or creams. It also contains anti-oxidants, helping to minimise wrinkles and naturally boost youthful radiance.
• Charcoal has natural detoxifying properties, it draws bacteria, poisons, chemicals, dirt and other micro-particles to the surface of skin. Charcoal powder can adsorb thousands of times its own mass in harmful substances! It's widely used in skin cleansing and purifying products, mostly face masks.

Unpacked bottle

Product comes in 150ml plastic bottle with pump applicator. I must admit that pump is one of the main reasons I've bought this particular peeling gel - so far I was using gels in tubes, when pump is so much more handy! The bottle was wrapped in foil and the pump was protected with blocking clip.

Serial number and date of manufacture

The gel it self is grayish cream, with visible cellulose bits. There are two types of peeling gels - smooth ones like Ginevra Marvel Gel and cellulose ones, like this one. I find that the second type is more popular, from 4 peeling gels I tested so far, 3 of them had visible cellulose bits in it.
Product has lovely, fresh and floral scent.

As you can see on the pictures, after massaging into dry skin cellulose connect with impurities and dead skin cells and rubs of the skin. After washing it off with lukewarm water, skin is smoother and appears brighter. This peeling gel is effective, yet very gentle - I use it every day and it works well for me. Because of my acne I'm not allowed classic scrubs, as they irritate my skin quite badly. Once I had an every day face wash with scrubbing particles and after two weeks I had to stop using it. The cellulose is much more gentle, suitable for use even on sensitive skin.
The downside of it's mildness it that it may not be enough if you have very rough and dry skin. If you need a lot of exfoliation you may try using this every day and support it with scrub once or twice a week.

Now, the problem with cellulose containing peels is that there is always a doubt if they actually cleanse skin on just roll on their own. To check it I always perform my "plate test":

1. I apply peeling gel on clean plate

2. I rub the gel for a minute or so in a clean glove, so it doesn't react with skin on my fingers

3. I check the results:

As you can see the gel didn't roll either on the plate or on the glove, what makes me think that it does really react with impurities in the skin.

Price: around £8 on e-Bay.

Pros:
+ handy pump applicator
+ a little goes a long way - I use it every day from two months and I hardly used 1/3 of the bottle
+ mild, even used every day doesn't irritate my skin
+ skins is brighter after use, pores appear smaller
+ nice scent

Cons:
- opaque bottle, we need to take the pump out to figure out how much we got left in it
- if you are looking for heavy duty exfoliation this may be to gentle, even used everyday


 Summary: I really enjoy using this product I would strongly recommend it :) however I'm not sure if I would buy it again, because I like testing new stuff so much ;)

The whole Aritaum Bamboo Charcoal line contains:

From left: mud pack, peeling gel, bubble gommage and cleansing foam. I think that gommage is especially worth attention, as a type of peeling gel suitable even for very sensitive skin with visible capillaries, as it doesn't contain any type of grains (even cellulose), but enzymes that renew skin.

Beware Mizon Snail Repairing Foam Cleanser...

I love my snail products, but unfortunately not all of them seem to be oh-so-good...

Product description from packaging:  This cleansing foam with snail's mucus filtrate and its ample and elastic bubble washes the skin cleanly.

In the ingredients, among the famous snail secretion filtrate we will also find:

• Gypsophila paniculata ("Baby's breath" - you know, that bunches of tiny white flower that florists add to bouquets to make the look fuller) root extract, which skin care benefits remain unknown to me
• Papaya fruit extract - source of vitamin A and Papain. Vitamin A acts as an anti-oxidant, while the papain breaks down inactive proteins and removes dead skin cells.
• Ivy extract - It has emollient and itch-relieving properties, as well as anti-inflammatory and pain killing actions. It's also circulatory compound and helps other ingredients to be absorbed by the skin.
• Arnica Montana flower extract - has antiseptic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and supports healing process.
• Wormwood Extract - a natural antiseptic and anti inflammatory oil said to help heal bites, cuts, sores, blisters and wounds. It also soothes damaged, red skin.
• Yarrow leaf extract - medicinal herb used topically to speed wound healing and improve other skin conditions such as rashes, abrasions, and calm inflamed skin. Contains i.a. salicylic acid that has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties and flavonoidsthat are vital antioxidants protecting against cell-damaging free radicals.
• Gentian (Bitter Root, Bitterwort) - has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties
• Green Tea Leaf Extract - it's a powerful antioxidant, protecting skin cells from the damage caused by free radicals. It is also known to reduce skin swelling and help soothe and condition sensitive skin. 

