The pros and cons of hennaed hair

[hennalonghair]

I've been using henna on my hair for years now. (35) It's never been an issue for me because my natural roots looked ok. Now that I'm older and going gray it doesn't look so good. I've tried growing it out but only got to about 4 inches of new growth before I couldn't stand it any longer and coloured it again.
The colour difference between the hennaed hair and my gray hair is so drastic that I'm almost scared to grow it out.
I actually love hennaed hair but would like to know what my natural colour would look like.
Here's a pros and cons least I've created.

Pros:
- great tones and colour variation
- great shine and highlights
- offers some UV protection from the sun
- adds thickness and body
- covers grays very well
- is very affordable
- is easy to do without assistance
- makes me look younger

Cons:
- it tends to be drying to hair even just doing the roots
- it straightens out my wave pattern (2b to 3a)
- it takes a long time to do ( about 4 hours in total or more)
- it has a hay smell that lingers around for ages
- it affects my sinuses in a negative way
- its messy and the use of rubber gloves is necessary
- it looks horrible when the gray roots grow in
- it has to be applied to roots every 2 weeks

At the moment my hair is about 29 inches and about 4 inches from WL. I'd like to grow it to at least classic length which would take me at least 4 or 5 years. Now I'm seriously wondering if I really want to keep doing my roots every 2 weeks or do I want to transition it out now? Or I could grow it to classic and then cut it to let the natural colour grow in.

I wear my hair in updos or braids most of the time so perhaps after about a year or so all the hennaed part could be bunned.

Has anyone else transitioned from hennaing their grays to growing them out and if so do you have any tips you'd like to share?

I'm 54 and would like to see how long my hair will grow.
It is naturally on the dry side already but I don't ever use heat on it.
Much of the gray is on top and framing my face but its also right above my ears which tends to go frizzy.

Thanks

[LadyCelestina]

How about using a semi permanent dye to somewhat blend the roots? Zoey from growbeyondyourlimits.blogspot.com is growing out henna from some ash brown or blonette and she manages to blend it quite well with a semi.Check it out :)

Then if you decide you don't want your grey,you can always re-henna

[Anje]

Yeah, I like the semi-permanent dye idea. I don't know if it would permanently stain your roots (possibly partially but less strongly than henna), but it might at least give you the chance to have a gradual fade-out once you stopped using it. IMO, Manic Panic in Wildfire is very similar to the color henna gives (maybe it would be a little oranger on grays?), but it wouldn't last as long.

Just curious, what do you mix your henna with? I have trouble with it being drying when I mix it with water (don't even get me started on lemon juice... that was a nightmare!), but I recently started doing it with chamomile tea instead. My scalp and hair are considerably happier with that recipe.

[Madora]

Always intrigued by the idea of henna but put off by all the mess and bother...and smell. My hats are off to you henna girls! I've seen some glorious examples here on LHC!

One question for hennalonghair: would it be possible to find a henna that was less vibrant than what you are using now, and gradually reduce the color as months went on, so that your hair coloring would gradually look reddish gray? Is such a thing possible? I have no idea, but the thought makes me curious. Thanks!

[Anje]

One question for hennalonghair: would it be possible to find a henna that was less vibrant than what you are using now, and gradually reduce the color as months went on, so that your hair coloring would gradually look reddish gray? Is such a thing possible? I have no idea, but the thought makes me curious. Thanks!
My experience is that as you dilute henna (or use one with a lower dye content), on light hair it goes from red-orange to neon orange to gold. It doesn't seem to do a nice red-gray. I have seen suggestions of using henna to basically do low-lights for a growout, but I don't know if that's particularly practical.

[mamaherrera]

gosh my only thought on the drying part, is to add some oil in your mix. I did that yesterday and it still got my white.s But my question is this: Why do roots look worse with henna-ed hair, than people who dye their hair with regular dye?? IT's the same, roots look bad, no? that's why they say if you're gonna dye your hair, you've gotta upkeep it. I do mine weekly and my whites are in the same areas you describe, but it shouldn't look any worse, than if I dyed my hair with a black chemical dye, the roots are still gonna look bad, no?

