A New Henna Thread

[Aggie]

I ended up mixing my henna and indigo together by mistake. I wanted to use just the henna. Since I had already messed it up, I didn't let the tea cool, I just poured it in the mix and stirred it up. I covered it with plastic and let it sit overnight. I shampooed and put on the henna/indigo mix and let it sit for 1.5 hours.

I was surprised I got any coverage at all. But it worked OK. I'm just using this as a base for the Surya Brasil which I will use next week. I think it gives me deeper coverage when I have a henna base. I will see next week.

The bolded sounds like a great idea. Keep us posted @faithVA

 

[CoilyArielBrowe]

I'm going to do a henna touch up today focusing on the front of my hair. I'm still trying to find a balance between using henna for color and preventing it from loosening my curl. Hopefully by focusing on the areas where I want the color I can prevent the curl loosing that's occured over the past year. I might add alma later.

I'm trying a new blend from Nightblooming on etsy. It includes:
Henna (Lawsonia Inermis), Chamomile flowers (Matricaria recutita), Ginger Root (Zingiber officinale), Horsetail (Shavegrass, Equisetum arvense), Yellow Dock (Rumex crispus), Burdock Root (Arctium lappa), Marshmallow Root (Althaea officinalis), Aloe Leaf (Aloe Vera), Hibiscus Flowers (Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis), and Stinging Nettle Leaf (Urtica dioica)

I've been working towards getting better color payoff and I hope this mix helps. I also froze it beforehand for the first time!

 

[CarefreeinChicago]

I am putting a henna alma mixture on my hair today to cover these unruly grays.

 

[sweetiep]

Just went back to my henna/indigo after years of being away. I’m so glad I came back. I had Demi perm color thinning so I went back to semi perm but I have too much gray for that. I started prematurely graying at 17 and now probably 90% of my hair would be gray if I let it all hang out. I did the henna/indigo today and my hair turned out really soft.

 

[sweetiep]

What my roots normally look like and the color after my henna/indigo.

 

[sweetiep]

sorry, did a horrible job with the pics

 

[Aggie]

What my roots normally look like and the color after my henna/indigo.
View attachment 427314
View attachment 427316

No I can see enough of your color deposit @sweetiep. Nice!

Like you I have demi permanent thinning after about a year and a half of using it and now back to using henna and indigo full time for permanent hair coloring. I hate the process but the color is awesome. I just have to get used to applying the treatment every 2 weeks to maintain my dark brown to black hair color.

 

[sweetiep]

No I can see enough of your color deposit @sweetiep. Nice!

Like you I have demi permanent thinning after about a year and a half of using it and now back to using henna and indigo full time for permanent hair coloring. I hate the process but the color is awesome. I just have to get used to applying the treatment every 2 weeks to maintain my dark brown to black hair color.

Oh..so you’re doing every 2 weeks? How is that working out for you? I guess I’m gonna play it out to see how often I will do them. Right now I’m thinking once a month. Yeah, the process sucks but like you I’ve tried the others and this is the best way.

 

[Aggie]

Oh..so you’re doing every 2 weeks? How is that working out for you? I guess I’m gonna play it out to see how often I will do them. Right now I’m thinking once a month. Yeah, the process sucks but like you I’ve tried the others and this is the best way.

I have been doing them only once a month and wish to increase the frequency to every 2-3 weeks. I haven't started this new routine as yet by the way. My hair grows quickly, so I may have to increase how often I apply hendigo to my hair. Plus it helps to strengthen my hair as well so that's an added bonus.

 

[sweetiep]

@Aggie ok, gotcha.

 

[icsonia22]

I initially planned on doing a henna and indigo treatment but I washed the indigo out prematurely due to dryness. I used dulhan henna that I picked up from my local Indian store. I used hot water to get the dye to release quicker and I slept in the henna overnight using several shower caps. The henna stayed on my hair for about 8 hours. When I washed it out, my hair wasn't as dry as it normally was in the past. In previous mixes, I would use lemon juice for dye release but I chose not to go that route this time because the lemon juice can lighten henna's red tint on gray strands. Using hot water caused my gray strands to come out a darker shade of red and I love it!

