The EASIEST Way To Henna your Hair!

[Drackie]

I'm one of those people who absolutely loves what henna does for my hair, however I find the traditional application procedure long, tiresome, and inconvenient! So the following is my personal method for applying this lovely pigment in my hair! If you decide to try it, let me know how it works out for you hair.

You will need: bowl, kettle, about 100g of BAQ henna, aprox 10 chamomile tea bags, 1 small quality spray bottle (fine mist to spray), turkey baster


Step 1: boil about ~2 liters of water, and pour it into a large bowl. add chamomile, and let sit for ~ 1 hour.

Step 2: boil ~half a liter of water, add to bowl. let sit for another 5 mins or so to cool off a bit. Remove tea bags. To dilute the henna powder easily into the tea water we: Separate ~1 cup of tea water, and add henna powder, stir until even and then add it back to the bowl. Mix until all the liquid in the bowl is smooth. Let sit for dye release. Stir occasionally throughout dye release.

Note: Typical henna recipes are mud or cake-batter in consistencies, however my method involves a much more watery solution to be made.

Step 3: Once you are satisfied with the amount of dye release, REFRAIN from stirring and agitating the brew. When you notice that you've reached peak dye release ( the tea water + Lawson dye floats to the top while the henna pulp sinks to the bottom. Use your turkey baster to gently siphon off the top orange-red tea from the top level, pour this into your spray bottle. Your henna extract is ready to be used!

Step 4:Now you can spray it over you hair evenly, or how ever you feel. I recommend spraying it over dry hair, that has been recently clarified with a non-silicone, sulfate-based shampoo. Saturate your hair with the henna spray you made, let it sit on your hair for several hours, misting your hair throughout to keep it wet, but not dripping wet. To seal the henna, grab your favorite silicone based conditioner and saturate your hair with it for a few minutes. wash out the conditioner. If you feel your hair tends to get easily greasy, shampoo your roots with a non-sulfate based shampoo.

Note: I'm experimenting with condensing this solution by gently boiling it to evaporate the excess water. I'm not sure how much heat lawson can take. Also I found with this method I ended up with a lot of lawson solution, much more than my hair needed. Can anyone recommend a way to store it?

[hennalonghair]

Freeze it.......

[CRX<3]

I'm trying this out right now, Using a bag of gritty cheap henna that I most probably would have thrown away anyway. Letting it clarify itself during the night, i hope it will leave a nice stain, thanks for the idea Drackie!

[Drackie]

Below is a picture of my freshly (two days ago) Lawson-Chamomile tea sprayed hennaed hair, in the bathroom with indoor lighting and no camera flash. It refreshed my colour, touched up my roots, added tons of shine and sleekness and even some thickness to my hair strands. This is a photo of my hair after staining it with the spray method, and it was my 3rd time hennaing my hair. I'm naturally a medium ash blonde with super fine hair. I have previously hennaed my hair with the traditional method 2 times in the last 4 months.

CRX, I hope it works as well for you as it did for me! :-)


http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/ah215/draconeia/IMG_20141109_220008_zps63511023.jpg

[Mimione001]

Your hair looks great! I really like your idea and will try it with a premixed henna. I'm curious. Maybe you can use this henna-tea in a conditioner as a color-depositing conditioner so that you get a shimmer of color everytime you condition? Hmmm, food for thought, thanks.

[Drackie]

Hello Mimione011, I appreciate the compliment, and I'm glad to hear that you're giving this method a try! However, I'm not sure what "premixed" henna is or what other ingredient(s) it may contain? If there is a lipid mixed in with the henna, you may not get as deep or even of a stain because I believe Lawson can get trapped within the oil matrix, or lipids can coat your hair strands and create a waterproofing coating on the hair shaft which can hinder the amount of Lawson reaching the keratin. From what I understand, Lawson is magnetized to the keratin in hair and requires a wet and slightly acidic medium to flow through. (which is why you'll need to keep spraying your hair when it dries) And I'm not altogether sure how conditioner (whether it contains silicone or not) effects this process. Also, I have read that there are negative effects associated with keeping conditioner in your hair for extended periods, though I can't say for certain if there is any truth to this.

hennalonghair, I know I can freeze henna, however I wonder how well Lawson + chamomile tea will freeze. I stored my leftovers in the freezer, so I guess we'll find out! :-)

[lapushka]

Doesn't spraying it get it all over your bathroom, though (like your floors and such, and the walls).