[Madora]

gosh my only thought on the drying part, is to add some oil in your mix. I did that yesterday and it still got my white.s But my question is this: Why do roots look worse with henna-ed hair, than people who dye their hair with regular dye?? IT's the same, roots look bad, no? that's why they say if you're gonna dye your hair, you've gotta upkeep it. I do mine weekly and my whites are in the same areas you describe, but it shouldn't look any worse, than if I dyed my hair with a black chemical dye, the roots are still gonna look bad, no?

Maybe roots look worse with hennaed hair because of its very color. Red is so eye catching. But when it begins to go, it looks pretty sad. I remember Lucy Ricardo always being on top of keeping her hennaed roots colored.

[browneyedsusan]

Subscribing to this thread.

I can't help you, but much appreciate you sharing your process.
This dilemma is coming for me. It's not here yet, but it's coming. :)

[lapushka]

I voted both. It all depends on your personal preference, and whether you like the gray or not. It also often depends on how it's growing in. I have a light sprinkling of whites throughout my hair, still, and in my perfect scenario, this will progress like that (it's how my dad is going gray, very light with the whites getting more and more sprinkled throughout). If I start to get thicker streaks and chunks of gray, I'm not sure how I'll handle it. I might have it dyed, IDK.

[hennalonghair]

Thanks Lady Celestina,
I have tried using vegecolor semi permanent but like others have said it washes out so fast. Somehow I seemed to not only forget some of the other things I've tried too, like indigo, coffee, herbal tea rinses and black walnut but with the natural rinses the colour can actually wash out when it rains. Not a pretty sight.*
Anje- I really like the idea of the manic panic and have almost used it . The funky colours would definitely show up on my bright silvers. Plus I will only use things that are safe on my hair. Apparently manic panic is perfectly safe.*
But you also jogged my memory. No I don't ever use lemon juice on my hair. It's far too acidic and dries my hair out but what I have been doing is using peppermint rosemary and tea tree oil in the mix along with coconut oil because I had scalp issues at one time. Now that the scalp issues are no longer a problem I switched to using coconut milk but I actually FORGOT!!! When I first used it the difference in texture was amazing that I can't believe I forgot. Thanks for reminding me.
Hi Madora, thanks for chiming in. Oddly enough I use rhapsody BAQ henna or Moroccan which are the darkest types you can get. The essential oils I have been adding have been stripping my natural colour and depositing more henna colour.Gosh I might as well have been using lemon juice. Lol! That was a very good suggestion because the type of henna really does make a difference.*
It's funny because my husband mentioned the other day that my hair looked brighter than normal.
I think I'm going to need to start writing down my henna routine because obviously I'm forgetting important stuff here.
As Anje mentioned if you dilute henna too much the colour turns to a brassy yellowy light orange which ends up looking like a bad blonde dye job.*
Mamaherrera - I understand what you're saying. All grow in gray roots look unattractive no matter what colour is used but like Madora mentions, there's such a huge contrast in colours. You've got bright vibrant reddish, purplish orange tones that looks so striking and then you've got silver grays. The contrast in colour just seems greater than say blond and gray, black and gray or brown and gray.*
Hey browneyedsusan, .... Yeah please join in. It's not something you really think of much when you're younger because its not a problem then but if you want to grow your hair long as you age it should be a consideration.
Hi Lapushka, Yes both my parents aged gracefully while graying but I'm beyond the sprinkling of gray. It's coming in chunks now. :lol: And the part I'm MOST concerned with is the frizzy under layers that have turned almost all silver now. It does create some pretty cool colours with the henna though.*
I'm so glad I posted this thread because it not only jogged my memory back as to what my henna routine is but also brought back all the reasons why I DO like colouring my hair with henna.*
I think what I'm going to get is a couple of those empty ketchup / mustard bottles and dilute the henna down enough with coconut milk to create more of a runny consistency for easier application.
THANKS fellow members, you're the best!!!*

