Henna + Tex-Laxed Hair = Disaster!!!

[Thiends]

My hair is waist-length, 4a/b with medium strands all around, except for a coarse patch in the middle, and fine strands at the sides and back.

After asking advice here and doing my research, I hennaed my hair a month ago using body art quality henna from mehandi.com, and I have been suffering ever since. Despite multiple deep conditions with various products, my hair is stiff and breaking, and I am just beside myself. The last 8" were already weak and I was minding my own business, slowly growing them out, until henna came along. Now, those fragile 8" are breaking massively. This has never happened to me before because I have my regimen in a choke hold and have been at this hair game for a long time.

I am probably going to have to get a hair cut to remove those 8" before they break off completely. That will not, however, solve the problem of severe stiffness that is affecting the rest of my hair. It is not dryness; my hair feels smooth, not dry. It is stiffness. Any time I touch it, even when it is soft and freshly moisturized, it breaks. There is no 'give', which is a classic sign of using too much protein, except this all happened from one henna treatment.

Learn from me: Leave that **** alone!

Edit: Find my update here.

 

[SimJam]

oh wow, sry hear. My hair loves henna.

I know some vets will come in to give u some advice. I cant think of anything else other than an overnight moisture DC.

 

[NEWYORK20004]

Have you tried acv rinses, to bring your ph down. What kind of deep conditoner are you using.

 

[Sherae]

Have you tried acv rinses, to bring your ph down. What kind of deep conditoner are you using.

Good idea. Also, try shampooing with a sulfate poo or a clarifying wash with something like Aloe Rid. You may not have gotten all of the Henna out of your hair. I know my hair does not feel right when I just do a cowash after Henna. I will usually wash it out with a sulfate shampoo, do a DC and my hair feels great after.

 

[Thiends]

ACV rinses, overnight deep conditioning, oil rinsing, yogurt...believe me, ladies, I know all the tricks and have tried them. I am very sure that I have gotten all the henna out. It has been one month of washes and deep conditioning since the henna treatment. I just have to hope this crap wears off some time this millennium. I will start with cutting off the 8", instead of slowly growing them out, and then I will use protective styles to avoid manipulating my hair.

Lesson: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I got to waist length without using all this gimmicky ****, but I just had to jump on one friggin' bandwagon. I am pissed.

 

[NJoy]

Wow. So sorry you're going thru this. My texlaxed hair loves henna. What did you put in your mix? And what was the cause of your 8" of weak hair to start with?

 

[Noir]

What brand of henna did you use? What did you mix into the henna and how did you apply it (ie. smooth it on, massage it etc)? How long did you leave it on for?

 

[Guitarhero]

My hair is waist-length, 4a/b with medium strands all around, except for a coarse patch in the middle, and fine strands at the sides and back.

After asking advice here and doing my research, I hennaed my hair a month ago using body art quality henna from mehandi.com, and I have been suffering ever since. Despite multiple deep conditions with various products, my hair is stiff and breaking, and I am just beside myself. The last 8" were already weak and I was minding my own business, slowly growing them out, until henna came along. Now, those fragile 8" are breaking massively. This has never happened to me before because I have my regimen in a choke hold and have been at this hair game for a long time.

I am probably going to have to get a hair cut to remove those 8" before they break off completely. That will not, however, solve the problem of severe stiffness that is affecting the rest of my hair. It is not dryness; my hair feels smooth, not dry. It is stiffness. Any time I touch it, even when it is soft and freshly moisturized, it breaks. There is no 'give', which is a classic sign of using too much protein, except this all happened from one henna treatment.

Learn from me: Leave that **** alone!

What did you mix your henna with? Which brand did you use and how long did you put it on your hair? I'd advise henna + water only...maybe a tsp. of oil. People are putting eggs, yogourt, lemon, vinegar, protein conditioner etc. in their mixes and I think it's too much. Coffee and tea and henna mixes with hibiscus/shikakai etc. aren't bad but all that other stuff is too much, IMHO. If you put shikakai in it yourself, asking for trouble. Have to have bringraj to counteract. Just henna and water and 1-2 hours then rinse. Do not shampoo either. Henna has to settle in. Plus, they are keeping it in overnight and well past 4 hours. I don't even think you need that much. And you have to use a watery conditioner or oil to loosen up the henna before you start rinsing out for curly hair.

