Can henna alone keep my scalp healthy?

[Heidi_234]

I have been thinking (rare occasion!).
My scalp does not get oily really well (if at all), I only 'wash' my hair for the conditioning (SMTing and/or catnip). I know that the scalp should be cleansed for the sake of its health, but not extremely often. I wondered if henna can serve this purpose. If I'll do my roots with henna once in 3-4 weeks, and WO the scalp in between, could it be enough to keep my scalp healthy? Can henna do this?
You input plz :D

[sibylla]

Well henna has improved my scalp a lot. I did my henna yesterday and my scalp is very happy. But on my sister it doesn´t work that well. She has a very oily scalp whatever she does. I never get tired of the henna shine:))))

[Heidi_234]

Well henna has improved my scalp a lot. I did my henna yesterday and my scalp is very happy. But on my sister it doesn´t work that well. She has a very oily scalp whatever she does. I never get tired of the henna shine:))))
Me either, but I've got so dark with henna now I have no choice but to resort to root touch-ups from now on.
I'm not sure how henna works, it makes my scalp happy too I guess, but I'm not sure if I can consider it cleansing, or do I need to include other surely cleansing methods (soapnuts, poo bars or something).

[ktani]

"Henna extracts show antibacterial, antifungal, and ultraviolet light screening activity...."
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro/factsheets/henna.html

But henna also contains resin that can build-up if overused. It washes out between henna applications.

"Henna resin content - Bureau of Plant Industry - Manilla
They add that the leaves also contain about 2 per cent of a resin."
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:5zV6qzd1hSIJ:www.bpi.da.gov.ph/Publications/mp/pdf/s/sinamono.pdf+hennatannic+acid+resinous&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=ca

Henna actually contains more resin than lawsone.
"Henna Constituents
"Dried, powdered leaves of henna contain .... 0.5 to 1.5 percent lawsone .... chief constituent responsible for the dyeing properties of the plant ...."
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro/factsheets/henna.html

I do not think that hennaing your roots once every 3-4 weeks is enough to maintain your scalp health. It really depends but I would use something else as well and not just WO, in between your hennas.

[ratgirldjh]

i'm inclined to think that the henna would be enough.

and i too have wondered this - actually posted a question on here about using henna weekly as a hair cleanser - but people told me the color would eventually build up on my silver hairs.

i have consider using cassia - but then again - i would get a built up yellowish color on my silver - so i decided not to try it.

but if you are already a henna head and can do WO successfully, i would think that henna would be excellent for a monthly scalp and also hair cleanser. i think it would for sure remove wax and sebum build up.

years ago i used to henna my hair - and i never washed with poo or conditioner afterwards. back then i was a once a week very diluted poo user and i always noticed that i didn't have to wash my hair for a couple of weeks after henna.

[Heidi_234]

The resin content did bother me, as my hair react rather badly to it (and everything that can possibly escalate the dryness). I was thinking that right now I wash my hair "just because", even though my scalp doesn't produce that much sebum that needs to be cleaned weekly. My thought was if I could relay on the monthly henna to keep my scalp healthy, or do I need to use another cleanser in between. I revisited my hair care routine and realized that I can cut back in some ways. I want to go back to soapnuts, but I'm not sure they strong enough to deal with the resin anyway, if the resin does build up.

Thanks for the info ktani! I wasn't certain about the the cleansing benefits, even though I was vaguely familiar with them from before.

ratgirldjh, I don't use anything to wash out the henna either. But the day after I do a moisture treatment now, as my hair gets the post-henna dryness which I can stand, but I think that as long as I can help it somehow then I'd better do so. Dry hair isn't fun anyway.

[ktani]

Thanks for the info ktani! I wasn't certain about the the cleansing benefits, even though I was vaguely familiar with them from before.

You are welcome but those are not cleansing benefits, per se, just benefits.

[ktani]

The resin content did bother me, as my hair react rather badly to it (and everything that can possibly escalate the dryness). I was thinking that right now I wash my hair "just because", even though my scalp doesn't produce that much sebum that needs to be cleaned weekly. My thought was if I could relay on the monthly henna to keep my scalp healthy, or do I need to use another cleanser in between. I revisited my hair care routine and realized that I can cut back in some ways. I want to go back to soapnuts, but I'm not sure they strong enough to deal with the resin anyway, if the resin does build up.

I don't use anything to wash out the henna either. But the day after I do a moisture treatment now, as my hair gets the post-henna dryness which I can stand, but I think that as long as I can help it somehow then I'd better do so. Dry hair isn't fun anyway.

If you do not wash the resin out with something in between applications, it will build-up in my opinion.

[HennaMuse]

Amla makes a wounder scalp conditioner and enhances shine. (that is your hair's shine, not your scalp's! LOL!) You can put some amla in your henna recipe, but it will shift the color a little toward the cooler end of the spectrum. You could use the amla as a separate treatment to avoid that. Amla also makes a wonderful exfoliating, pore-shrinking mask. Its the handiest thing in my bathroom.

Jen

[ktani]

Amla makes a wounder scalp conditioner and enhances shine. (that is your hair's shine, not your scalp's! LOL!) You can put some amla in your henna recipe, but it will shift the color a little toward the cooler end of the spectrum. You could use the amla as a separate treatment to avoid that. Amla also makes a wonderful exfoliating, pore-shrinking mask. Its the handiest thing in my bathroom.

