Henna root touch ups?

[Lyv]

I'm back with yet another henna question lol. I have given up the short lived dream of growing out my henna to have my natural color again, I can't bring myself to part with the red hair just yet! I've been using henna every couple of months for maybe 10 or so months and in that time I have not done a root touch up at all. I was doing red raj and cassia mix so the color never built up but I've now switched to using straight jamila and I want to do a root only application. How exactly do you do it? I can't see my root line at all when it's wet and when it's dry I feel like it would be hard to get worked into the roots without getting it on the length also. I'm also wondering if maybe I should gloss the ends but I'm not really sure how that builds up or if it doesnt at all and what the usual henna to conditioner ratio usually is for a gloss. If any of you have experience or any ideas at all really I'd love to hear them my roots are driving me crazy! TIA!

ETA* Does anyone know the difference between Jamila for hair and regular jamila from henna sooq? I didn't realize there were two types until now.

[browneyedsusan]

I make 4 loose braids: 2 on each side of a center part--like you're making dog ears in a half-up, and 2 lower behind my ears. Get a long-nosed dye bottle from Sally's. (Some members use picnic ketchup or mustard bottles. Anything with a long snout will do the trick.) Put your mix in the bottle, glove up, and squirt it on your scalp under each braid. (The braids have to be loose, so you can squirt the mud underneath them.) Smoosh it around good until the base of the braid is "full". Lay a bead of mud along your hairline, and in the exposed parts and mush it into your hair. Clip the ends of your braids together on top of your head, and cover it up as usual. Most of the mud will be on your scalp, but some will slop onto your braids. No biggie. I also coat the inside of the bottle with EVOO before I put the mud in. It empties the mud from the bottle better and makes clean up faster.

Other people use different methods. You might have to try a few to see which works best for you. :)

[robin000]

I usually only do my roots, but when I say "roots" I mean covering between 2 and 6 inches of hair, depending upon how precise I want to be for that application and how long the new growth is. I usually wait until I have at least 1 or 2 inches of new growth before I touch up because (in my experience) roots from henna are not very noticeable.

I henna my hair dry because it's too difficult to make parts when it's damp. When I do the roots, I start with a deep side part / combover by one ear, apply henna with a spoon along the part, and massage the henna into the hair with the back of the spoon. Then I take a comb and make a new part half an inch or so away and do it again and again until I get to the other ear. Then I clip all of that hair out of the way and go a similar thing down the back of my head, making sure I get the whole hairline.

[Anje]

I make 4 loose braids: 2 on each side of a center part--like you're making dog ears in a half-up, and 2 lower behind my ears. Get a long-nosed dye bottle from Sally's. (Some members use picnic ketchup or mustard bottles. Anything with a long snout will do the trick.) Put your mix in the bottle, glove up, and squirt it on your scalp under each braid. (The braids have to be loose, so you can squirt the mud underneath them.) Smoosh it around good until the base of the braid is "full". Lay a bead of mud along your hairline, and in the exposed parts and mush it into your hair. Clip the ends of your braids together on top of your head, and cover it up as usual. Most of the mud will be on your scalp, but some will slop onto your braids. No biggie. I also coat the inside of the bottle with EVOO before I put the mud in. It empties the mud from the bottle better and makes clean up faster.

Other people use different methods. You might have to try a few to see which works best for you. :)
That's exactly my method. "+" shaped parting, loose-based braids, fill in each quadrant and squish it around. Works great, minimal mess.

I'll have to try coating the inside of my bottle next time I do it. Anything to make cleanup easier, right?!

[browneyedsusan]

That's exactly my method. "+" shaped parting, loose-based braids, fill in each quadrant and squish it around. Works great, minimal mess.

I'll have to try coating the inside of my bottle next time I do it. Anything to make cleanup easier, right?!

oopsie! :oops: I should have credited Anje! I read a lot of "roots only" methods, but it is indeed hers! Sorry about that, Anje.

[Isilme]

I use a chopstick and glob the henna onto my parting with a teaspoon, make new part next to the old one, continue with half of the head. Wen done, flip it over and proceed with the next half. I can get a bit tricky at the back of the head but usually I have a bit of help for that area.