The indigo on the other hand was a bust. I hated the consistency of it and it made my hair feel especially dry. I rinise it out immediately and I'm currently deep consitioning with tgin honey miracle mask.

 

[Aggie]

I ended up mixing my henna and indigo together by mistake. I wanted to use just the henna. Since I had already messed it up, I didn't let the tea cool, I just poured it in the mix and stirred it up. I covered it with plastic and let it sit overnight. I shampooed and put on the henna/indigo mix and let it sit for 1.5 hours.

I was surprised I got any coverage at all. But it worked OK. I'm just using this as a base for the Surya Brasil which I will use next week. I think it gives me deeper coverage when I have a henna base. I will see next week.

@faithVA

Did you ever try the bolded?And if so, how did it turn out?

 

[faithVA]

@faithVA

Did you ever try the bolded?And if so, how did it turn out?

Not exactly. I had intended on coloring that week but I waited 2 weeks and my roots grew out. So this past Friday, I applied henna. I must didn't let it release enough or sit on my hair long enough because my hair was bright red. I applied the Surya Brasil over it and most of my hair is brown but the gray parts are still red.

So I'm not sure how well it worked. I didn't use indigo at all.

I have to keep playing around with it. Next time I will just use the Surya Brasil alone and see if it darkens the red parts without doing another henna.

 

[Aggie]

Not exactly. I had intended on coloring that week but I waited 2 weeks and my roots grew out. So this past Friday, I applied henna. I must didn't let it release enough or sit on my hair long enough because my hair was bright red. I applied the Surya Brasil over it and most of my hair is brown but the gray parts are still red.

So I'm not sure how well it worked. I didn't use indigo at all.

I have to keep playing around with it. Next time I will just use the Surya Brasil alone and see if it darkens the red parts without doing another henna.

Okay thanks love. I was thinking about getting it and then I checked the reviews on Amazon and they were not too favorable. As a result, I declined getting any. I guess I'll have to stick with hendigo and Semi permanents for now.

 

[faithVA]

Okay thanks love. I was thinking about getting it and then I checked the reviews on Amazon and they were not too favorable. As a result, I declined getting any. I guess I'll have to stick with hendigo and Semi permanents for now.

I think you should try it. I love it. My hair is low porosity and everything else fails on my hair but this works wonderfully.

I was just trying to figure out what I am doing differently where sometimes my grays are really dark and sometimes they are not. But even with this inconsistency, this color works better for me than any semi permanent and definitely better than henna/indigo diid for me.

If you have a Vitamin Shoppe near you, you can get it on the ground.

 

[Aggie]

I think you should try it. I love it. My hair is low porosity and everything else fails on my hair but this works wonderfully.

I was just trying to figure out what I am doing differently where sometimes my grays are really dark and sometimes they are not. But even with this inconsistency, this color works better for me than any semi permanent and definitely better than henna/indigo diid for me.

If you have a Vitamin Shoppe near you, you can get it on the ground.

Unfortunately I don't live in the US and have to get it online if I do decide to try it. Thanks again.

 

[KinkyCoilyZoe]

Ladies, I hope you can help me. I have been covering graying natural hair for several years with henna and indigo. I do a hendigo step and then an extra step with just indigo. Then I rinse with conditioner and deep condition. I wait 2-3 days before using oil on my hair. However, after a day or so, the indigo seems to slide right off. On researching it, I find that some people use oils to remove indigo. I'd like to avoid going to a Demi-permanent color but I don't see how I can avoid it at this point. Does anyone know how I can get indigo to stick to the grays while avoiding perpetually dry hair ?

 

[Aggie]

Ladies, I hope you can help me. I have been covering graying natural hair for several years with henna and indigo. I do a hendigo step and then an extra step with just indigo. Then I rinse with conditioner and deep condition. I wait 2-3 days before using oil on my hair. However, after a day or so, the indigo seems to slide right off. On researching it, I find that some people use oils to remove indigo. I'd like to avoid going to a Demi-permanent color but I don't see how I can avoid it at this point. Does anyone know how I can get indigo to stick to the grays while avoiding perpetually dry hair ?

It's very difficult and the only way I make it happen is wear a wig during those first 3 days following an indigo treatment so I won't feel a need to style it with products that contain oil. The demi permanent coloring damaged my hair and caused some breakage so that's not an option for me right now.

 

[faithVA]

Ladies, I hope you can help me. I have been covering graying natural hair for several years with henna and indigo. I do a hendigo step and then an extra step with just indigo. Then I rinse with conditioner and deep condition. I wait 2-3 days before using oil on my hair. However, after a day or so, the indigo seems to slide right off. On researching it, I find that some people use oils to remove indigo. I'd like to avoid going to a Demi-permanent color but I don't see how I can avoid it at this point. Does anyone know how I can get indigo to stick to the grays while avoiding perpetually dry hair ?

If you have the surya brasil hair color in your area give it a try before returning to demi permanent. It is a semi permanent henna based color.

Indigo doesn't stick to my hair either.

 

[Aggie]

Ladies, I hope you can help me. I have been covering graying natural hair for several years with henna and indigo. I do a hendigo step and then an extra step with just indigo. Then I rinse with conditioner and deep condition. I wait 2-3 days before using oil on my hair. However, after a day or so, the indigo seems to slide right off. On researching it, I find that some people use oils to remove indigo. I'd like to avoid going to a Demi-permanent color but I don't see how I can avoid it at this point. Does anyone know how I can get indigo to stick to the grays while avoiding perpetually dry hair ?

I think I should add that after reading your post, I did some research and found a blog by one of old members and henna queen called Henna Sooq and she mentioned that you should only lightly condition the hair after a henna/indigo treatment.

Shampooing, deep conditioning and oiling is a no no and I realize that is why my hair was not holding on to the indigo as well. She mentioned that you should wait 2-3 days before deep conditioning/oiling. You can keep the hair moisturized with leave-in, etc.

I have indigo on my hair right now and will see what happens if I follow these instructions. I will be following up with an update after 2-3 days.

 

[Aggie]

Oh..so you’re doing every 2 weeks? How is that working out for you? I guess I’m gonna play it out to see how often I will do them. Right now I’m thinking once a month. Yeah, the process sucks but like you I’ve tried the others and this is the best way.

@sweetiep

I decided that I will do a 2 step hendigo treatment at the end of each month and a combined 1 step at the mid month mark. This way, it wouldn't feel like I'm losing my whole day twice a month. Ultimately I am still treating my hair with henna and indigo every 2 weeks.

 

[Aggie]

I think I should add that after reading your post, I did some research and found a blog by one of old members and henna queen called Henna Sooq and she mentioned that you should only lightly condition the hair after a henna/indigo treatment.

Shampooing, deep conditioning and oiling is a no no and I realize that is why my hair was not holding on to the indigo as well. She mentioned that you should wait 2-3 days before deep conditioning/oiling. You can keep the hair moisturized with leave-in, etc.

I have indigo on my hair right now and will see what happens if I follow these instructions. I will be following up with an update after 2-3 days.

Wow, my hair looks awesome tonight. I still have to wait 2 days for the final outcome but if it gets better than this, I will be super happy. This afternoon, I simply rinsed out the henna before adding the indigo - no conditioner.

After rinsing out the indigo, I used a combination of two thirds v05 Moisture Milks Island Coconut Conditioner and one third AVG, shook it up to blend well in the bottle and used that to cowash the indigo out.

It was the best hendigo rinse out I have ever used. My hair detangled like a breeze. Now I don't ever have to use my Naturelle Grow Rose Clay or any other expensive moisturizing conditioner to rinse out my henna and/or indigo anymore.

