The henna/cassia thread

**Elettaria** · July 13th, 2009, 03:51 AM

We have a huge thread for cassia, and umpteen threads for henna, but we don't appear to have a thread for those who use henna with cassia. Let's get started! I'm particularly interested in knowing what proportions and recipes produce what colour results on different hair colours, with pictures of course. I'm also curious about whether one herb becomes dominant in a mix. For example, I've heard that the henna colour will easily take over a henna/cassia mix, that a 50:50 blend will produce a colour closer to that produced by henna than someone half-way. Is this definitely true, and what happens with the other features of the herbs? Are the conditioning properties closer to that of henna, or are they in the middle? If you find that henna leaves your hair glorious but cassia leaves it a bit dry, what's a mix likely to do? What about ease of application? How about the staining power on skin of the little bits of henna/cassia which creep out when you're applying the stuff? Do you find there are any differences when mixing up the blend, such as when determining whether dye release has occurred?

**Elettaria** · July 13th, 2009, 02:19 PM

So show me your pictures of henna-cassiaed hair!

**Nightshade** · July 13th, 2009, 02:29 PM

Originally Posted by Elettaria

We have a huge thread for cassia, and umpteen threads for henna, but we don't appear to have a thread for those who use henna with cassia. Let's get started! I'm particularly interested in knowing what proportions and recipes produce what colour results on different hair colours, with pictures of course. I'm also curious about whether one herb becomes dominant in a mix. For example, I've heard that the henna colour will easily take over a henna/cassia mix, that a 50:50 blend will produce a colour closer to that produced by henna than someone half-way. Is this definitely true, and what happens with the other features of the herbs?

In my experience, yes. You get a more copper-red with a 50/50 blend. For me to get a orange-copper I have to scale the mix to 35 henna/65 cassia to get a color that I would peg as more what I feel the 50/50 should look like

Are the conditioning properties closer to that of henna, or are they in the middle?

Having used both cassia and henna on their own, and not currently coloring with a blend of both, the conditioning properties are in the middle. Cassia tends to make my hair more fluffy, henna more sleek, but I get shine with both.

If you find that henna leaves your hair glorious but cassia leaves it a bit dry, what's a mix likely to do?

I think henna is a bit more forgiving as it leaves behind stronger conditioning properties. Cassia doesn't have as strong as an immediate effect, so rinsing the grit out strips the oils and whatnot from your hair, but doesn't leave the strong resin coating behind that henna does, hence the fluffiness for a few days until things settle down. A post-cassia oiling, or adding honey to the mix seems to help.

What about ease of application?

I think cassia tends to be more finely sifted across the board, while henna has a much more mixed bag of good versus poor sift. So long as you get a good sift, they both seem to be easy to apply with a dye bottle with the tip cut larger, but henna seems to be more of a gel, where cassia seems to go from mud to runny with the nice gel middle phase.

How about the staining power on skin of the little bits of henna/cassia which creep out when you're applying the stuff?

I don't have an issue with my 35% henna /65% cassia mix staining my skin on my face or neck, but it will produce a faint stain that fades quickly on my palms and nails.

Do you find there are any differences when mixing up the blend, such as when determining whether dye release has occurred?

Not really

I find that even with my fairly dilute blend I still get discernible dye release in the form of the mud turning brown, or puddles of orange on the top. It also still passes the "dot your hand with the mix and let it sit for 30 seconds then wipe, if you have orange behind you're ready" test.

That said, I treat my henna/cassia blend just like I did my henna mix. I blend it with hot chamomile tea, mix with a hand mixer, cover, and put atop a pan on my food dehydrator base for 4 hours or so.

**Goldfirsh** · July 20th, 2017, 10:21 PM

Hi! I had a question about cassia and henna. I'm new to henna, dyed it over previous chemical red dye a month ago and just did roots last weekend. The roots are coming out slightly darker red than the dyed part, mostly just not showing as much golden tones in it as the dyed parts. Would doing a cassia treatment on top of the hennaed roots add some golden tones to the root section? I plan to use 50:50 from now on to do my roots, but I don't want a stripe of slightly darker hair from this first root touchup. Do you think that'll do the trick? Or should I not worry so much about the stripe? I

**Elarea** · January 14th, 2010, 01:07 PM

This is henna/cassia 50/50 mix after two years.

**Lady Danger** · January 14th, 2010, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by Elarea

This is henna/cassia 50/50 mix after two years.

I saw this on the other thread, too. JAW-DROPPINGLY GORGEOUS!

**Elarea** · January 14th, 2010, 03:22 PM

Thank you!!

**CrisDee** · January 16th, 2010, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by Elarea

This is henna/cassia 50/50 mix after two years.

OMG, your hair is just to DIE for!

**Jewels707** · December 1st, 2017, 05:04 PM

I apologize if this is a duplicate post. I am new and trying to figure things out. :-) I just did my first natural hair color of any kind with a cassia henna gloss. I mixed 1 tablespoon henna with three tablespoons cassia (both from The Henna Guys) and let that develop with three fourths a cup of hot water for an hour. Then, I added one cup of a locally made natural hair conditioner called, "Jessie Curl" (available on Amazon) and let that sit under plastic wrap for several more hours. I applied the entire mixture to my freshly washed hair, covered it with a plastic shower cap, and wrapped it with a hot towel from the dryer for an hour. I then got in the shower and rinsed it all out without rewashing or conditioning. I did add some Aveda moisturizing oil to my damp

hair for hydration. It was a very subtle color change. I will attempt to add a before and after picture. I think next time I will add another tablespoon of henna and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice to get a bit more red. Any advice or comments for this amateur are welcome. Thanks in advance!

**jackie75** · December 6th, 2017, 09:57 PM

Hi guys! Been several yrs since I posted here. I've been sporting a pixie with an undercut for a while, bleaching it to a plantinum blonde. I decided I was never going to get my hair long again using chemicals, so I decided to go with henna again.

Yesterday I did a 50/50 henna/cassia mix with moroccan henna. Hopefully the bozo orange calms down a bit in a few days, but it really has helped with the bleach damage. I nearly forgot how to take a pic of the back of my head, lol!