[Taenarian]

Excellent information and helpful, too as I need to do my roots this weekend.

[Anje]

oopsie! :oops: I should have credited Anje! I read a lot of "roots only" methods, but it is indeed hers! Sorry about that, Anje.
It's not originally mine, but sadly, I don't recall where I read it, much less who posted it. Don't credit me!

[durgidog]

I do it exactly like this only I squirt the henna out of a bottle.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hf2hkn6moE

[Nebulae]

I just did my roots today! I part and clip up six equal areas of my hair, letting one area down, completing that and moving to the next one. I apply my henna with a brush for hair dyes. The handle is good to use to part my hair in each section when hennaing. It gives me good control. :)

ETA: I do this on dry hair, with my length heavily oiled so it doesn't tangle as I'm parting it often in small sections.

[Lyv]

Thanks everyone! I think I'll pick up a bottle from sally's and try the loose braids and if that does work for me I'll just part it and try to do it the way I used to dye my hair. Maybe I'll convince my husband to help me to make sure I'm getting it in there all the way.

[monsoonstorm]

You are all so organised...

I scoop some out of the bowl in my fingers and smoosh it into my hair along a parting, make a new parting and smoosh more!

I should probably try another method as it's not the most elegant solution...

[Anje]

You are all so organised...

I scoop some out of the bowl in my fingers and smoosh it into my hair along a parting, make a new parting and smoosh more!

I should probably try another method as it's not the most elegant solution...
I highly recommend the squirt bottle with a long nose. It mostly eliminates the need to part to get at your scalp. (I do sections and part a few places largely to make sure that some of the bottom parts get enough coverage, and to avoid having missed areas at the hairline, by the ears, or peaking out of the part on the occasions when I decide to do double braids.)

[durgidog]

I highly recommend the squirt bottle with a long nose. It mostly eliminates the need to part to get at your scalp. (I do sections and part a few places largely to make sure that some of the bottom parts get enough coverage, and to avoid having missed areas at the hairline, by the ears, or peaking out of the part on the occasions when I decide to do double braids.)

Completely agree with the bottle, mine is a refillable ketchup bottle with the tip cut a little shorter, this makes the hole larger to accomodate my thick mud.

[browneyedsusan]

"Roots only" was messy and hard to do at first, but I got better with time. You will too.

[Shatam1]

I don't know why but I never stick to one method of root application..but there are some that I prefer than others. I tried the squirt bottle but once it exploded on my head when the cover came off so I avoid this one now. I very often use a brush to apply and part my hair with the tip of the brush. This takes less henna and is very precise.my second most preferred method is the hand glopping method as it is fast and spreads more henna into hidden areas,but it sure needs a larger amount of henna mud which I have plenty of but it is trouble when rinsing out. In all cases it now takes me less than ten minutes to apply and cover my henna and there is absolutely not a drop anywhere around me..I even stopped putting newspaper on the counters and floors.. I'm a henna expert now :joy:

[Pierre]

I use a root shooter, a big syringe that I got from mehandi.com. I mix the henna in a bowl, suck it into the syringe, and squirt it into my hair. The first line goes on my median part, then I squirt some into various other spots, making sure that I color my hairline and sideburns.

I do two braids, just as I normally wear my hair. I usually don't even bother redoing my hair when I henna. Of course I undo my updo when I get in the shower.

Any that is left after sucking it into the root shooter, I smear by hand on my braids and beard dreads.

[csm--carla]

I have waist length hair and have been hennaing for 4 years. (Many Thanks to LHC for all the wonderful education about how to do this!)

In the past, I always took at least 30 minutes every 2-3 weeks to part and section my hair and squirt henna onto each row working from the middle to either side. This was very work and time intense way of applying henna. UGH.

I discovered this really fast easy method 2 weeks ago when I was in a hurry to do my roots before heading out of town.

First, I brushed all my hair back into a low ponytail and put and elastic around it.

