Newbie looking for general haircare advice!

[Erizu]

Hi there! :o

After many months consisting of me asking myself the question 'to henna or not to henna' I've decided that I will be taking the plunge next month! I've never done anything significant with my hair and I've found myself yearning for something different. Since henna will be such a big change for me I feel that my haircare routine is also in need of a shakeup since it's a tad underdeveloped. I'm relatively new to more intricate haircare! The thing is, I've only just started dipping my toes into the plethora of methods and techniques and I'm already reeling. I was hoping that I could get some recommendations.

The products that I'm currently using are all from LUSH; Jersey Bounce, American Cream and R&B. (Yes, I am currently a LUSH junkie.) I use the R&B to tame my dry hair if I deem it necessary. They seem to do the trick but I feel as if I'm spending a little bit too much. My hair is very fine, thin and curly and I'd love to get some advice on what alternatives may be good for me. Are there any cheaper and perhaps even more effective options out there? :confused:

Thanks! :flower:

[Anje]

OK, first bit of advice: Henna has orange tones and it is super-ultra permanent for most folks. Remove-with-scissors permanent. Other colors of "henna" besides red-orange have other things added; the most notable of these is indigo. The thing with indigo is that hair that has been dyed with it has a serious risk of turning green if you use bleach or a dye with peroxide, until that hair has been cut off. Consider long and hard whether either of those things is a deal-breaker for you before you put them near your head. (I'm a hennahead and I love the stuff. But if you're not already a redhead or have dark hair on which the color change will be subtle, you NEED to be doing strand tests to make sure you're not going to end up with something you hate.)

[lapushka]

Yes, and even though you like the things from Lush, do *not* get their henna bricks! It is not BAQ henna (body art quality). If you are going to be doing this for real, then do it *right*. :) Might wanna spend some time reading through the henna FAQ on the forum here.

[Erizu]

I have always been one to shy away from commitment, but henna is just calling out to me, I swear. Who knows; it could be healthy! I already made a thread on henna and have definitely been thinking long and hard. I've also done strand tests and liked the colour I got. I saw that some people had success with removing henna with Colour B4 (or Color Oops) and I suppose that comforted me a little, but... I'm not sure if it'll work.

Oh well! :cool:

[Erizu]

I actually did get the LUSH henna but never used it. I have long since done more extensive research and have 100g of Jamila and 100g of Rajasthani stored in my fridge. I'm all set! (I do hope this is the correct way to store it.)

[Arctic]

When you try to find a routine for yourself, to keep it simple - in two ways:

1) don't experiment with too much too fast or it can backfire and lead to uncertainty what worked what what did not
2) after being here for years I have noticed that it seems like most members with super long, super healthy looking hair have very simple routines. Often it's just good old shampoo and conditioner once-twice a week, and clarifying when needed, maybe a dab of oil or leave-in after wash. (This is naturally highly individual and some hairtypes need more care than others, but this seems to be very common among our super long lengths league.)

[Katia_k]

I have always been one to shy away from commitment, but henna is just calling out to me, I swear. Who knows; it could be healthy! I already made a thread on henna and have definitely been thinking long and hard. I've also done strand tests and liked the colour I got. I saw that some people had success with removing henna with Colour B4 (or Color Oops) and I suppose that comforted me a little, but... I'm not sure if it'll work.

Oh well! :cool:

Solidarity! I was very scared of commitment, had never done anything big at all with my hair, but I wanted to henna so bad because in my soul and my complexion I'm a redhead. It was really scary, but I did it and I love it. The root upkeep is a little annoying, but I love how it makes my hair look. So if you've liked your strand tests, I say go for it. In reality, it's hair. If you're okay with the idea of "if it's the worst thing ever I can cut it (in case of disaster)", then I say run with it and enjoy.

Agree with others though, less is more if you can help it. I'm a bit of a product junky, but my basic routine sans tinkering is pretty simple, shampoo, ACV rinse, conditioner, deep condition once a week and after henna treatments. Follow this up with a curl cream/leave in and I'm good. But reading around and experimenting is fun too, just move slowly, and don't put too much in your "docket," to try. If you're like me that just leads to you getting impatient. But maybe you're less about instant gratification then me. :D

[Erizu]

Solidarity! I was very scared of commitment, had never done anything big at all with my hair, but I wanted to henna so bad because in my soul and my complexion I'm a redhead. It was really scary, but I did it and I love it. The root upkeep is a little annoying, but I love how it makes my hair look. So if you've liked your strand tests, I say go for it. In reality, it's hair. If you're okay with the idea of "if it's the worst thing ever I can cut it (in case of disaster)", then I say run with it and enjoy.