[Drackie]

lapushka: Lets face it, applying henna to your hair can be messy, however if one is careful and properly prepared you can avert most messes. Here's some tips I found worked for me:
- Have a quality spray bottle/nozzle. This is your Lawson applicator, so make sure it has an even spray and isn't too large or cumbersome.
- Spray as close to your head as you can. Use your finger tips in your hair/roots to help distribute the henna solution around your head.
- Wear a shirt you don't mind ruining,
- Wear fitted gloves to protect your hands and retain dexterity,
- IMPORTANT! Don't leave your henna brew in the bathroom because if someone takes a shower, the high humidity level in the air will steal Lawsone from your bowl and it will collect, drip and dry on your bathroom walls.
- I found it was very easy to wipe away any henna drips in the bathroom, especially if it was wiped away relatively quick. Have a wet rag and some paper towels ready near by in case you need to clean a spill or if henna runs down your skin.
- work in a clean environment
- Patience is key, and don't forget to have fun with it because this treatment is doing wonders for your hair! :-)

[Natalia]

Sounds good. Ive been wanting to henna again for months but its just tohar to applyan wash out this lok easier in the long run

[Drackie]

Sounds good. Ive been wanting to henna again for months but its just tohar to applyan wash out this lok easier in the long run


If you can get a before and after shot that would be awesome! :-) I regret not getting one myself..

[Shatam1]

Doesn't spraying it get it all over your bathroom, though (like your floors and such, and the walls).

Maybe it's better done inside the shower stand so you can rinse yourself and maybe wrap your hair without making a big mess;)

[Drackie]

I can't edit my original post, but I'd like to add an important Pro-Tip! Be very careful not to get any grit or powder in your spray bottle. - It will clog it up and then it's super frustrating trying to clean the damn thing! I cannot stress enough that the Lawson-Chamomile extract should be free of any henna pulp, powders or grit! Leave it to settle if it does become cloudy, and separate only the red-orange pigment tea layer on the top. It may help to transfer your henna brew into a taller thinner container so that your top tea layer becomes thicker (once it settles) and thus making it easier to extract with the turkey baster. My henna brew kept releasing Lawsone over a day and a half. The Lawson tea layer gradually became redder with time and dye release, though I used Red Raj which is known for higher Lawson content.

Hope this helps!

[Mimione001]

Hello Mimione011, I appreciate the compliment, and I'm glad to hear that you're giving this method a try! However, I'm not sure what "premixed" henna is or what other ingredient(s) it may contain? If there is a lipid mixed in with the henna, you may not get as deep or even of a stain because I believe Lawson can get trapped within the oil matrix, or lipids can coat your hair strands and create a waterproofing coating on the hair shaft which can hinder the amount of Lawson reaching the keratin. From what I understand, Lawson is magnetized to the keratin in hair and requires a wet and slightly acidic medium to flow through. (which is why you'll need to keep spraying your hair when it dries) And I'm not altogether sure how conditioner (whether it contains silicone or not) effects this process. Also, I have read that there are negative effects associated with keeping conditioner in your hair for extended periods, though I can't say for certain if there is any truth to this.