[hennalonghair]

So it appears that I've perhaps alarmed some members about growing hennaed hair while greying. I'm sorry if my post caused any of you great concern BUT it IS without doubt something to consider.*
A couple of people PM'ed me asking me questions about my greying hair and the henna gloss I make so I'm going to explain it in this post.
I started greying in my early 40's but it was just a hair here and there. A sprinkle of grey?
A few years ago I noticed a lot of grey growing above my ears but mainly on the right side. A few weeks ago I noticed my scalp showing in certain places much more than usual and thought I was going bald. On closer inspection I learned its just places where I have an entire area of grey so since there's no pigmentation or colour so it looks sparse. But I've also gotta say that when these greys pick up colour so nicely that they become highlights of interest. Depending on the henna I use these hands of hair can be bright henna red to burgundy and sometimes even pinkish. That's the cool part about going grey. I happen to really like hair colour variation. It especially looks cool in braids and updos.*
I've tried just about every type of henna concoction imaginable but the best thing I've used so far has been canned coconut milk. It works like a henna gloss but better. Whenever I added conditioner or too much oil I found it much harder to cover stubborn greys. Plus my scalp doesn't like having conditioner on it so that was out.
Mixing coconut milk in your henna to make a smooth light henna cream works great. The coconut milk has enough fat in it to hydrate the hair, adds plenty of slip for ease of application and helps nourish and cleanse the scalp. It's packed with vitamins and minerals so also acts like a hair mask. The coconut milk makes the henna less gritty and much much easier to wash out.*

To make Henna I use :
150 grams of henna and enough water to make a very thick paste. I often use herbal tea ( peppermint camomile etc.) It somehow softens the water and helps keep my scalp healthy. I love that cool tingly feeling.
I then cover it for about 12 hours.*
Then I divide it into 4 or 5 sections, save one for use and freeze the rest for later. It freezes GREAT!
This is when I add the coconut milk to make a saucy concoction.*
I brush and wet my hair, add conditioner liberally from my ears down, comb it through, then apply the henna gloss to the roots with a brush or my gloved fingers. Once finished I wrap my entire head it plastic wrap and then place a terry cloth turbin over that. This ill keep in for about 2 to 3 hours. RINSE WELL and deep condition the ends. ACV final rinse. I also add a touch of coconut oil to my very ends while its still very wet. This also helps form a nice wave pattern.
I don't usually wash the henna out. The conditioner which is left in while the roots are being done helps wash the henna grit away. Yes in a couple of hours my greys are sparkling with colour and my hair usually feels fabulous and full.*
Normally I really like the feel of my hair after a treatment but since I went back to my old routine my hair felt quite dry . Perhaps its early signs of dementia. :lol:*
Something else to look forward to.

[YGDW]

Perhaps using a henna/cassia mix would make the transition less... drastic? I've heard that cassia washes out easily, so eventually it would turn more greyish?

I'm 27 now, and about 33% grey I think (mostly on top of my head). When it's 80% or more, I'll also ditch the henna, though I have no idea how to do it - yet!

[cocolover]

I was going to suggest switching to a henna gloss on the roots, looks like you have reached that conclusion already. I have only done glosses and it doesn't dry out my hair, and only takes about 1.5 hours. The hay smell only lasts a day as well. The idea of using coconut milk intrigues me, I might have to try that my next gloss! What I do enjoy about henna is that it tends to soften the wiriness of my grays and I think I would miss that most in going natural. The first gloss doesn't do it, but by the second, it calms down the wiry hairs to match the rest of my hair texture.

[hennalonghair]

That's a good idea YGDW. I'd like to experiment with some other herbs added so see what the results would be like.
This situation is really only something you think about when you're there.

