Herbarium

It is an annual, aromatic, glabrous herbaceous plant, up to 50 cm tall. The flowers are gathered in flower heads , with the central disc made up of yellow tubular florets and the outer ray of white flowers. The Italian name, camomilla, derives from the Latin chamomilla , itself an adaptation of the Greek khamaìmelon (from the adverb chàmai, "on the ground", and by extension "small" and from melon, apple, i.e.: "small apple"). It grows spontaneously in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia, but is also easily cultivated; in temperate European regions it blooms from May to September. The part of the plant used for dyeing is the flower heads, containing flavonoids. Chamomile is one of the most widely used plants in cosmetics , as all its derivatives are perfectly tolerated on the skin without dosage limits. It is used in particular as an emollient and soothing agent.
Dioscorides recommended it to women in labor for its beneficial effect on the uterine muscles: a function recalled by its botanical name matricaria, which derives from the Latin matrix, uterus, or mater, mother. Chamomile infusion has always been recommended in folk tradition as a rinse to eliminate gray from faded hair and restore shine to blond hair . However, the actual result obtained using this plant alone is very mild. Using it in a mixture with other herbal dyeing powders (such as rhubarb or henna) can give satisfactory results, especially in the presence of blond hair with streaks of white, highlights, and sun-kissed effects, achieving gray hair coverage and natural highlights .

It is a large tree, up to 15 meters tall, with a reddish trunk and thorny branches, native to the Bay of Campeche in Mexico , but widely distributed throughout the American continent. Its wood was introduced to Europe by the Spanish after the discovery of America under the name "palo campeche," and, given its great commercial success, attempts were made to cultivate it in large colonial plantations in other parts of the world. For dyeing fabrics, the barked wood, reddish-brown-violet , was used, reduced to small pieces. In an acidic environment, the dye bath turns yellow-orange, while in the presence of alkalis it becomes reddish-violet, and brownish-black after subsequent oxidation in the air. From the 18th century onwards, this wood had enormous economic importance and resisted the competition of chemical dyes until after the First World War. The secret of this success lies in the development of particular dyeing systems that allowed the obtaining of black colors with different shades (reddish-black, greenish-black, bluish-black) using campeche, which were extremely durable, especially on wool. This technical achievement was reached precisely during the historical period of the Reformation in Europe and the advent of Puritanism, characterized by an emerging bourgeoisie who needed to distinguish themselves morally, even in their clothing, so both men and women often wore black. The demand for black fabrics was therefore enormous and lasted throughout the 19th century.
The use of campfire wood powder to add highlights to hair has proven to be truly unique . When mixed with other herbs (Walnut Shell Mixture, Red Henna, Black Henna) , it produces chestnut-copper tones on brown bases; if the paste is alkalized, it turns violet.

The scientific name for henna is *Lawsonia inermis *. The term *Lawsonia* comes from the English physician John Lawson who, in 1709, described this plant in detail, while the term *inermis* refers to the fact that it is thornless. Originally from the hot subtropical regions and highlands of East-Central Africa, this plant is now mainly cultivated in India, Iran, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, and Arabia.
Its use is very ancient; powders derived from its leaves have even been found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs, as well as mummies with henna-colored nails. In the textile industry, henna has been successfully used in the dyeing of many fibers, but today it is mainly used as a natural hair dye . Henna brightens brown hair, gives mahogany red tones to brown hair, makes dark blond hair coppery, and gives carrot shades to light blond or white hair. The most important principle isolated from the leaves of the plant is lawsone , a naphthoquinone that binds to keratin , the protein of hair, nails, and skin, coloring these structures through the formation of electrostatic bonds.
Unlike chemical dyes, henna does not penetrate the hair shaft, but rather deposits and binds to the scales of the cuticle. This creates a so-called "substantive" effect, meaning the hair diameter increases slightly, resulting in fuller and stronger hair.
Henné is written with an acute accent. In Italy, the term is often written with a grave accent, but to be precise, the ancient term "henna" became henné in Europe through the French language, thus retaining the acute accent on the "e" → é.

Originating in Western Asia and possibly also in Northern Greece, the walnut tree is a tree ranging from 10 to 25 meters tall, widely distributed and cultivated throughout Central and Southern Europe since antiquity. The fruit has a green mesocarp, the husk , and a woody endocarp, the shell . The name *Juglans regia* dates back to ancient Rome and is linked to the words Jupiter and Jovis, that is, to Jupiter, the father of the Gods, and his royalty over all other deities. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the fruit, due to its internal shape resembling a brain, gained great importance as a medicinal remedy among followers of the "Doctrine of Signatures". The walnut tree is also a plant traditionally used for dyeing, and the parts used for this purpose are the husk and the leaves. The dyeing power is due to juglone , which is found in varying proportions throughout the plant. Dyeing wool, silk, and cotton with the husk was able to give these fibers a very resistant color, but required a long and laborious process. The green husks were fermented in a small amount of water for up to a year, until a brown dye bath was obtained. Then, in the fermented, filtered, and appropriately diluted husk, the fibers were dyed for an hour at 80°C. In this way, various shades of brown could be obtained.
Applying a paste of walnut shell powder and warm water for about an hour gives wool a light brown color, while it only gives hair a slight tint . Mixing walnut shell powder with red henna and black henna powders leads to yellowish-brown colors, and repeated application over time leads to chestnut or brown/brunette shades depending on the base color and the percentage of gray hair present.