What I'd suggest, don't cut yet. Get some Pantene hair mask. I know they changed the bottles but it was the one in the little white jar with blue/purple on it. It's an excellent moisturizer. It will make the hair supple and stop breaking. Trust me on this. If you can't get the mask, get the Restorative for dry hair. No protein!!! So sorry you went through this. Henna is actually a very good conditioner of the hair but you truly have to be careful how you put it in and take it out. Plus, you need to know what was in your brand. Which was it, btw???

 

[Tiye]

My hair is waist-length, 4a/b with medium strands all around, except for a coarse patch in the middle, and fine strands at the sides and back.

After asking advice here and doing my research, I hennaed my hair a month ago using body art quality henna from mehandi.com, and I have been suffering ever since. Despite multiple deep conditions with various products, my hair is stiff and breaking, and I am just beside myself. The last 8" were already weak and I was minding my own business, slowly growing them out, until henna came along. Now, those fragile 8" are breaking massively. This has never happened to me before because I have my regimen in a choke hold and have been at this hair game for a long time.

I am probably going to have to get a hair cut to remove those 8" before they break off completely. That will not, however, solve the problem of severe stiffness that is affecting the rest of my hair. It is not dryness; my hair feels smooth, not dry. It is stiffness. Any time I touch it, even when it is soft and freshly moisturized, it breaks. There is no 'give', which is a classic sign of using too much protein, except this all happened from one henna treatment.

Learn from me: Leave that **** alone!

Others on lhcf have already stated that henna has a protein like effect. When people experience protein hardness they usually counteract it easily with a moisturizing dc. So do that and you should be able to save your ends if henna was the only issue. Henna's not a gimmick its been used for many thousands of years. But I agree it's not helpful to be on too many bandwagons. I read interesting things here all the time but only tend to get around to trying out a very small percentage of them. Most ppl don't have the time to condition their hair 50-11 ways and if what you're doing works then there's no need to try and fix it by over complicating things.

 

[FebeeSigns]

You're sure you "got the henna out"? Henna doesn't come out. The deposit is left within the hair strand. Mehandi tells you it is a permanent thing. According to a lot of other hair boards henna acts as a protein. I'm not sure how true that is. But Protein in our hair is structural protein, keratin is a structural protein for nails and hair and it offers support only, functional proteins actually do something. If henna is indeed acting like a protein it simple offers hair cuticle support.Relaxers break down the bonds in the hair that hold the protein keratin together. And if it acts like a protein all I can say is moisture moisture moisture until you find a balance. Henna is not supposed to mess with hair ph itself but you must add an acidifier to Henna for good dye release so that could have messed your hair up as well. Did you mix it with yogurt? lemon juice? tea? regular ole water? Whatever you mixed your henna with can be a reason. WHAT BRAND your henna is is another. Mehandi has many brands, not all of them are all that good. Make sure you have a brand that does not contain any metals or your hair will be breaking off really badl.

ALSO, you should not be doing protein treatments all that often if you henna. Some people can get away with it but I don't find it wise lol. Especially if it's a hard protein treatment like aphogee. Aphogee + Henna = Omg.

 

[Thiends]

You're sure you "got the henna out"? Henna doesn't come out. The deposit is left within the hair strand.

Yes, I am well aware of this. I mean "got it out" as in rinsed thoroughly so that there is no residue.

To answer questions asked:

• I mixed it with enough green tea to make a yogurt-like paste and then a tablespoon of vinegar to further decrease the pH.

• I did no more smoothing than necessary to apply it to my hair.

• I used the brand sold at mehandi.com, which is marketed as body art quality.

• I have deep conditioned with heat many times using coconut oil, aubrey honey suckle rose, giovanni smooth as silk, and various combinations of those three ingredients. I will try the Pantene Hair Mask that Volver Alma Gitana suggested, and hopefully, that will help (Thanks, Volver.).

 

[FebeeSigns]

Green tea is already acidic enough for the henna. Tablespoon of vinegar is way too acidic to be put on the hair. You Overdosed on acidity. quality. I hope you have good luck with that deep conditioning with pantene. May I suggest deep conditioning and then putting on a leave in conditioner that is without protein, and PH Balanced? Making sure the ph range is between 4.3-5.5, which is close to your hair's natural pH and makes a world of difference?

 

[Thiends]

Green tea is already acidic enough for the henna. Tablespoon of vinegar is way too acidic to be put on the hair. You Overdosed on acidity.

I have difficulty believing that all of my troubles stemmed from this. The pH of green tea itself is actually not that acidic, and the tablespoon of green tea was added to 500grams of henna. Even if the mix was too acidic, it seems odd and speaks poorly of henna that a little acid would have caused a month's (and counting) worth of trouble. I guess those of you who like henna should keep using it, but others who have not yet tried it might want to consider my experience.

May I suggest deep conditioning and then putting on a leave in conditioner that is without protein, and PH Balanced? Making sure the ph range is between 4.3-5.5, which is close to your hair's natural pH and makes a world of difference?

I have already done this. I have been using a leave-in and all of my products are pH-balanced. I really hate to sound like a know-it-all, but I have been at this hair thing for many, many years now.

 

[Fhrizzball]

Maybe try some more moisture rich deep conditioners? Do you dc with heat? Perhaps try a steam treatment if possible.

 

[Thiends]

Maybe try some more moisture rich deep conditioners? Do you dc with heat? Perhaps try a steam treatment if possible.

This is intriguing, but can this be done without buying a steam machine, hood dryer, or some other appliance? I would really hate to make a major purchase only to find it does not help.

 

[lalla]

l am very sorry this happened to you.
I don't see what you did wrong when you used the henna except maybe a strand test.



Motions moisture Plus works very well to soften my hair after a henna treatment. Have you tried baggying or DC overnight/ with heat or steam? Does your feel like it has gotten too many protein treatments?

I have used the very same henna with excellent results.

 

[PJaye]

I've been considering adding henna to my routine for some time; however, after reading of your experience with it, I think I will discard the idea and continue with the semi-permanent color rinses.

Although I don't have any substantive advice or information to offer, I did want to extend my support and sympathy for all that you are going through. I also wanted to thank you for sharing your cautionary tale so that others may learn and benefit from your experiences.

You're going to get through this set back, Sis...just breathe.

 

[Day36]

Hey, I dont know much about henna other than it is a bit more than a moderate protein. But, what i do know is when I used a green tea butter on my hair, I got an adverse effect that i would liken to protein overload. Although you may know the ph make up, etc of products, doesnt necessarily mean that it will react as you expect it to in your hair. I am not protein sensitive (my hair is a moderate protein lover), and that sucker gave me bad dryness; i used it to help seal for about a week before i realized something wasnt right.

Also, coconut oil helps to keep the protein in one's hair, so you werent necessarily putting moisture back in. The same with giovanni smooth as silk. On some ppl's hair, it reacts like a light protein condish.

All in all, I think you should do something that just ooooozes moisture. No protein at all. Try the pantene and perhaps a honey mixed with evoo/avocado oil and a vo5 moisture milk...something along those lines. hope your hair rebounds sooner than later.

 

[Thiends]

Also, coconut oil helps to keep the protein in one's hair, so you werent necessarily putting moisture back in. The same with giovanni smooth as silk. On some ppl's hair, it reacts like a light protein condish.

Good points. Both products make my hair really soft, but they haven't stopped the breakage.

All in all, I think you should do something that just ooooozes moisture. No protein at all. Try the pantene and perhaps a honey mixed with evoo/avocado oil and a vo5 moisture milk...something along those lines. hope your hair rebounds sooner than later.

Thanks for the suggestion and well wishes.

 

[Day36]

Good points. Both products make my hair really soft, but they haven't stopped the breakage.
Thanks for the suggestion and well wishes.

np. i know that i would keel over if my hair started acting the fool with me. keep the thread updated. you better git to the store, and get you a moisturizing condish and some evoo or something!

 

[Chevelure618]

I'm sorry, I have been toying with the idea of trying it, but what happened to you is what I was afraid of. I used it once about 20 years ago and it dried my hair terribly. I don't know if it was body art quality or not.

OK. As I understand it, henna has the ability to penetrate deep into the hair strand which is what gives it strength. Only problem is, with you, your hair was already in pretty good condition except the last 8 inches which probably were just more dry as opposed to damaged. If you can't touch it, I'd say it just needs constant moisture. I'd carry around with me a mist bottle of a good spray moisturizer, but make sure it has NO protein in it. A lot of these sprays have protein which you don't need. I use Ultra Black Hair Dew Spray Moisturizer which I love, but I've tried Nexxus Botanical spray moisturizer which comes out in a very fine mist and I liked it very much. Keep you hair moist at all times and maybe up in a very loose french roll. I wouldn't cut 8 inches. Cut one half-inch every month to maintain the length, but gradually cut away the damage. I think people need to do more strand tests. Just because henna is natural.....DOES NOT MAKE IT SAFE!

Good luck, I'm sure it'll stop breaking.

M

 

[Thiends]

OK. As I understand it, henna has the ability to penetrate deep into the hair strand which is what gives it strength. Only problem is, with you, your hair was already in pretty good condition except the last 8 inches which probably were just more dry as opposed to damaged.

I think that might have been the problem. My hair did not need the help.

If you can't touch it, I'd say it just needs constant moisture. I'd carry around with me a mist bottle of a good spray moisturizer, but make sure it has NO protein in it. A lot of these sprays have protein which you don't need. I use Ultra Black Hair Dew Spray Moisturizer which I love, but I've tried Nexxus Botanical spray moisturizer which comes out in a very fine mist and I liked it very much. Keep you hair moist at all times and maybe up in a very loose french roll.

Thank you for the recommendations.

I wouldn't cut 8 inches. Cut one half-inch every month to maintain the length, but gradually cut away the damage.

I am afraid that at this rate, the damage will travel up the shaft and result in more than 8" of hair that needs to go. It seems better to just cut my losses, no pun intended, lol, than to hold on to these breaking ends and risk my entire head of hair.

I think people need to do more strand tests.

I agree, but a strand test would not have warned me. My hair feels smooth, soft, and strong, so a strand test would have seemed promising. The problem that set in--breakage even when my hair is soft and seemingly healthy--required time and manipulation of my head of hair to become apparent. It is really surreal for hair that feels as good as mine does to break like this.

Just because henna is natural.....DOES NOT MAKE IT SAFE!

You can say that again! Natural does not mean safe, and tread lightly if all is going well. If it ain't broke, do not, really, do not fix it.

 

[Duchesse]

Hugs. Follow what the girls say, moisture, moisture, moisture! Leave the henna be.I think it's great for some and disatrous for other. I would wait a few months before cutting the 8 inches off.

I jacked my hair up with texlaxing plus henna 1x a month plus coconut oil. Don't know what I was thinking.

 

[hair4romheaven]

My texlaxed hair enjoyed henna. As a natural I toyed with the idea of using it but have decided not to. If it ain't broke don't fix it is right. I am sorry this happened to you. If you live in Atlanta you can use my steamer in home for some treatments since I see this is a hair emergency!! *hugs*

 

[Thiends]

My texlaxed hair enjoyed henna. As a natural I toyed with the idea of using it but have decided not to. If it ain't broke don't fix it is right. I am sorry this happened to you. If you live in Atlanta you can use my steamer in home for some treatments since I see this is a hair emergency!! *hugs*

Oh, thank you. I am not in the country right now, but it is so kind of you to offer. I appreciate it. (Please leave the henna alone. If your natural hair is doing fine, let it be. )

 

[Thiends]

UPDATE:

After leaving my hair in a loose braid for a few days, I gave deep conditioning and detangling another try. I used Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose mixed with enough virgin coconut oil and jojoba oil to produce a goopy consistency. I also trimmed two inches off my hair before detangling, but after applying the deep conditioner. Detangling was very easy, and I believe the cut made the difference, because I had deep conditioned several times over the past month with no luck.

I am happy to have my hair back, and the two inches cut off make it look better, so I am happy about even the cut. I am also happy to have learned my lesson about jumping on bandwagons! Thanks, everyone, for the PMs, commiseration, and tips. I am always on the look-out for new conditioners, so I just might seek out some of the products suggested in this thread.

 

[BostonMaria]

So glad your hair is ok! I found henna to be too dry for my hair. I used to henna to get rid of my greys, but the dryness was too much for me. It would take a few deep conditioning treatments to get back the moisture.

By the way, if you ever decide to use ayurvedic powders another try you should try amla instead. That's so much more moisturizing. Or maybe you could try the oils... they STANK but will at least avoid the disaster you encountered.