Henna + Hibiscus

[Misstyk]

Hello all =) I have finally decided to henna my hair, since it really needs the care, and since i f..erm, altered its colour with chemical dyes which persistantly refuse to go away, and look gross anyway.

So I go to the phytotherapist and ask him if he has henna. He sold me some for 2 bucks/200 gr ( viva middle east) i hope it's good, of course i'll strand test first. He asked me what colour I wanted to achieve and I said I want it burgundy. So he gave me some dried hibiscus petals and told me to use this instead of tea, to make them boil until the colour of the water is the colour I want before I add it to the henna (and add one tablespoon of yogurt and one tablespoon of vinegar).

Since I don't remember reading that "tip" on this forum, I thought I'd let you know, and of course I'll share my results with you! I just need to find the time to dye

[tiny_teesha]

just make sure the henna is safe with no metals or PDD.
hennaforhair is a good site.
Also. hibiscus does dye the hair red...but i think it is temporary.
Henna is good, just repeatedly use it until you get the desired result. Also make sure you leave it AT LEAST 2 hours! Or else you won't notice a thing. I left it on 12 hours once. left a good stain (sleep with it in if you like, just make sure there is an old towel to drip on)
AND ALWAYS do a test strip on your hair and your skin to make sure you get the desired result and it doesn't irritate your skin! Some bad henna (with metals and PDD) can cause hair to rip to pieces and baaad stuff, so be careful!

[akka naeda]

I do that (2x the amnt of flowers to water), only I don't add yoghurt and ACV to my henna mix. And I find the hibiscus tea gives a purpley tone, which is increased by then using some more as a rinse each time I wash my hair. The rinse purple isn't permanent though

[Nightshade]

Hibiscus is also a great natural hair conditioner, though the dye from it will fade and probably won't impact the henna much.

If you're going for burgendy I'd leave out the yogurt and ACV, just go fro nice strong (warm) hibiscus tea. The acid in the ACV will in inhibit the henna and make it a bit lighter/more orange. I'm not convinced the yogurt will do anything beneficial, though it won't hurt.

Here is how to test if your henna is good

Best of luck!

[Girltron]

I think I've noticed a few posters saying they found hibiscus to inhibit the henna dye. I think hibiscus tea is pretty acidic, so that makes sense I suppose.

I honestly think it's so easy to push past copper into the cool reds, that there's no additive necessary. Just multiple full-head applications will do it fine! A few drops of lavender EO in the mix couldn't hurt, though.

[Nightshade]

That may inhibit it, but I don't think by nearly as much as lemon juice or ACV, but when in doubt, go for water

I haven't found the PH of hibiscus, but I did find this:

Hibiscus contains 15-30% organic acids such as citric, maleic, and tartaric. It also contains acidic polysaccharides and flavonoid glycosides such as cyanidin and delphenidin that give it its characteristic colour.

[Girltron]

I never really went looking for the exact numbers or anything. I just figure if it tastes sour, leave it out. No point in wasting good lawsone!

[nappywomyn]

Manic Panic and HENNA?

REeeeaaallllllyyy?

Hrm.

[Rustella]

Hello all =)

So I go to the phytotherapist and ask him if he has henna.

I read that as "So I go to the psychotherapist and ask him if he has henna." As a mental health therapist myself I'm thinking "what in the world kind of business is this guy running?"

[sapphire-o]

I use hibiscus tea as hair rinse quite regularly. I think my hair has acquired a slightly burgundy glow. It's not very obvious in dark hair. My natural highlight is brownish red, now they look a slightly cooler kind of red. You can check my album to see if you can see anything. I don't think anybody other than yourself will notice the difference, but hibiscus is conditioning so it can't hurt anyway.