The genus *Indigofera *, belonging to the Fabaceae family, comprises about three hundred species, originating mainly from India, China, and the island of Java. The one most used for dyeing is * Indigofera tinctoria* L. The plant is often called indigo, from the Latin *indicum*, meaning Indian, clearly referring to its country of origin. However, the terms Indigo or Black Henna have become common usage. The use of indigo in dyeing natural fibers has ancient origins: our European Neolithic ancestors already knew this bluish dye. While in Egypt during the period of the pharaohs, the blue color was obtained from woad (*Isatis tinctoria*). This dyeing art then spread to Greece and Italy, where the Romans intensively cultivated * Isatis tinctoria* . It is interesting that the Greeks and Romans already knew that in the Far East there was a very powerful blue dye: *indicum* or *indikon*, also called Indian blue or indigo. The surprising thing, unknown at that time, is that the two dyes, indigo and woad, although obtained from different plants, allowed the same coloring principle to be obtained, indigo or indigotin . During the 17th century, with the introduction of *Indigofera*, the woad industry went into crisis because indigo proved to be more economically convenient.
Indigofera powder is widely used for hair coloring to achieve dark or brown shades . Using black henna on dark brown or brown hair gradually leads to eggplant-colored tones, resulting in a darkening and brightening effect on the entire head of hair. In the presence of a lot of white hair, it will tend to take on unpleasant green-blue highlights . To avoid the unpleasant green-bluish reflection , a double application is strongly recommended :

• a first application of red henna (for about 30 minutes), to ensure a pre-staining of the whites, directing them towards copper tones;
• a second subsequent application of black henna.

Chinese rhubarb, or *Rheum officinale* , originates from China and Tibet. It grows wild, but due to its widespread use, it is primarily cultivated. Its appearance is similar to that of our garden rhubarb, or *Rheum rhaponticum*, also originating from Central Asia. The rhizome of both species is used , and is harvested in spring or autumn from plants aged 6-10 years.
The leaves yield medium-resistant yellows, while the rhizome produces more or less dark oranges, which are lightfast and washfast. Rhubarb is the main source of yellow and orange dyes used to color fabrics and carpets in Tibet. The powder of the Chinese rhubarb root can also dye hair, giving blond and light brown hair intense golden highlights. Because its dyeing capabilities are considerable, it is advisable to use it in a mixture with other plants , even non-coloring ones, which can instead give softness and shine to the hair. The Chamomile Blend designed for light/blonde tones is obtained by adding chamomile, cassia obovata powders, and also a small amount of red henna to the rhubarb. It gives a natural shade to blonde hair and can lead to a more or less pronounced highlight on both dark blonde and light brown hair ; it is used on highlights or sun-kissed streaks that are now dull , obtaining excellent natural nuances and revitalizing golden tones.

The Latin name of this plant means "dyer's red" and immediately refers to its former use as a dye. It is a perennial, evergreen plant that can reach one meter in height and grows spontaneously throughout the East. The part used for dyeing is the root . Today, this plant is rarely used for dyeing, but its roots are still found in Eastern markets and are used as a material for handicrafts. The root of madder contains numerous pigments, the most important of which is alizarin . The resulting color is a rust red, the intensity of which depends on several factors: the concentration of the dye bath, the duration of immersion of the fiber to be colored, the age of the root, and its tannin content. The historically most famous reds are those that Eastern artisans obtained on cotton, called Turkey red and Indian red , whose secret lay in the long treatment to which the fabric was subjected before dyeing, to allow it to absorb the maximum amount of coloring agent. Madder, known since ancient times, has been found on linen bandages in the tombs of the Nile Valley, and is mentioned in Sumerian writings and the Bible. It was known and appreciated throughout the East, where India held the world monopoly for dyeing cotton with this plant until the 17th century. The use of madder root powder to color hair is little known, but the results obtainable can be exciting; especially if highlighting treatments are aimed at light brown, blonde, dark blonde hair, even with sun-bleached highlights that have lost their vibrancy. Its pink-apricot shade , when properly mixed with herbs with a yellow pigment and with the copper of henna, gives the aforementioned hairstyles nuances with "cognac" highlights .