Cocolover- Yes I must have been in a brain fog because I seemed to have temporarily forgotten about glosses. They absolutely are , by FAR, much gentler on the hair. Henna DOES manage to soften my wiry hairs also and these are the places where I'm most grey so if I were to let it grow in I'd be left with silver wiry hair popping out to frame my face.
It's like something out of a Disney movie. That nasty woman from 101 Dalmatians. :lol:

Another benefit to glossing roots is that it forces me to keep up a haircare routine, otherwise I go through phrases of slacking off. This routine makes me pay attention to root/ scalp health which certainly improves the overall appearance of the hair.
Every once in a while I get into a slump. I'm happy once again for having hennaed hair

Besides which if I stopped using henna my forum name wouldn't make any sense. :shrug:

[mamaherrera]

I've been thinking of my "Future" white hair plans lately as this last year, they've increased with enthusiasm. From 28-33, they were the small spinkling, now at 34, they've started coming in as 2 hair strands together, so they're warning me, that this might go faster than the "going white gracefully" but I'm still keeping up some hope. We can always hope! but cassia might become my friend soon too. I didn't know that it washed out easily though. So we've got to about 80% huh??? Mine is still small percentage wise, but it's concentrated in my temples, above forehead, and at hairline, so in those areas, it's a bit higher percentage wise.



Perhaps using a henna/cassia mix would make the transition less... drastic? I've heard that cassia washes out easily, so eventually it would turn more greyish?

I'm 27 now, and about 33% grey I think (mostly on top of my head). When it's 80% or more, I'll also ditch the henna, though I have no idea how to do it - yet!

[mamaherrera]

I like the idea of the coconut milk, but I just did some oil in mine and that seemed to be nicer. I didn't notice it any EASIER to rinse out, about the same, but I know that oil did keep my individual hairs more protected from the grit. With the coconut oil, is there a measurement, or just until you get a good consistency?? I could never put conditioner on my hair BEFORE the henna though, that would be bad for my scalp. I do lowpoo after my henna, I think it helps get rid of any extra grit!




That's a good idea YGDW. I'd like to experiment with some other herbs added so see what the results would be like.
This situation is really only something you think about when you're there.

Cocolover- Yes I must have been in a brain fog because I seemed to have temporarily forgotten about glosses. They absolutely are , by FAR, much gentler on the hair. Henna DOES manage to soften my wiry hairs also and these are the places where I'm most grey so if I were to let it grow in I'd be left with silver wiry hair popping out to frame my face.
It's like something out of a Disney movie. That nasty woman from 101 Dalmatians. :lol:

Another benefit to glossing roots is that it forces me to keep up a haircare routine, otherwise I go through phrases of slacking off. This routine makes me pay attention to root/ scalp health which certainly improves the overall appearance of the hair.
Every once in a while I get into a slump. I'm happy once again for having hennaed hair

Besides which if I stopped using henna my forum name wouldn't make any sense. :shrug:

[YGDW]

I've been thinking of my "Future" white hair plans lately as this last year, they've increased with enthusiasm. From 28-33, they were the small spinkling, now at 34, they've started coming in as 2 hair strands together, so they're warning me, that this might go faster than the "going white gracefully" but I'm still keeping up some hope. We can always hope! but cassia might become my friend soon too. I didn't know that it washed out easily though. So we've got to about 80% huh??? Mine is still small percentage wise, but it's concentrated in my temples, above forehead, and at hairline, so in those areas, it's a bit higher percentage wise.

The 80% is just a number I came up with. I've got darkish hair, and I'd like to prevent the salt and pepper colour (no offence, many can sport it well!), so I figure that when it's light/white enough, I'll change my whole hair colour for the lighter.

I wish my silvers would concentrate on my temples by the way! It looks so sophisticated and makes great buns and braids as well!

[hennalonghair]

Hi mamaherrera,
How you describe your greying pattern is exactly how mine came in. It's mainly around the hairline and concentrated above my right ear however its probably only about 20% grey overall.
I don't use conditioner on my scalp at all, which is why I add coconut milk to make the gloss.
The only reason why I condition my hair first is because my hairs ridiculously thick and the conditioner helps to keep it from getting dangled while I'm doing my roots. It also helps to keep the henna from the rest of my hair otherwise I find it gets too orangey if I don't do it this way.

