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[fancypants007]

Hello,

I was reading your website and i have a question regarding the statement made there about henna and chemicals. It says..... "While henna powder can be used on hair that has been chemically treated in the past...if and only if enough time has passed and enough of the chemicals are gone from the hair...the converse is usually not true. So, if you choose to begin to use henna as your hair coloring of choice, please do so knowing that you are making a long term commitment to the use of henna as your hair colorant. To attempt to use a chemical product over henna'd hair can be disastrous to your hair."

Is this statement referring to chemicals such as relaxers, perms, or is it referring to just hair coloring chemicals? I would be interested in making the long term commitment of coloring using henna only (no other hair coloring chemical products) but i am interested also in getting a lye relaxer put in my hair in another year or so. Would the two be compatible, or would it cause ill-effects to my hair. I remember about 3-4 years ago, i gave myself a no-lye relaxer and the very next day i put in my henna treatment (no additional oils added). My hair was not all that bad, but i noticed that it was dry and the texture changed on one side of my hair. Someone told me that it was the henna that dried out my hair. I would love to try the Armad shade because the pictures i see of henna hair is beautiful. I have never had any coloring chemicals in my hair. Please advise.

 

[HennaJoy]

Hi fancypants007,

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
"While henna powder can be used on hair that has been chemically treated in the past...if and only if enough time has passed and enough of the chemicals are gone from the hair...the converse is usually not true.

[/ QUOTE ]

That statement to be more exact should read:

"While 100% natural henna powder and herbal/henna that contains 100% natural henna powder can be used on hair that has been chemically treated in the past...if and only if enough time has passed and enough of the chemicals are gone from the hair...the converse is usually not true. Typically, the converse is not true due to some products that may be used on permed hair for upkeep or synthetic coloring that has been used on permed hair that may contain metallic salts. These metallic salts in products can alter the intended and desired color results desired from and ordinarily obtain with the use of 100% natural henna."

Unless otherwise specified on my website, when I refer to henna, I am speaking of 100% natural henna or herbal/henna that contains 100% natural henna and another herb.

When I get a chance to, I may update that if it would make the statement more clear and useful.

The statement is referring to any products that may contain metallic salts. Metallic salts can and are put into a variety of products and are not always listed in the ingredients list. Semi-permanent hair colorants often have a metallic salt added to them to prevent the colors from fading in the sun or being washed out as easily as they would if the metallic salts were not added.

The results that can be disasterous when metallic salts are present in a product come into play primarily with neutralizers used in perms and with hair colored with products in which peroxide is used. These are typically lye based relaxers that require a neutralizer and hair colors requiring peroxide.

The chemical reaction that occurs with the metallic salts in combination with neutralizers and peroxide generate heat that is reported capable of burning the scalp and damaging the hair. So if you have hair permed with a lye based perm requiring a neutralizer or have used a hair colorant with peroxide...if they are present in the hair when you would use a semi-permanent hair colorant or another product containing a metallic dye...you are at risk of the results described above.

You will want to be sure whenever you are using a perm with a neutralizer and a hair colorant with peroxide, to not introduce another product containing a metallic salt. That is whether or not you use 100% natural henna powder. If you have added 100% natural henna powder to the mix, the metallic salt will work with the henna...which is a natural dye...with the metallic salt serving the role of a mordant and alter the normal color result obtained by the henna. These color changes with henna could be to change the typical red coloring to dark brown or black that people with dark hair may not mind too much. But there is also a chance that the color will be changed to green...which nobody wants. So with 100% natural henna, the bad result possible if metallic salts are introduced into the mix will be color change. With a neutralizer or peroxide, the disasterous results possible if metallic salts are introduced into the mix can be damage to the hair and scalp.

Having provided the warning, it is important to say that it requires a sufficient amount of metallic salts to be in any particular product to create any of the reactions described above. The problem will be that sometimes you will not even know that a metallic salt is present and at other times will not know how much is in the product or how much is enough to create a reaction.

If you are in doubt as to whether or not a product has metallic salts in it when your hair has been permed...colored with something containing peroxide...or have used 100% natural henna powder, performing a harvested hair test prior to applying the product to your hair will provide you with the certainty you need.

I would always recommend the use of some form of moisturizer with the henna. I apply a mixture of coconut oil and baobab oil on my hair while wet immediately upon rinsing the henna paste from my hair. I recommend that with any deep conditioning. Over time, the one/two punch of the henna conditioning treatment with the moisturizer will help to reduce the effect of previous damage to your hair. I also recommend a daily rub in moisturizer. I use the same combination of the coconut oil and baobab oil on my moistened hair on almost a daily basis.

If you are wanting a more deep reddish coloring to your hair over time, it is the Ahmad or Kimia that I would recommend.

You should also know that 3 to 4 years ago, there was a lot less information available concerning some of the things that were being added to henna. And lots of people used henna powder that itself contained a metallic salt...those hennas are called "henna compounds." While some of those "henna compounds" are still being sold, people importing henna have become a lot more savvy since then and some are now insisting upon only being provided with 100% natural henna powder and certainly making sure that their henna does not contain a metallic salt. It is because of so many of those "henna compounds" were on the market in the past and still being sold in some places that it is important to check out whether or not the henna being offered to you is 100% natural henna powder. Those compounds by themselves were not as much of a problem for people who used them in the countries from which they were imported. They became a problem when integrated with lots of the hair products and treatments here in the U.S. and other countries where perming the hair and coloring the hair regularly is the practice.

So making sure your henna is 100% natural henna and use of products void of metallic salts will allow you to henna and perm your hair without the disasters. But to know what any product or combination of products will do, always take the time to perform the harvested hair test.

Hope this helps.

HennaJoy