They can be obtained cheaply online. Making an effective dye with them is a very tricky, time-consuming, and involved process....they can't be used like henna or indigo, you have to essentially make a concentrate from them. Most of the recipes posted online simply don't work. There is a method that will work posted on the Henna for Hair forum:
http://www.hennaforhair.com/forum .....search for a thread called "post your walnut success methods here" Other posts by the same lady (Sue) have additional info.
There are also allergy and possible toxicity issues, although they of course pale in comparison to the issues with PPD.
It's the hulls aka husks you want; the shells (ie. the hard wrinkled beige nut-coverings) do nothing. The hulls aren't edible and you'll never find them in groceries. When you see walnut trees growing, their fruits are almost tennis-ball sized and green...they turn dark-brown after ripening and falling. Then the hull rots away and the much smaller nut in it's shell is left.
I've gathered them in the woods, but I've also bought the hull powder here:
http://www.hebalcom.com ...look for black walnut hulls, under bulk herbs. If you want to try a smaller quantity, you can get 4 oz. here:
http://www.herbco.com ....but their shipping scale is such that you probably wouldn't want to order there, unless there were a number of other things you wanted to get with them.
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