Do ya'll henna?

[LaNecia]

Hi Vixxen,

I do not want black hair - my natural color is a dark reddish brown (peppered with grey these days!). I'm going for, a nice dark red or dark brown so I decided the 2 step process (henna, then indigo) was definately not for me. Everything I've read suggest that the indigo mixed into the henna and then applied in a 1 step process darkens the henna and tones down the red to a mahogany/dark brown/dark red . . .

Best of luck! If you can post pics, please do after you're done. It'll be nice to see your color! My hair looks aurburn in the light but when y ou look 'through' my hair is A VERY RICH REDDISH BROWN.

 

[Neroli]

Best of luck! If you can post pics, please do after you're done. It'll be nice to see your color! My hair looks aurburn in the light but when y ou look 'through' my hair is A VERY RICH REDDISH BROWN.

You hair is da BOMB and you and Sareca are inspirations for experimenting with henna! Truly beautifuly color . . .

 

[misspriss]

OK I just ordered samples of the henna, alma powder, and cloves

http://www.mehandi.com/shop/hairsamples/
(BTW they cost $1/sample-to pay for shipping)

I plan on testing it out on a piece of my hair-I'll let yall know how it goes and how generous the sample is. I may become a convert-we'll see!

 

[sareca]

Hi Sareca,

Girl, I've got so many old towels that I'm not even gonna worry about that! Shoot, now I can really put them to use since they been taking up space in my linen closet 'cuz I'm such a pack-rat and don't want to let go of stuff! However, this proves that holding on to stuff can pay off now after all these years, I have a real NEED for beat up old towels! LOL . . .

My cousin is like that. She calls 'em "car towels" but she uses the drive-thru carwash. I'm like "you got a lotta car towels for somebody that don't wash their car."

 

[sareca]

You hair is da BOMB and you and Sareca are inspirations for experimenting with henna! Truly beautifuly color . . .

Awww, gone way from here...

 

[chocolatesis]

How long after a temp color or rinse should you wait to do your first henna color treatment?
Same for relaxers?

Bumping for responses.

 

[sareca]

Bumping for responses.

You really don't have to wait after a relaxer (except the 2 days the relaxer requires) and I don't think you need to wait after temp/permanent dye. I wouldn't wait, but I would strand test and use good quality henna. I still recommend hennaforhair.com despite their recent shipping issues (which I think are resolved).

 

[chocolatesis]

You really don't have to wait after a relaxer (except the 2 days the relaxer requires) and I don't think you need to wait after temp/permanent dye. I wouldn't wait, but I would strand test and use good quality henna. I still recommend hennaforhair.com despite their recent shipping issues (which I think are resolved).

Thanks so much for responding Sareca. That's good to know. I really want to use it to dye my hair black, and I like the fact that it's not damaging.

 

[Neroli]

Hi Ladies!

I recently got my henna from mehandi and it's sooooo much better than the one I bought in the store. Please, please do not use Rainbow. I used it and my hair got really hard and no amount of protein or moisture would get it back to the way it was. The henna from mehandi left my hair very soft and even relaxed the curl a little. I mixed it 50/50 with indigo to get a dark brown and it turned out great. I'm so glad I listened to you all, especially Sareca and VWVixen. You ladies are the best.

BKB

Hi Bombshell: I just noticed your post that you mixed 50/50 henna and indigo. I just order henna and indigo from mehandi too and intend to do the same 50/50 mix when my order arrives -- can you please share your mixture and application process:

-what else did you mix with the henna/indigo?
-how long did you let the henna "develop"?
-how long did you let the indigo "develop?
-when did you mix the two together? how long after that before you applied to hair?
-did you wash your hair first or applied to dry hair?
-how long did you leave the mix on your hair? did you apply heat or just covered with plastic?
-what color did you end up with?
-would you do the mix different next time or was the 50/50 just right color for you?
-did you co-wash or 'poo after rinsing out the mixture? what products did you use?
-are you relaxed or natural? if relaxed, how long post-relaxer?
-anything else you think might be helpful?

I know, lots of questions. TIA for your input!

Regards,
Neroli

 

[sareca]

Thanks so much for responding Sareca. That's good to know. I really want to use it to dye my hair black, and I like the fact that it's not damaging.

It made my hair shiny and strong without being hard. Very different from my last dye experience. Remember, a lot of people use henna as solely a deep conditioner. I've never heard of anyone having damage unless they used some bad (old, inferior, or both) henna. Get it from one of the sources the ladies here recommend and I think you'll be pleased. Be sure you take pics before taking the plunge and don't forget to strand test (w/ hair from your comb or brush).

