My hair is too thick for Henna

[LoveLiLi]

I've henna-ed my hair a few times now and I think my hair is too thick and/or dense for henna. My hair is definitely stronger, if someone was drowning all I would have to do is throw them my hair and they could climb right up .
But I miss the soft feel of my hair before henna. The color is beautiful, my hair sheds less and I can clearly see how stronger strands would lead to fewer trims etc, but I don't want hair that feels like rope. I can pretty much tame it when it's dry, but when it's wet it's almost impossible to untangle and it feels gross -I think I'm going to have to give the henna up, ladies.

Buuuttt, I'm willing to give it one more try if anyone has tips on how to 'soften up' the hair and make the detangling process easier. Note: I've tried Roux porosity control, Qhemet's Olive conditioner and the Qhemet detangler, Biolage detangler and leave-in and the Kera care detangling shampoo all with little or no luck. The winner so far is the Biolage leave-in; however, before henna the Kera care would have been all I needed.

 

[Proudpiscean]

What are you adding to the henna? I know a lot of people say that ACV or lemon juice dries their hair out too much and have decided not to use those anymore.

 

[Guyaneek]

Wow, what a problem I'd love 2 have.
I don't have any suggestions for you I'm sorry. Hopefully some of the ladies here can help you out here.

 

[Proudpiscean]

Also henna kinda acts like a protein treatment....so make sure you deep condition with a moisturizing conditioner afterwards. HTH

 

[LoveLiLi]

What are you adding to the henna? I know a lot of people say that ACV or lemon juice dries their hair out too much and have decided not to use those anymore.

The first time I used amla and red wine and I made a paste. The other times I added amla and black tea (suggested by a coworker who hennas frequently) and I made a gel.

 

[alexstin]

Amla can be very drying. I remember Softresses(I think) saying this. She had to cut the amount of amla way down. How much amla are you using?

 

[LoveLiLi]

Amla can be very drying. I remember Softresses(I think) saying this. She had to cut the amount of amla way down. How much amla are you using?

If I used 200 grams of henna, I would use 50 grams of amla, do you think that was too much?

 

[Amylee]

You may want to add some oil in your henna mix. It prevents dryness and tangling for me.
I use either castor oil, or argan oil.

But I think that if you did henna treatments to make your hair strong, your goal is achieved, so you can use it less often (maybe twice a year for example)

Good luck for your next try.

 

[alexstin]

This is what Softresses was using(I just copied the part referring to the henna and amla)100-150g Henna
30-50g Amla initial treatment, one tablespoon subsequent mixes

As you can see she decreased the amla down to 1 T because of dryness. You may want to try the same.

 

[LoveLiLi]

Thanks ladies, I'll add oil and decrease the amount of amla next time.

 

[sareca]

hard @ "all I would have to do is throw them my hair and they could climb right up"

Maybe henna less frequently. I'm not sure what your schedule is now, but cut back and give your hair time to soften up. It will keep the strength.

ETA: I DC w/ Aveda DR after henna'g and I've never had a problem with the rough stuff.

 

[carameldiva]

GF- my hair is super duper thick- i mean you could probably get lost up in here.

My henna mix is 4 tbls of henna, 2 tbls of ground amalaki powder, 2 tbls of fo-ti powder, coupla splashes of red wine, coupla dashes of ground cloves, 2-3 tbls of honey and hot water.

 

[Armyqt]

Amla can be very drying. I remember Softresses(I think) saying this. She had to cut the amount of amla way down. How much amla are you using?

I noticed this also. My first henna treamtment i used 50/50 mix of henna and amla. The next time I eliminated the amla and I wass fine.

Khalia, in addition to adding oils, also add some conditioner to your henna.

 

[fancypants007]

I've henna-ed my hair a few times now and I think my hair is too thick and/or dense for henna. My hair is definitely stronger, if someone was drowning all I would have to do is throw them my hair and they could climb right up .
But I miss the soft feel of my hair before henna. The color is beautiful, my hair sheds less and I can clearly see how stronger strands would lead to fewer trims etc, but I don't want hair that feels like rope. I can pretty much tame it when it's dry, but when it's wet it's almost impossible to untangle and it feels gross -I think I'm going to have to give the henna up, ladies.

