Thinking of trying henna - questions

[cmnt831]

I've actually been considering trying henna for the past 5 years, but so far have been hesitant because of the commitment and worry over getting a nice color. If I get a color that I love, I wouldn't worry over the commitment at all. I love the way it looks on others, but can't figure out if it would suit me. I've done a bit of research, but still have some beginner-type questions.

1. I have to use a zinc dandruff shampoo currently. Will this affect the color of the henna if I continue to use the shampoo?

2. I may have the answer for this one already, but does it take long for henna to come off the skin? One site said a day or two.

3. a. If I'm using a coney conditioner, will I need to clarify to remove the cones before using henna? b. And should I use a non-coney conditioner thereafter?

4. I also love my lemon rinse, will this affect the henna color any?

5. And I've got gray hair, diffused mostly over the top of my head with a full-on white streak at the right temple. I've read some people have trouble with the gray hair picking up color, especially indigo, which I would probably use in the mix so that I don't have bright orange streaks in my (still rather dark brown) hair. Is there a good way to make sure the indigo sticks?

6. Can I still oil my hair after using henna or henna/indigo or will that interfere with the color?

Thanks so much for reading. I've tried to find these answers myself and either haven't had any luck or have found conflicting information. It could also be that I have no clue what terms to search for, too.

[Clarisse]

I’m not a hennahead myself, but perhaps you could put vaseline on the white streak/some of the white hairs and wrap them up to avoid red color on the beautiful silver strands and to avoid orange-red hair among the reddishbrown.

[cmnt831]

Ah, see now you've answered a question I hadn't even asked, yet. It was in the back of my mind to keep the white streak, but didn't know how that might be possible.

[MafiaPrincess]

Both henna hut bright red and yemeni came off my skin that night and enough was off my skin when I washed my face the next morning I didn't look funny.

I used conditioner with cones before now, and still do. Haven't made a change don't have any weird issues.

I put oil on my hair. Doesn't do anything to the colour.

[little_cherry]

First of all, henna is permanent.

1. I have to use a zinc dandruff shampoo currently. Will this affect the color of the henna if I continue to use the shampoo?

Hmm...In the beginnings of my henna, I used to use Head and shoulders and noticed a little fading...especially with henndigo. Now, I don't have to use it since the henna has taken over taking care of my scalp. I also add a tsp of shikakai to my root henna mixture...my scalp loves this.

2. I may have the answer for this one already, but does it take long for henna to come off the skin? One site said a day or two.

A lot less than a day or two if you scrub the skin gently with baking soda, then rub olive oil after washing.

3. a. If I'm using a coney conditioner, will I need to clarify to remove the cones before using henna? b. And should I use a non-coney conditioner thereafter?

IME, clarifying coney hair yeilds a stronger colour. You can use coney conditioners on hennaed hair if that's what you want to do. I used to do this before going herbal without any problems.

4. I also love my lemon rinse, will this affect the henna color any?

I love my lemon rinse, too! It's lovely on hennaed hair. As a matter of fact, I use the lemon rinse as the liquid in my henna as well.

5. And I've got gray hair, diffused mostly over the top of my head with a full-on white streak at the right temple. I've read some people have trouble with the gray hair picking up color, especially indigo, which I would probably use in the mix so that I don't have bright orange streaks in my (still rather dark brown) hair. Is there a good way to make sure the indigo sticks?

If you want to cover up the grey (like I do...I have lots of whit-silver strands), do a few single henna applications followed by the henndigo. It will stick better.

6. Can I still oil my hair after using henna or henna/indigo or will that interfere with the color?

I use coconut oil prior to hennaing without any ill effects..the dye uptake is the same, if not stronger. Last night, I hennaed the roots and glossed the rest and let it in over night. When I washed it out, I used conditioner with some coconut oil mixed in, vinegar rinse and then oiled when I got out of the shower. I've been oiling/adding coconut oil to my conditioner for around 2 years now and have never ever noticed any colour fade. With the indigo, you may want to wait a week before you oil, just in case.

[sibiryachka]

I’m not a hennahead myself, but perhaps you could put vaseline on the white streak/some of the white hairs and wrap them up to avoid red color on the beautiful silver strands and to avoid orange-red hair among the reddishbrown.

I've had no luck with that idea so far, sadly. In my experience, henna does not stay where you put it, and oiling doesn't prevent uptake - although to be fair I didn't try Vaseline, which I would NEVER allow anywhere near my scalp. Wrapping them might help, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
The other problem I have - which might not be true for others - is that the parts of my head where the white hairs are most abundant also contain non-white hairs. Those would be very prominent not only among their white neighbors, but in comparison to the red hairs everywhere else.

cmnt831, if you can join the henna cult while still maintaining your renegray status and your gorgeous curls, you will be my new heroine. Watching this thread with much interest!

[cmnt831]

Both henna hut bright red and yemeni came off my skin that night and enough was off my skin when I washed my face the next morning I didn't look funny.

I used conditioner with cones before now, and still do. Haven't made a change don't have any weird issues.

I put oil on my hair. Doesn't do anything to the colour.

Awesome, thanks!

First of all, henna is permanent.


Hmm...In the beginnings of my henna, I used to use Head and shoulders and noticed a little fading...especially with henndigo. Now, I don't have to use it since the henna has taken over taking care of my scalp. I also add a tsp of shikakai to my root henna mixture...my scalp loves this.


A lot less than a day or two if you scrub the skin gently with baking soda, then rub olive oil after washing.

IME, clarifying coney hair yeilds a stronger colour. You can use coney conditioners on hennaed hair if that's what you want to do. I used to do this before going herbal without any problems.

