How drastic of a colour change is henna?

[Amygirl8]

Ok, I'm hennaing my hair this weekend (or at least that's the plan, it's a long weekend) and I've been planning on it for a couple of months now.

Now, this is my natural colour (in bright lighting)
http://i45.tinypic.com/1eb5lt.jpg

I was playing around on photoshop deciding what colour I'd like it to get to (though maybe a little darker/less vibrant)
http://i47.tinypic.com/263ugeb.jpg

Now, to get to that colour or a similar one, should I just do a henna application? A henna/cassia mix? A few henna glosses?
Thank you so much! :3

[Salmonberry]

There are so many factors that determine the final color. The brand/quality of the henna you're using, how long it's dye released, the amount of time you leave it on etc. That's a fairly subtle color change you're wanting there. I would tread on the side of caution if I were you and start with a henna gloss. It's better to be safe and not get enough red/orange than it is to get too much. My hair is a bit lighter than yours and I was going for a light strawberry blonde. I only put in 1/2 a tsp of jamilla henna and 1 tsp of cassia (both dye released) into 2 cups of conditioner, left it on for 45 minutes and got a noticeable (albeit very subtle) color change. I still need to do a gloss now and then to maintain it as it fades on me (but don't count on it fading). I usually use about 1 1/2 tsp of henna now. I've got APL hair by the way so you may want to adjust the recipe to suit your length.

The cool thing about henna also is that it will look darker and less vibrant orange indoors or on a cloudy day, but in the sunlight it glows. My hair looks golden blonde indoors and strawberry blonde outside on a sunny day. So make sure you go outside to check the color before you decide you need more henna. Just something to keep in mind.

[jillosity]

You're strand testing, right? Please say you are, your hair is so long and healthy, it would be sad for you to end up with a surprise. And henna (as great as it is) is FULL of surprises.

[Amygirl8]

You're strand testing, right? Please say you are, your hair is so long and healthy, it would be sad for you to end up with a surprise. And henna (as great as it is) is FULL of surprises.
I will definitely be strand-testing.
Though at the rate we're going (we were supposed to get henna yesterday and it doesn't seem like we'll get it in time today) I won't be able to do it this weekend (and not until March break).
I'll have plenty of time to do strand-tests and decide what will work best for me :]

[Amygirl8]

There are so many factors that determine the final color. The brand/quality of the henna you're using, how long it's dye released, the amount of time you leave it on etc. That's a fairly subtle color change you're wanting there. I would tread on the side of caution if I were you and start with a henna gloss. It's better to be safe and not get enough red/orange than it is to get too much. My hair is a bit lighter than yours and I was going for a light strawberry blonde. I only put in 1/2 a tsp of jamilla henna and 1 tsp of cassia (both dye released) into 2 cups of conditioner, left it on for 45 minutes and got a noticeable (albeit very subtle) color change. I still need to do a gloss now and then to maintain it as it fades on me (but don't count on it fading). I usually use about 1 1/2 tsp of henna now. I've got APL hair by the way so you may want to adjust the recipe to suit your length.

The cool thing about henna also is that it will look darker and less vibrant orange indoors or on a cloudy day, but in the sunlight it glows. My hair looks golden blonde indoors and strawberry blonde outside on a sunny day. So make sure you go outside to check the color before you decide you need more henna. Just something to keep in mind.
Thank you for letting me know c:
I think that I might decide to build up the colour doing glosses rather than actual applications. How exactly does one do a gloss though? Is the conditioner left on for a long time or... ?

[jillosity]

Oh good! definitely go with glosses, with your haircolor, it will show up! And if you really like it and want it to be more intense, then you can always do more glosses or go berzerk with a full application. But once it's on, it's ON.

[Salmonberry]

There are lots of threads here with directions/recipes for glosses. You usually start by dye releasing a small amount of henna. I did 1/2 a teaspoon of henna and one cup of conditioner for my first one if I remember correctly. Mix the dye released paste directly into the conditioner and apply it immediately. I usually cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit for about 45 minutes. Sometimes I'll wrap a warm towel around it to keep the heat in. You can let it sit on your head anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours. I've never done one over an hour and they definitely still work. I've seen a lot of people recommend using a very cheap thin conditioner like V05. I did this for my first few glosses but found they ended up watery and drippy (a common complaint about glosses). It's a bit more expensive, but I've been using a very thick shea butter based conditioner and it doesn't drip at all.

[teal]

The 'gloss' is more about the ratio of henna to whatever else you put in. Some people do conditioner, some do yogurt, some do a cassia mix and there are tons of other options. I've seen some posts saying a tablespoon or three of henna to a cup or two of whatever. I'd search for henna gloss in this forum, I'm sure you'll get a lot of results.

Likewise, intensity and final colour will depend on a lot, including your starting shade (which is lovely, by the way! :)) If you want a more subtle change, I'd say perhaps try a lower lawsone content henna. The higher ones like red raj, which is what I use, have a tendency to get to that pinkey burgundy faster than something like jamila, and that doesn't sound like what you want. In my case, I was going for strength and my starting shade was quite dark so I was less concerned about the colour.

[Viscountess]

I do my glosses with yoghurt and olive oil. I have about a 1/4 of henna powder, mixed with warm water and dye released. Add about a cup of of greek yoghurt and a splash of olive oil, maybe a squirt of honey. Mix up, apply to hair, bag my head and pop a touque on.

I found yoghurt really easy to rinse out. Conditioner seemed to make me shed like crazy, and yoghurt with a splash of oil/honey mixed with dye released henna really works well for me.

[rowie]

It really depends on the lawsone content you are getting. The higher the lawsone content, the redder it is. At least this is what I was told. There are many methods to tone down the red tones and cassia, indigo, buxus (katam) are a few I know, and all these used with henna will yield different colors. I think some sights offer charts for mixes and what they yield. Don't forget to do a strand test first before doing henna. Good luck.

[spidermom]

With only henna, I got screaming orange in the sunlight and brick inside. It was truly hideous.

[teal]

With only henna, I got screaming orange in the sunlight and brick inside. It was truly hideous.

That sounds lovely, haha! :) Not to belittle the fact that you think it looks bad on yourself, but that sounds like something I'd like on me!