I meant a "brown" henna-mix, but there would be a little indigo in it, so i doubt that will work. I'm not sure yet i am going to do it. I keep switching between growing out color or try henna treatments, can't decide yet. But i will remember your method because it sounds great to me! I think you are right about the conditioner, it is more like a gloss combined with your method. Don't think it will work, i just got exited :)

[hennalonghair]

Hello Mimione011, I appreciate the compliment, and I'm glad to hear that you're giving this method a try! However, I'm not sure what "premixed" henna is or what other ingredient(s) it may contain? If there is a lipid mixed in with the henna, you may not get as deep or even of a stain because I believe Lawson can get trapped within the oil matrix, or lipids can coat your hair strands and create a waterproofing coating on the hair shaft which can hinder the amount of Lawson reaching the keratin. From what I understand, Lawson is magnetized to the keratin in hair and requires a wet and slightly acidic medium to flow through. (which is why you'll need to keep spraying your hair when it dries) And I'm not altogether sure how conditioner (whether it contains silicone or not) effects this process. Also, I have read that there are negative effects associated with keeping conditioner in your hair for extended periods, though I can't say for certain if there is any truth to this.

hennalonghair, I know I can freeze henna, however I wonder how well Lawson + chamomile tea will freeze. I stored my leftovers in the freezer, so I guess we'll find out! :-)
Yes it will freeze

[Shatam1]

But wouldn't that be like a gloss?? With all the white and grey hair I have, doing henna this way would leave me with very yellow orangey roots!!!

[Drackie]

But wouldn't that be like a gloss?? With all the white and grey hair I have, doing henna this way would leave me with very yellow orangey roots!!!

From what I understand henna powder only contains 1-4% of the Lawson molecule. Now this is the stuff that gives your mane all that health and beauty! Traditional henna mixes are made up mostly of henna pulp (cells, plant fibers) and an acidic medium (ie; lemon juice, camomile tea).

The idea behind this Lawson-Tea method is to extract, isolate and concentrate Lawson so it can be easily and amply applied to the hair, subsequently also on a more frequent basis. Concentration of Lawson should allow for a more darker and relatively quicker stain because the saturation level on each hair shaft has increased relative to the traditional method, however this must be tested with various hair types and recipes. Here are some things I've considered experimenting with the Lawson-Tea solution:

- Concentrating it even further by adding more than 100grams of henna, and less tea water (might make it more difficult to siphon/isolate), or alternatively simmering the Lawson-Tea extract to evaporate off the excess water. (Though I am unsure how heat affects the Lawson molecule.)
- Adding gelatin to the mix, to make a Lawson-Tea gel - sort of like synthetic boxed dye, right? :-p (I wonder how the gel effect would affect staining.. hmm)
- Adding a preservative (ie; vit E?), or storing Lawson-Tea (LT) solution in a small spray bottle in the fridge, so you can spray your virgin roots, graying hair, daily!
- Or as you mentioned, you could turn this LT solution into a gloss by adding conditioner, however you are reducing concentration by doing so. (I tried this btw, it stained my hair, but my hair doesn't seem to like all that conditioner for that long.)

Well, I hope some of your try these things out and report your findings! :-)

Also want to mention that I still stand by the traditional method of hennaing hair, I am just offering an alternative method for those who require a more convenient way to keep their henna hair looking fantastic! - even when you can't book off that whole day of to dedicate to your hair..

[Shatam1]

I will definitely give it a try and let you know the results.. I henna every ten days anyway

[UltraBella]

I toyed around with trying henna several years ago but I was just too worried about my color result and I couldn't stand the thought of trying to get it rinsed out of my hair afterwards. The thought of root upkeep was enough to make me cringe, as I would have ashy light brown roots very quickly. Had I known this method was possible I'm betting I would have done it in a heartbeat ! Now it's probably a bad idea because I have highlights in my hair and I'm assuming they would be flaming orange ?

[lapushka]

Now it's probably a bad idea because I have highlights in my hair and I'm assuming they would be flaming orange ?

Probably needs multiple applications. Are you ready for one uniform color? :)

[UltraBella]

Probably needs multiple applications. Are you ready for one uniform color? :)

I probably will be some day. Right now I love my color but I went copper red for five years and I've always missed it.

[lapushka]

I probably will be some day. Right now I love my color but I went copper red for five years and I've always missed it.