Sounds great, but don't get too excited, because cleansing foam doesn't sit on our skin for long enough to let the plant extracts work properly :P

Full list of ingredients: Water, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Polyacrylate. Myristic acid, Lauric Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Cocoamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-14M, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Polysorbate 20, Polyquaternium-7, Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, Gypsophila Paniculata Root Extract, Carica papaya, Ivy Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Artemisia Absinthium Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Gentiana Lutea Root Extract, Ethanol, Camellia Sinensis, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance

Ingredients analysis [HERE] 

As you can see on the pictures above, foam comes sealed with foil, there is no extra packaging to it. Under the cap tube is protected with a bit o tin foil. Tube has 60ml capacity.

 

The foam itself is a white, stringy cream with pearly shine to it. As all of the Korean cleansers I tested so far, it behaves like shaving cream - pearly cream with a bit of water and massage turns into rich, thick foam. Product has nice, soapy smell. A little goes a long way - a pea size is well enough to cover the whole face and neck in thick foam.

As for the performance there is nothing special about it. It cleans, leaving the skin squeaky clean, but that's about it. I don't mind squeeky clean, I actually enjoy this feeling as long as it doesn't strip my skin out of all moisture, but unfortunately this foam dries out my skin a little bit. When used on it's own it's bearable, but when used on skin previously cleansed with oil it makes my face really tight and dry. I read couple of other reviews about this product and Cat Cactus in her review said that this cleanser has very high alkaline pH, which is bad for skin. Here you can read her note about importance of using cleansers with right pH for your skin.

Price: from £4 on e-Bay.

Pros:

+ cheap

+ a little goes a long way

+ contains quite a few beneficial plant extracts - even though the foam is not on the skin for long enough to let them work properly, it's nice to know they are there

+ nice smell

Cons:

- dries out skin

- has pH bad for your skin

Summary: I wouldn't recommend this product to anyone. And I'm going to buy myself pH testing litmus papers, so no more harming my skin with alkaline foam cleansers!

Spot emergency: Mizon Acence Blemish Out Pink Spot review

Mizon's Pink Spot is my mate for over a year now - I'm used to see it my bathroom so much now, that I still forget to review it. But finally, today is the day! ;)

Product description:  It works effectively while sleeping at night for soothing skin troubles. The patented formula of AHA, BHA, Calamine and Triclosan relieves acne and prevents it to develop.
How to use: Dip a cotton swab down to the bottom of the bottle and apply only to troubled spots.

Important ingredients:

• Calamine - is either a mixture of zinc oxide (ZnO) with about 0.5% ferric oxide (Fe₂O₃) or a zinc carbonate compound. It's used to relieve pain, itching, and discomfort from minor skin irritations. Also used as a mild antiseptic to prevent infections that can be caused by scratching the affected area, and an astringent to dry weeping or oozing blisters and acne abscesses.
• Salicylic acid - organic acid originally obtained from willow bark. It's a key ingredient in many skin-care products for the treatment of various skin conditions, like acne, psoriasis, calluses, corns, ichthyosis, and, warts etc. It works by causing the cells of the epidermis to shed more readily, opening clogged pores and neutralising bacteria within, preventing pores from clogging up again by constricting pore diameter, and allowing room for new cell growth.
• Triclosan - an antibacterial and antifungal agent.
• Coptis japonica (Japanese goldthread) root extract - contains berberine, a plant alkaloid revered in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. Berberine has various medicinal uses, as a supplement to support treatment of heart diseases, low bone density, diabetise. Used on skin it has anti-bacterial and anti-ageing properties.
• Bilberry (European blueberry) fruit/leaf extract - used in traditional European medicine, has many different healthcare uses. On skin it has anti-aging effects by stabilizing collagen structures. Recent research showed that Bilberry extract has promising anti-ulcer activity.
• Portulaca Oleracea Extract (also known as wild portulaca or pigweed) - has many benefits on skin: soothing effect, accelerating healing process, improving skin's elasticity. As a natural source of vitamins A, C and E and the co-enzyme Q10, is an excellent antioxidant, fighting premature ageing and protecting skin from enviromental damage.
• Cluster pine bark extract -   has anti-oxidant properties and ability to enhance the microcirculation by increasing capillary permeability. Supports healing processes, reduces scar formation.
• Ivy extract - It has emollient and itch-relieving properties, as well as anti-inflammatory and pain killing actions. It's alsoa circulatory compound and helps other ingredients to be absorbed by the skin.
• Sugar Maple Extract - contains naturally occurring Malic Acid (AHA) and is used to promote smoother, younger looking and more clear skin by increasing the rate of cell renewal.
• Sugar Cane Extract -  main source of glycolic acid (AHA), used to promote smoother, younger looking and more clear skin by increasing the rate of cell renewal.
• Orange Fruit extract - soothes sensitive, irritaed skin
• Lemon fruit extract - A natural source of Vitamin C and antioxidant bioflavonoids, protects skin against damage from reactive ozone, has anti-inflammatory properties. 
• Raspberry Fruit Extract - soothing and relaxing to inflamed skin. Excellent for sensitive skin and any irritation from acne, shaving or windburn. 
• Tea tree oil - essential oil with powerful antiseptic properties, widely used in acne treatments, aids in healing and soothing the skin.

Full list of ingredients: Aqua, Alcohol, Calamine, Glycerin, Titanium Dioxide, Glycolic Acid, Dimethyl Sulfone, Camphor, Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Salicylid Acid, Triclosan, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Propylene Glycol, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Butylene Glycol, Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, Hedera Helix (Ivy Extract), Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil. 

This product is fairly similar to Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot. They both contain salicylic acid and they are meant to be used in the same way: make sure the bottle is not shaken, so the powder is settled on the bottom. While dabbing cotton bud into the bottle, it gets first disinfected in the liquid, then it reaches the powder that settles on cotton. Even though you have to pull again through the liquid, the powder stays on the bud and it's ready for application.

The product comes in a blue cardboard box, sealed with "Original Mizon" holographic sticker. The bottle is made of frosted glass and contains 35ml of liquid/powder. It has a strong smell of herbs and alcohol. Cotton buds are not included.

Back of the box

When applied on spot, powder settles on skin, leaving a pale pink, powdery circle - that's why it's recommended to be used at nightime. I do sometimes use it during the day - when I'm not leaving the house, or even before work. Powder mark wipes away easily, if I put a make up on, it will just wipe off during make up application, so if I use it before work, I apply it on my skin minimum 15 mins before applying make up, so it has some time to work on skin. The powder doesn't stain, I've used it at bedtime multiple times and even though in the morning it's gone, there is no marks on my bedding.
During application product may sting a little, because of the alcohol. Fortunately this sensation last only a moment.

Now, does it work?
Yes! But only on certain type of spots.
Mizon's spot powder works topiary, so it won't work on nodules and cysts, that are sitting under the skin. For this kind of trouble acne patches are wroking magic. Spot powder is great to fight "classic spots" - pustules, red bumps with white/yellow top. It dries the spot out and reduces inflammation. It's also helpful when we squeeze - I always apply this powder on top of any squeezed spot, to disinfect the area. It helps to tone down redness and soreness, it takes about 2-3 nights to completely heal average pustule.
A little goes a long way - I use occasionally for about a year now and didn't even used up half of the bottle.

Price: from £10 on e-Bay.