Buuuttt, I'm willing to give it one more try if anyone has tips on how to 'soften up' the hair and make the detangling process easier. Note: I've tried Roux porosity control, Qhemet's Olive conditioner and the Qhemet detangler, Biolage detangler and leave-in and the Kera care detangling shampoo all with little or no luck. The winner so far is the Biolage leave-in; however, before henna the Kera care would have been all I needed.

I stop using amla in my henna mixes because I wanted the red color of henna and I know they say that amla makes the hair dark. I add evoo, honey, acv and hot water to make a yogurt type consistency. I did a henna treatment about 2 weeks ago and usually I have to use vo5 conditioner to rinse out the henna and make my hair soft, well I didn't have to do it this time. My hair felt so moisturised that i just rinsed it thoroughly and did a deep conditioner with nexus humectress and my hair was soooooo soft and moisturised. You have to add some other things to henna because it is known for being dry, so to counteract that, add ingredients that will help with moisture.

 

[BrooklynSouth]

Airdrying now after 1st.mehndihenna. Mixed last night with water, little jasmine oil and amla powder. Test hairs tangled, knotted, so added coconut oil to mixture. Test hairs did well. Whole head, no knots, no tangles. Three shampoos, conditioners with Fructis {was hoping it was non-protein!} then coconut, ORS olive and some bhringraj oils to wet hair. So far so good, my silvers are red toned, interesting effect.

 

[Cayenne0622]

I didn't know that amla powder was drying??? Thanks for the heads up because I've been using it every time I henna. I'll be sure to be careful because I have quite a bit and I was gonna start putting a little bit in my conditioners.

 

[Mahalialee4]

Carameldiva: What does the Foti powder add to the benefits of your mix? I have a pound bag of FP and looking for more ways to use it. bonjour

 

[Mestiza]

You could add some oil to your mix and use a moisturizing conditioner after you've rinsed the henna out of your hair. I use WRTC, VO5 conditioners, Herbal Essences Replenishing Conditioner or DDTA. They make my hair soft and moisturized, again.

 

[curlcomplexity]

I have VERY thick relaxed hair as well. I actually love the way my hair feels after henna. I do have to deep condition extra long after I rinse it out though. I also wear it airdried until my next wash. My henna really has no acid in it and I still get the "color release" and conditoning properties. I just use 200 g of henna, 2 cups of hot water, honey, and EEVO. I let it sit out overnight and voila
I apply the henna and sit under a dryer for about an hour then let cool. Then I rinse in the tub using conditioner to help loosen the henna. I then use CON in the green bottle, condition rinse and then a rich moisturizing conditioner and go under the dryer. My hair comes out strong and easy to detangle. It really helps if you keep the hair detangled while you're applying initially. I apply in small sections...HTH

 

[carameldiva]

Mahalialee4,

Well from my research it is supposed to help with keeping the greys away and keep the hair your natural color as well. Hope this helps.

Carameldiva: What does the Foti powder add to the benefits of your mix? I have a pound bag of FP and looking for more ways to use it. bonjour

 

[TRYING2GROW]

Do u have any pics??????

 

[silverlotus]

for Kawaii11

 

[Mahalialee4]

Mahalialee4,

Well from my research it is supposed to help with keeping the greys away and keep the hair your natural color as well. Hope this helps.

Thanks. I'm down with that..cough...greysaway!...bonjour

 

[la flaca]

hard @ "all I would have to do is throw them my hair and they could climb right up"

Maybe henna less frequently. I'm not sure what your schedule is now, but cut back and give your hair time to soften up. It will keep the strength.

ETA: I DC w/ Aveda DR after henna'g and I've never had a problem with the rough stuff.

I also had a huge problem with rough hair, but DR resolved it and after that Henna is just like a conditioner with great color to my hair.