The henna and the indigo color deposited super well. I did something different this time - I did NOT use boiling water, I used warm to hot water only in both the henna and the indigo mixtures. I added 2 tablespoons of amla powder to my already mixed and dye-released henna just before putting it on my hair. I also added 1 tablespoon of kalpi tone but this one was for the scent only). I got this little tip from Hennasooq's website and it worked.

I forgot to add my aloe vera powder (for added moisture) to it but it still turned out so good. I am ever so happy. I thought that I would have had to mix my henna with coffee, but that wasn't even necessary to get a dark color deposit on my strands.

Tonight I sprayed my hair with some APB Refresher Spray to keep it moisturized and will do so again for the next 2 days while my hendigo color settles. Then I will be able to use my shea butter and heavier moisturizers.

 

[lavaflow99]

Got henna in my hair as we speak.

 

[ThursdayGirl]

What my roots normally look like and the color after my henna/indigo.
View attachment 427314
View attachment 427316

Your hair is really pretty! How did you do your color?

 

[Aggie]

I have enough henna in the fridge to do 2 one step hendigo treatments so I will use half of it this coming weekend with a mixture of henna and indigo for a few hours on either Saturday morning or apply it before heading to bed Friday night. The former seems more promising though. Trying to keep this thread bumped as my reminder.

 

[Rozlewis]

I will start my monthly Henna treatments at the end of this month. I think I will be using Henna one month and Cassia the next month.

 

[Aggie]

I have enough henna in the fridge to do 2 one step hendigo treatments so I will use half of it this coming weekend with a mixture of henna and indigo for a few hours on either Saturday morning or apply it before heading to bed Friday night. The former seems more promising though. Trying to keep this thread bumped as my reminder.

I did not hendigo my hair Friday nor Saturday. I actually have the treatment on my hair right now for a few hours this afternoon.

ETA:
It came out pretty good. My hairline is nice and dark, darker than I thought it would be so I'm pleased. Jamila Henna and Zenia Indigo are my go to henna and indigo favorites.

 

[Chicoro]

Wow, my hair looks awesome tonight. I still have to wait 2 days for the final outcome but if it gets better than this, I will be super happy. This afternoon, I simply rinsed out the henna before adding the indigo - no conditioner.

After rinsing out the indigo, I used a combination of two thirds v05 Moisture Milks Island Coconut Conditioner and one third AVG, shook it up to blend well in the bottle and used that to cowash the indigo out.

It was the best hendigo rinse out I have ever used. My hair detangled like a breeze. Now I don't ever have to use my Naturelle Grow Rose Clay or any other expensive moisturizing conditioner to rinse out my henna and/or indigo anymore.

The henna and the indigo color deposited super well. I did something different this time - I did NOT use boiling water, I used warm to hot water only in both the henna and the indigo mixtures. I added 2 tablespoons of amla powder to my already mixed and dye-released henna just before putting it on my hair. I also added 1 tablespoon of kalpi tone but this one was for the scent only). I got this little tip from Hennasooq's website and it worked.

I forgot to add my aloe vera powder (for added moisture) to it but it still turned out so good. I am ever so happy. I thought that I would have had to mix my henna with coffee, but that wasn't even necessary to get a dark color deposit on my strands.

Tonight I sprayed my hair with some APB Refresher Spray to keep it moisturized and will do so again for the next 2 days while my hendigo color settles. Then I will be able to use my shea butter and heavier moisturizers.

I added 2 tablespoons of amla powder to my already mixed and dye-released henna just before putting it on my hair.

What does the Amla do?

 

[Aggie]

I added 2 tablespoons of amla powder to my already mixed and dye-released henna just before putting it on my hair.

What does the Amla do?

Helps to darken the henna deposit. Plus it boosts hair growth and strengthen the hair shaft - a nice plus by the way.

 

[Chicoro]

Helps to darken the henna deposit. Plus it boosts hair growth and strengthen the hair shaft - a nice plus by the way.

Thank you! I'm in these henna threads trying to understand how and why henna thickens hair. The amla part was super intriguing, too since I am familiar with it.