Henna Glossing

[LaNecia]

I was surfing another site last night and stumbled upon some information about Henna Glossing. Here's the info taken from Fia's Tips over at Henna for Hair

Fia's Henna gloss - for minimal color change and deep conditioning
- 2-3 tablespoons henna powder
- Enough lemon/lime juice to mix a smooth paste
- Your favorite conditioner or plain, unsweetened yoghurt


Mix the henna powder with lemon/lime juice to a smooth paste and let this stand until you see dye release. Mix the henna paste with either your favorite conditioner or plain yoghurt. Apply to dry or damp hair and leave on for as long as you wish. Rinse as you'd rinse out a regular conditioner.

This one is easy to apply and rinse, as it's basically conditioner or yoghurt with just a hint of henna dye in it. It's good as either a color refresher in between regular henna applications or if you only wish to have a very subtle color change. It will give reddish hints on blonde and light brown hair. You may see some reddish highlights on medium brown, but probably not too much. On dark brown/black hair you'll only get the conditioning benefits from the conditioner/henna.

I have it a run last night. I used:

3 tbsp Henna Powder (For Color)
1 tbsp Amla Powder (For Shine/Gloss)
1/2 Cup ACV (Terp)
20 Drops Tea Tree Oil (Terp)
WARM Water (to get desired consistency) Using hot water can destroy the LAWSONE in the henna, the chemical responsible for the color.

I had some color release within 3 hours. I also sat the mixture on my computer monitor to act as a gentle heat source. I used my Rivas Silicon Mix as the conditioned. When mixed, this stuff looked like green horseradish. I applied it to dry hair and left on for 3 hours (I went to sleep).

When I rinsed it, it was soooooo easy!! But, after three hours, my hair felt a bit mushy so next time I'll use it with a different conditioner. As for the color, it's got some nice Auburn/reddness added but nowhere near as bright as it would have been if I had not used the conditioner to tone it down. I suppose if I wanted even less color I could have used more Amla, less Henna and less of the mix with the condition. The Henna Mixture (without the conditioner) was enough for two applications so I used half and put the other half in the freezer for next time.

I'll grab some photos later today and post.

Has anyone else tried this? This looks like a good alternative for those who want SOME henna color without the extreme deposit that comes from using straight henna.

Here's a list of things you can use to 'push' the color of your henna in a certain direction:

The basic hue will always be some form of red, but you can push this color slightly more towards brown, golden or even redder. You can also get black by mixing henna and indigo.

To get redder results

You can try one or several of these additions to your paste

- Ground cloves
- Cognac
- Grape juice (for a more bluish red)
- Beetroot powder or juice (for a more true red)
- Paprika powder

To get browner results
You can try one or several of these additions to your paste

- Strong black tea – gives brown to golden hues depending on the tea and your starting color
- Strong black coffee
- Ground coffee beans (mix with the henna powder before adding liquid)
- Walnut powder (possible allergen - test before using!)
- Red wine – brings final color towards chestnut

To get more golden results
You can try one or several of these additions to your paste

- Strong black tea – gives brown to golden hues depending on the tea and your starting color
- Chamomile tea
- Marigold infusion
- Rhubarb root (can give a very yellow end result - use with caution and I'd recommend a strand test before)
- Turmeric

VWV

 

[morehairplease]

VWVixxen thanks SO much for posting this! this is probably the dumbest question but can I use henna on my natural twa? I am really interested in its conditioning purposes.

tia sweetie,
tishee

 

[LaNecia]

Not a dumb question at all! Henna would be perfectly safe to use on your TWA. The only consideration you should have is it's potential coloring effects upon your hair and what you may need to mix with it to yield something close to a specific color you may want. That and it may loosen your curl pattern a bit (nothing drastic or permanent).

 

[Brownshugaz]

golden?! henna can make ur hair golden?

 

[LovelyLionessa]

Oooh, this henna glossing seems like the way I to go for me as I don't want to dramtically change the color of my hair, I just want to experience the conditioning benefits of henna with a subtle enhancement of my color. Thanks so much Vixxen!

 

[Proudpiscean]

Bumping for dlewis!!

 

[MonaRae]

I want to try Henna but I don't want the color. You said

Using hot water can destroy the LAWSONE in the henna, the chemical responsible for the color

So adding Hot water will give me what I want, right?

