- How do you apply Henna yourself ?!

[RedheadMistress]

- I have just applied my henna mix to my hair and Oh My, is it difficult to apply into your hair yourself !

Even for me who is used to applying bleach or veggie dye, box dyes myself, this was just so much more difficult ! I first tried with a brush applicator I got from Stargazer but in the end just did with my hands and gooed it all up in my hair, haha. It's fun, I'll admit that.

I am now looking for some sort of video maybe where someone is showing how to apply henna ?
I first did from bottom to up, and then midways decided it would be better to do from top to bottom and pile it all on my head . .

Also, now I have an itching sensation in my scalp, is that normal ?
I did an allergy test in the form of putting a dot of it on my hand, keeping it there for 5 minutes, but I have no reaction there, just an orange stain [which seems like a good thing, it stains so quickly!] so is this normal ?

Don't want to end up bald . .

[thankyousir74]

Personally, I tie up all of my hair except a small chunk at the bottom. I smother that with henna. Then I untie and retie, again, with a little more hair at the bottom and then I smother that too. I keep doing this until it is all smothered.

Once it is all smothered I bring the length to the top of my head, and then I add what ever henna is left over to sort of cement my length to the top of my head. then plastic bag and towel on top of that and voila.

I've never had much trouble with this method.

Oh and I am sitting in my bathtub in the nude during all this. After my hennaed hair is safely beneath the plastic bag and towel, I wash what ever henna dripped on my body, and then put on a button down shirt.

ETA: I just use my hands too. And as for the itching sensation, I've never had a strong one, but sometimes I do feel like scratching.... but it's more out of wanting to play with my hair than it is from an itching sensation...

[Elainehali]

I put the tub of henna in my bathtub and then put my head in the tub. Takes a little more effort to make sure you reached all the hair.

Then when all my hair is coated with henna I put a trashbag on my hair. Then a towel.

[klcqtee]

Have you ever dyed your roots with chemical dyes? The way I apply it is similar to that:

Part hair into two pigtails.
Split each pigtail in half. This should mean that your part (if looking down on your head) looks like a "+" sign.
I clip up 3 of the sections, and start on the one left down (usually one of the front sections).
Then I take a rat tail comb, and make a part about 1 inch wide, (going either across my head, like a center part, or down my head,parallel to my ear).
Take hand(s) (gloved) and scoop up some henna, then run my hand(s) down the length of hair.
Once coated, flip the strand over onto the opposite side of head (ex: If you did the right side of your hair, after coating, flip over the top of your head, and lay to rest on the left side of your head, by your ear).
Continue this method for the remaining section. When the section is completed, clip up.
Take down the next section, and repeat process.
If you have any extra, left over henna, I dumped it on my head, right along where my hair parts naturally, and on the back of my head, to be sure it was coated as best I could.

This process normally yielded very even results, especially with practice.

The only difficulties I had with this process:
1. tired arms! I have thick hair, and it takes me about an hour to completely coat all of my hair with this process.
2. The back of the head. When I coated a section, rather than flipping it to the right or left, I'd flip it forward, over the front of my face (head bent down, looking at feet). Sometimes the end of my nose would have little light henna splotches.
3. Time consuming! No way around it.

About the itching: my head tended to itch a bit while I had henna sitting on my hair. If it's extreme itching (more than the normal), I'd rinse your hair out immediately. You didn't do the allergy test correctly, as a heads up. You only checked for dye release (which is also important). From what I understand, a proper allergy test involves putting a dab on the inside of your arm (by the elbow) and allowing it to sit for 24 hours.

If you do end up being allergic, you probably won't lose your hair, but be very itchy and irritated, or even becoming sick. Because your hair is coated in henna, these symptoms may, unfortunately persist, even after you rinse the henna out. I hope all turns out well!

[shadowclaw]

I have a fairly easy time applying henna, but I think I have the easiest hair type to color... it's straight and not too thick.

It is more difficult than applying dye (I used to dye my hair for several years), but I found that making the henna thin makes a huge difference in the ease of application. When I first used henna, I made it much too thick. Most of the suggestions I found at the time for the consistency was to make it like yoghurt. I don't know if I just eat thick yoghurt, but it was really difficult to work with and almost impossible to spread evenly. I ended up missing a lot of spots because I just couldn't get it to cover everything, even when I sectioned my hair into 1/2 inch sections.

Nightshade suggests making it like pancake batter, which I was afraid to do at first, because I make pretty thin pancake batter However, after a few hennas, I found out that pancake batter really is a good consistency. The only downside to thin henna is that it is much more like to drip down the back of your neck and ruin your shirt.

So my suggestion to you is to make it thin. I apply to dry hair and start at the front (I part down the middle). I take about a 1 inch section and gob it onto the roots, then move down the length. I continue towards the back using 1 inch sections, alternating between sides of my head. When I get to the back, I also smother the roots at the base of my neck, and I also put extra by my ears and on my part. When it's done, I make two pigtails and make a big bun with them on top of my head and wrap it with cling film/seran wrap. Then I hop in the shower and wash off all the henna that got onto my body and clean off my neck. I should also mention that I do this without a shirt on, because I make a big mess and don't feel like ruining any shirts.

I sleep with my henna on, and I highly recommend that if you do, to put a white pillow case on your pillow and then put a towel over it. My henna almost always leaks a little onto the towel. Twice it went through to the pillow case, but it bleached out really easily (in about 1 minute using straight bleach).

