Is this possible? I have golden blonde hair with light brown (natural streaks) on the underside. Is there any way that I can use Henna to go from this color to a rich, chestnutty brown? I definitely don't want to go to a bright red; I have an olive skin tone and that would clash horribly.

So, I guess what I'm asking is: how do I dye my hair with henna and get a rich brown rather than a bright red? Is it possible for blondes to do?

Depending on the shade you want, it may be possible. You might want to check out the "Henna for Hair" website. They have a lot of different recipes for different shades here: http://www.hennaforhair.com/mixes/index.html as well as a discussion forum.

I would try to make friends with your natural haircolor... It's a beautiful one! And I personally think hair dyed darker than natural never looks very good once you see the tiniest bit of roots.

I can see what you mean-- I had a roommate who dyed her naturally (extremely pale) blonde hair to brown, and she just didn't look natural. I've just always felt that my blonde hair doesn't quite match my darker skin tone. I guess that's what happens when your mom is a stark white German and your father a brown Italian!

Maybe henna lowlights are possible? Or would that be too messy to dealwith/get good results?

Your hair is just so beautiful the way it is...and I suspect whatever you do with henna, there will be a slightly orange tone to it, which probably won't match your skin tone as described.

I wonder if sage/rosemary rinses, which are supposed to darken hair slightly, would give you a bit of a browner tone without messing with the loveliness of your natural color?

Yes, you could get a nice brown. However, if you do, be prepared to say goodbye your blond for a very long time. Possibly forever. I'd try the lowlights first.

Your hair is just so beautiful the way it is...and I suspect whatever you do with henna, there will be a slightly orange tone to it, which probably won't match your skin tone as described.

I wonder if sage/rosemary rinses, which are supposed to darken hair slightly, would give you a bit of a browner tone without messing with the loveliness of your natural color?
Thanks! I might have to try that... is there a recipe somewhere?

Thanks! I might have to try that... is there a recipe somewhere?

Check out the herbal hair coloring link in my siggy. Lots of non-henna coloring herbs :)

Here's a better idea of my hair and skintone together. This was taken two years ago (before I decided to chop off my hair and start over-- I can't believe it ever grew that long on strictly Pantene and John Freida-- but as you can see, I get very dark in the summer and my hair and skin almost become the same shade of gold! Sometimes, I feel like my naturally golden (sometimes brassy if I'm somewhere without filtered water) color washes me out, as my eyes are a dark brown and my eyebrows are very thick and dark also.

Sorry that this is a picture of my taking a swig of water while camping, but I hardly have any pictures where you can actually see how long my hair used to be! I used to always wear it in buns or swept behind my shoulders, so there are few pictures where you can actually see my ends. *Sigh*

http://img.makeupalley.com/8/0/9/2/950607.JPG

At least now it's much healthier since I limit my sulfates/cones/protein now. I switch off between Nature's Gate Hemp Shampoo and Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream while alternating Terax Crema, Jessicurl, and AO Honeysuckle Rose conditioners. I also use the Vo5 conditioners for my roots almost every day. I love them!! Who would have thought that such cheap conditioner could be so marvelous! Like fabric softener for my hair... :D

Check out the herbal hair coloring link in my siggy. Lots of non-henna coloring herbs :)
Wow! Such a wealth of information! I'm so glad I joined this place...

I agree with the folks above, you can get a nice brown with henna but the growout will be an issue, since henna is permanent. My avatar shows my chocolate brown that I get with henna.

What is your original hair color?

My natural color is brown with lots of gray at the temples. I have managed to cover the grays and match my natural color with the henna.

Here's a close up of my grays before and after:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=423&pictureid=9737

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=423&pictureid=9738

Seeing as your hair colour is so pretty that people pay a fortune to have it dyed that colour from brown, and henna is more permanent than any chemicals, why not try a temporary/semi-perm brown that you could get rid of without having to cut off/bleach your hair into oblivion to get rid of?

Not sure what brand to recommend - may be someone else can help?

(It's funny, all these blondes going darker these days - must be a generation thing. All my contemporaries went from brown to blonde in the 80's and 90's, including me. It's really noticeable in the UK, all the 40-something highlighted/bleached blondes. No-one much under 30 is doing it - they are either natural or darker)

To go brown you'll need henna PLUS indigo. Henna alone will take you to red...

Seeing as your hair colour is so pretty that people pay a fortune to have it dyed that colour from brown, and henna is more permanent than any chemicals, why not try a temporary/semi-perm brown that you could get rid of without having to cut off/bleach your hair into oblivion to get rid of?

Not sure what brand to recommend - may be someone else can help?

(It's funny, all these blondes going darker these days - must be a generation thing. All my contemporaries went from brown to blonde in the 80's and 90's, including me. It's really noticeable in the UK, all the 40-something highlighted/bleached blondes. No-one much under 30 is doing it - they are either natural or darker)
I think that it's because today blondes have more of that "dumb" stereotype going around, and those of us who don't feel like the ditsy aura suits us look to brown shades as a way of regaining an aura of sophistication. Silly, huh?

I just feel that I might look better in a darker tone, along with the added benefit of having a little more weight in the social arena/workplace/school environment. I do well in school and have just secured a great on-campus job, but I want to be "noticed." Sometimes I feel like the blonde gets in the way of that.

I think that it's because today blondes have more of that "dumb" stereotype going around, and those of us who don't feel like the ditsy aura suits us look to brown shades as a way of regaining an aura of sophistication. Silly, huh?

I just feel that I might look better in a darker tone, along with the added benefit of having a little more weight in the social arena/workplace/school environment. I do well in school and have just secured a great on-campus job, but I want to be "noticed." Sometimes I feel like the blonde gets in the way of that.

Still, to someone who started dying their hair blonde 25 years ago (to stand out, funnily enough), it just goes to show how times change. I've damaged my hair so much over the years to get what you have naturally :p Surely the majority of people have brown hair naturally?
S'funny, in my day we all wanted to look like Debbie Harry, Kim Basinger, Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth)...times change, innit?

As for the "dumb blonde" stereotype - I notice people never apply it to men. This is because it's good old s*xism masquerading as humour :suspect: When applied by women who are brunettes, it's just pure jealousy. It has to be as wrong to judge someone by their hair colour as by their skintone or s*xuality? Please don't dye your hair because of it.

Then again, you may just fancy being a brunette/changing your look for a while. Goodness know it's fun to play around with looks and image - I've been every colour of the rainbow, so I am hardly qualified to preach :flower: It's your hair, have fun with it!

Not with just henna. From what I know, you need to mix it with Indigo. This (http://http://www.hennaforhair.com/mixes/katharineg/) link shows how to dye your hair brown with henna! Good luck, and I would certainly reccomend henna, becasue it is actually good for your hair, unlike other dyes which are horrible for it (indigo is good too).

I don't think the link works, it didn't when I tried. The site was http://www.hennaforhair.com and then I clicked on mixes, then brown. Good luck!

Thanks everyone, you've been loads of help!