MonaRae

 

[pink_n_green_iz_me]

I'm going to be honest, I'm terrified of the Henna, only because I'm not very familiar with it and mixing different powders make me nervous.

 

[preciousjewel76]

I want to try Henna but I don't want the color. You said



So adding Hot water will give me what I want, right?

MonaRae

I was wondering the same thing!:scratchch

 

[preciousjewel76]

BUMPING - any more info on glossing from the henna heads? Would hot (as opposed to warm) water be better for those of us who want no dye release?

 

[RoseGolden]

BUMPING - any more info on glossing from the henna heads? Would hot (as opposed to warm) water be better for those of us who want no dye release?

I think for no color release (I want this too) it would be better for us to just mix it up and not let it sit so the dye doesn't even have a chance to release. The dye needs time to release. So, it doesn't necessecarily have to be hot water if used right away. Correct?

 

[dlewis]

Bumping for dlewis!!

Thank you so much.

 

[chiprecious]

Ladies I went to Whole Foods last night and they have alll shades of henna. Chestnut, Neutral, Black, Red, you name it!!! I think I paid $4.99 for 4ozs!!! I'm so excited.

There is no need to experiment with getting the exact right shade (i.e. too red, too dark, no release, etc.)

According to the instructions, all you do it add hot water and oil. THey also have instructions if you want it lighter (add conditioner) or darker (add coffee, etc.) I'm doing it over this long holiday weekend!!!

But still, make sure you do the strand test!!!

 

[divinefavor]

Ensure that the one you bought at WF is body art quality. I haven't used henna, but from reading the research, it is very important that the brand you have is pure and is body are quality. Check the ingredients before using it.

 

[LaNecia]

You're welcome priestess!!

From what I've read, using HOT water on henna destroys some of the properties...let me see if I can find the quote and I'll post it...

I would think if you used that method it would work but I've never tried it so I can't say it works, or not. erplexed

Henna glossing has been a great alternative for me when I want to highlight my color without the full mess of the henna application as well as time commitment.

Off to find that info on the hot water...brb!

ETA: This link mentions BOILING the henna, not just using hot water: Hope it helps!

 

[ajargon02]

http://hennaforhair.com
this is where all the info she is getting is at. Check out the site

Cassia Obovata
Cassia Obovata is often called "neutral henna". This will condition your hair without dyeing it.

Emblica Officinalis: Amla Powder
Amazing hair and skin conditioning!


Shipping
We ship every order within two business days. Want to know more?


I have ordered from them several times. They only offer BAQ (body art quality) so you can use it over your perm or box color!
[SIZE=+2]Body art quality Henna makes your hair shiny, healthy and strong![/SIZE]
Body art quality henna has more natural dye than hair quality henna: that's why store-bought boxes of pre-mix henna often give disappointing results. You safely use body art quality henna over synthetic hair dye, and you can dye and bleach over body art quality henna. If you use a pre-mixed compound henna with innacurately listed or unlisted ingredients... you could end up with frog butt green hair! Buy ONLY body art quality henna! I check all my henna under a microscope to make sure there is henna, and ONLY henna, at Mehandi.com!
Henna has safely colored and conditioned women's hair for at least 6,000 years. It does a lovely job!
Henna has tannin in it. These tannin molecules bind into keratin (hair) molecules and make the fibers physically stronger, like winding threads together to make a stronger string. After you henna hair, it is softer, stronger, tangles less, and the split ends disappear.

What will henna do to your hair? Will it be wonderful? Will it suck? Harvest hair from your hair brush and try some! Want samples of henna? I'll send you enough henna and other samples to test on your hair for $1. each! (how often do you get a chance to play with something fun and squishy and avert disaster for $1?)
all of the info in this post was from henna for hair.com! Check it out for yourself

 

[PaperClip]

Ladies I went to Whole Foods last night and they have alll shades of henna. Chestnut, Neutral, Black, Red, you name it!!! I think I paid $4.99 for 4ozs!!! I'm so excited.

There is no need to experiment with getting the exact right shade (i.e. too red, too dark, no release, etc.)

According to the instructions, all you do it add hot water and oil. THey also have instructions if you want it lighter (add conditioner) or darker (add coffee, etc.) I'm doing it over this long holiday weekend!!!

But still, make sure you do the strand test!!!