Agree with others though, less is more if you can help it. I'm a bit of a product junky, but my basic routine sans tinkering is pretty simple, shampoo, ACV rinse, conditioner, deep condition once a week and after henna treatments. Follow this up with a curl cream/leave in and I'm good. But reading around and experimenting is fun too, just move slowly, and don't put too much in your "docket," to try. If you're like me that just leads to you getting impatient. But maybe you're less about instant gratification then me. :D

Thank you for your reply! It's nice to know that there's someone out there who felt the same way as I am now. I'm hoping the colour will look better on tamed hair than on knotted hairballs, haha! If I may ask, what complexion do you have? I worry that I may not suit the vibrant reddish orange I'm aiming for. Also, what sort of effect does an ACV rinse have? I roughly do all those things you listed and I'd like to see if it's something I should look into. :flower:

[Garnetgem]

Hello like to welcome you! :) sorry i have no experience of henna but your having plenty of good advice from those with experience of it...

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

Hello and welcome to the LHC. Good luck with your first henna experience.

[sumidha]

I'd hold off on experimenting with a lot of new products until after you henna, it might change the feel and texture of your hair, and as others have pointed out, it is permanent, so I'd wait to find something that works with your permanent new hair instead of your current hair that will be changing soon. :)

[Erizu]

Thank you all for your replies! :D

[AZDesertRose]

I've been using henna for a few years now, and I love it. My natural color is a dark reddish brown anyway, so the color change from the henna is more subtle on me than it would be on someone who was starting from, say, medium blonde hair, and it does seem to make my hair shiny, but I do notice that it tends to dry my hair out a little, especially right after an application, so you may want to pay special attention to conditioning/oiling/whatever you do to keep your hair not-dry if that's a concern for you. (I'm also closer to 41 than 40, so my scalp oil production is nowhere near what it was twenty years ago either.)

Definitely strand-test it before you go full-head, because it is pretty freaking permanent.

Also, the body art quality henna I use has a smell like fresh-cut hay, which I don't mind but I know some people dislike it, so be aware of that. I find it takes a bit for the smell to die down, which it does gradually. I wash my hair about twice a week, and the hay smell is usually completely gone about a week and a half after the henna application (about three washes, basically). You can use herbs/spices to offset the hay smell if you like; certain powdered spices such as cinnamon or cloves are suggested at mehandi.com, but I've never bothered because, as previously stated, I don't really mind the fresh-hay smell. The prepared henna paste also does NOT look pretty. It's greenish and has been compared in color and consistency to goose excrement! :lol:

But I enjoy my henna. It's fun to me to make a mud pie out of my hair for a few hours and have pretty auburn hair in the end. ;)

[Erizu]

I've been using henna for a few years now, and I love it. My natural color is a dark reddish brown anyway, so the color change from the henna is more subtle on me than it would be on someone who was starting from, say, medium blonde hair, and it does seem to make my hair shiny, but I do notice that it tends to dry my hair out a little, especially right after an application, so you may want to pay special attention to conditioning/oiling/whatever you do to keep your hair not-dry if that's a concern for you. (I'm also closer to 41 than 40, so my scalp oil production is nowhere near what it was twenty years ago either.)

Definitely strand-test it before you go full-head, because it is pretty freaking permanent.

Also, the body art quality henna I use has a smell like fresh-cut hay, which I don't mind but I know some people dislike it, so be aware of that. I find it takes a bit for the smell to die down, which it does gradually. I wash my hair about twice a week, and the hay smell is usually completely gone about a week and a half after the henna application (about three washes, basically). You can use herbs/spices to offset the hay smell if you like; certain powdered spices such as cinnamon or cloves are suggested at mehandi.com, but I've never bothered because, as previously stated, I don't really mind the fresh-hay smell. The prepared henna paste also does NOT look pretty. It's greenish and has been compared in color and consistency to goose excrement! :lol:

But I enjoy my henna. It's fun to me to make a mud pie out of my hair for a few hours and have pretty auburn hair in the end. ;)

I did three strand tests and I didn't like the way it smelled. :p I'm probably going to get some powdered ginger as I'm under the impression that it battles the wet hay smell. I liked the colour I got with Jamila the most (contrary to popular belief it was redder than the Rajasthani I bought). Unfortunately I've thrown away the hairballs and I can't remember clearly what they looked like; I only have pictures which don't look the same. I think the Jamila faded to a nice dark red so I'll be going ahead with that. :o