new to henna, silly question

[geosangel]

ok, so I have seen this posted twice, but the ladies had much darker hair than I. I have never used henna, and have decided to give it a try. Permanent color does not bother me, and my hubby loves red hair. We were discussing shades of red last night, and we both decided we love the shade of Kate Winslet's hair in Titanic. I found at Henna hut a henna called copper top that looks like it mimic a color similar to her shade. Again, I saw previous posts here about achieving her color, but the ladies were told this would not be possible because their hair was already to dark, and with henna you cannot lighten, which leads me to this: I do not want to get a red that is too dark and would mess up my chances of achieving a lighter copper, and, (honest opinions please) I would appreciate it if you could look at my current color (natural hair color, no dyes in it) and honestly let me know if you think the Kate Winslet copper is at all achievable, and if so, is the henna hut copper top the only henna I could use to get that color? It has other ingredients in it that I'm unsure of, and I really want the benefits of the henna, not messing up my hair with chemicals and stuff found in box dye. Sorry for the long winded post..here is a link to my hair pic taken just yesterday so you can see the color. Thanks in advance...:D http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=6998&pictureid=92597

[Vuvuzela]

try a henna/cassia mix and don't leave it in for very long. strand tests are always helpful :)

[Dolly]

Well, not sure about if you can achieve that color....always strand test, so you will know first!

As for Henna Hut, their henna does have other NATURAL ingredients in the blends, and I use their red, and love it! Their stuff is top-notch and the service is excellent.

[MandaMom2Three]

Strand testing is definitely the best way to go, you can get a ball park figure at best looking at someone else' hair IMO. I hair turns out MUCH darker than other people I've seen with the exact same colour of hair starting out that I did.

[geosangel]

Thanks. I'm wondering if the copper top is the best way to go, or another certain brand..I love the color of Rocketdog's hair.

[Marjolein]

You don't have to use henna from henna hut. Just use any good quality henna, and on your starting color it should turn out pretty coppery (see my pic for reference - I'm a natural medium blonde).

There are several things you can do to stop the color from getting to dark:

1. Diluting the henna. If you dilute your henna with cassia, conditioner (cone-free is a must), pectin, or what have you then the color won't come out as strong.
2. Shorter application time. Don't leave it on for hours at a time, but rather start with a diluted mixture and leave that on for only an hour or so. Because...
3. Repeated applications result in darker, more saturated colors. Which means: the moment you like your color, leave it alone! Don't color that part of your hair anymore, but just do root touch-ups.

But as the ladies above me have said. Don't do anything until you have tested it first on a hairball from your brush. Henna color has to grow out of your hair, it's that permament!!

Having said all this: Have fun with your henna!!

[geosangel]

I found a local place that sells henna, jamila, and mehndi. They don't list cassia or anything. So, now I'm kind of lost, I have not purchased anything yet, and am trying to figure out what all I need/where to go (local if possible) to get it, and what mix I would need to have that copper I'm after...do the Indian stores usually carry cassia?

[geosangel]

also, how does one dilute henna, and I guess what I need to know is what ratio I need of henna to whatever I dilute/mix it with?

[Veer666]

also, how does one dilute henna, and I guess what I need to know is what ratio I need of henna to whatever I dilute/mix it with?

You have to do a strand test to figure out what ratio works best for you. So we cannot really tell you which ratio will result in the colour you want. Just experiment with a hairball.

You can mix henna with cassia to make it less red. You can leave it on less long. You can put in more oil or conditioner, to make it more of a henna gloss instead of a real deep henna dye application.

There are many possibilities to try. Good luck!

[ellen732]

I started out with Henna Hut brown to take the guess work out of mixing and because it has instant dye release and only needs to be left on an hour. IMO, it is a great way to start using henna, and I don't think I would ever switch.

[Veer666]

I started out with Henna Hut brown to take the guess work out of mixing and because it has instant dye release and only needs to be left on an hour. IMO, it is a great way to start using henna, and I don't think I would ever switch.


But this henna could still give a very different colour on someone else depending on dye history, hair care and natural haircolour.

If you want to be sure of how it turns out, you should do a test

[ellen732]

But this henna could still give a very different colour on someone else depending on dye history, hair care and natural haircolour.

