Henna, but concerned about hair waviness

**greywolf** · August 4th, 2012, 07:56 PM

I henna'd my hair once before, but it made my hair much straighter, which I didn't like. It probably made my hair look much nicer and cleaner, but I kinda like the waves in my hair. It makes me feel like one of those freespirited women with wind-tossed hair lol.

I posted on another forum, and they suggested that I use Amla with it, but I'm concerned that the Amla won't let me achieve the reddish color I'm going for. What do you think? I'd post on that other forum, but the people here seem friendlier.

**chou** · August 4th, 2012, 08:21 PM

Do your henna, wait until the next wash, and do an amla pack or rinse. Amla packs are somewhat drying on my hair but more powerful than rinses. You could also do weekly rinses for a few weeks until your hair is back how you like it. I mix a teaspoon of sifted (it clumps) amla with a liter of warm water and a couple of drops of coconut oil for a rinse. Your waves will come right back! Just be sure to follow with a moisturizing treatment. Good luck! Let us know how it goes if you decide to go for it.

**greywolf** · August 5th, 2012, 12:22 AM

I'm new to this stuff. What's the difference between a pack and a rinse?

**SilverDoe** · August 5th, 2012, 02:16 AM

I wouldn't risk it. I went from 2a/b to 1c with henna.
Lost all waves & curls, and while I love all other effects & color of henna, I wish I never used it in the first place.
Amla treatments on their own can temporarily help get some texture back, but it doesn't last long for me, and I only get slight waves back.
I now try to embrace it with braidwaves or keeping it up so I don't need to feel the straightness as this does bother me so much.

A full amla treatment is using the paste straight, like henna for 30 minutes/an hour.
(Can be a bit drying, I like to use aloe vera in it.) You can also use 1-2 tablespoons mixed in with your conditioner.

**Pierre** · August 5th, 2012, 06:25 AM

Try hennaing your hair while it's braided. I do that, and it's just as curly as before I started hennaing (which was years and years ago, so I barely remember). I use amla, though.

**bunnylake** · August 5th, 2012, 11:01 AM

Do any of you who have lost curl/wave to henna feel that the strengthening and conditioning benefits are worth losing the curl/wave?

I love my waves but if henna will truly improve my hair condition that much I'm totally willing to sacrifice them! I am just so prone to split ends and shedding.

**SilverDoe** · August 5th, 2012, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by bunnylake

Do any of you who have lost curl/wave to henna feel that the strengthening and conditioning benefits are worth losing the curl/wave?

I love my waves but if henna will truly improve my hair condition that much I'm totally willing to sacrifice them! I am just so prone to split ends and shedding.

Well I trimmed my ends right before I hennaed for the first time in the beginning of April.
I have almost no split ends now, most that I find are old splits in my layers which most likely occurred before henna. Usually my ends would be quite bad after 3-5 months, but not now.

My hair thickness has increased 1cm since henna which is great as a former i/ii, perhaps partially because I quit chemical dyes in February.
Old damage at the back of my head has "disappeared", I can't feel it at all anymore. My hair is also much more resilient overall. Not to mention THE SHINE.

I didn't think I would mind losing waves for the strengthening effects, but it really does bother me.
The increased thickness is not visible after I lost all volume. Making it look thinner.
The conditioning & strengthening effects are amazing, but do think long & hard if it's worth it if you like your current texture. Though not everyone is affected.

**bunnylake** · August 5th, 2012, 12:01 PM

Hmm... Does it help with frizz at all? I've been a total frizz ball for like the past... year.

**jojo** · August 5th, 2012, 01:41 PM

When I used to henna my wave pattern hardly changed, that said its the norm to lose some wave with henna, it's a gamble!

**chou** · August 5th, 2012, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by greywolf

I'm new to this stuff. What's the difference between a pack and a rinse?

A pack would be a paste made with perhaps 1/4-1/2 cup of amla powder and enough water to reach a thin conditioner-like consistency. I don't like doing this, though, because I find it to be overly drying. It's also difficult to apply. On my hair, the amla causes an instant "curl up" reaction meaning that my hair can become quite snarled. Add to this the fact that amla paste is slightly sticky, and it's a bad situation.
You can try mixing it with conditioner but it tends to curdle most things. Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle rose is the only conditioner I've mixed with amla that doesn't curdle and the results were quite nice.

I have hennaed my hair 4 times over the past year with subsequent amla rinses and have not lost any wave. The last time I hennaed I didn't manage to amla until a couple weeks after the henna and by that point my wave had bounced back on its own anyway.