Speaking of orangey, I'm not a big fan of the extremely orangish hair
So while helping another member I stumbled apon a fabulous colour which I just love. This women was looking for a burgundy colour from henna and I remembered a thread about "The Henna Guys" Burgundy.
Here is the thread I'm talking about and there's a picture of the final look on a member who posted a pic.
You gotta check out this colour. Talk about vibrant! Oh my!


After researching and reading lots of reviews I decided to order some.
Here is a link from Amazon. This is DEEP RED .

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B00HXOP1GO/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?qid=1412698530&sr=8-9&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

And here is the Burgundy.
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B00HXOP1GO/ref=pd_aw_sbs_6?pi=SS115&simLd=1

This is from Amazon Canada and has free shipping. I cannot order from Amazon . Com because they won't deliver to Canada but they have LOTS of GREAT reviews.

[mamaherrera]

See--Hennalonghair, now you should feel better, at least you started to have this problem later in life!! Let's hope for me at your age, I'm only 20%!!

[hennalonghair]

And here's the thread about "The Henna Guys" burgundy henna. It's body quality and all natural but apparently bleeds more than your regular henna.
Check at the photo of this burgundy henna on Dragonflypie at the bottom of the page. It's the only henna she uses and I think its gorgeous!

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=126686

[hennalonghair]

See--Hennalonghair, now you should feel better, at least you started to have this problem later in life!! Let's hope for me at your age, I'm only 20%!!

:lol: actually I DO feel 100% better. When I think of all the variety of colours I can get, I get excited. I'm just too young hearted to have permanent grey just yet. I wanna have some more fun with C-O-L-O-U-R!!!:p

[mamaherrera]

One more question for ya!! Even at 20% (and I think that's not bad at all for your age), every two weeks with henna, does that not look too bad, I mean can you hide most of those roots doing henna every two weeks, or how soon do they become noticeable?

[hennalonghair]

A definite YES! Henna gives great coverage of greys but whatever henna colour you use will be the colour of the greys. So if you pick a bright red henna then the greys will be almost transparent red while your regular hair will be highlighted with that colour.
Obviously the darker your hair the less the colour shows up but the coloured greys sparkle.
It's actually very attractive because it adds a variety of different tones of colour because not all greys turn silver all at once.
I'm pretty sure you're gonna love it!
And hey at least you're thinking ahead about it however I wouldn't fret over it
After all with grey hairs comes wisdom :lol:

[hennalonghair]

Just this morning I came up with the realization that if I start using burgundy henna that I'll have to keep using burgundy henna on my entire length otherwise it will turn back to henna red.
Although there's other natural substances added my hair doesn't take to indigo too well so this might not be as peachy keen as I originally thought. I just love this colour though and would like to keep it for a while. At least it will time down the orange tones.
Besides which even if I have burgundy roots and henna red throughout the rest, I still thick it will look better than grey.

I will eventually stop using henna but I think that going to be some time from now.
I'm really looking forward to receiving this and some additional vintage hair toys.cause you can't have too many hair toys!!!
I'd like to add some pictures of the before and after if I can .

[Dreams_in_Pink]

I really wonder how "horrible" henna can look on white hair :( I'm actually looking forward to greying hair, so that i can rock some niiice natural henna highlights :D Do you have any "bad" pictures of your hennaed hair as an example? the ones in your album are GORGEOUS.

My mixes are way stronger than yours. How can you use only 150 grams of henna and cover your entire head? We have similar lengths and you seem to have more hair than i do and 500 grams are just enough for my hair. Yours might be coming out as "glosses" which wouldn't cover white hair entirely and give them a strawberry blondish color which i know you don't like.

I don't know how it affects your sinuses and overall health, but henna seems to be the perfect solution for you, since you love the burgundy color. Why don't you try my recipe and strand-test it, to see how well it'll cover your grey hair?

[hennalonghair]

I really wonder how "horrible" henna can look on white hair :( I'm actually looking forward to greying hair, so that i can rock some niiice natural henna highlights :D Do you have any "bad" pictures of your hennaed hair as an example? the ones in your album are GORGEOUS.

My mixes are way stronger than yours. How can you use only 150 grams of henna and cover your entire head? We have similar lengths and you seem to have more hair than i do and 500 grams are just enough for my hair. Yours might be coming out as "glosses" which wouldn't cover white hair entirely and give them a strawberry blondish color which i know you don't like.

I don't know how it affects your sinuses and overall health, but henna seems to be the perfect solution for you, since you love the burgundy color. Why don't you try my recipe and strand-test it, to see how well it'll cover your grey hair?
Since Henna is always translucent it just deposits colour overtop of hair pigment. Since your natural colour is darker than mine then your overall hennaed hair colour will be darker. Henna deposits on silver/greys. White hairs will appear a more clear version of the colour you are using. My hair picks up colour extremely well so 150 grams of henna mixed with water, coconut milk , oil and / or hair conditioner is plenty to get the colour I like. What happens when I use more is then I end up with an extremely noticeable line between the hennaed hair and the silver/greys. The silver greys pick up the orange tones in the henna and it just doesn't look too appealing. It appears from your pictures that the henna you are using has much red than orange tones. You might very well have Raj Red as opposed to Jamila.
The Deep red henna with the hibiscus doesn't leave ANY orange flare and I doubt it will wash out like the indigo did.
Yes our lengths are similar but I have about 5 1/4 inch hair in thickness and 100 grams stained all of my hair quite nicely.
My hair colour is very similar to yours with using 500 grams. I've read that your hair doesn't stain very easily. Mine soaks up stain extremely well. That's probably another big difference.
My hair is also fairly course and porous. At one time I used to use a lot more henna to colour my hair but over the years I realize that I don't need that much. Plus doing full hair treatments really drags out my wave/curl pattern which is another reason I like to do just the roots. If I had some pictures of just the roots and grey areas I'd post them but I didn't think to take any.
The henna colour you see in my avatar was taken right after using about 100 grams to 150 grams of henna. The signature pic is about 4 or 5 months later with just root touch ups.
I only do full henna treatments about 2 or three times a year.
Your pictures look lovely by the way. You get Zero orange flare. It might have to do with the amount of henna you use but it think it has more to do with the type of henna you are using and your natural pigment.
I'm still up for experimenting though.
This henna from the henna guys smells nice and doesn't affect my sinuses whereas regular henna applications can really irritate my sinuses for several days later. That makes a huge difference to me also.
I only wash my scalp only, once a week and very rarely use shampoo on the length so I think this colour will hold out well.
The next thing I need to learn to do is upload pics to posts.
Hopefully my husband can help me. He's for more computer geekish than I am. :lol:
OH! Also hibiscus is extremely beneficial for scalp health and it promotes hair growth. This henna and hibiscus felt AMAZING on my scalp. No wonder. I'm really pleased with my henna results so far.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

I highly doubt i'm using red raj. I always buy from the same herbal shop and the stain isn't the best. My results are due to 1)repeated full-head applications, like you said henna is a deposit only color so the more you layer it, the darker the stain and 2) I use a LOT of henna in my mixes. More henna=more color deposit. Also, henna keeps darkening as the time passes, not just the oxidation period. When i chopped my hennaed hair, it was 2 years old and the color had plum undertones to it, as opposed to the copper auburn it was when it was fresh.

You are right about relaxing effects of henna though. Unless you have your hair wrapped in rollers during henna process, curls will relax. It's the main reason i call henna the "miracle powder" actually, keratin treatment without the damaging effects :D

I love how henna looks on your hair, but if it doesn't make you feel beautiful, then you should stop doing it. You have an amazing head of hair, it's bound to look gorgeous no matter what you do with it :crush:

By the way, you gave me lots of stuff to experiment with, like coconut milk and hibiscus tea!

[hennalonghair]

I highly doubt i'm using red raj. I always buy from the same herbal shop and the stain isn't the best. My results are due to 1)repeated full-head applications, like you said henna is a deposit only color so the more you layer it, the darker the stain and 2) I use a LOT of henna in my mixes. More henna=more color deposit. Also, henna keeps darkening as the time passes, not just the oxidation period. When i chopped my hennaed hair, it was 2 years old and the color had plum undertones to it, as opposed to the copper auburn it was when it was fresh.

You are right about relaxing effects of henna though. Unless you have your hair wrapped in rollers during henna process, curls will relax. It's the main reason i call henna the "miracle powder" actually, keratin treatment without the damaging effects :D

I love how henna looks on your hair, but if it doesn't make you feel beautiful, then you should stop doing it. You have an amazing head of hair, it's bound to look gorgeous no matter what you do with it :crush:

By the way, you gave me lots of stuff to experiment with, like coconut milk and hibiscus tea!

Yes you're right. Henna colour does accumulate and I'm probably not using enough of it to get the true colour I want but because of how pure henna affects me, doing full hair treatments just isn't practical. That's one of the reasons I switched to the Godrej Nupur henna. It is henna with 9 added beneficial herbs so the actually henna content is much less. THIS is likely a huge reason why I'm not getting as rich a colour as I'd like. With this Deep Red from the henna guys, I've got full coverage of the colour I'd like without the sinus aggravation so I'm tickled pink. I considered growing in my natural colour but I enjoy the benefits of it too much to give it up. I'd miss all the tone variations, the extra body and shine and the fact that it smooths down my 3a wiry curly under layer I have. Plus I truly think my hair and especially my scalp will benefit greatly from the henna and hibiscus combo. Now I've got pure henna which stains hair and pure hibiscus powder which stains hair so I think overall this stain is stronger and will last.Dragonflypie says the colour holds really well on her hair and she washes 3 times a week.
That's incredible that you had burgundy ends for that long after treatment.
Yeah full henna treatments with just pure henna I just can't do, unfortunately.
I don't have any bad hair pictures. Taking hair pics has become somewhat of a new thing for me recently due to participating on this website. Besides which, who actually takes and posts had hair pics in a long hair forum? :lol:
What I'll do is enlarge the top of my scalp in some of the pics I have to show you want I talking about.
I've just got to learn how to post pics .
Thanks for the compliments. You've got quite the head of hair yourself :flower:

[AmyBeth]

I'm about 40% grey with hendigo (the indigo is not very apparent and fades quickly anyway). The pros are that it thickens my hair dramatically, increases shine, makes my hair much stronger. And covers the grey very well. I get a darker reddish brown over my natural ash brown, and nice lighter red/brown higlights over the grey.
The cons are that it is so time consuming. I only do it once every 4-6 weeks but it is an all day event. I manage to keep the mess to a minimum, but it is still kind of messy.
I don't want to be grey or even greying yet, but someday I might. I'm kind of working on wrapping my head around that idea because when I see my roots, it is a nice grey and I think grey hair is lovely on others. I'm just not...ready. The benefits of henna have been so marked that I really don't want to do without them. If I ever do decide to grow out the henna, I think I will just do it cold turkey and live with the line of demarcation, no matter how jarring. I really don't want to do without the conditioning and thickening benefits of henna, so I would probably use cassia indefinitely, maybe with intermittent henna glosses.