I remember when I was copper-red. Miss it too sometimes. Then I remind myself of the mess that is henna, and immediately get turned off. :lol:

[Zwaluw]

This sounds interesting. My mom brought a bag of Henna with her from Teheran but it's a bit too grainy for me to be comfortable with and my test-strand didn't seem to change colour at all... I might try this with it. I've been hennaing my hair for about 5 years now and I have to say I always enjoyed making the mess. The most annoying thing for me is the weight that is sitting on your head, but hey, can't have it all right?

[browneyedsusan]

I toyed around with trying henna several years ago but I was just too worried about my color result and I couldn't stand the thought of trying to get it rinsed out of my hair afterwards. The thought of root upkeep was enough to make me cringe, as I would have ashy light brown roots very quickly. Had I known this method was possible I'm betting I would have done it in a heartbeat ! Now it's probably a bad idea because I have highlights in my hair and I'm assuming they would be flaming orange ?

Hmm...
My gray comes out copper, and I have some respectable patches of gray! :)

[Alastríona]

I know this thread is a year old, but is anyone still playing with this method? It sounds awesome!

[whimsicalfaerie]

I'm curious too.

[Alastríona]

Well, I diluted my frozen half batch of henna mix heaps last night then used a squeeze bottle to apply the liquid to the roots, it still worked and was So. Much. Easier. to get out. It had never occurred to me to just use the liquid instead of the gloop! Next batch I'll try this from scratch and see if I can't find a perfect spray mix etc. My problem now is my existing batch is so diluted I have divided my half into another four lots, at this rate my 100g henna powder is going to last me six applications instead of one! 😄

[Mintmoonpi]

I would LOVE to know if this works! I hate having to touch up my roots because I have such thick hair but I love henna.

[Alastríona]

I would LOVE to know if this works! I hate having to touch up my roots because I have such thick hair but I love henna.
Mintmoonpi, what are you thinking of trying? My liquid application on the roots was awesome. My previous gloop roots attempt was disastrous lol

[Mintmoonpi]

I was thinking of doing the liquid application.

[Neecola]

Wow! Thanks for bumping this thread. I've been lazy about doing root touch ups because I'm so short on time these days... I think I might try this next henna.

[Neecola]

I tried this method out. I followed Drackie's instructions and used 2 L of water, roughly 8 cups, to 100 grams of henna. I let it sit about 15 hours. The water did turn a promising shade.

http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s375/ng554321/IMG_20151213_104534820_zpsvfo2kv4j.jpg

As you can see, there was PLENTY of liquid; perhaps too much. I saturated my dry hair (what a mess!) and wrapped it in saran wrap with my towel turban, like I usually do. After two hours I rinsed (so easy, it would be worth the mess!) ... and there was no perceptible color difference. :( My hair is naturally reddish brown and so a subtle change probably wouldn't show up. My grays were not changed at all. I usually only do a henna gloss and my "baby hairs" look a lovely brilliant orange afterwards. So at this dilution/ratio, this method is a no go for me.

However, I did note that some of the henna effects were there: that resin-y feeling immediately after washing and my lack of crown frizz. Since I now have a ton of this liquid (which I froze in snack baggies and old ice cube trays), I plan to try some experimenting.

[berrybleu]

I wonder if you could cook off some of the moisture to thicken the mixture and concentrate the color, kind of like making a reduction sauce from a broth.

Does anyone have any educated guesses on whether this would kill the dye or concentrate it. And if the mixture was thicker whether it would be easier to do root touch ups with.

[Scarlet_Heart]

I don't know, this sounds so messy and wasteful to me.

I find the easiest way to apply henna is to make it pudding consistency and apply it to towel dried (damp/wet) hair. I use a Terry cloth headband to prevent dripping. This way, it goes in evenly, it's easy to distribute, it's less damaging, and it doesn't affect color uptake.

[berrybleu]

I don't know, this sounds so messy and wasteful to me.

I find the easiest way to apply henna is to make it pudding consistency and apply it to towel dried (damp/wet) hair. I use a Terry cloth headband to prevent dripping. This way, it goes in evenly, it's easy to distribute, it's less damaging, and it doesn't affect color uptake.

