Questions about Henna

**prittykitty** · October 7th, 2009, 03:04 AM

I have read that Henna can loosen curls and is good for damaged hair. If this is true, I would love to try this, only I don't really want to change my hair color. If using Henna does change hair color, I would like to maybe go darker but not red. I don't have the right complexion for red or blond hair colors and these colors would never match my permanent dark brow enhancement and eyeliner. Does Henna come in dark colors such as very dark brown or soft black? Also where can I buy Henna at? Thanks for all of your help.

**kdaniels8811** · October 7th, 2009, 03:59 AM

Henna is red, even on dark hair will give a red sheen. And it is permanent, the only way to get rid of it is cut it off. If you do not like red hair, it is not for you. There is indigo, which is used in conjuction with henna to darken the red to more auburn or reddish brown but it is still red. Cassia gives much of the same conditioning wihout changing your hair color - if your hair is dark. I buy my supplies at www.hennaforhair.com. Good luck!

**Nightshade** · October 7th, 2009, 07:32 AM

Why don't you give the henna article linked in my siggy a read, it'll explain the basics of henna all in one spot

That said, I second that if you don't want red, stay away from henna. Try cassia instead

**prittykitty** · October 7th, 2009, 02:36 PM

What is Cassia? Is there a thread on this? Thanks.

**Nightshade** · October 7th, 2009, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by prittykitty

What is Cassia? Is there a thread on this? Thanks.

Cassia is in the henna article too. And yep, there's a thread on Cassia

**prittykitty** · October 8th, 2009, 02:36 AM

Nightshade,
I read that there is an indigo colored henna for darker hair. What can you tell me about it? I have been reading the threads but still not getting the answers I am searching for. I am reading that henna is good for some hair types but others have found it to be very drying and damaging. I have read the cassia threads but still not sure exactly what it is suppose to do. My hair is dark brown, naturally curly to the point of frizz and it is dried out from a perm that was suppose to soften my curls but instead made it even more curly. Also I had perm solution combed through my hair to smooth the perm that I got, all of this was done of course before I found this website.

I would like to try the dark indigo henna if it will not give me red tones and if it will make my hair stronger and relax my curls without drying it out more. If this is not possible I would like to try the cassia if it is good for my hair type. Your help will be greatly appreciated. I am sorry if I seem to ask a lot on this subject but I have never used henna or cassia and I don't really know much about it.

**Nightshade** · October 8th, 2009, 08:02 AM

Nightshade,
I read that there is an indigo colored henna for darker hair. What can you tell me about it?

Well, there's indigo, which is a totally different plant than henna. Henna stains red, and when you mix it with water is like mud. Indigo (the same thing that blue jeans are dyed with), is very runny and greenish bluish black when mixed up.

If you mix indigo in with henna you get a darker, cooler red than you'd get with henna alone. If you henna, rinse it out, then apply indigo and rinse that out (often called a two-step process) you'll get black that flares reddish in the sunlight.

Indigo can be hellish to get out, similar to henna. But at least with henna you can lighten it a bit without killing your hair, but if you have indigo you're somewhat screwed in that respect as lightening in any way after the fact (with bleach or peroxide) results in green hair that's very hard to correct.

I have been reading the threads but still not getting the answers I am searching for. I am reading that henna is good for some hair types but others have found it to be very drying and damaging.

This is true and the results per person very wildly. I'd say that for the people who find henna very dry or damaging a good percentage of them did one or more of the following:
- used poor-quality henna with gods-know-what in it
- had too much acid in their mix. Sites like HennaforHair recommend mixing with straight lemon juice, which can be very drying
- don't rinse properly. Henna dust/residue in the hair breeds dryness and tangles.

There are people who, after doing everything right, still get dry hair and breakage from henna. Heidi 234 has a good theory that says that henna disrupts the moisture/protein balance in favor of protein, so if your hair is protein-sensitive, you may be more prone to problems.

One way around all this is to dye a small lock of hair (on your head) and see how it behaves for a few weeks before taking the plunge.

I have read the cassia threads but still not sure exactly what it is suppose to do.

Cassia dyes a light golden color, which is pretty much invisible on all but the palest of hair types. It has similar conditioning properties to henna, but while the conditioning properties of henna last a long long time, cassia's tend to fade after a month or so and need to be reapplied. Generally, people find their hair gets more shine and is a bit sleeker/softer, though it can be a bit more voluminous for the first few days afterward.

My hair is dark brown, naturally curly to the point of frizz and it is dried out from a perm that was suppose to soften my curls but instead made it even more curly. Also I had perm solution combed through my hair to smooth the perm that I got, all of this was done of course before I found this website.

I would like to try the dark indigo henna if it will not give me red tones and if it will make my hair stronger and relax my curls without drying it out more. If this is not possible I would like to try the cassia if it is good for my hair type. Your help will be greatly appreciated. I am sorry if I seem to ask a lot on this subject but I have never used henna or cassia and I don't really know much about it.

No worries at all. In the realm of henna and indigo it is a million times better to ask before doing anything!

Well, if you want NO red AT ALL, stay away from henna in any and all forms. There's really now way to get around it. Now, that said, your hair may be dark enough that 1) you won't need indigo 2) if you did a henna gloss you won't see any reddish hues, save perhaps in the sun, and 3) if you did see red you didn't like, a gloss is more likely to fade over time than a full-blown henna treatment (which will likely never fade at all).

Being that your hair is dry, curly and frizzy, here's my recommendation for what it's worth:

I'd do a strand test with a henna gloss. You can test it on a bunch of shed hairs, or do a lock in a place on your own head where it won't be obvious to grow out if you don't like it. Give the strand 3 days to oxidize (when it will reach it's final color), and make sure you look at it in several types of light (incandscent, furlorescent, sunlight, etc).

IF you like the results, you can gloss your whole head. Take 1 TB of dye-released henna, add it to one cup of cone-free conditioner, mix well and apply to clean, towel-dried hair. Leave it on for two hours or more, then rinse it out.

I just get the impression that cassia may not give you the curl-smoothing you're looking for, and a gloss will give you lots of moisture.

You may also want to consider CO washing and maybe a deep moisture treatment like an SMT and see how that does. Neither of those have any effect on henna, I just thought I'd toss out some more things that may help!