Pros:
+ helps reduce the inflammation
+ disinfects the area
+ soothes irritation after squeezing
+ a little goes a long way 
+ powder doesn't stain fabrics - if used overnight won't mark your bedding

Cons:
- takes about 2-3 nights to treat pustules
- not effective against under skin bumps
- may sting a moment after application

Summary: I like this product and I find it helpful in my acne treatment. It is not a miracle product, it won't magically clear you acne during one night, but it certainly helps to reduce inflammation.

Baviphat Urban Dollkiss Snail Teraphy Sleeping Pack Review

Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce my magic apple from Baviphat!
I wanted to try Baviphat's sleeping pack for a long time, originally I was aiming for the lemon whitening one, but the moment I discovered that they have new series and I saw THIS product I just had to HAVE IT.
Why?
First of all: my skin loves snail.
Secondly: this packaging! OMG! Just like ma favourite Nina Ricci's perfumes. I'm instantly in love.
Thirdly: there is not much information about this product anywhere, the descriptions on different seller's pages are very vague and there is no reviews, which makes me want to try it even more. I'm just such a curious creature ;)
Also the price is affordable, so as soon as I ran out of my Secret Key Prestige Snail Cream, which I was using as a night cream, I ordered my apple.

Product description:  Double function sleeping pack, whitening & anti-wrinkle. You will find magically moisturised and elastic skin in the morning. Calming and revitalising stressed skin. Smooths complexion all over the night while you're sleeping. Colourants, surfactants, talc, parabene & mineral oil free. Hypo-allergenic.
How to use: Apply at the end of your evening skincare routine and leave overnight. In the morning wash off with warm water. 

Contains:

• Snail secretion filtrate - protects skin from infection, reduces inflammation, effective in treating acne and scarring, anti-wrinkle.
• Propolis - has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, may be effective in acne treatment. Emollient and antioxidant, helps to restore and maintain skin structure.
• Mistletoe - a powerful antioxidant 
• Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Leaf Extract - contains high levels of calcium, protein, vitamins A & C. Has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
• NMF (Neutral Moisturising Factor) - Found in the cells of the stratum corneum (horny layer, top layers of epidermis), this complex has significant water-retention capabilities and plays an important role in keeping skin hydrated.
  NMF is actually not a single ingredient, but an expansive group of substances including amino acids, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, cholesterol, fatty acids, triglycerides, phospholipids, glycosphingolipids, urea, linoleic acid, glycosaminoglycans, glycerin, mucopolysaccharide, and sodium PCA (pyrrolidone carboxylic acid). These substances are naturally produced in our skin during desquamation, sweating or sebum production. When the lipid and NMF content of skin is reduced, we experience surface roughness, flaking, fine lines, and a tight, uncomfortable feeling. Incorporated in skin care products this ingredients help to support natural skin functions and improve the skin’s moisture content.

Baviphat's apple arrives in oh-so-cute cardboard box, with clear apple-shaped "window" at the front. Inside the box we will find plastic apple-shaped bottle with generous 150ml capacity. It actually surprised me how big the apple is - I can never imagine the actual size of the product knowing capacity. This bottle is as big as real juicy apple. Yum!

Baviphat Urban Dollkiss vs Nina Ricci Nina L'eau

There is a lot of descriptions around the packaging, unfortunately all in Korean. Sides of the box:

There is also some description inside the box:

Unfortunately the bottle's pump is not protected in any way, so even though my parcel was well packed and product was wrapped in bubble foil it has spilled a little in the inside of the box. So packaging is cute, but completely not travel friendly.

The sleeping pack itself has a creamy and a little bit stretchy consistency. It's basically unscented - if I spread it on my palm and sniff it intensively I can smell some kind of floral scent, but it's very subtle. It spreads easily on the skin and absorbs quite well, leaves a bit of a film on the skin, but I actually like this in my night cream. After application skin is slightly dewy, but again - since it's a bedtime product, I don't mind.
The pump dispenses rather small amount of product: I use 4-5 pumps every night, one for my cheeks and chin, one for my forehead and nose, one for my neck and one for my decolletage. But even though it may seem a lot, I actually hardly used 1/5 of the bottle right now and I've been using it from over a month!