I love my lemon rinse, too! It's lovely on hennaed hair. As a matter of fact, I use the lemon rinse as the liquid in my henna as well.


If you want to cover up the grey (like I do...I have lots of whit-silver strands), do a few single henna applications followed by the henndigo. It will stick better.


I use coconut oil prior to hennaing without any ill effects..the dye uptake is the same, if not stronger. Last night, I hennaed the roots and glossed the rest and let it in over night. When I washed it out, I used conditioner with some coconut oil mixed in, vinegar rinse and then oiled when I got out of the shower. I've been oiling/adding coconut oil to my conditioner for around 2 years now and have never ever noticed any colour fade. With the indigo, you may want to wait a week before you oil, just in case.

Yeah, I know it's permanent, hence my hesitating for 5 years.

So, henna helped with your dandruff? That's great! I had never hoped for a side effect like that. Does the shikakai contribute the the effect as far as clearing the scalp of flakiness?

Ok, so henna itself helps the indigo to stick better? I saw some video where the lady mixed the henna and indigo together. Are they to be applied separately, instead?

I'm glad to hear about the lemon rinse - I didn't want to give it up.

As for the grays, I'm in two minds about keeping my big streak, but was definitely thinking of covering the rest. They seem to be washing me out because they're so white. My hair already has a lot of red tones in it (even strands of natural red sprinkled throughout) and so I wouldn't mind the single silver strands looking coppery or orange, but I don't think the big white streak would look nice that way.

Thanks for the tips! This helps a lot. But I think I'll have lots of questions along the way.

[Roscata]

1. I have to use a zinc dandruff shampoo currently. Will this affect the color of the henna if I continue to use the shampoo?
I have heard that dandruff shampoo can strip color. I have never used it on my own hair, so I'm not sure if that is accurate or not. However, if you read the e-book I linked you to at the bottom of my post, you'll see that using henna is suppose to eliminate dandruff, so you won't need it anymore. I personally massage the henna into my scalp. It gives me orange scalp for 2 washes but I feel like it gets a good chance of working.

2. I may have the answer for this one already, but does it take long for henna to come off the skin? One site said a day or two.
It depends where on the skin it is. For example it takes longer to remove it from hands than it does from the face. But usually it takes a couple of days to a week. You can always just oil your forehead, back of your head and ears and use gloves for protection against skin staining.

3. a. If I'm using a coney conditioner, will I need to clarify to remove the cones before using henna? b. And should I use a non-coney conditioner thereafter?
a. It's not an absolute must but it is recommended. I'm not really sure it makes any kind of huge difference though.The clarifying comes into play because you're suppose to remove anything that could prevent the Henna from penetrating the hair shaft, anything that coats the hair.
b. I use a coney conditioner after with no bad effects.

4. I also love my lemon rinse, will this affect the henna color any?
I use the lemon rinse and it hasn't affected my hair in any visible way over the past month. I believe that lemon can lighten your hair but only if you don't rinse it out and get exposed to the sun. Also, you might not want to leave it on your hair for too long without rinsing.

5. And I've got gray hair, diffused mostly over the top of my head with a full-on white streak at the right temple. I've read some people have trouble with the gray hair picking up color, especially indigo, which I would probably use in the mix so that I don't have bright orange streaks in my (still rather dark brown) hair. Is there a good way to make sure the indigo sticks?
Get top quality indigo and henna and make sure you follow the instructions. Also I heard that adding salt to your indigo mix will make it darker. Repeated applications work best in this case. A lot of people say it's hard to get indigo to stick but once it does it is virtually impossible to get it out. Amla is suppose to help you get cooler brunette tones.

6. Can I still oil my hair after using henna or henna/indigo or will that interfere with the color?
I oil my hair at least twice a week, and I see no color difference.


I suggest you download and read this free ebook: http://www.mehandi.com/shop/hennahairbook/index.html

Information about indigo: Dye your hair brunette and cover the gray with henna and indigo!


Mehandi.com is a website I absolutely recommend for buying your henna, by the way. You get BAQ henna, which is the best kind.

[cmnt831]

I've had no luck with that idea so far, sadly. In my experience, henna does not stay where you put it, and oiling doesn't prevent uptake - although to be fair I didn't try Vaseline, which I would NEVER allow anywhere near my scalp. Wrapping them might help, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
The other problem I have - which might not be true for others - is that the parts of my head where the white hairs are most abundant also contain non-white hairs. Those would be very prominent not only among their white neighbors, but in comparison to the red hairs everywhere else.

cmnt831, if you can join the henna cult while still maintaining your renegray status and your gorgeous curls, you will be my new heroine. Watching this thread with much interest!

Hehe, well I can certainly try to keep all those stati (is that the plural of "status"?). Dh has offered to help me with the whole application thing, so maybe we can work something out on the streak. It has no dark hairs in it at all, though the rest of my hair is just sprinkled with silvers and I don't mind those turning orange or whatever. I've had a history of getting interestingly colored highlights. I wouldn't be adverse to trying vaseline on the streak and I would definitely try wrapping it. Maybe it will have an orange line in it at the base, though.

So, what about the curls? Are they going to un-curl with henna? I'm fighting to keep them at this point because they're weakening so fast with length anyway.

[MafiaPrincess]

Ive done 2 all over hair henna applications in about a month. I have psoriasis and it contributes to awful dandruff. I have always loved fiery red colours, and made my dandruff worse as I'd hold off wanting to wash my hair and use dandruff shampoo as it would increase the fade.

I've found in the past month my dandruff is improving and I haven't touched a dandruff shampoo in over a month.