Jen

From my understanding, amla adds more brown, ".... adds a cool brown tone to the hair color" http://www.hennaforhair.com/faq/amla/ and Heidi 34 wants more red.

[Heidi_234]

From my understanding, amla adds more brown, ".... adds a cool brown tone to the hair color" http://www.hennaforhair.com/faq/amla/ and Heidi 34 wants more red.
Oh nos! I was pretty positive amla does add color on it's own. :eek:
I was about to try it for the conditioning properties...

[Heidi_234]

Or like I thought?


Will not dye hair or skin



Amla powder may be added to henna and indigo paste to tone down or cool down the reddish color and create a richer, deeper brown color on hair.

http://www.hennacaravan.com/how/amla.html

[kwaniesiam]

Oh nos! I was pretty positive amla does add color on it's own. :eek:
I was about to try it for the conditioning properties...

You can use cassia for that purpose. It leaves a light golden tint on light hair but washes out :)

[Heidi_234]

You can use cassia for that purpose. It leaves a light golden tint on light hair but washes out :)
I don't have cassia at the moment, it's hard to come by over here. But I did buy amla. I'd have to strand test probably...

[ktani]

Strand testing is always best. Amla is not a permanent dye but it may move your hair colour away from what you want it to be, more red.

[Heidi_234]

Strand testing is always best. Amla is not a permanent dye but it may move your hair colour away from what you want it to be, more red.
My hair finally tipped over to the redder side. I became that much more concerned about pulling it out. Every time it bled I checked the mirror to see if it still as red lol.
I'll strand test, I hope amla would do just the good things for me. :)

[ktani]

My hair finally tipped over to the redder side. I became that much more concerned about pulling it out. Every time it bled I checked the mirror to see if it still as red lol.
I'll strand test, I hope amla would do just the good things for me. :)

Great news on the red! I know that was bothering you. Good luck with amla!

[Pierre]

I do that, with amla in my mix, and my scalp is fine. I know it's time to rehenna when my scalp starts itching or there's too much white at the base of my nails.

[ratgirldjh]

The resin content did bother me, as my hair react rather badly to it (and everything that can possibly escalate the dryness). I was thinking that right now I wash my hair "just because", even though my scalp doesn't produce that much sebum that needs to be cleaned weekly. My thought was if I could relay on the monthly henna to keep my scalp healthy, or do I need to use another cleanser in between. I revisited my hair care routine and realized that I can cut back in some ways. I want to go back to soapnuts, but I'm not sure they strong enough to deal with the resin anyway, if the resin does build up.

Thanks for the info ktani! I wasn't certain about the the cleansing benefits, even though I was vaguely familiar with them from before.

ratgirldjh, I don't use anything to wash out the henna either. But the day after I do a moisture treatment now, as my hair gets the post-henna dryness which I can stand, but I think that as long as I can help it somehow then I'd better do so. Dry hair isn't fun anyway.

i used to oil the next day and believe it or not - my hair would totally soak up all the oil by the next day! it would be very soft after that though :)

[Heidi_234]

Great news on the red! I know that was bothering you. Good luck with amla!
Thank you so much! I'm so delighted. It still changes colors under various lights, but it's definitely redder now. I'm so so glad I choose to do that second full BAQ henna application. :happydance:

i used to oil the next day and believe it or not - my hair would totally soak up all the oil by the next day! it would be very soft after that though :)
I oiled mine too, but the dryness would go away. My hair is very sensitive to dryness I suppose. Sometimes if I go one day too long without washing (or better say, retaining the moisture back to my hair in the shower), I start to shed like crazy.

[Anje]

I'd think you should be OK with henna and WO in between. I did WO fairly successfully (dry ends, happy scalp) and hennaed during that time, and I think several other people did WO washing with henna as well.

That said, it wouldn't work for me, but that's because henna is really drying on my scalp, so that it takes close to a week for it to recover from the process, even without acid in my henna. But if your scalp likes the stuff, I think you should give it a try.

ETA: You might also want to look at Ziziphus, which is offered at Mehandi.com. I haven't used it, but it might be effective for cleansing without any color change.

[Heidi_234]

I'd think you should be OK with henna and WO in between. I did WO fairly successfully (dry ends, happy scalp) and hennaed during that time, and I think several other people did WO washing with henna as well.

That said, it wouldn't work for me, but that's because henna is really drying on my scalp, so that it takes close to a week for it to recover from the process, even without acid in my henna. But if your scalp likes the stuff, I think you should give it a try.

ETA: You might also want to look at Ziziphus, which is offered at Mehandi.com. I haven't used it, but it might be effective for cleansing without any color change.

Well, the dryness might be dye to the resin, as ktani said... But if it goes away after a week with WOing, then I don't know. Anyway, it's a fair point, I haven't thought about people who WO and henna too.
The idea was that I henna once a month my roots anyway, so could or couldn't I relay on it to keep my scalp healthy/clean with just WOing in between. So the color is not a problem, otherwise, I'd prefer to use other method to clean the scalp between the hennas.
I think I even have that Ziziphus thing at home, lol. But it's more of a conditioning herb than cleansing I think. :confused: