does henna loosen curls?

[meesch]

i have been wanting to do henna for awhile because i am hoping it will help with my breakage issues but as im starting to read around about it, im seeing some comments that people liked it because it make their natural curls looser.

i had some heat damage a couple months ago and am just now getting my hair to spring back and coil up again. i dont need my curls any looser

i also know nothing about henna in general

 

[westNDNbeauty]

Henna does loosen curls sometimes, but it is not permanent.

This is a good thread to start from http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=335111

 

[NappyNelle]

Henna may loosen curls... you should do a test on harvested hair to see f your curl pattern changes.

For henna information in general, have you read through this thread? Tons of information and links to resources outside of the forum such as Henna for Hair.

 

[meesch]

thanks! i will look at these links. i am hoping it doesnt really loosen the curls because then i wont do it but people say baking soda loosens curls too and that has not been my experience with baking soda

 

[meesch]

ugh im scared of this stuff. it would be real funny if the product i use to stop breakage causes me to have more breakage

 

[fitnessmommy]

Henna did loosen my curls a bit. I didn't like that on top of the fact that henna is SO MESSY. What has helped me a lot and gives me the same results is Amla powder mixed with conditioner. Actually, I think I like it better and there is no mess.

 

[meesch]

^does amla powder have the dying component too?

 

[fitnessmommy]

@meesch - No. The box does say that it helps to keep your hair dark but my hair is jet black so that is a plus for me. It definitely does not dye my grays though.

 

[Ozma]

Amla will give hair a darker hue over time. Henna does loosen my curls smidge.

 

[chebaby]

henna does loosen curls. after a while your curls will spring back up though. henna builds up on the hair and thats why it loosens the hair. curly nikki's hair is loosend because at one point she was doing henna back to back.
same thing happened to me. i was doing henna every week and then 1x a month for a while. i noticed my curls were hanging longer. so i stopped doing henna and my curls went right back to normal.

 

[meesch]

hm. so if i use it like once a month it won't loosen? does it loosen the first time you use it?

 

[allmundjoi]

Henna loosened my curl. I keep my mix fairly simple. Read those henna threads. All I can say is DEEP CONDITION afterwards and make sure you rinse that henna out well, esp if you still use heat. I lurve it!

 

[MaraWithLove]

I honestly think it depends on the head, and maybe even the mix. My hair is very coarse and very thick; I've not experienced any curl loosening, only strength, color and volume. Btw, I henna quite often!

 

[meesch]

ive read about four threads so far and feel no more confident about not screwing myself up with henna mostly because there is no consensus on what type of deep conditioning to do afterward.

when y'all say it loosens yall curls how bad are we talking? i need all the benefits of henna (dye, thickness, strength) so im hoping to find a way to make this work

 

[allmundjoi]

ive read about four threads so far and feel no more confident about not screwing myself up with henna mostly because there is no consensus on what type of deep conditioning to do afterward.

when y'all say it loosens yall curls how bad are we talking? i need all the benefits of henna (dye, thickness, strength) so im hoping to find a way to make this work

I have 4ab hair. Loosening was more noticeable on 4a hair-very slight. What ever mix you use keep it simple, at least at first. I've been hennaing my hair for over 3 years and i am still simple. Lol. I think most folks agree w/DC with a product that does not contain protein in the DC. Some steam. Just rinse, rinse, and rinse some more with water to get henna out.

 

[MaraWithLove]

Well as far as the DC goes-anything moisturizing! You could even make your own with ingredients like avocado, honey, etc. There are plenty of recipes. But anyhow, something moisturizing should be used after henna. I like to apply something thick and creamy to my hair, put a bag on & a hat over that for at least a few hrs before rinsing out the DC. Also to avoid some of the dryness don't use lemon juice in the mix. Hot water is all you need to get a dye release.

Sent from my M860 using M860

 

[meesch]

ok im watching videos on youtube and am not seeing a lot of difference. this chick is 4b, shes definitely 4b after lol. i am going to try not to straighten my hair at all this year because i dont need my curls any looser. i am a 4a/3c blend but now my whole head is pretty much 3c or looser.

sn i hate watching videos on youtube. did you really need to spend 3 minutes showing me how you wrap saran wrap on your head

eta: hmmmmm so henna is different from indigo?

 

[Platinum]

I honestly think it depends on the head, and maybe even the mix. My hair is very coarse and very thick; I've not experienced any curl loosening, only strength, color and volume. Btw, I henna quite often!

Same here. I don't notice any curl loosening with Henna either.

 

[reeko43]

I used henna evey 6 weeks or so. Just used henna this weekend. I rinsed really well and deep conditioned as I normally would with something moisturizing. Curls looked loose while wet but were back to normal once dry. I am a mix of 3c, 4a and bit of 4b in the crown.

 

[leiah]

I have fine hair and a loose curl pattern -3A. Henna weighs down my hair and stretches it out a bit, but only for the first week or so after I apply it. the thick coated feeling goes away completely within 3 weeks. I only do it every 6 to 8 weeks. Monthly is too much for me

 

[melissa-bee]

I think it loosens curls for people with fine hair.
I didn't loosen my hair at all.

 

[MaraWithLove]

eta: hmmmmm so henna is different from indigo?

Definitely. Some people add indigo to their henna mix in order to get darker stains or more of a brown rather than red/copper tones.

 

[meesch]

Definitely. Some people add indigo to their henna mix in order to get darker stains or more of a brown rather than red/copper tones.

so if i wanted only black without red/copper should i note use the henna at all? and use only the indigo? will that give the same strengthening/thickening effects?

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

I don't see any difference before or after henna. I henna every 2-3 months.

 

[classoohfive]

It loosened my curls but they bounced back. I also don't do it very often so that may have something to do with it as well. I also add amla powder in my mix.

Henna did loosen my curls a bit. I didn't like that on top of the fact that henna is SO MESSY. What has helped me a lot and gives me the same results is Amla powder mixed with conditioner. Actually, I think I like it better and there is no mess.

Hmm... I may have to try this. I'd henna more often but it's so messy and time consuming that I plan to only do it after relaxer touch ups (about every 4 months for me).

 

[Ozma]

so if i wanted only black without red/copper should i note use the henna at all? and use only the indigo? will that give the same strengthening/thickening effects?

meesch, Indigo doesn't really work without henna. You can either mix henna and indigo together and apply or apply henna, rinse, then apply indigo. The henna makes indigo adhere to the strands.

 

[Nichelle_jb]

@meesch, Indigo doesn't really work without henna. You can either mix henna and indigo together and apply or apply henna, rinse, then apply indigo. The henna makes indigo adhere to the strands.

Since you are trying to dye your hair black you need to do the two step process mentioned above. Apply Henna, Rinse, Apply Indigo etc. The one step (mixing the two together and then applying) will give you a brown color.

Nichelle_jb