Dye Your Hair with Nutella

Among dessert spreads, Nutella is incredibly popular. It’s so well-liked that, according to the Nutella website, enough jars of the spread are made annually to round the globe 1.8 times. This delicious treat has appeared on restaurant menus worldwide and is a mainstay in many homes, as evidenced by Nutella-inspired drinks and ice cream. Nutella is unquestionably delicious, but many believe it is healthy because it includes hazelnuts. In this post, we will talk about how to dye your hair with Nutella.

While Nutella does contain some nutritious hazelnuts, the large amounts of sugar and palm oil make it more of an occasional treat than a health food. Just two tablespoons contain 21 grams of sugar, exceeding the American Heart Association’s recommended daily limit for added sugars.

What is Nutella?

Although Nutella contains cocoa powder, it is not chocolate and does not contain chocolate. Instead, it is a cocoa or chocolate-flavored spreadable dessert. In its early years, starting in 1946, Nutella was much less creamy. It was shaped like a soft loaf of bread called “Giandujot,” named after a famous carnival mask, Gianduja, which represents the joy of Piedmont’s northern area.

The original loaf resembled a nut-filled panettone, an Italian Christmas bread, in shape and texture. Pietro Ferrero, the founder of the Ferrero company, created this early version, which still produces Nutella today. Ferrero first experimented with the hazelnut mixture during World War II, when cocoa was scarce in war-torn Italy.

From Loaf to Spread: The Evolution of Gianduja to Nutella

It was butter-like in consistency and needed to be cut with a knife to be consumed. Cacao beans have long been a relatively pricey ingredient. Gianduja was created in northern Italy around the beginning of the 19th century. It was difficult to make chocolate then because cacao was getting increasingly expensive and harder to obtain in Italy.

Hazelnuts grew more readily (and were considerably less expensive) than cacao beans, so they were crushed into a mixture, leading to the creation of Gianduja. Gianduja is a chocolate that combines ground hazelnuts with sugar and cocoa beans.

The high-fat content of hazelnuts allowed chocolatiers to extend scarce cocoa butter supplies. When blended into a smooth paste with sugar and cocoa solids, hazelnuts replicated the melt-in-your-mouth texture that was a signature of luxury chocolates at the time.

Although hazelnuts have traditionally been used to make Gianduja, modern chocolate makers also employ other nuts, including cashews, almonds, and even pine nuts. The earliest glass jar of a brand-new hazelnut and chocolate cream was made available under Nutella. A few decades later, they improved the composition, making it creamier and softer. Compared to earlier chocolate loaves, it was much simpler to spread and enjoy right away.

What Steps Are Involved in Making Nutella?

Creating Nutella involves steps similar to those used to make chocolate spread. The main ingredients include sugar, hazelnuts, modified palm oil, whey powder, cocoa powder, skim milk powder, soy lecithin, and vanillin. First, the cocoa powder is extracted from the cocoa bean.

To achieve Nutella’s signature flavor and texture, finely grind roasted hazelnuts into a smooth butter. Next, mix in sugar, cocoa solids, milk proteins, and emulsifying agents. Finally, refine the blend through a series of rollers until it reaches an irresistibly glossy and spreadable consistency.

Is There an Egg in Nutella?

Typically, it’s made using soy or eggs. It is vegan because it is manufactured from soybeans. However, skim milk powder, made by quickly boiling and drying cow’s milk to eliminate liquids and turn it into a powder, is what is included in Nutella. Because of this component, Nutella is not vegan.

Does It Work as A Hair Dye or Conditioner?

Theoretically, Nutella could work as a hair dye or conditioner. Palm oil, found in Nutella, also appears in products like detergents, shampoos, soaps, and lipsticks. It acts as a moisturizer and cleaning agent in shampoos. Due to its ability to replenish healthy hair oils, palm oil is used in some deep conditioners. Nutella also contains cocoa, which people have used as a temporary hair colorant or enhancer instead of chemical dyes.