If you want to be sure of how it turns out, you should do a test

Um, I was just saying that Henna Hut comes premixed so you don't have to mix your own ratios.

[Veer666]

Um, I was just saying that Henna Hut comes premixed so you don't have to mix your own ratios.

Yes I know, I just wanted to state that this premixed colour doesn't necessarily give the same result in everybody.

Not having to mix is maybe an advantage if you haven't done henna before. However, mixing is also a nice experience.

It's like cooking your own hairdye :)

[geosangel]

Thanks all :) I just went to an Indian store, and the lady had gorgeous hair. She spent some time talking to me about what she does, felt and looked at my hair, and recommended Jamila henna, and also told me about some more herbs and amla to use later on to help thicken and strengthen my hair. Her hair was so nice, and in a ponytail no doubt about 4 inches thick. I was amazed that it was soft, silky, and shiny. I guess I got lucky finding someone local to help me that uses only natural things on her hair as well. So, here I sit, with Jamila henna in front of me...now I just have to work up the courage to do it :undecided

[redhead2011]

Thanks all :) I just went to an Indian store, and the lady had gorgeous hair. She spent some time talking to me about what she does, felt and looked at my hair, and recommended Jamila henna, and also told me about some more herbs and amla to use later on to help thicken and strengthen my hair. Her hair was so nice, and in a ponytail no doubt about 4 inches thick. I was amazed that it was soft, silky, and shiny. I guess I got lucky finding someone local to help me that uses only natural things on her hair as well. So, here I sit, with Jamila henna in front of me...now I just have to work up the courage to do it :undecided
**********
good luck!!! i'm still a henna virgin :rolleyes: so i'd love to see before and after pics of your hair pleaseeeee!

[Dolly]

Yes I know, I just wanted to state that this premixed colour doesn't necessarily give the same result in everybody.

Not having to mix is maybe an advantage if you haven't done henna before. However, mixing is also a nice experience.

It's like cooking your own hairdye :)


I know the OP has already found someone locally to help, but I would like to say this for other people reading this thread. For those of you who don't have the time to experiment, try to find a mix, and test numerous hairballs (LIKE ME) Henna Hut is a good way to go. You do a couple of strand tests (A MUST) to see how it reacts with your hair, and then you're done!

Henna Hut's blends are very nice, and once you do strand tests, you know what you've got. I didn't have to worry about waiting hours for dye release, or freezing it, or doing this or that. I mix it with warm water (and I add a little oil because my hair is dry), and I glop it on. End of story. No mixing, no guessing. It works for me.

[Veer666]

Good luck!

Hope you find the courage to use it! Your hair will probably love it very much :)

[Yosha]

She spent some time talking to me about what she does, felt and looked at my hair, and recommended Jamila henna, and also told me about some more herbs and amla to use later on to help thicken and strengthen my hair. Her hair was so nice, and in a ponytail no doubt about 4 inches thick. I was amazed that it was soft, silky, and shiny. I guess I got lucky finding someone local to help me that uses only natural things on her hair as well. So, here I sit, with Jamila henna in front of me...now I just have to work up the courage to do it :undecided
I'm about to try out henna again too (mixed with indigo), I did two henndigo glosses to darken my hair a little (my hair has faded a lot) with not much result (yet). Also my hair can do with a bit more boost so I'm very interested how to use amla and which other herbs to thicken it. How did this nice lady advise to use it? Leave it on for a while and mix with which herbs exactly or does she use it to wash her hair with?

[geosangel]

She makes a paste with it, but also uses shekakai and another herb, it was kind of hard to understand her, she talked very quickly, (broken English)and being a newbie I was mostly concerned with the henna since that was my main focus until I got that part done. I think she understood, so she sold me the Jamila and the Amla at a discount and told me to do the henna first, and then come back and she would explain the rest. The multitude of other items she had were not packaged in English, and, again, being a newbie I didn't want to buy everything I saw until I did some research on here as well. I will be going back in a few days when I'm not in a rush. (I actually drove 45 minutes to Tampa to find her, and the only place semi-local to get henna.) As soon as I find out all the good info, I will definitely be posting it on here ;)