How often should you use sleeping pack? This is a controversial matter: some say it's a treatment and you should use it only from time to time, others that it's equivalent to night cream and can be used every day. I say: use it as often as you like, just see what's works best for you. For me this sleeping pack felt a little bit heavy on the beginning, so I used if for two-three nights in a row and then had one night break. However recently I bought myself Darsonval device (I will write about it soon), which I use basically every evening and it makes my skin absorb all cosmetics like crazy, so I am using this sleeping pack everyday. I have oily skin and even though this sleeping pack leaves a bit of a film it works well for me and doesn't break me out. My favourite part is how soft and well moisturising my skin feels in the morning. Honestly, I don't think my skin was ever so soft since I was a baby, lol!
I actually did a mini-facial on two of my friends using Darsonval device, then applying Hada Labo lotion, Secret Key snail essence and topping up with this pack. One of them has dry skin and she really liked the feeling of it, the other one has dry skin and eczema - she hated the idea of snail on her face, but her skin was moisturised and eczema caused redness on her forehead was reduced significantly.

Are you dreaming to be the Snow White? ^^

Price: from £12 on e-Bay.

Pros:
+ very moisturising
+ leaves skin wonderfully soft
+ a little goes a long way
+ so cute!

Cons:
- the bottle's pump is not protected in any way, so packaging is not travel friendly - pump cannot be blocked/closed, so we are risking product spillage
- the pump itself feel a little bit dodgy, like it's going to break at some point...

Summary: I am really pleased with this product - it makes my skin soft and moisturised. Except of the poor quality pump I don't have any issues with this product and I would definitely recommend it :)

The Urban Dollkiss series contains (from left):
I Love CC Cream Pure Aura - whitening CC Cream
I Love CC Cream Luminous Pure - moisturising CC Cream
I Love CC Cream Colour Change - whitening & anti-wrinkle CC Cream
AC Therapy Sleeping Pack - sleeping pack for acne prone skin
Snail Therapy Sleeping Pack
White Sleeping Pack - skin whitening sleeping pack with rice and ginseng extracts - me want *.*
Galactomyces First Essence - essence with fermented yeast extract to be used as a first skincare step after cleansing. Since I loved Missha First Essence I really want to try this *.*
Hinoki Total Solution Gel Cream - All in one (to replace toner, lotion, essence, cream and pack) type of product with 50% Hinoki extract (skin soothing)
I Love Secret Dress - it's a type of massage cream/mask: massage it on face for couple of minutes, then rinse of
+ I Love Triple Lips (not on the pic) - lip tints available in 5 colours.

Purebess Snail School Recovery Gel Cream Review

Product description: Natural cosmetic science with snail & EGF to moisturise and regenerate your skin. Contains 90% of Snail Secretion Filtrate. No artificial preservatives, artificial colour, alcohol, mineral oil and paraben. Minimum skin irritation while skin tightening and softening, moisturising and regenerating.

Here it goes, I'm about to say the words that will probably appear in many of my reviews: I wasn't planing to buy this BUT... I actually kept my eye on Benton snail line, but then I read Purebess snail gel ingredients analysis on this blog and it made me wanting to try it This budget snail gel, contains not only the secretion filtrate, but also:

• Tremella fuciformis (also known as snow fungus, silver ear fungus or white jelly mushroom) - a species of fungus, one of the most popular fungi in Chinese cuisine and medicine. It provides several skin care benefits: increases moisture retention in skin, prevents senile degradation of micro-blood vessels in the skin, has anti-inflammatory properties, brightens skin. Anti-oxidant. 
• Human Oilgo Peptide-1 (EGF) - known as a "beauty factor" - eliminating scars and speckles by improving the texture and condition of the skin, anti-wrinkle by rejuvenating skin by stimulating cell proliferation.
• Althaea Rosea (common hollyhock) Flower Extract - emollient, antibacterial, and possible anti-inflammatory properties.
• Aloe vera leaf extract - moisturiser and anti-irritant used for it's rejuvenating, healing and soothing properties.

Full ingredients list: Snail Secretion Filtrate 90%, Water, Glycerin, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Sodium Polyacrylate, Betaine , Human Oligopeptide-1, Butylene Glycol, Althaea Rosea, Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Carbomer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance
Ingredients analysis [HERE]

Product arrives in cardboard box, inside we will find soft tube with 50g capacity. Tube is sealed.
Gel is clear and unscented. It spreads easily on the skin and take a few seconds to absorb, bu once it's absorbed it leaves skin matte. It's very light - too light to be used on it's own, I use it on top of Hada Labo Kiwamizu lotion and Secret Key Snail+EGH Essence. I have oily skin and this set is just about right for me - moisturising, but not too heavy. It's a bit too light for the nightime though, I like to give my skin a bit more to absorb while I'm sleeping, so I top up my set with Baviphat Snail Sleeping Pack (review coming soon).

What I like most about this product is how calming and healing it is - during the first few days after I got it I had terrible cold and blocked nose, that I have to blow every five minutes. As you know the skin around nose get's quickly irritated, so normally everyone can tell at the first sight that you're sick, because your nostrils are so red. Well, not with this product! As an experiment I was applying it few times daily around my poor nose and guess what - not a sign of red, irritated and dry skin! I was well impressed.
This is another product (next to Secret Key snail gel) that in my opinion completely beats famous Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream. It costs roughly the same, but has more snail secretion filtrate in it (Mizon - 74%, Purebess - 90%) and performs better - my main issue with Mizon's gel is that my skin is really really shiny after using it, while Purebess leaves my skin matte. Overall gel is rather neutral for sebum control.

Price: from £5 on e-Bay.

Pros:
+ absorbs completely into skin, no residue left
+ leaves skin matte
+ calming and healing for irritated skin
+ simple ingredients list with high snail secretion content
+ cheap

Cons:
- not enough to be used as only moisturiser - has to be backed up with some other moisturising products, for example essence


Summing up: a good basic skin care product. Definitely worth trying if you are looking for some soothing and light day moisturiser - with that price you can't go wrong ;)

Dyeing hair with henna for the very first time - Khadi Henna, Amla & Jatropha

My beauty perfection is having ginger hair, green eyes and freckles. I already have my green lenses  ;) and I'm hardly trying to be ginger from a while now...

Why henna?

Casual hair colourants didn't meet my expectations. I started to dye my hair quite recently, in April. My natural hair colour is dark blonde, but unfortunately with time it started to be darker and mousy, vague - not blonde anymore, but yet not brown either. I was using some lightening shampoos with chamomile and lemon and they helped me for a while to stay more on the blonde side, but with time that was not enough, so i finally started using colourants. I tried couple different ones, but colours were never right (red, while I wanted ginger) and fading away very quickly. The worst dye I have tried was foam dye by Nice&Easy - colour washed away after only a week, wtf! In meantime I came across many positive reviews about colouring hair with henna, so eventually I decided to give it a go.

I bought my henna on Amazon for £7, it arrived from Germany. In the box there were: bag with henna powder, foil cap and gloves.
The powder is very fine and has characteristic smell, like strong green tea + something else.
What's important - Khadi's henna is 100% natural, herbal dye. Before you purchase your henna make sure you know what you're buying, because there is a few companies that are selling "henna", which is really just chemical hair dye + a little bit of henna. Mixed dyes like that give the most unpredictable results, I read so many bad opinions about them. Always go 100% - either completely chemical dye or purely natural, never in between.

The powder is more green than on the picture.

Unfortunately the leaflet was all in German, so I had to research some blogs and Khadi website for instructions. I have chosen the simplest method of preparation: I used some hot (but not boiling!) water to achive thick yoghurt consistency and let it cool down a little when I went to wash my hair with shampoo without any silicons in it. Henna should be acidic, so many henna powders are supposed to be mixed with water and lemon juice, but we don't have to do that with this particular one, as Amla is acidic itself. To my mixture I also added one table spoon of hair conditioner (no silicons!) and one table spoon of turmeric powder - on dark hair Amla and Jatropha give more red than ginger results, turmeric has brightening properties, so I added it to make sure I will achieve ginger.