Curious that you said this. I got the Indigo (Black) henna from Whole Foods (I think it's called Light Mountain) awhile back but I just did it last night. I only mixed water in it, I didn't see in the directions to add oil. So far I think it was effective because when I did the strand test, I got some of it on my fingers and they got dark! I already have black hair so I'm not sure how much of a color difference will be noticed, but that's ok. I wanted the gloss/conditioning properties which is why I think I would want to do a clear henna (cassia?) next time.

I am curious to know about the quality of the henna... if what I used was a quality henna. I was a bit overwhelmed about all the mixing of the color and dye release that had been mentioned in other henna threads....

 

[LaNecia]

http://hennaforhair.com\
this is where all the info she is getting is at. Check out the site
[/COLOR]all of the info in this post was from henna for hair.com! Check it out for yourself

Yepper pepper, that's where I got it from, See the first post for the link to the glossing info! The rest is from the mixes pages and others that relate to coloring techniques.

There's another post some where that shows the information from the originator of the Henna Glossing Technique, I'm not sure where it is anymore though. I'll see if I can find it again and add a link for those that are interested.

 

[LaNecia]

Ok, I found it!!

Valentina's Original Henna Gloss Recipe:

Hello there, KT!

I’m happy to be able to help!


I have been preparing a paste for two “glosses” at the same time. The first time this happened by accident, when I was “inventing” the recipe, and didn’t know how much was needed. I used to use one 100g packet of henna powder per hennaing, mixed with water or marigold “tea”. Now I put about half of the packet in one paste. But since the conditioner made the paste so much bigger, half of it was left over and I put it in the fridge and used the next time I “glossed”. When it was still good after 6 or 7 weeks, I decided to do this the following time, too. I guess the combination of being in fridge and the preservatives in the conditioner kept it good.

So these amounts are for two glossings for my shoulder-length hair, but it might be just perfect for your very-much-longer hair…

I mix about 50grams of henna powder with 1 to 1,5 dl of boiling water to achieve a thick paste. Then, when it has cooled down a bit, I add the same amount of conditioner (1 to 1,5 dl). I've been using a basic, moisturing conditioner without silicones. This conditioner is a very light one, I’ve been using it because it’s unperfumed and cheap. I haven’t tried it as a conditioner, but I think it would be too light.

The ingredients are (just to give you an idea): Aqua, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Betaine, Lauryl Glucoside, Distearoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate, Panthenol, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Citric Acid. pH 4,0.


Oh, and last time I made my paste, I put there IN ADDITION about 25ml of Redken All Soft Treatment (I had a small sample size tube that I couldn’t use up otherwise because of the fragrange.) That worked out pretty well, so I might raise the amount of conditioner the next time I do this or add 25ml of another “richer” conditioner.

I think I also used more of the regular conditioner last time, because I remember using about 1dl the first time and a bit more the second time… Also, more paste was left for the next glossing this time. On that I base my saying that I use about 1/5 of the 100ml. (Maybe I will the next time make enough paste for 5 glossings… I’m not sure that would work, though, because it would have to sit in the fridge for six months, or more…)

I apply the paste to dry hair; it’s easier to see that way where it goes. NB: I do wash my hair almost everyday, and I never apply the paste in greasy hair, so my hair is usually washed a few hours (10 hours at most) before this. Also, I take care not to use any styling products that day.

Before applying, I protect my ends with a protein conditioner (Redken Extreme this far…) because I don’t want them to get much redder. This part would of course be different for you, because, you’d want the protein treatment for your ends and you wouldn’t have to worry about colour pigments…

I let my paste on for about an hour on my roots and then spread it to the length, for 15 - 30minutes. The latter time has been shortened: at one point it was an hour, then I figured I’d get more even results if I leave it on for less time… This has all been experimenting…

When I wash the henna paste away from my hair, I first rinse very well, then I "wash" my hair a couple of times with conditioner (this really helps to emulsify away the loose henna bits) – that is, the more emollient-rich the conditioner is, the better. Then I shampoo and condition as usual.

When I hennaed “properly”, my hair used to be a bit dry after the treatment, so I deep conditioned. Now I just use normal conditioner (usually my favourite, Redken Extreme).

Also, when I still “hennaed”, the colour was at first much more intensive than it would ultimately be. It would fade down considerably in the first few days/washes. Now there seems to be less difference, as a much smaller amount of pigments are stuck in my hair.

HTH, and if you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
Valentina

Hope that helps with any glossing questions!

VWV