As for the itching, I used to to always get itchy when I used chemical dyes, but so far there's been no itching with henna. Perhaps you just have a sensitive scalp?

[vampodrama]

I clip up my hair in three sections horizontally, leaving the bottom part hang free. I use only hands to smear the henna mud into my hair. Since I've been hennaing for over 2 years now, I don't need to coat the length, so I focus on my roots, really massaging and kneading the henna into the roots of my hair. Since I don't touch the length for now, it can hang down my back without too much of a mess. Then I unclip the next section from the bottom up and repeat until all my roots are covered with henna. The crown part needs a little more separating and stuff, but this is not a problem. It also helps that I don't exactly have thick hair And, when dealing with henna, more is more. It's better to overdo it than miss spots, imho.

When all my roots are covered I smear whatever is left of the henna paste over my length kinda randomly and twist it all up on the top of my head and cover it with cling film.

The whole process takes me about 15 minutes nowadays. As I said, I've done it monthly for over 2 years now so I've had practice. At first it was scary and intimidating but since I have no one to help me, I just had the handle this myself.

[marikamt]

After a few trial and error applications, this is what I settled on...
I do it pretty much how I used to do my old chemical color... I bought an empty "ketchup" bottle (it looks like a larger version of those chem dye applicators w/ the tip). I mix my henna to a yogurt consistency and let it dye release then put it in the applicator. I start w/ the hairline all the way around (I apply vaseline to keep it from staining skin). I then go to top of head and do roots (I use a rat tail comb to seperate sections, but I basically make a part, squirt along line, spread w/ fingers, make another part a little over, repeat). Then after I have the scalp/ roots done, I just squirt the rest all over length and ends and rub in w/ my hands. I saran wrap my head and stick on a shower cap and wait.........

[RedheadMistress]

thankyousir74; That sounds like the method I started doing but then it somehow made more sense to start from the top and work down but when I did that I realise it's far more difficult that way!
Luckily I like having several different tones in my hair and un-even-ness sp hopefully it will be good when I was it out in 5 hours . I did the cement thing too and noticed I had a lot of henna left, thought I would use it all up!
I just froze it and thought I can use it some other time . . I read it's good for it to be frozen, which I think is right ?

The itching stopped 30 minutes later and now it doesnt feel bad, just comfy and the only bad thing is the dripping ! But I probably put too much. or shouldnt have heated it up with a hairdryer.

Heh that's a good itch ! I am used to having friendly veggie dyes in my hair for a whole day and I'm patient when it comes to this so I don't itch that way ^^
Which is weird, since I am normally impatient :P

I wanted to do mine in the tub as well but I wasn't sure how much it would stain and how powerful the stains are . . and it's a brand new tub :/ But it wasn't hard to remove from the stains I made on the sink or anything!


Elainehali; Wow I was thinking how I will continue doing this once my hair gets longer and longer and finally reaches my dream length ! Your method sounds interesting hehe do you make the henna very liquid so it goes through it all? Since mine was a bit thick but felt good, like soyghurt, but if I did the tub method i dont know if it would reach all hairs. Actually . . I might try that next time!


klcqtee; yes I have dyed my roots with chemical dyes, and many times ! Which is why I didn't get why it was so difficult with henna. I think it might be because my paste was very thick ? That makes sense. But next time I will try and get someone to help me I think, even if I normally dont trust people to get all hairs hehe but I think they would do better than me !
Thank you for your very well detailed method, I will make sure to do it like that as well and see how well it works for me, so many methods I have to try (:

Your method sounds very maticoulous and I used to do that a few years ago but then went for an almost chaos method since, like you wrote, that one makes your arms so tired, like when you braid in dreads in your hair!
But it's good . . I think my hair would like a good even coat.

Oh no ! Thank you, I hope I wont be allergic to it . . it doesn't itch anymore, which is great so I will think my scalp is happy, even if I am a very allergic person! Thank you for the help klcqtee !


shadowclaw; Yes I think that is also the problem for me! I did it like thick soyghurt and I think dye is normally much more runny . . I will make it more runny next time, it's luckily not that difficult to do .

Hm,even this thick one is running down my neck ! hehe and down my face . . so I wont mind doing it thinner like my pancake batter .


vampodrama; Okay, I will try and do it myself as well!
Yes I've read that henna is different from for example box dyes and how you don't always need to put it in the lengths, which would make it easier if I just need on the roots. . I love the redness of your hair ! Is that all because of henna or do you use Special Fx or something like that as well ? Wow . I want my hair to be that read, if possible . .

Does it just happen naturally if maybe I would do it every month for years, I wonder . . Love it


marikamt; Good, I put vaseline as well, hm but I found it very difficult to make lines after I had applied some henna into my hair, it just made it very difficult to play with :/ Which hopefully will be fixed if I make it more runny, but you say youghurt consistency works for you . .

[marikamt]

well, maybe a little looser than yogurt...... I am able to squirt it out of the applicator bottle, but not so thin that it runs all over me......

[RedWolf]

Here's what I do- I mix it some PP henna..which has a nice consistency and make sure it's not too runny. I start at the top of my head..kinda center, where'd you place a hi pony tail. And paint brush the henna on and then make it a little bun. Then I grab sections and keep the bun going. So i paint henna on, wrap it around the bun, brush more on, and then grab more hair. I end up looking like a cone head. Then I mash on the remaining henna..foil it, then put a plastic hair cap on top, (I twirl around some toilet paper and place it under the cap around my forehead and ears) drape a towel around my shoulders and watch tv!