Henna for those with cool-tone complexions?

[Taedareth]

My hair is super-fine and prone to splitting, so I'd love to use henna to strengthen it a bit.

But is henna an option for those of us who have Winter/Summer complexions? (Cool, bluish/pinkish undertones.) Henna is orangey-red, right? And even if you include some indigo to make brown, it's still a warm brown, right?

I have always wanted deep auburn hair but it would just clash with my Winter skin coloring and jewel-tone wardrobe. Or would it? Anyone have a success story?

[HairColoredHair]

I'm a winter and henna-auburn looks fine on me after the orangey halo oxidized. :) Kinda brightens me up. :)

[Taedareth]

Ooh please post a picture!

[Taedareth]

Er, how can I edit my posts? :confused:

I see that your avatar shows off your gorgeous braided bun - could you PM me a pic with your face please? :)

[wintersun99]

I'm kinda torn, when it comes to henna and my complexion. I'm a Winter, I believe. I've used henna for many years and had gotten it to a deeper auburn color and it does look fine... but when comparing pictures of hair/skin color, I do really believe that my ash-brown hair suits me better.

[iris]

I have ash hair naturally (skin is actually more neutral, not particularly cool-toned) and I always hated how henna looked on me. I tried everything to 'shift' the color so that it would look good on me. Indigo, other additives, you name it, I tried it. It never really worked. I hennaed for five years and I was constantly working on getting the color to be better and it just never really worked for me. I especially hated the bright orange it was in the sun... at the end I had a cool-toned auburn in most lightings but in the sun it was still orange. Hated it. Hated it, hated it, hated it.

I'm growing it out now - lightened the henna with peroxide and dyed over that but the warmth still shows up in bright lighting. I celebrate every cm of my 'own' hair coming in and every cm of hennaed hair I can cut off. I'm at the point now where the hennaed length is no longer close to my face and it looks so. much. better. With every cm of henna gone I feel more like myself.

Henna is not something you can just try out, it's a commitment. But you could collect shed hair and henna that and see how you like it close to your face. Make sure to look at it in all lightings you can think of because it changes a lot with the light and that orange glow doesn't show up in all lightings - make sure you've seen the orange glow before you decide.

ETA: I feel the conditioning effects of henna are a bit overrated at times. I'm sure that compared to conventional coloring, henna is much better. Compared to virgin hair though - which is what I had before I hennaed - it was really not that much of a difference. I can get the same conditioning and strengthening from a protein deep treatment. Definitely not worth having a color that didn't work for me.

ETA2: You'll be able to edit your posts once you reach 25 posts I think.

[LadyMoon11]

I am NOT a winter complexion- I am more of an autumn-type.

However, on my hair henna builds up after a while, and after multiple applications, it does take on more of a cool red tone. After a lot of multiple hennas, using a strong Body Art Quality (BAQ) henna, the henna can build up to a burgundy color even.

I would guess that a rich red leaning toward a cool red would suit your winter/cool complexion best.

There are some hennas that have a deeper, richer stain than others, so if you decide you would like a cooler red, several application of one of these hennas would more likely give you a cooler red after oxidization.

I know of two hennas, used on my own hair, that have given me a cooler red:
Punjabi Prime and the Henna for African Hair, both available here: http://www.mehandi.com/shop/hairhenna.html

You are correct in that the dye properties in pure henna are always a reddish orange. Some are more so and some less so- but always a reddish orange. Some of those rich staining hennas can really build up over multiple applications, though, and get you to a cooler red. :)

What is your starting color? Is that you in your avatar pic?

[LadyMoon11]

I have ash hair naturally (skin is actually more neutral, not particularly cool-toned) and I always hated how henna looked on me. I tried everything to 'shift' the color so that it would look good on me. Indigo, other additives, you name it, I tried it. It never really worked. I hennaed for five years and I was constantly working on getting the color to be better and it just never really worked for me. I especially hated the bright orange it was in the sun... at the end I had a cool-toned auburn in most lightings but in the sun it was still orange. Hated it. Hated it, hated it, hated it.