[hennalonghair]

You can go 4 to 6 weeks before needing to do another treatment with 40% greys?
That's impressive. I tried the henndigo method for about 5 of 6 months but it just wasnt for me. The colour just didnt last.
I'd also like to embraces my greys but I'm just not ready to just yet. I'm liking the staining effects of henna and hibiscus and think that this combination could be used and gradually weakened so there is no solid line which is why I'm transitioning to it because as some point I'm going to have long hennaed hair and when want to starting growing all natural. Unfortunately henna could only be diluted done to a certain point without distorting its intended colour.
It's nice to talk with others who are in a similar situation.
Thanks for joining in Amy Beth

[AmyBeth]

Oh, if I wasn't so busy/tired/lazy I really should do it more often. 4 weeks is ideal. Plus putting it up all the time camouflages the roots pretty well. Getting one's mind around the idea of going grey is a subject that has probably been discussed to death on this forum, however, as more people get to the point of facing it, the subject is fresh for them. I'm not ready to give up my youth, or at least the appearance of it. Pure vanity.:rolleyes: I do so admire those among us who just accept it as it comes. I don't want grey, but I'm working on wanting to want it, if that makes any sense. I do have a pretty grey, if I do say so myself, plus, if I live to be 80, brilliant bright red/brown hair is eventually not going to work for me, so I'd better start getting used to the idea.

[Rosetta]

Plus putting it up all the time camouflages the roots pretty well.
This I never understood - putting one's hair up actually reveals the roots better than anything, obviously, so how could that camouflage...?

Oh, and 70-80 sounds about right age for embracing grey/white hair to me ;)

[hennalonghair]

Hey AmyBeth
I'm probably at the same place you are in accepting my greys; I'm shifting to starting to warm up to the idea. I think when I reached a point where I have more percentage of grey then I think I'll except it more graciously
Right now most of my greys are on the frizziest part of my hair so they just look too wild for me . Henna relaxes these wiry hairs so that the overall texture of my hair is more consistent.
But I've gotta agree with Rosetta in that wearing the hair up exposes the roots.
Then again if I wear a smooth LWB it can cover most of the greys.
Perhaps it depends on the style of updo

[AmyBeth]

This I never understood - putting one's hair up actually reveals the roots better than anything, obviously, so how could that camouflage...?

Oh, and 70-80 sounds about right age for embracing grey/white hair to me ;)

It seems that the hair at my front hairline grows more slowly than the rest of my hair, so the roots there don't show up as quickly. When I put it up without a part, the front hairs cover any grey roots further back on my head. And I hardly have any grey at the back hairline, so that wouldn't show grey anyway. I guess I can take comfort in that convenience. Otherwise, the slow growth coupled with the shorter terminal of those front hairs means that most of my hair is approaching TBL, while those front layers are barely BSL. I'm certainly not going to cut the longer layers and wait and wait for the front to catch up!
Edited to add- maybe just doing a quick hairline application would help those with faster growing hair to camouflage grey, so you could stretch full application touch ups?

[Rosetta]

It seems that the hair at my front hairline grows more slowly than the rest of my hair, so the roots there don't show up as quickly. When I put it up without a part, the front hairs cover any grey roots further back on my head. And I hardly have any grey at the back hairline, so that wouldn't show grey anyway. I guess I can take comfort in that convenience. Otherwise, the slow growth coupled with the shorter terminal of those front hairs means that most of my hair is approaching TBL, while those front layers are barely BSL. I'm certainly not going to cut the longer layers and wait and wait for the front to catch up!
Edited to add- maybe just doing a quick hairline application would help those with faster growing hair to camouflage grey, so you could stretch full application touch ups?
Ok, I see; for me, it's the hair at temples that grows far more slowly than the rest (and it's also much finer), so it's always shorter than the rest (annoying, I know!) ;)

(As for camouflaging roots, I was talking generally, as myself I'm currently enjoying seeing just my roots since I've stealthily fallen in love with my natural colour :) (I guess I'm lucky in that I have very little grey/white yet.))

[hennalonghair]

My hair at my temples grows slower than the rest of my hair also but I'm usually happy about this because that's where most of my grey is. The rest of my hair grows fast and doesn't have much grey so I can relate.
I wish I loved my natural colour like Rosetta does. I'm just not there yet.

[swearnsue]

I've stopped using henna and letting my silver hair grow in. A little trick to work with the change in color is to do a French braid or fake lace braid around the front and sides of your face. This weaves the henna and silver together in a pretty way instead of a demarcation line.