A New Henna Thread

[jazzybklyn]

jazzybklyn I don't want to confuse you, either. But my 1st henna treatment was water and Jamila henna. I let it sit to release the color and my outcome was bright red hair. I'm natural with fine, medium density hair, 4C/Z texture.

I've been hennaing for two yrs and found out:

1) You don't have to wait for the henna to release its color to receive the benefits of henna. I mix my henna and immediately apply it. I sit under the steamer from 1 to 1.5 hrs. Rinse out and DC.

2) I immediately apply it and not let it sit so that I don't get bright red hair. To retain the dark brown color of my hair, I add either black walnut hull powder, Katam or natural cocoa powder to every henna mix because depending on the henna I use, I will get bright-red hair from the dye being quickly released.

You don't have to have blonde or a lighter colored hair to get bright red hair! My natural hair color is dark brown. AND I HATE RED HAIR ON ME!

Hmmmmmmmm (shaking in boots) omg well I kinda want change but I don't want it to be so drastic. I may actually like it but I don't knowwwww. I'll just try it and see how it works out. Thank you so much. What do you mix the henna with now that has given you the best results?

 

[Shadiyah]

Hey, I want to henna for the 1st time but some of the threads and post are kinda scary. I just bought jamila henna and some amla oil idk if I will/ should use amla oil in henna. I am relaxed is jamila too harsh? should I exchange it??

I also want to know exactly how red does it make your hair? My hair is very dark brown almost black. I don't mine a redish tint in the sun but i don't want to be looking like carrot top thanks

jazzybklyn welcome to the henna world lol.

I have found that if you use nupur you will get the darker look but I have never seen anyone with dark hair get red hair just the over glow when you are in the sun of burgundy.

I really think you will enjoy the henna and if you don't care about the color just apply it after you mix it.

Just go to http://www.mehandi.com/shop/hennahairbook/index.html and read the free book on henna. It will give you a lot of information without everyone elses scary stories.

 

[Pompous Blue]

Hmmmmmmmm (shaking in boots) omg well I kinda want change but I don't want it to be so drastic. I may actually like it but I don't knowwwww. I'll just try it and see how it works out. Thank you so much. What do you mix the henna with now that has given you the best results?

]@jazzybklyn In 2 years, I've tried lots of experimentation and mixes. My mix now includes henna, black walnut hull powder, ayurvedic tea, marshmallow root tea (and coconut milk 'cause I'm trying to use it up!)

I have found that if you use nupur you will get the darker look but I have never seen anyone with dark hair get red hair just the over glow when you are in the sun of burgundy.

It happened to me.....Had to walk around two weeks with red hair 'til I could get some katam. Now I use either of the 3 (katam, black walnut hull powder or cocoa powder in my mix). My DH and Sis-In-Law have naturally, jet black hair and they never get any red (whether in natural light or sunlight).



But I love henna 'cause it has thickened and strengthened my hair. I don't do protein treatments, either. My hair hates protein. Henna and ayurvedic teas are a good substitute for me.

 

[jazzybklyn]

]@jazzybklyn In 2 years, I've tried lots of experimentation and mixes. My mix now includes henna, black walnut hull powder, ayurvedic tea, marshmallow root tea (and coconut milk 'cause I'm trying to use it up!)

It happened to me.....Had to walk around two weeks with red hair 'til I could get some katam. Now I use either of the 3 (katam, black walnut hull powder or cocoa powder in my mix). My DH and Sis-In-Law have naturally, jet black hair and they never get any red (whether in natural light or sunlight).

But I love henna 'cause it has thickened and strengthened my hair. I don't do protein treatments, either. My hair hates protein. Henna and ayurvedic teas are a good substitute for me.

Ok that's too much that I don't have lol. Thank youuu I may add the other powders and teas later on down the line

 

[jazzybklyn]

jazzybklyn welcome to the henna world lol.

I have found that if you use nupur you will get the darker look but I have never seen anyone with dark hair get red hair just the over glow when you are in the sun of burgundy.

I really think you will enjoy the henna and if you don't care about the color just apply it after you mix it.

Just go to http://www.mehandi.com/shop/hennahairbook/index.html and read the free book on henna. It will give you a lot of information without everyone elses scary stories.

Thank you soo much. Very helpful

 

[Aggie]

Thank youu I hope so! I'll post before/after

You will NOT get bright carrot red hair on dark brown hair from henna hun. Your hair might glow a little red in sunlight, but it will NOT, I repeat, it will NOT get bright CARROT RED.

