Henna + Hibiscus

[Misstyk]

Hello all =) I have finally decided to henna my hair, since it really needs the care, and since i f..erm, altered its colour with chemical dyes which persistantly refuse to go away, and look gross anyway.

So I go to the phytotherapist and ask him if he has henna. He sold me some for 2 bucks/200 gr (:cheese: viva middle east) i hope it's good, of course i'll strand test first. He asked me what colour I wanted to achieve and I said I want it burgundy. So he gave me some dried hibiscus petals and told me to use this instead of tea, to make them boil until the colour of the water is the colour I want before I add it to the henna (and add one tablespoon of yogurt and one tablespoon of vinegar).

Since I don't remember reading that "tip" on this forum, I thought I'd let you know, and of course I'll share my results with you! I just need to find the time to dye :rolleyes:

[tiny_teesha]

just make sure the henna is safe with no metals or PDD.
hennaforhair is a good site.
Also. hibiscus does dye the hair red...but i think it is temporary.
Henna is good, just repeatedly use it until you get the desired result. Also make sure you leave it AT LEAST 2 hours! :) Or else you won't notice a thing. I left it on 12 hours once. left a good stain :) (sleep with it in if you like, just make sure there is an old towel to drip on)
AND ALWAYS do a test strip on your hair and your skin to make sure you get the desired result and it doesn't irritate your skin! Some bad henna (with metals and PDD) can cause hair to rip to pieces and baaad stuff, so be careful!

[akka naeda]

I do that (2x the amnt of flowers to water), only I don't add yoghurt and ACV to my henna mix. And I find the hibiscus tea gives a purpley tone, which is increased by then using some more as a rinse each time I wash my hair. The rinse purple isn't permanent though

[Nightshade]

Hibiscus is also a great natural hair conditioner, though the dye from it will fade and probably won't impact the henna much.

If you're going for burgendy I'd leave out the yogurt and ACV, just go fro nice strong (warm) hibiscus tea. The acid in the ACV will in inhibit the henna and make it a bit lighter/more orange. I'm not convinced the yogurt will do anything beneficial, though it won't hurt.

Here is how to test if your henna is good (http://www.hennaforhair.com/science/whatsinit.html):)

Best of luck! :flowers:

[Girltron]

I think I've noticed a few posters saying they found hibiscus to inhibit the henna dye. I think hibiscus tea is pretty acidic, so that makes sense I suppose.

I honestly think it's so easy to push past copper into the cool reds, that there's no additive necessary. Just multiple full-head applications will do it fine! A few drops of lavender EO in the mix couldn't hurt, though.

[Nightshade]

That may inhibit it, but I don't think by nearly as much as lemon juice or ACV, but when in doubt, go for water :)

I haven't found the PH of hibiscus, but I did find this:

Hibiscus contains 15-30% organic acids (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid) such as citric (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid), maleic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maleic_acid), and tartaric (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartaric_acid). It also contains acidic polysaccharides (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polysaccharides) and flavonoid glycosides (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycosides) such as cyanidin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanidin) and delphenidin (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Delphenidin&action=edit&redlink=1) that give it its characteristic colour.

[Girltron]

I never really went looking for the exact numbers or anything. I just figure if it tastes sour, leave it out. No point in wasting good lawsone!

[shellblue1]

So if I put henna over black hair and add hibiscus tea and lavendar oil in with the henna, will I get a pretty purplish glow to my hair? But it won't last?

[Nightshade]

So if I put henna over black hair and add hibiscus tea and lavendar oil in with the henna, will I get a pretty purplish glow to my hair? But it won't last?

Over black hair you'll get deep reddish hues that can darken to burgundy if you do enough applications. If you want purple gleams you could always consider mixing some Manic Panic dye in with your henna. Some people here use that to get their hair fire engine red.

I would say that the hibiscus isn't necessary, really. Just water and the EO to terp if you wish (though I have yet to see any evidence that terping henna for hair affects the results near as much as it does when the same henna is applied to skin).

[Nightshade]

I never really went looking for the exact numbers or anything. I just figure if it tastes sour, leave it out. No point in wasting good lawsone!

Yes an no :) I use chamomile tea and cassia to keep the henna light and coppery rather than having it darken, just because the lighter red looks better with my complexion. :o

[shellblue1]

Over black hair you'll get deep reddish hues that can darken to burgundy if you do enough applications. If you want purple gleams you could always consider mixing some Manic Panic dye in with your henna. Some people here use that to get their hair fire engine red.

I would say that the hibiscus isn't necessary, really. Just water and the EO to terp if you wish (though I have yet to see any evidence that terping henna for hair affects the results near as much as it does when the same henna is applied to skin).

Ooo interesting! Thanks!

[nappywomyn]

Manic Panic and HENNA?

REeeeaaallllllyyy?

Hrm.

[Rustella]

Hello all =)

So I go to the phytotherapist and ask him if he has henna.