How do you create a pudding consistency? Do you use a particular band or would any finely sifted brand work?

Do you henna all of your hair all of the time or are you sometimes targeting the roots? If you do root touch ups how do you apply the pudding?

[Katia_k]

This does sound intriguing for roots. I admit I'm wary, though for no better reason than "it's so much easier it can't work as well". But you folks seem to be having success, so maybe I'll give it a try. Happy with the look one application gave me, but will need to do those pesky touch-ups in a few weeks.

[berrybleu]

This does sound intriguing for roots. I admit I'm wary, though for no better reason than "it's so much easier it can't work as well". But you folks seem to be having success, so maybe I'll give it a try. Happy with the look one application gave me, but will need to do those pesky touch-ups in a few weeks.

Katia,

Can you clarify the method you used for your recent application? Am I correct in assuming that you tried "easiest (steeping) method" described here? Is this the method you'll use for the root touch up?

I'm starting to get the impression that although this is a great alternative if the blend you're using has a lot of straw and debris in it, that you're better off using a high quality, fine sift. A fine sift reportedly yields a "pudding" consistency that would seem to me to be easier to control and target the roots only (with a minimum of overlap with the already colored hair) than a liquid would be.

Perhaps I'll hold off on doing my roots until after you do yours. :)

[browneyedsusan]

I tried this method out. I followed Drackie's instructions and used 2 L of water, roughly 8 cups, to 100 grams of henna. I let it sit about 15 hours. The water did turn a promising shade.

*snip*

As you can see, there was PLENTY of liquid; perhaps too much. I saturated my dry hair (what a mess!) and wrapped it in saran wrap with my towel turban, like I usually do. After two hours I rinsed (so easy, it would be worth the mess!) ... and there was no perceptible color difference. :( My hair is naturally reddish brown and so a subtle change probably wouldn't show up. My grays were not changed at all. I usually only do a henna gloss and my "baby hairs" look a lovely brilliant orange afterwards. So at this dilution/ratio, this method is a no go for me.

However, I did note that some of the henna effects were there: that resin-y feeling immediately after washing and my lack of crown frizz. Since I now have a ton of this liquid (which I froze in snack baggies and old ice cube trays), I plan to try some experimenting.

I don't have time for that!
If I'm messing around with touching up my roots, it had better make them red! And I have WAY too much gray to risk it.
(I already have a missed patch of "possum hair" behind one ear! lol! )

[morrigan*]

How do you create a pudding consistency? Do you use a particular band or would any finely sifted brand work?

Do you henna all of your hair all of the time or are you sometimes targeting the roots? If you do root touch ups how do you apply the pudding?

Finely sifted henna works great for reaching pudding consistency. Look for one that is marked BAQ - body art quality.

[school of fish]

Katia,
...
I'm starting to get the impression that although this is a great alternative if the blend you're using has a lot of straw and debris in it, that you're better off using a high quality, fine sift. A fine sift reportedly yields a "pudding" consistency that would seem to me to be easier to control and target the roots only (with a minimum of overlap with the already colored hair) than a liquid would be.
...

I would agree with this ^^

I'll be honest here - as someone who's been using henna for over a decade and who's all about the easy way when it comes to hair, this method sounds like a lot more work to me than just mixing up a runnyish batch of henna the traditional way and applying it with a squeeze bottle :) Not knocking anyone's method here - we all have different definitions of easy and we all figure out what works best for us. If the OP finds this liquid spray method the easiest for her, I applaud it!

I just know that for me, anything that takes hours to prep no longer falls in the easy category by my definition - not when I can mix up my henna in 5min, apply it to my roots in 15min, and rinse it out after an hour. It sounds like the prep on the liquid siphoning method takes longer than my entire process...

But it's always good to try a new method! If this works for others, that's awesome :D

[Katia_k]

Katia,

Can you clarify the method you used for your recent application? Am I correct in assuming that you tried "easiest (steeping) method" described here? Is this the method you'll use for the root touch up?