Although the individual ingredients might benefit your hair to some extent, applying Nutella directly to your hair is not advisable. The high sugar content could promote mold and bacteria growth, potentially leading to infections. Additionally, using cocoa powder or other food items to dye hair rarely yields reliable results.

How did The Trend Begin?

In a hair salon in the United Arab Emirates, a Nutella and condensed milk mixture was used to dye hair chestnut brown. Both the blogger and the salon shared the process on Instagram. Huda Kattan, an Emirati beauty blogger, modeled the salon’s innovative treatment.

In the video, hairdresser Abed Allahitani adds several dollops of Nutella to the hair, then sprinkles condensed milk on top. Although this may sound unappealing and potentially harmful, it makes some sense. After all, if it’s safe to consume, it might not be too harmful to use on your hair, especially compared to the chemicals in traditional hair coloring products.

Despite being edible, Nutella poses risks like gumminess and bacterial growth when applied to the hair. Any noticeable coloring likely comes from applying multiple thick layers of dark brown paste to the hair. The results are evident. After spending time wrapped in foils, Kattan’s hair turned a rich, dull brown. Allahitani, who had previously used the mixture on another woman with similar results, takes pride in this unconventional method.

How to make Nutella for hair?

In order to ensure that the recipe turns out just right, make sure to include at least 3/4 cup of Nutella, as the online video doesn’t provide precise measurements or instructions.

Step 1

Place Nutella in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat it for twenty seconds to make it mushy and melty. Next, add roughly three tablespoons of condensed milk and mix well. For added benefit, include a spoonful of coconut oil. Coconut oil serves as an excellent hair and skin conditioner and helps thin out the Nutella mixture. As it cools, the mixture will thicken and may need reheating several times for easier application.

Keep in mind that heating Nutella makes it stickier and harder to wash out later. Any conditioning effect would come from the oils, not from Nutella itself. Therefore, save your jar of Nutella for spreading on toast or fruit, rather than using it for hair treatments.

Step 2

When applying the mixture, start by sectioning the hair as you would typically do for a color treatment. Using a coloring brush, ensure to carefully apply the mixture to cover every strand of hair thoroughly, from the roots all the way to the tips. This ensures even distribution and complete coverage.

Step 3

After combining the ingredients, allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for approximately 40 minutes. During this time, you may notice that the consistency changes, thickening and gaining weight. Despite the transformation, the mixture emits a delightful fragrance that sets it apart from a standard conditioning mask or hair color.

Step 4

Rinse. Then, repeat the rinse. The combination is difficult to rinse off. It takes a lot of washes to get it out of the hair. Despite having a pleasant chocolate scent straight from the container, Nutella may not affect the color of your hair. A simple cocoa-yogurt concoction would likely work better as a natural brown hue enhancer than Nutella.

The concoction works okay as a deep hair mask or conditioner. The result will be soft, lustrous, and delicious-smelling hair. However, several all-natural combinations are far neater and likely deep conditioning just as well, if not better. You can effectively condition the hair with just coconut oil. In the end, Nutella is more appropriate for spreading on bread than on hair.

Tips Before Performing the Task on Your Own

Exercise caution when using Nutella as a hair treatment at home. The mixture can be messy and sticky, making it time-consuming to rinse out. Additionally, Nutella’s weight may not be suitable for all hair types, particularly thin or delicate hair.

Using Nutella as a hair treatment might seem like a fun and harmless novelty on the internet. However, it is wise to consult a professional before trying anything that could damage your hair. If you are unsure, it is better to reserve Nutella for its intended use. Enjoy it with sliced bread or fruit, where it is traditionally appreciated.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while Nutella is undeniably a beloved treat, its use as a hair dye or conditioner is less practical. Although the spread’s ingredients, such as cocoa and palm oil, are often used in hair care products, Nutella’s high sugar content poses risks like mold and bacterial growth.

The novelty of using Nutella for hair treatments, driven by social media trends, shows its potential as a deep conditioner. However, it fails to work effectively as a hair dye. The sticky texture and difficult removal make Nutella more trouble than it’s worth. For reliable hair care, stick with proven products or natural oils. Reserve Nutella for its intended role as a delicious spread.