I read that as "So I go to the psychotherapist and ask him if he has henna." As a mental health therapist myself I'm thinking "what in the world kind of business is this guy running?"

[sapphire-o]

I use hibiscus tea as hair rinse quite regularly. I think my hair has acquired a slightly burgundy glow. It's not very obvious in dark hair. My natural highlight is brownish red, now they look a slightly cooler kind of red. You can check my album to see if you can see anything. :D I don't think anybody other than yourself will notice the difference, but hibiscus is conditioning so it can't hurt anyway.

[Misstyk]

I read that as "So I go to the psychotherapist and ask him if he has henna." As a mental health therapist myself I'm thinking "what in the world kind of business is this guy running?"


LOL!!!!!!! :D

To update you, I absolutely LOVE my hair. On my roots, which are "virgin" the colour is a beautiful purple-ish red, like eggplant kinda, except in the sun where it all looks the same orangy red.

Oh, and listen to that. I go to my boyfriend's friend's place yesterday, and she said she likes my hair colour. I said it's Henna, she says oh, I used to henna my hair. She goes to her room and comes back with a HUGE bag of what looks like indigo, and a smaller (but at least 300gr) of what looks like henna. On the one it's written black henna, and on the other red henna, and it comes from saudi arabia which is known to produce the best stuff =) how nice is that???

I'm going to try a little bit though to make sure that it really is indigo and henna and strand test to see if they still work, since she told me they're a bit old.

Ah so happy!

I'll post pictures as soon as I can !

:cheese:

[chotee]

Is it not possible to get the burgundy color by using beetroot peels and tops, boil them in water and use the liquid with henna? I have used them and don't actually know the difference in color(with hibiscus) maybe the colors from beetroot and hibiscus are different.

Plus i use okra boiled water for a rather different brownish color....

Sometimes i use walnut skins for really dark brown color since my hair is black...

I think they last longer, has anybody used them before? Just henna with amla makes my gray orangy and i hate it
chotee

[GreenEyedKat]

I know it's been quite a few years since anyone has posted on this particular thread, BUT I am excited because I just found out the plant out side my house is a hibiscus!

Although I am not sure if it is the same kind that can be mixed with henna? Or does it matter?
Also, has anyone dried their own hibiscus for tea, henna, etc?

Here's a pic, I would love some input!
http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac178/Kajelynn/My%20Flowers/IMAG0633.jpg

This next one is for size reference, keep in mind I have rather large hands too! :p
http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac178/Kajelynn/My%20Flowers/IMAG0635.jpg

[Mingle]

Holy cow, that's huge!
If you're sure its hibiscus, I would gently rinse them before setting them out to dry in the sun. I would be drinking agua fresa everyday if I had some in my back yard!

[Amber_Maiden]

I've used the hibiscus, and it didn't seem to impact the dye that much. Hair still came out orange (but keep in mind I had red hair underneath).

[GreenEyedKat]

Holy cow, that's huge!
If you're sure its hibiscus, I would gently rinse them before setting them out to dry in the sun. I would be drinking agua fresa everyday if I had some in my back yard!
Yeah I am sure it's hibiscus moscheutos. I just wasn't sure if anyone had used this particular species?
And rinsing is a must! Glad I am not the only one to think of that!! ;)


I've used the hibiscus, and it didn't seem to impact the dye that much. Hair still came out orange (but keep in mind I had red hair underneath).
That's what I have heard, but I figure it has conditioning properties too? The fact that it's growing in my yard is kind of cool! :P

I have dark brow hair so I know it's not going to change the color except for out in the sun. Highlights and what not. I think I just may have to try it out.....

[Mingle]

I think its worth trying out. I've heard it helps keep hair strong and prevents premature greying and hair loss.

[GreenEyedKat]

I think its worth trying out. I've heard it helps keep hair strong and prevents premature greying and hair loss.

Woot! I already have some grays/white hairs, those started popping up noticeably about 4 1/2years ago... and then started the dying of my hair. More recently it got completely fried and I dyed it back to a brown for one last dying with synth dye.
Now I want to switch to henna, mainly for the benefits and a bit o the gray coverage. :D

Anyways, I am going to try it out and post what happens!

[Priska]

Hibiscus is also a great natural hair conditioner, though the dye from it will fade and probably won't impact the henna much.

If you're going for burgendy I'd leave out the yogurt and ACV, just go fro nice strong (warm) hibiscus tea. The acid in the ACV will in inhibit the henna and make it a bit lighter/more orange.
Oh man, ACV makes henna lighter/more orange???.. why nobody has told me this before?? I've almost always been using in my henna acv because i have thought it releases the red color more... I really want to get the red out of henna, not orange!

[Priska]

That's true... I left vinegar and all possible sour liquids (and indigo) out of my hennadye, and the result is much redder! That's what I want...

[Nightshade]

That's true... I left vinegar and all possible sour liquids (and indigo) out of my hennadye, and the result is much redder! That's what I want...

Yay! I'm glad to hear that worked for you!