I'm starting to get the impression that although this is a great alternative if the blend you're using has a lot of straw and debris in it, that you're better off using a high quality, fine sift. A fine sift reportedly yields a "pudding" consistency that would seem to me to be easier to control and target the roots only (with a minimum of overlap with the already colored hair) than a liquid would be.

Perhaps I'll hold off on doing my roots until after you do yours. :)

Oh sorry, I was super vague in my post. I did the "traditional" application method when I did my application, which was my first one so don't count me as even kind of an expert here. I also missed a slew of people's posts who said they didn't get good color uptake from this...didn't see the last page until after I'd posted.

I have some pretty good fine baq henna in the freezer, so I'll probably just stick with that, after further reading. I'm...not very adventurous or experienced with hair-dying, so unless this method is getting rave consistent reviews, I'm probably gonna stick with my original gloop method. I don't wanna screw anything up I don't know how to fix. xD

That being said, if this is working for some folks, that is great, and does make it intriguing for the future when I'm less skittish.

[berrybleu]

this method sounds like a lot more work to me than just mixing up a runnyish batch of henna the traditional way and applying it with a squeeze bottle

Do you use finely sifted BAQ cassia/henna? Or do you use the less expensive stuff with straw and debris? Either way, how do you make it runny? Do you simply use more water than you're supposed to? And how do you get the watery part to squeeze out the nozzle without clogging?

[morrigan*]

I'm not school of fish, but i mix my batch a bit more runny, i use baq henna and more water, and then apply whit squeeze bottle that is used for dying hair and i didn't have any trouble with clogging.
But anyway i could do that with a premixed henna that you can get in drugstore too. Just mix it really well. In my experience baq is just a little easier to apply.

[berrybleu]

I'm not school of fish, but i mix my batch a bit more runny, i use baq henna and more water, and then apply whit squeeze bottle that is used for dying hair and i didn't have any trouble with clogging.
But anyway i could do that with a premixed henna that you can get in drugstore too. Just mix it really well. In my experience baq is just a little easier to apply.

Thanks so much for the input. At the end of the day I suppose I just need to bite the bullet and try again, this time with a really fine sift, and hope I get the pudding consistency that I imagine would be easier to get a controlled application on the new growth roots, with little or no overlap on the salon colored and foiled hair.

Unfortunately this root touch up is coming at a bad time since I'm job hunting so winding up looking like a crazed clown is not an option. If it comes out badly an emergency visit to the salon would be more expensive than simply going there in the first place would have been.

[school of fish]

morrigan* gave a great answer there :D

I get my henna at my local east asian and arabic stores. It's intended for mehndi, so the sift is very fine and powdery. 100g boxes cost less than $2, and 500g bags go for $6. Since I'm only doing roots applications I'm using maybe 25g at a time, so it amortizes to cents per application! I don't stick to any particular brand - I just make sure the package ingredients say 100% henna/lawsonia inermis and nothing else. I've never had any problems with sift or dye release, it's all been great.

For my mix, I just use enough warm/hot water to create the consistency of, say, yogurt or housepaint. I never measure the water specifically, just go by feel, but it's in the neighbourhood of a cup and a half water to 100g henna, give or take. I premix my henna and store it in the freezer, thawing and refreezing leftovers over and over again. When I mix up a new batch of henna I don't even wait for dye release, I just pop it in the freezer - the dye releases on its own while frozen :)

To apply it, I also use a conventional dye bottle, making parts in my hair with the nozzle, squeezing a line of henna into the part, and smooshing it into the scalp with a gloved hand. It's very quick and easy - less than 15min to do my roots.

I described my process in detail in another thread if you're interested - I'll go find it and edit the link in here :)

Here it is! Post #1310 in the Deep Conditioning/Treatment Check-In thread :D

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=127171&page=131

Hope that helps!