Ready to use mixture smells like Panoramix's cauldron :P Green tea, herbs, weird smell... but certainly better than the ammonia.

After washing ma hair and drying it a little bit with towel, my henna was ready to use, still warm, but not hot. I found application difficult - it was only the second time I have ever applied dye myself, usually one of my friends would be helping me. During application henna dries out on hair a little bit and makes them sticky, so I ended up with my hair tangled in two dreadlocks. I must admit that I went through real emotional crisis during application, I was sure that I just wasted my time and money as I couldn't get all of my hair evenly covered in henna and I was afraid that the dreadlocks are just going to stay there FOREVER. I used up only half of the mixture for my shoulder blade-lengh hair, while the packaging says that one box "should be enough for shoulder-lengh hair". I was sure that in the best case scenario I was going to end up with spotty hair. Fortunately, henna surprised me positively :)
I kept the mix on my hair for 2 hours, under plastic cap and towel (I was heating up the towel with hairdryer every so often, because it's important to keep henna warm). During rinsing my hair detangled easily, the dreadlocks were gone, yay! My hair was nice in touch, very soft, just the weird smell resembled. After rinsing thoroughly I applied a little bit of hair conditioner (no silicons), to make sure I will comb my hair with no problems. Then I left my hair to dry naturally.
The result exceed my expectations, most of all the colour was even! The colour differs depending on lighting, but I am a definite ging now:

My hair before henna - faded cooper from Nutrisse.

Day after henna - intense artificial lighting (Halloween at work)

Two days after henna - dark room and picture with flash (Halloween with friends)

4 days after henna, artificial lighting + flash from some distance

4 days after henna, artificial lighting + flash, close up

As you can see my hair is in good condition after this colourisation. It was a little bit dry (henna as a herb is a bit drying) and I wanted to put some oil on it soooo badly... but I couldn't, because first 48 hours after colourisation are crucial for colour intensity and lasting and it's best to just leave hair alone, so henna has time to "catch" and oxidise properly. If you can, you should also avoid washing it during this first 48 hours, however because of work I had to wash mine about 12 hours after colourisation. I have very greasy hair that requires  washing every morning - after henna my hair was dryer, so it looked quite all right in the morning, but I knew that in the middle of the day it will be greasy again... so yeah, I shouldn't, but I washed it anyway :P
The herbal scent lasted on my hair for about three days (even though it was washed every day!). For the first couple of days water would get slightly tinted during washing, so I accidentally marked bright towel, but the good news is that post-henna-tinted-water-stains are easy to get rid of - I just washed my towel on 60°C programme with some casual laundry liquid, no extra stain remover required. The stains from actual herbal mix are much worse - during application I splashed some on my trousers and top and even with stain remover they didn't come off completely during the wash. So be careful and keep  any precious clothing away from henna ;)

two weeks after henna, natural light

It's been two weeks now since my first henna colourisation and my hair feels great, it's soft and shiny (on the last pic I got dry shampoo on my hair so it's not as shiny as usual ;)), doesn't fall. Colour looks nice, natural but vivid. I will sure use henna again.

Advantages of dyeing hair with henna:
+ finally perfect ginger
+ colour doesn't fade away and change as quickly as after other dyes
+ hair is soft and shiny
+ henna doesn't damage hair the way chemical dyes do

Disadvantages of dyeing hair with henna:
- dries during application and tangles hair
- weird smell (although I prefer this smell to ammonia smell...)
- the dyeing process takes longer than with chemical dye
- for some time after colourisation hair is more likely to frizz

Conclusion: for sure I'll dye my hair with henna again, but next time I'll do it when I got at least two days off in a raw, so I don't have to wash my hair for at least 24h (preferably 48).