Getting rid of henna stink?

[Messyhair]

Hi all you henna users out there!

I love the colour henna gives me, but I HATE the smell. I don't mind ignoring it during the actual application, but the smell never leaves my hair. Is this normal? Every time my hair gets wet, it smells almost as strong as when I'm rinsing the henna out the first day. Even in a chlorinated pool, I was horrified to be able to smell it as soon as my ends got wet!

I currently add instant coffee and cloves to my mix, but is there anything that can cut the smell out? No shampoo has been able to cover it up in the shower yet. :( Just makes it smell like a mix of shampoo and henna. I don't notice the smell when my hair is dry, but it's sickeningly strong when wet.

Am I doing something wrong?

[Shatam1]

No, u are not doing anything wrong. This is the smell of henna. Some people find that ground Ginger added to their henna really helps remove or camouflage the smell, I add Rosemary and lavender oils, five drops each and I am fine. But honestly u still smell the henna when hair gets wet and now I just totally loooove it .Well adding the oils gives it a sweeter smell than without. Hope that was helpful:)

[erialc]

Uh I have the same problem.The henna smell is so horrible I almost qualm (is that the correct word? like nausea, but not puking, the feeling just stays in the throat) whenever my hair gets wet. Unfortunately I don't have any solutions...

Will it stay for a long time? Or will it get better? (I did henna a week ago)

[Hypnotica]

I have found that Tresseme Naturals conditioner almost takes away all henna smell when you mix it in your henna before dumping it on your hair.

[woolyleprechaun]

I have never had a problem with the smell, but then again, I don't get my newly hennaed hair wet for at least a week after doing it. I find that adding essential oils, cardamom or cinnamon improves the smell. Personaly, I found that when I was using conventional products, I bacame accustomed to strong, artificial scents in my hair. When I switched to stretching washes, henna and oils, it took me an awfully long time to get used to the 'natural' smell of my hair.
Making the henna up with grapefruit juice helps a lot. Once I used ACV in the mix and it smelled like vomit..... Never again!

[browneyedsusan]

I'm jelly! I LOVE the smell of henna, but it only lasts a couple of wettings for me. Last time I did a henna gloss, and it didn't smell at all! :(
(I mixed it into some Suave Naturals condish--Sweet pea, I think!)

[oktobergoud]

I feel you! Do you wash your hair often? I wash it every 3 days or so and after a while (a week, 2 weeks?) it just disappears.. But the first week aah! I just henna-ed my hair yesterday and my hair now is DRY and I still smell like a big ball of hay!

Have to go to the orthodontist tomorrow and normally I always henna a few days after my appointment, never before, because the smell makes me soooo self-conscious (they must think I live at a farm or something lol!). (Now my mother got to do it for me, which never happens so I HAD to ;) Now finally everything is covered haha /random.)

I have also tried perfume oils and they worked for the mix itself (but gave me headaches because I had to use so much in order to overrule the henna-smell.. ) but as soon as I rinsed it out, my hair itself stinks of henna again. So.. I have no idea! It's just the only negative thing that comes with henna I guess!

[vamq]

I found that adding cinnamon to the henna mixture helps a lot too.
It also helps thickening the mix when you accidentally add too much water (which is how I found out about the smell thing in the first place).
However, this may darken the color you get from henna a bit.

ETA: Just a theory, as I have never tried this myself, but tomatoes (mashed, or ketchup) are known for taking away smells as well. It helped a lot of people who tried ColorB4 to get rid of the rotten egg smell. Perhaps it would work for henna smell as well?
Only, I do not know how this affects the color...

[oktobergoud]

Be careful though, too much cinnamon can irritate the scalp! I found that out firsthand :P

[Anje]

Ginger's usually the thing to kill henna smell, and I've seen it recommended more than just about anything else. Like cinnamon, it might make your scalp feel hot, so use it carefully. In the future, mix a few spoonfuls of powdered ginger right into your henna.

[longNred]

I'm with browneyedsusan, I LOVE the smell! I'm always sad it only lasts a week for me, even less with a gloss.

[Messyhair]

Ugh, I wish it only lasted a week! I wash daily, so it's a constant yuck smell for me. :( Only when wet, though, which seems so weird. I will try the ginger next time, and if that fails, I'll try the Tresemme Naturals. Something has to work!!