[berrybleu]

... I described my process in detail in another thread if you're interested - ... Here it is! Post #1310 in the Deep Conditioning/Treat


Hope that helps!




School of Fish,


Thank you. That is incredibly helpful. That's the kind of detail I was looking for and it validates what I was sort of envisioning. I think I'd mentioned in a thread a month or so ago that I thought the root line / demarcation and overlap with existing colored hair would be less of an issue if you erred on the side of a lighter color and touched up the roots more often. However, logistically that might be unworkable for me at this time due to space and time constraints. Finding two hours on a weekly basis and the necessary counter space would be challenging, especially with two young girls underfoot.


On the other hand, they are 9 and 11. I wonder if I could make them my assistants. :p


Anywho, for the benefit of anyone else that might be interested in this info I'm copying/pasting your earlier post below:



Don't mind at all!


I make my henna to a runny yogurt consistency (for ease of application) and use a plastic applicator bottle to apply it. Since I freeze my premixed henna I put it out on the counter the night before so on henna day it's ready to go. I mix up my SMT just before henna time.


For henna application, I put my hair either in a loose nautilus bun with hair stick, or a loose english braid (just a few passes, enough to gather the length into one spot). I glove one hand (the medical latex type) and hold the henna bottle in the other. Starting along the hairline I squeeze the henna onto my roots and squish it in with my gloved hand. Once I've done the entire perimeter of the hairline from front to back, I start filling in the centre. I squeeze a line of henna into my part and squish it in, then continue filling in the roots the same way - create a part, squeeze a line, squish it in. Once my roots are all covered as close to the base of the bun/braid as possible, I release the bun/braid and squeeze/squish henna into the spot where it was. Takes about 10min.


For the deep treatment application, I take off the henna glove and spread my SMT on the length with my bare hands. I make up enough SMT to saturate the length, and really work it in to make sure there's total coverage. Any henna that may get on my hands while I'm putting on the SMT isn't there long enough to stain, so I don't worry about getting it on my hands, it's just easier. Takes about 5min.


Then, with henna plastered onto roots and SMT saturated into the length, I wrap up the length into a nautilus bun at my nape and pop a thin clear shower cap over the whole thing (cheapest shower cap available, the kind that's barely more than kitchen plastic wrap :p ). On top of the shower cap I wrap a length of black jersey fabric, centred at the forehead, stretched and gathered at the nape and wrapped/knotted around the bun. The wrap keeps the heat in and makes me feel slightly more appealing than I would walking around with a shower cap on ;) It looks cute, actually! The wrap is black so it doesn't show any of the henna-staining that it's undoubtedly covered in ;)


I leave the henna/SMT on anywhere from 1-3 hours, depending entirely upon the shape of my day, and during that time I do whatever I would have been doing if I didn't have stuff on my head - everything's contained so it doesn't get in the way. I'd say it averages an hour and a half.


Then I jump in the shower and rinse it all out, using 2 rounds of conditioner to help it along.


And that's it! Written out it sounds like a lot, but in practice it feels pretty effortless. I've done henna for so long now that I can do it virtually mess-free, the application feels really easy and the wait time sure beats the overnight henna-ings I used to do. Also, since I'm doing this once a week it's no big deal if I miss a spot or if for some reason a henna batch doesn't take as well, because it all gets touched up the next week anyway :) It works really well for me and fit into my lifestyle really well :)


Hope that's helpful and that I've explained it clearly enough - sorry for the novel! ;)

[school of fish]

No worries berrybleu! :D

I hear you on the kids thing - I have a 10-year-old and a 21-month-old - finding time for anything is challenging ;) In my case, my once-a-week routine isn't actually about root coverage - it's actually about me trying to keep myself disciplined enough to not let it drag too long between hennas :p The success I've found in my method is in no way dependent upon its frequency, it's just my personal "get'er done" strategy. I started with the deep treatments on the length only because I had my hair wrapped up for roots anyway so I figured why not double up... My hair's benefited definitely, but it certainly wouldn't suffer for going longer either :)

We all figure out what fits best into our lives. I'm so glad you found this helpful - even if only a small part of it ends up working for you, if it helps make your life easier, that's awesome! :D

[Neecola]

As I posted earlier, I did try this method but it didn't work for me. I wish it would have because it was such a dream to wash out.