 

[ravenmerlita]

You really don't have to wait after a relaxer (except the 2 days the relaxer requires) and I don't think you need to wait after temp/permanent dye. I wouldn't wait, but I would strand test and use good quality henna. I still recommend hennaforhair.com despite their recent shipping issues (which I think are resolved).

I henna'd 24 hours after texturizing my hair w/affirm lye. I did do a strand test first. I was very careful in researching "pure" henna and read that it should not have a bad reaction with previously chemically treated hair but that a strand test is always recommended.

 

[BK Bombshell]

I'd be glad to help!

Can you please share your mixture and application process:

-what else did you mix with the henna/indigo? Just enough lemon juice to make a yogurt-like paste. I mixed the henna first and left it for a day and then 5 minutes before I colored my hair, I mixed the indigo with warm water. Then I mixed both together.

-how long did you let the henna "develop"? About 14 hours

-how long did you let the indigo "develop? About 5-10 minutes

-when did you mix the two together? As soon as the indigo was the right consistency.

how long after that before you applied to hair? As soon as the henna and indigo were both mixed.

-did you wash your hair first or applied to dry hair? I washed my hair with clarifying shampoo because of buildup. After it airdried, I put in the henna /indigo mix.

-how long did you leave the mix on your hair? did you apply heat or just covered with plastic? I left the mix on for 2-1/2 hours with a plastic cap and electric heating cap.

-what color did you end up with? Dark brown almost black. It's the same as my natural hair color. I used this mixture mostly to cover the gray hairs that turned a reddish color when I colored last time with just henna. I'm very happy with it.

-would you do the mix different next time or was the 50/50 just right color for you? It was perfect. I'll need to do it again to get the greys the same color as the rest of my hair. Right now, you can barely see them, they're just slightly reddish.

-did you co-wash or 'poo after rinsing out the mixture? what products did you use? I used water for about 10 minutes just trying to get the henna out. Then I used Garnier Fructis to get more of the leftover pieces of henna out. Finally, I used a mixture of Aubrey GPB and White Camelia conditioners with some coconut oil, put on a plastic cap and slept with the mixture in overnight. My hair was soooo soft the next day.

-are you relaxed or natural? if relaxed, how long post-relaxer? Natural, and it feels much stronger. It's not breaking like when I used the cheap henna. Also, I have fine hair and after doing the henna, it feels thicker.

-anything else you think might be helpful? My best advice would be to always use the body quality henna from mehandi.com or wherever you can get it. It's a million times better than any storebought henna I've ever used. I hope it works as well for you as it did for me. Surya wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. Rainbow made my hair hard and it was breaking off like crazy. This new henna restored the softness and relaxed the curl a little. I'm glad you weren't being cheap like me. I had to learn the hard way.

HTH. When you get your products, there's a handout with a lot of info in it. I ended up calling mehandi.com a couple of times with questions and she was very polite and helpful. I hope I was clear, but if I wasn't, please let me know. Good luck!

BKB

 

[Neroli]

I'd be glad to help!



HTH. When you get your products, there's a handout with a lot of info in it. I ended up calling mehandi.com a couple of times with questions and she was very polite and helpful. I hope I was clear, but if I wasn't, please let me know. Good luck!

BKB

Bombshell, you're da bomb! LOL. Your answers were complete and very clear. Thank you for taking the time and I will keep ya'll updated . . .

Regards,
Neroli

 

[Neroli]

I'm totally in LOVE with my hair! I am 4b and 8 weeks post relaxer (4 more weeks to go to touch-up) and I just hennaed my hair tonight and I am stunned and amazed that henna is not more readily used by relaxed heads -- it does not do any damage to the hair as commercial dyes do because henna does not penetrate the cortex, but rather deposit color on top of the hair and is permanent. It is awesome. I feel so blessed . . .

Here's what I did:

1. ordered 100g henna and 100g indigo from www.mehandi.com
2. conducted 2 harvest tests yesterday (1) henna only and (2) 50/50 henna/indigo mix
3. LOVED the rich dark red of the henna only test and decided not to use indigo at all
4. this morning, I mixed up all 100g of henna with 1/2 ACV and half distilled water. I microwave the distilled water and mixed up with ACV so that the solution was "warm" rather than hot and added enough ACV to the henna powder to form a soft paste in bowl and covered bowl with plastic wrap and then foil
5. let henna sit for 10 hours
6. applied henna paste to dry hair, making sure entire head completely covered/saturated with the henna - I used up all 100g! (I washed my hair 2 days ago using keracare hydrating followed by humecto followed by nexxus headdress and jojoba/castor oil seal and put in a bun until today so hair was clean, moisturized and detangled)
7. cover hair with plastic cap and towel for 3 hours - no heat, just hung out around the house doing other stuff
8. rinse hair thoroughly in kitchen sink by putting the drain stop in, then using lukewarm to cool water, rinsing paste out under faucet until sink fills up. Drain water, then repeat by putting stop in, and rinsing again. This really allowed me to SEE when the henna was totally removed when the sink water was clear without a trace of color
9. apply keracare humecto and detangle.
10. rinse throughly
11. apply nexxus headdress followed by jojoba/castor oil to seal and comb gently so that hair hangs loose.
12. that's where I am now, waiting for hair to dry, probably another hour or so, but I'm in love with my color.