[northernsky]

I've mixed my henna with coconut milk and lemongrass essential oil before and it overpowered the henna smell during the process, and had a bit of coconutty smell for a few days after. Plus, I use lemon juice diluted with water and a few added drops of lemongrass and bergamot essential oils as a rinse and that leaves a nice lemony scent in my hair so I don't notice the henna smell at all.

[rock007junkie]

What works for me is adding a tablespoon of either cinnamon powder or clove powder. It absolutely dissipates the smell.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

What does henna smell like anyway, is it hay? I LOVE the smell of hay!(country girl)! But even though I love henna colour on hair, I think it would be too intense on me. I love seeing other people's henna though.

[oktobergoud]

What does henna smell like anyway, is it hay? I LOVE the smell of hay!(country girl)! But even though I love henna colour on hair, I think it would be too intense on me. I love seeing other people's henna though.

To me, I think it's something between hay and wet dog :P Not a good kind of hay! :P

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Ok, wet dog - not good, lol!

[bunnylake]

Hmm. The smell stays in my hair for maybe three or four washes after I henna. Do you mean your hair smells like henna all the time? Even weeks after you last actually used henna?
I don't like the smell of it either. Once I didn't rinse it out well enough, and the following day I had to leave work early to go home and wash my hair because the smell made me feel so so ill. Henna... soo good, soo smelly.

[Hypnotica]

What does henna smell like anyway, is it hay? I LOVE the smell of hay!(country girl)! But even though I love henna colour on hair, I think it would be too intense on me. I love seeing other people's henna though.

I think it is a mix of hay, weeds in the heat of summer and stable. None of this smells are particulary offensive to me.

[Hypnotica]

Ugh, I wish it only lasted a week! I wash daily, so it's a constant yuck smell for me. :( Only when wet, though, which seems so weird. I will try the ginger next time, and if that fails, I'll try the Tresemme Naturals. Something has to work!!

Adding conditioner (and this is the cone free kind) really cuts down on the rinsing time also.

[SnowWhite]

I would say, mask the smell with essential oils :) Make your own spray bottle mix with distilled water and your favourite EO for example.
Or use nice conditioners.
Oh, and yoghurt in henna makes it smell worse.
Adding honey does help with the smell! I added a lot of honey last time and it smelled good.

But then, I don't hate the smell of henna. It makes me think of green tea.

[Messyhair]

I re-henna every 4-5 weeks, and with daily washings, the smell never goes away between applications. It's only noticeable when my hair gets wet, but it's super strong-smelling! I have 2 teaspoons of cloves in my mix currently with no change in smell. I'm hoping to not make the colour darker when trying to make the smell better. :p

[redsiren]

I really like the smell of henna:)

[oktobergoud]

But then, I don't hate the smell of henna. It makes me think of green tea.

This is so funny, because I had 'green tea ice cream' at a restaurant and I HATED IT! I thought it tasted like henna would taste!! (Not that I have tried that haha, but you know, it tasted exactly like.. henna smells? Can't explain!) And a co-worker tried it as well because she thought I was being ridiculous and she immediately said 'WHAT, this DOES taste like I think henna would taste!'. It was so weird! :P

I just used a very strong scented deep condtioner and that sort of worked: less henna smell yay!

[Pierre]

I add cloves. My mix is two parts henna, one part amla, and one part cloves. I don't know any bad smell of henna; I notice a smell on my fingers (which I also henna) for a few days afterward, which may not be all cloves. I also put henna attar in my hair.

ETA: Do you mean "gag"? "Qualm" is a noun.

[Sillage]

ETA: Do you mean "gag"? "Qualm" is a noun.

I assumed she meant "quail" :)

[Intotouch]

I mix mine with yogurt and this gets rid of the smell and makes it very easy/ non drip to apply. I mix two spoons of yogurt to every one of powder. It also makes it more economical. I use the same low fat yogurt that I eat.

[EvilPigeon]

Cloves really do the trick for me! Personally, the clove powder does not have an effect on my color results. I have been using henna for 5 years now, so I'm used to the smell. But every now and then(especially when I have a migraine) I am anxious for it to go away. Perhaps a coconut milk soak/treatment would help? I'm going to try that sometime. I *especially* find indigo to have a horrible smell! Using it for the first time last night was nearly unbearable. :run: Thank goodness it doesn't linger like the henna does.

[Messyhair]

I was so happy when I showered today and didn't have the henna stink.... until I added shampoo, and then it came on with a vengeance. :( Tomorrow is dye day again, so it will only get worse. I did add more cloves to this mix and the dye release is looking awesome. Only time will tell if the extra cloves cause the colour to darken.

[imaroo]

Quote Originally Posted by Pierre View Post

ETA: Do you mean "gag"? "Qualm" is a noun.
I assumed she meant "quail"

I assumed she meant queasy.

[Unofficial_Rose]

This is so funny, because I had 'green tea ice cream' at a restaurant and I HATED IT! I thought it tasted like henna would taste!! (Not that I have tried that haha, but you know, it tasted exactly like.. henna smells? Can't explain!) And a co-worker tried it as well because she thought I was being ridiculous and she immediately said 'WHAT, this DOES taste like I think henna would taste!'. It was so weird! :P


I always think green tea ice cream tastes like henna smells but I don't know any henna users in real life who go to restaurants with me, just friends and family who just have to take my word for it. Despite (or perhaps because?) of this I love green tea ice cream, especially since it's not too sweet.

I agree with the person who recommended ginger but it hurts the scalp a little.

[Messyhair]

Okay, I upped the cloves and added cinnamon just to cover up the stink... voila! My head now smells like gingerbread when I shower, which is a BIG improvement! Now I just want cookies...

[Majala]

Today I added cocoa powder to my henna (I read on another forum it pushes color towards warm brown) and used coffee instead of water. I also added a few drops of lavender and tea tree eos. My hair has absolutely no henna smell. I can smell faint coffee and faint conditioner, but mostly it smells like cocoa powder. Yum yum.

[cmg]

The only time I had a problem with how the henna smelled, was when I mixed in some ground cloves. I felt nausea and almost vomited. I assume the oils were too strong and affected my CNS, but I also didn't like the smell itself. Simply cut out the cloves and use something else instead. Pepperminty types, or cumarine-type (woodruff) of smells seem too cancel out some of the henna smell. Coffee also masks it well, I think.

Do you use any oil in the mix? Some oils seem to emphasize the henna smell. It has never bothered me though.

/ CMG

[swearnsue]

I've found a conditioner that has a strong scent that helps with the henna smell. I use it when I'm rinsing out the henna, and then every time I wash my hair. It's called Yes to Carrots conditioner. In addition to the strong henna cancelling scent it is an excellent conditioner! It's not as heavy as AO Honeysuckle Rose but more conditioning power than the suave and white rain types.

The scent is hard to explain, definitely not flowery, kinda like laundry detergent? Tide?

[teal]

I don't mind the smell of henna. That said, I use oils with essential oils and haven't had a problem with overbearing henna smell after the first few washes. I also use this (http://www.hennasooq.com/sweet-honey-enriching-hair-nourisher/) and this (http://www.hennasooq.com/cocoveda-hair-oil/). The first one I just used for the first time after hennaing my hair two days ago and my hair smells like that right now - like lemongrass - and not as much like henna.

What kind of henna are you using, and is your water hard? Perhaps these might make a difference.

[Misso]

Hello everyone,
I love the smell of henna on my hair, but I hate people noticing it. And because Jeddah is hot and humid during the week or so after my henna there is always a risk of people catching a whiff of it, which I kind of find embarrassing. :o
I want to try and use ginger to tame the smell, does that work even for the days post henna application and especially when hair is wet?
And how much of it should I use? I usually use a cup of henna powder for my hair, what is a good amount of ginger powder to use with it?
Thanks for your help...

[littlestarface]

I love the smell of henna:D

[hiddencat]

Making the henna up with grapefruit juice helps a lot. Once I used ACV in the mix and it smelled like vomit..... Never again!

I was just going to rec mixing it with ACV, lol. I find that it makes it smell really bad during the hennaing (like, well, henna and vinegar!) but that once I rinse it out the henna scent dissipates much more quickly.

I also lay down in a tub of water to rinse- when I do this the henna gets out so completely I can dry my hair on a white towel without leaving a stain behind. Perhaps the scent lingers longer if some amounts of henna are left behind on the hair shaft?

[Intotouch]

I mix mine with yogurt. There's very little smell from it. I mix 2:1 yogurt to henna. The texture is great, naturally non drip and easy to apply. I use low fat yogurt.
Hope this helps.

[Magalo]

You guys are crazy. I love the smell so so much. I wish my hair smelled like henna all year long :p

[diddoh]

I just hennaed my hair for the first time and my first thought was it smelt like green tea. I love that smell so it doesn't bother me but I'm gonna have to try the ginger. My roommate hates the smell!