Then using a long tipped hair dye bottle filled with henna mix, I squirted the henna starting at the scalp center front hair line and moving backwards to the top of my head and down to the back of my nape all over my scalp. It was applied through my hair about every 1/2 inch or so in rows.

No parting was necessary. I find that my crown hair (top of my head) grows much faster than the sides and back. It took less than 10 minutes to do the crown and sideburns--I covered with a shower cap then wrap. Rinsed after 2 hours...EASY!

I'm never going back to the old way of parting, squirting, parting, squirting spreading......

Hope to help someone with this. Love the LHC community and want to give back some of what was shared with me.

:cheer:

[browneyedsusan]

I have waist length hair and have been hennaing for 4 years. (Many Thanks to LHC for all the wonderful education about how to do this!)

In the past, I always took at least 30 minutes every 2-3 weeks to part and section my hair and squirt henna onto each row working from the middle to either side. This was very work and time intense way of applying henna. UGH.

I discovered this really fast easy method 2 weeks ago when I was in a hurry to do my roots before heading out of town.

First, I brushed all my hair back into a low ponytail and put and elastic around it.

Then using a long tipped hair dye bottle filled with henna mix, I squirted the henna starting at the scalp center front hair line and moving backwards to the top of my head and down to the back of my nape all over my scalp. It was applied through my hair about every 1/2 inch or so in rows.

No parting was necessary. I find that my crown hair (top of my head) grows much faster than the sides and back. It took less than 10 minutes to do the crown and sideburns--I covered with a shower cap then wrap. Rinsed after 2 hours...EASY!

I'm never going back to the old way of parting, squirting, parting, squirting spreading......

Hope to help someone with this. Love the LHC community and want to give back some of what was shared with me.

:cheer:


How clever!
I'm trying that method next time!
Thanks for sharing. :cheese:

[Lady A]

You are all so organised...

I scoop some out of the bowl in my fingers and smoosh it into my hair along a parting, make a new parting and smoosh more!

I should probably try another method as it's not the most elegant solution...

That's exactly how I do it monsoonstorm! It stains my nails though, because I gave up on the gloves!

[Lady A]

I have waist length hair and have been hennaing for 4 years. (Many Thanks to LHC for all the wonderful education about how to do this!)

In the past, I always took at least 30 minutes every 2-3 weeks to part and section my hair and squirt henna onto each row working from the middle to either side. This was very work and time intense way of applying henna. UGH.

I discovered this really fast easy method 2 weeks ago when I was in a hurry to do my roots before heading out of town.

First, I brushed all my hair back into a low ponytail and put and elastic around it.

Then using a long tipped hair dye bottle filled with henna mix, I squirted the henna starting at the scalp center front hair line and moving backwards to the top of my head and down to the back of my nape all over my scalp. It was applied through my hair about every 1/2 inch or so in rows.

No parting was necessary. I find that my crown hair (top of my head) grows much faster than the sides and back. It took less than 10 minutes to do the crown and sideburns--I covered with a shower cap then wrap. Rinsed after 2 hours...EASY!

I'm never going back to the old way of parting, squirting, parting, squirting spreading......

Hope to help someone with this. Love the LHC community and want to give back some of what was shared with me.

:cheer:

I'm going to try this next time too!

[browneyedsusan]

@csm--carla: I tried the low-ponytail method. Most of my gray is at my temples, so I tried to cover that well. It only took a few minutes and I used about half as much mix as usual?!
I can't wait to see the results in a coupe of hours! (Hope I didn't miss any obvious places....)

[phedre]

No parting was necessary. I find that my crown hair (top of my head) grows much faster than the sides and back. It took less than 10 minutes to do the crown and sideburns--I covered with a shower cap then wrap. Rinsed after 2 hours...EASY!


I also have waist length hair and I've been hennaing for about 8 years now. This? I am SO TRYING THIS next month! Must go buy a bottle! It sounds like it's neater too.

How's the clean up with the bottle? And how do you fill it?

[browneyedsusan]

@csm-carla:
Your ponytail method worked like a charm!
I missed a few places, but usually do, so it isn't a big deal.
Used less mix and it was WAY less hassle.

Thanks for sharing!