My grey hairs are now a rich golden red and the rest of my hair is a deep dark reddish brown! Ohhhh la la oohhhhh la la . . .

And this his just hours afterwards, so I'm anticipating that the color will darken during the next few days as the henna "oxides" and should be even more subtle . . .

Okay, yall can tell I'm loving this . . . thank you all of you for your ideas, tips and suggestions . . .

Regards,
Neroli

 

[BrownBetty]

Do you all stand test every time you henna?

 

[LaNecia]

Do you all stand test every time you henna?

Nope! I think if I were using a different henna I would but I always use the same brand.

 

[LaNecia]

Neroli!! Congratulations! You are a super student! Sounds like it turned out perfectly! Your process sounds on point! I'm very glad it worked for you!

Henna is da bomb!! I won't be without it ever again. I started using Henna and other Indian products after I stumbled across Leia's Journal.

She and ClassyEbonyGirl helped changed the life of my hair!!

 

[Neroli]

Neroli!! Congratulations! You are a super student! Sounds like it turned out perfectly! Your process sounds on point! I'm very glad it worked for you!

Henna is da bomb!! I won't be without it ever again. I started using Henna and other Indian products after I stumbled across Leia's Journal.

She and ClassyEbonyGirl helped changed the life of my hair!!

It worked, it works! This morning, my hair is "glowing" with red tones in the morning light. LOL! I am a convert and will be visiting indian stores from now on to check out stuff for hair.

Right now, I'm all over the web looking for amla oil. I don't want dubar because from what I'm understanding the amla berries are soaked in oil (any kind of oil, sesame, coconut, mineral, etc.) in order to make amla oil, so I'm looking for brands that use coconut, sesame, or some more "hair friendly" oil and actually found a few online made with coconut and sesame, so now, decisions, decisions . . . .

Girl, this henna experience is gonna turn me into an "indian" PJ -- I've never used indian stuff before and have really never been a PJ 'cause I love nexxus before LHCF and I really really love nexxus after LHCF when I understood how to use the various products so even as a newbie, I tried a few things but basically stuck with nexxus premium line. Now, I'm about to storm the web and local stores for indian hair ideas and products.

Thanks for the link to Leia's page, she's got some good stuff there for a novice to indian hair care. . .

Regards,
Neroli

 

[LaNecia]

Another forum has a thread that's a sticky of Henna Articles. I highly recommend it if you have any henna questions.

 

[madamdot]

It worked, it works! This morning, my hair is "glowing" with red tones in the morning light. LOL! I am a convert and will be visiting indian stores from now on to check out stuff for hair.

Right now, I'm all over the web looking for amla oil. I don't want dubar because from what I'm understanding the amla berries are soaked in oil (any kind of oil, sesame, coconut, mineral, etc.) in order to make amla oil, so I'm looking for brands that use coconut, sesame, or some more "hair friendly" oil and actually found a few online made with coconut and sesame, so now, decisions, decisions . . . .

Girl, this henna experience is gonna turn me into an "indian" PJ -- I've never used indian stuff before and have really never been a PJ 'cause I love nexxus before LHCF and I really really love nexxus after LHCF when I understood how to use the various products so even as a newbie, I tried a few things but basically stuck with nexxus premium line. Now, I'm about to storm the web and local stores for indian hair ideas and products.

Thanks for the link to Leia's page, she's got some good stuff there for a novice to indian hair care. . .

Regards,
Neroli

Wow, am so glad it came out well. I love henna too - thanks to Vixen and Sareca for journaling and sharing their experiences. I've done it twice and I am 10 weeks post and it loosened my new growth. I was thinking about it this morning as I looked in the mirror . . . all the little rollies at my hair line are waves now. Also, I have fine hair but the henna makes them nice and plump.

I want to do a deeper red but I think I will wait until after my relaxer.

 

[HoneyDew]

I know this may have been discussed on this thread, but there are SO MANY posts.

What is this business about henna not being good for relaxed hair? I have heard that so many times even before this thread started.

I see people are doing strand tests, but what are the effects. Sorry if this is a repeat question.

 

[Neroli]

I know this may have been discussed on this thread, but there are SO MANY posts.

What is this business about henna not being good for relaxed hair? I have heard that so many times even before this thread started.