I have dark brown hair and I allow my henna to release the dye at least 8-10 hours all the time AND I leave henna in my hair overnight but I NEVER get bright CARROT RED hair afterwards. I actually love the red tint/stain it leaves on my strands, but it is never bright red. It just looks like a pretty shiny healthy reddish glow.

Bright carrot red hair is a gross looking color on me and I would never use henna if it left my hair carrot red. I wouldn't care how natural it is.

 

[jazzybklyn]

You will NOT get bright carrot red hair on dark brown hair from henna hun. Your hair might glow a little red in sunlight, but it will NOT, I repeat, it will NOT get bright CARROT RED.

I have dark brown hair and I allow my henna to release the dye at least 8-10 hours all the time AND I leave henna in my hair overnight but I NEVER get bright CARROT RED hair afterwards. I actually love the red tint/stain it leaves on my strands, but it is never bright red. It just looks like a pretty shiny healthy reddish glow.

Bright carrot red hair is a gross looking color on me and I would never use henna if it left my hair carrot red. I wouldn't care how natural it is.

Thanks! That would be cute

 

[IronButterfly]

Hey, I want to henna for the 1st time but some of the threads and post are kinda scary. I just bought jamila henna and some amla oil idk if I will/ should use amla oil in henna. I am relaxed is jamila too harsh? should I exchange it??

I also want to know exactly how red does it make your hair? My hair is very dark brown almost black. I don't mine a redish tint in the sun but i don't want to be looking like carrot top thanks

You can always do a strand test using a small batch of henna mix. Everyone's hair is different, so doing a strand test using your own hair will give you the most accurate results.

I've been using henna for over 5 years and only my grey strands turned bright red. My dark brown hair had nice red highlights you could see in the sun.

You could also try a henndigo (one step henna + indigo). I recently did that and my dark hair is a rich dark chocolate (not quite black) and the grays are a wonderful dark burgundy. hth Good luck to you on your journey.

 

[Aggie]

You can always do a strand test using a small batch of henna mix. Everyone's hair is different, so doing a strand test using your own hair will give you the most accurate results.

I've been using henna for over 5 years and only my grey strands turned bright red. My dark brown hair had nice red highlights you could see in the sun.

You could also try a henndigo (one step henna + indigo). I recently did that and my dark hair is a rich dark chocolate (not quite black) and the grays are a wonderful dark burgundy. hth Good luck to you on your journey.

I concur with the bolded.

 

[jazzybklyn]

You can always do a strand test using a small batch of henna mix. Everyone's hair is different, so doing a strand test using your own hair will give you the most accurate results.

I've been using henna for over 5 years and only my grey strands turned bright red. My dark brown hair had nice red highlights you could see in the sun.

You could also try a henndigo (one step henna + indigo). I recently did that and my dark hair is a rich dark chocolate (not quite black) and the grays are a wonderful dark burgundy. hth Good luck to you on your journey.

thank youu i noticed the talk about the indigo but i do kind of want the red tint but not RED HAIR. I will test a patch though and see because i want the color but not too much of it. very subtle.

 

[Renewed1]

So I ordered from ayurnatural:

Nupur and Henna.

I read the Nupur may turn your grays a little coppery/orange. My question is: Should I mix the henna with the Nupur to AVOID the coppery look?

 

[MsLauren]

I heard so many things about henna but I'm so afraid to use it. My hair is already a 3B/C and I'm afraid it will loosen the curl pattern. I'm also afraid of the intense red color but my hair is black so it shouldn't be too bad right? I heard that adding amla powder to your henna mix can stop the loosening of the curl pattern and also darken the reddish color. And I also heard that doing henna glosses instead of a full blown henna application can also help with not losing the curl pattern.
Any suggestions???? And also can anyone tell me what brand of henna and amla powder you use?

 

[SkySurfer]

Doing a henna treatment right now! It's been about half a year since my last one :O

 

[Nubenap22]

Did my henna last night!! Currently deep conditioning!! Then I might twist it up later

 

[DarkJoy]

Gonna see if I can make time on mothers day for my next henna treatment. Will do a home self-spa day. I loooooove this stuff!

 

[newnyer]

Hey ladies! Been a LONG time since my last henna but going to try something new tonight. I have some Nupur and mixed in amla oil & water. Will put in some indigo powder directly in the mix. I want darker hair now (has the reddish tint to it currently) but not jet black...so we'll see!

 

[greenandchic]

Hey ladies! Been a LONG time since my last henna but going to try something new tonight. I have some Nupur and mixed in amla oil & water. Will put in some indigo powder directly in the mix. I want darker hair now (has the reddish tint to it currently) but not jet black...so we'll see!

The indigo works better if you let it release separately before adding it to the henna mix. At least that's been my experience with it. My hair was dark brown.

 

[laurend085]

I'm still reading through this thread and researching to find out what route I want to take. I've been looking at following these two methods if I decide to Henna

http://www.curlynikki.com/2010/05/curlynikkis-henna-gloss-recipe.html

http://hairscapades.com/2012/03/12/my-two-step-henna-indigo-process/

My questions/concerns

-I don't want the red from the henna that's why I would do the Henndigo

-Do I apply the henna, rinse and get the red color then add the indigo and my hair will turn dark again?

-What is the gloss?

-I really don't want red hair right now want to keep it dark

-if I add lighter highlights later will I have issues?

 

[newnyer]

Double post!

 

[newnyer]

The indigo works better if you let it release separately before adding it to the henna mix. At least that's been my experience with it. My hair was dark brown.

I wish I had read this before I did it! Lol. It came out darker than my previously henna'd hair...but not that much. I'll try again in a couple of weeks the way you suggest...I want it a tad bit darker. Thanks for the help!

 

[DarkJoy]

I'm still reading through this thread and researching to find out what route I want to take. I've been looking at following these two methods if I decide to Henna

http://www.curlynikki.com/2010/05/curlynikkis-henna-gloss-recipe.html

http://hairscapades.com/2012/03/12/my-two-step-henna-indigo-process/

My questions/concerns

-I don't want the red from the henna that's why I would do the Henndigo

-Do I apply the henna, rinse and get the red color then add the indigo and my hair will turn dark again?

-What is the gloss?

-I really don't want red hair right now want to keep it dark

-if I add lighter highlights later will I have issues?

*waves to @laurend!

I haven't done henndigo, but I do henna 1 to 2x perr month. I do believe it is a two-step process--henna first, indigo second, et voila! Done.

BTW, The henna stain does not turn your hair red if your hair is already dark brown to black. It would be more akin to a cellophane, where you could maaaaybe see it in the sun on a bright day at noon. If you have greys, yes, it will show.

It will not interefere with any other chemical process. Henna is chemical-free (if you get the real pure powder which is just ground up plant leaves), so isn't contraindicated with use of other processes. However, because you mix it with an acid base, like lemon, tea, or other citrus, it can be drying, so a moisturizing DC immediately after rinsing is a must. And of course, if you were to highlight using a peroxide base dye, then your hair could be uber dry after if not given enough moisture time.
On the flipside, I've never had drying issues and my hair is brittle by nature...

The gloss--looks like she is just diluting the henna with a DC to get some of the strengthing and shining properties of henna without so much dye release. However, you can use amla or cassia powders for a similar effect. THey have similar hair thickening and glossing properties as henna but without the dye. They don't leave any color behind. They are also mixed with a DC before application, just as she did in her example.

HTH

 

[greenandchic]

DarkJoy
laurend

Also amla can help tighten your curls a little. People use it in their henna treatments to counteract the potential curl loosening effect of henna.

 

[laurend085]

*waves to @laurend!

I haven't done henndigo, but I do henna 1 to 2x perr month. I do believe it is a two-step process--henna first, indigo second, et voila! Done.

BTW, The henna stain does not turn your hair red if your hair is already dark brown to black. It would be more akin to a cellophane, where you could maaaaybe see it in the sun on a bright day at noon. If you have greys, yes, it will show.

It will not interefere with any other chemical process. Henna is chemical-free (if you get the real pure powder which is just ground up plant leaves), so isn't contraindicated with use of other processes. However, because you mix it with an acid base, like lemon, tea, or other citrus, it can be drying, so a moisturizing DC immediately after rinsing is a must. And of course, if you were to highlight using a peroxide base dye, then your hair could be uber dry after if not given enough moisture time.
On the flipside, I've never had drying issues and my hair is brittle by nature...

The gloss--looks like she is just diluting the henna with a DC to get some of the strengthing and shining properties of henna without so much dye release. However, you can use amla or cassia powders for a similar effect. THey have similar hair thickening and glossing properties as henna but without the dye. They don't leave any color behind. They are also mixed with a DC before application, just as she did in her example.

HTH

DarkJoy wow, thank you for the info! I guess I was misinformed/assumed your hair would automatically turn bright red. I'm still in the process of researching. My hair is naturally black it seems to have a hint or glow of brown in the sunlight but I think that's just the sun making it appear that way. I did try cassia obovata last month due to not wanting a color change. I only used water to mix it with. My hair was soft after but I didn't notice anything else like extra shine but I know with these patterns it takes repeated use to see a difference.
It's so confusing because I hear some people say that with henna they get anywhere from a reddish tint to a golden brown to jet black

 

[laurend085]

DarkJoy
laurend

Also amla can help tighten your curls a little. People use it in their henna treatments to counteract the potential curl loosening effect of henna.

greenandchic How often does the loosening effect happen because some say they get none while others say they did.

 

[DarkJoy]

In the sunlight, my hair looks like it has a tint of super deep copper and I've used henna maybe 6 times or so since March. In regular indoor light, it doesn't look any diff, besides the few greys that look bright copper. But I like that. If someone started blond then added henna? It would be a striking red.

The pic in my siggy shows my hair shine after my first use of henna after a twist out. My type 4b-c is usually pretty dull, so it adds a lot of sheen. The amla worked too. BTW, using weave color numbering, my original hair color is a "1b". So it didnt make much diff as you can see there.

I just started doing amla.My curl pattern = no curl pattern. It's like a cotton ball in its natural state. So neither the henna nor amla did anything to my coils that I noticed. To get any type of 'curl pattern' I have to use a 'out' style (braid out, twist out, etc). Maybe a type 3 or 2 would notice a diff, though.

*shrugs* that's just my experience.

 

[DarkJoy]

@DarkJoy
@laurend

Also amla can help tighten your curls a little. People use it in their henna treatments to counteract the potential curl loosening effect of henna.

I would love this. Would be nice to drop my coils down to an actual curl pattern. But so far, no dice...

 

[laurend085]

In the sunlight, my hair looks like it has a tint of super deep copper and I've used henna maybe 6 times or so since March. In regular indoor light, it doesn't look any diff, besides the few greys that look bright copper. But I like that. If someone started blond then added henna? It would be a striking red.

The pic in my siggy shows my hair shine after my first use of henna after a twist out. My type 4b-c is usually pretty dull, so it adds a lot of sheen. The amla worked too. BTW, using weave color numbering, my original hair color is a "1b". So it didnt make much diff as you can see there.

I just started doing amla.My curl pattern = no curl pattern. It's like a cotton ball in its natural state. So neither the henna nor amla did anything to my coils that I noticed. To get any type of 'curl pattern' I have to use a 'out' style (braid out, twist out, etc). Maybe a type 3 or 2 would notice a diff, though.

*shrugs* that's just my experience.

DarkJoy Weave wise my hair color would be 1b as well. The majority of my hair has pen spring size curls the nape is really tight, the front is some weird looser texture (I can always put less product here and it holds more water if that makes sense) and the sides seem like they have no pattern. So whether the mix loosened or tightened my hair could be good, bad or neither since my hair has different textures.

 

[felic1]

MarriageMaterial...I used Jamila and Napur Henna. It gave the coppery orange because I have a lot of gray. I afterwards used Indigo and water.. approximately 9 oz dry(3 bathroom cups for shoulder length) I added approximately 1/2 to 1 tsp of sea salt and water. For the first application with Jamila and Napur I took a nap for about 4 hours. It was late. I woke up rinsed and applied the Indigo and took another nap. I had an old towel over a pillow, 2 plastic caps. I sleep with a fan in my room also. I rinsed out with Tresseme Natural conditioner and come clean shampoo-KCKT brand and then proceeded with the rest of my spa conditioner and other hair care. It came out quite black and lovely. No change to texture or loosening of curl pattern. It was beautiful.

 

[greenandchic]

@greenandchic How often does the loosening effect happen because some say they get none while others say they did.

@laurend085
@DarkJoy

It really depends. I won't happen to everyone, but its hard to know who's at more of a risk. I heard if you hair is 3c and looser there's a higher chance your curl pattern can loosen. Then again, CurlyNikki's 4a hair loosened after doing henna on a very regular basis. She talks about it in the link.

 

[laurend]

Wrong Laurend guys LOL but I also henna my hair.
greenandchic
DarkJoy