I'm growing it out now - lightened the henna with peroxide and dyed over that but the warmth still shows up in bright lighting. I celebrate every cm of my 'own' hair coming in and every cm of hennaed hair I can cut off. I'm at the point now where the hennaed length is no longer close to my face and it looks so. much. better. With every cm of henna gone I feel more like myself.

Henna is not something you can just try out, it's a commitment. But you could collect shed hair and henna that and see how you like it close to your face. Make sure to look at it in all lightings you can think of because it changes a lot with the light and that orange glow doesn't show up in all lightings - make sure you've seen the orange glow before you decide.
She definitely makes some good points- it is not something you can just try- it is so permanent!
It DOES look different in the sun- even the most henna saturated hair does have an orange glow in the sunlight.
Strand-testing is certainly a very good idea.;)

[HairColoredHair]

Er, how can I edit my posts? :confused:

I see that your avatar shows off your gorgeous braided bun - could you PM me a pic with your face please? :)

You cannot use PMs until you have 25 posts. :)

Here... It's a horrible pic, but... eh.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a192/ForensicVette/Picture585b.jpg

[Beloved]

I'm a winter and henna-auburn looks fine on me after the orangey halo oxidized. :) Kinda brightens me up. :)

Haircoloredhair- what brand and mixture of henna are you using? also, what color is your hair naturally? I really like your color and I think it would look good on me. :)

[Wyldekat]

[quote=iris;405842]

ETA: I feel the conditioning effects of henna are a bit overrated at times. I'm sure that compared to conventional coloring, henna is much better. Compared to virgin hair though - which is what I had before I hennaed - it was really not that much of a difference. I can get the same conditioning and strengthening from a protein deep treatment. Definitely not worth having a color that didn't work for me.

I have to agree with Iris on the conditioning effects. For me, personally, it is overrated. I have only hennaed 2x but my hair seems even more dry since I hennaed. I hennaed over conventional hair coloring.

I'm tryinig to decide what to do with my hair color at the moment. Unfortunately, I hendigoed once so I can't add highlights to my hair. But I don't want to use Henna anymore because of the drying out of my hair. And no, I didn't use lemon juice the second time. It just doesn't work with my hair chemistry.

[HairColoredHair]

Light Mountain, cheap awful stuff. :D + clove + allspice... Done tea, juice, and just water and got the same color from it, so... eh. + some conditioner to make it easier to spread on.

My hair is light brown, dark blonde.

[MandaMom2Three]

how does one tell what season their complexion is?

[HairColoredHair]

how does one tell what season their complexion is?

Check here: http://www.beauty-and-the-bath.com/Season-Color-Analysis.html

[Taedareth]

There's also a book called Color Me Beautiful that talks about the "season" terminology :)

Yes that's me in the avatar. Thanks everybody for explaining how the edit/PM settings work. :o

Also, I may check into the $1/sample thingy on the body art henna website.

Or maybe I should poke around this forum some more and find conditioning options that might help strengthen my hair. It's healthy in general, never been dyed or bleached, always worn up, brushed or combed only every couple of days. But it's so fine that split ends seem inevitable. Oh, I've also been no-pooing for going on 3 years now (dissolve baking soda in water, pour over scalp, massage, rinse, do final rinse with 1 part apple cider vinegar to 9 parts water).

[BranwenWolf]

Check here: http://www.beauty-and-the-bath.com/Season-Color-Analysis.html


I feel like I really missed something... this page doesn't make much sense! Only the spring one is open. I think it's having a dispute with my browser.

ETA: I googled and found this page:
http://trepanrr.tripod.com/defining_your_season.htm

The first link is very descriptive but I'm slow and didn't understand the language.


I'm following this thread because I've been toying with the henna idea.

[Wyldekat]

There's also a book called Color Me Beautiful that talks about the "season" terminology :)

Yes that's me in the avatar. Thanks everybody for explaining how the edit/PM settings work. :o

Also, I may check into the $1/sample thingy on the body art henna website.