I see people are doing strand tests, but what are the effects. Sorry if this is a repeat question.

As you can imagine, it has been discussed ad nausem on this thread and this one from a couple of year ago http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=4201 -- I just henna my 4b relaxed hair last night (I'm 8 weeks post) and I am astonished at how great my hair looks and feels, and the awesome awesome color! The key for relaxed or any other kind of chemically treated hair is to use "body art quality" henna to avoid problems. The other reason I think henna is actually better for relaxed hair that want to color and/or cover grey is henna adds permanent color without damage so if relaxed heads can avoid the "double whammy" damage that comes with relaxers AND chemical dyes -- both break down protein bonds in the hair in order to penetrate -- both cause damage to the outer layers of the hair shaft.

Henna, however does not break down protein bonds and does not penetrate the hair, but rather "coats" the hair with color and film (maybe the resin from the paste?) that actually makes hair STRONGER.

My hair feels awesome this morning and my 8 weeks post new growth is substantially "debulked" and not to mention my gorgeous "red glow" . . .

I'm a research junkie and I read and read and read and I suspect that henna is the answer for SAFELY covering my greys as well as replacing "protein treatments" from now on. I will continue to monitor my hair and post any adverse reactions going forward but if day 1 is anything to go by, it's da BOMB and there are numerous relaxed ladies on this site and others that succesfully henna . . .

If you're even thinking about, I suggest you read this thread and the much longer one in the link above. It's worth it!

Regards,
Neroli (4b relaxed & hennaed!)

 

[etapassilem]

i want to dye my hair blonde with the henna , my hair is light brown what do i need to mix or do to get my hair blonde????

 

[sareca]

i want to dye my hair blonde with the henna , my hair is light brown what do i need to mix or do to get my hair blonde????

Sorry, henna doesn't lighten hair. It can only make hair dark red or black. The resultings color depends on your current hair color, what you mix it with, how long you leave it on, and how often you repeat the treatment.

 

[BrownBetty]

How often do you all Henna? I did my first application about 2 -3 weeks ago.

 

[Neroli]

How often do you all Henna? I did my first application about 2 -3 weeks ago.

I just did my last night and I'm in love. 'm gonna wait and see how long it takes my new growth grey hairs to become noticeable before I do another. The general consensus seems to be from once a month up to every 3 months depending - it looks to be a very individual thing (like most things!)

Regards,
Neroli (4b, relaxed & hennaed!)

 

[etapassilem]

Sorry, henna doesn't lighten hair. It can only make hair dark red or black. The resultings color depends on your current hair color, what you mix it with, how long you leave it on, and how often you repeat the treatment.

I saw on on that website that you buy the henna , where people dyed there hair blonde.

 

[Neroli]

I saw on on that website that you buy the henna , where people dyed there hair blonde.

Not Sareca, but which website and how did they do that using henna?

I think if they dyed blonde then they use some substance other than or mixed with the henna. Pure NATURAL henna cannot dye hair blonde, it can only color hair shades of red, depending on your natural hair color.

 

[LaNecia]

Henna, however does not break down protein bonds and does not penetrate the hair, but rather "coats" the hair with color and film (maybe the resin from the paste?) that actually makes hair STRONGER.

, When Lawsone migrates from the henna paste into your hair, it saturates the cuticle and binds with the keratin molecules. Lawsone molecules makes the keratin strands stronger, and more resistant to dessication.

The longer you leave moist henna paste on your hair, the more Lawsone will migrate into your hair and saturate the cuticle.

For information HOW it colors the hair check here.

Frequency of use: I used to do my henna treatments once a week, but only left on for an hour, it was more for conditioning than color. Now it's once every two or three weeks, again, more for conditioning than color.

 

[Neroli]

Vixxen, that is the same place I understood that henna does not break down the hair's protein bonds, as relaxers, perms and chemical dyes do, in order to penetrate into the cortex or inner layer of the hair. These chemicals must CHANGE the hair stucture by breaking down protein bonds in order to penetrate into the hairs inner layer (cortex).

Henna does not enter the cortex, but rather coats the cuticle or outer layer of the hair and actually BINDS with the hair protein or keratin (rather than destroy it!) and thus not only deposits color in the cuticle but REPAIRS the cuticle or surface/outer layer of the hair when it binds with the surface proteins, giving it strength. The diagram shows how the cortex or very inner layer remains untouched by the henna and only the cuticle is affected.

Thus, henna does not have to change (damage!) the hairs internal structure in order to color it, but rather acts on the outer surface layers (cuticle) so no damage and indeed colors and adds strength to the cuticle.

Am I getting this wrong?

Regards,
Neroli (4b, relaxed & hennaed!)