Now I do what kittybird does and just make two pigtails and slop it on my whole scalp. So.Much.Easier. than all the parting and braiding I was doing before. I'm done in 5 minutes! I was initially concerned that I would get too much overlap from one treatment to the next but I've done it several times and it looks the same as it usually does.

[Sarahm]

I don't think anyone mentioned this - but would this method also make the hair shinier (like henna always does for me)? I've been growing out my hair, but I'm tempted to give this a go on my hair lengths.

[Sableringlets]

Henna worked to cover my grays, but I'm having issues with getting the indigo to "stick." My hair is naturally black, and I've tried 2 times with the indigo. Any ideas?

I did add a pinch of salt to the indigo, put it in my hair soon after the dye release, and then rinsed it out (not washing). According to the package directions, I'm supposed to wait until my hair is completely dry from the henna the day before. I'm reading conflicting information online about this.

[Oubli]

I did this yrs ago when I got my hands on 5lbs of henna. I used a half gallon mason jar and added 250 grams of henna. I concentrated it like I would do any tincture, you remove the plant medium (ie strain henna with pantyhose) and add another 250 grams of henna into the same liquid, do this repeatedly for a truly concentrated and potent brew. I froze this mixture in ice cube trays when it was done and used it to mix up my henna for a super henna treatment that exploded color. A higher lawsone content was great for my dark brown hair and I achieved a truly vibrant red without having to order the newest crop of some far flung, expensive name brand henna but with cheap, readily available henna from the local India bazaar.

[Daydreamer.]

I did this yrs ago when I got my hands on 5lbs of henna. I used a half gallon mason jar and added 250 grams of henna. I concentrated it like I would do any tincture, you remove the plant medium (ie strain henna with pantyhose) and add another 250 grams of henna into the same liquid, do this repeatedly for a truly concentrated and potent brew. I froze this mixture in ice cube trays when it was done and used it to mix up my henna for a super henna treatment that exploded color. A higher lawsone content was great for my dark brown hair and I achieved a truly vibrant red without having to order the newest crop of some far flung, expensive name brand henna but with cheap, readily available henna from the local India bazaar. This sounds like a good idea!

[JollyAlly]

I did this yrs ago when I got my hands on 5lbs of henna. I used a half gallon mason jar and added 250 grams of henna. I concentrated it like I would do any tincture, you remove the plant medium (ie strain henna with pantyhose) and add another 250 grams of henna into the same liquid, do this repeatedly for a truly concentrated and potent brew. I froze this mixture in ice cube trays when it was done and used it to mix up my henna for a super henna treatment that exploded color. A higher lawsone content was great for my dark brown hair and I achieved a truly vibrant red without having to order the newest crop of some far flung, expensive name brand henna but with cheap, readily available henna from the local India bazaar.

Ooh, that's nifty!

[berrybleu]

I did this yrs ago when I got my hands on 5lbs of henna. I used a half gallon mason jar and added 250 grams of henna. I concentrated it like I would do any tincture, you remove the plant medium (ie strain henna with pantyhose) and add another 250 grams of henna into the same liquid, do this repeatedly for a truly concentrated and potent brew. I froze this mixture in ice cube trays when it was done and used it to mix up my henna for a super henna treatment that exploded color. A higher lawsone content was great for my dark brown hair and I achieved a truly vibrant red without having to order the newest crop of some far flung, expensive name brand henna but with cheap, readily available henna from the local India bazaar.

I haven't gotten around to trying School Of Fish's application method yet. I might try your dye concentration method along with her application method.

[whimsicalfaerie]

Has anyone tried the method of adding gelatin or another thickener? I love the idea of not having to wash out the henna mud, but the thought of wet henna rivulets running down my neck for hours is not attractive (even with a shower cap).