Or maybe I should poke around this forum some more and find conditioning options that might help strengthen my hair. It's healthy in general, never been dyed or bleached, always worn up, brushed or combed only every couple of days. But it's so fine that split ends seem inevitable. Oh, I've also been no-pooing for going on 3 years now (dissolve baking soda in water, pour over scalp, massage, rinse, do final rinse with 1 part apple cider vinegar to 9 parts water).

If you do not want to change your color (since Henna is permanent), you could try Cassia to strengthen/condition your hair. It's on the H4H website. I have read good things about it. I've thought about trying it myself. I've just been to lazy to actually place the order.

[mellie]

You can get very dark chocolatey brown or black with henna and indigo, with no red tones. I'm a Winter and I've been very happy with the nice dark brown that I get!

[Demetrue]

I would look into using catnip tea to help with split ends, etc. There is a long thread on it in this section.

[RedWolf]

There's also a book called Color Me Beautiful that talks about the "season" terminology :)

Yes that's me in the avatar. Thanks everybody for explaining how the edit/PM settings work. :o

Also, I may check into the $1/sample thingy on the body art henna website.

Or maybe I should poke around this forum some more and find conditioning options that might help strengthen my hair. It's healthy in general, never been dyed or bleached, always worn up, brushed or combed only every couple of days. But it's so fine that split ends seem inevitable. Oh, I've also been no-pooing for going on 3 years now (dissolve baking soda in water, pour over scalp, massage, rinse, do final rinse with 1 part apple cider vinegar to 9 parts water).


Personally, I don't think henna is over-rated but like everything else it works for some and not for others. It also depends on alot of variables..what henna you use/starting hair condition/water used..etc. I have used henna on chemically treated hair and it improved it, definitely, but it did feel initially dry. I shaved my hair and now have henna over virgin and it's significantly different. My hair is feels thick, it's super shiny and the ends have no split, no dryness. You should def get those $1 samples..do lots of strand tests first and you might find it looks great on you and feels great. Let us know what you decide to do!

[Katze]

I always thought I was a winter but have been thinking I am a summer (pics in album). Henna looked TERRIBLE on me the two times I tried it...had to bleach it out.

As a henna artist, I always long for what others seem to get with henna - beautiful, lush color, scalp and hair conditioning, etc. But it just does not look good with my reddish complexion.

[Heidi_234]

I don't think henna conditioning properties are that overrated. I suppose you're just misunderstanding/over-expecting. The dryness some of you experience after hennaing is a perfectly normal phenomenon (not sure what causes it, might be the resin content blocking moisture? I'm really not an expert in henna chemistry). So yeah, you hair will feel worse than it was in the first few days!
As a long time henna user I can say that the noticeable conditioning doesn't last forever. It goes away after some time. My hair feels so full and strong right after, and thin and delicate again after a month. I think the real 'conditioning' is the strength the henna gives the hair for this time between applications, that helps it be less prone to damage, and survive longer. I remember people around here saying henna helped them grow long very damaged hair, hair that otherwise would have to be cut off.
Despite that 'temporariness', henna is still very much recommended for root touch-ups for entirely different reasons. It make the roots stronger, helps hair loss and scalp issues like dandruff.
Just wanted to say.

[Girltron]

I think the brown you get with henna and indigo is a very cool reddish brown. Lots of blue tones.

You can make it an ash brown using amla. Check out www.mehandi.com (http://www.mehandi.com) for info.

[iris]

I would look into using catnip tea to help with split ends, etc. There is a long thread on it in this section.
Ah yes, I agree that catnip would be something to check out. The thread is here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=476).

I think that experiences with cassia are more varied, but cassia would be worth checking out, too, for herbal conditioning with negligible color.

[Arctic]

I have cool tones myself and I henna. The pure henna (not BAQ) I used never gave me a colour I liked but now I'm more happy with it after I have used a henna mix (ready bought) that had indigo and some other herbs in it, the colour is definitely cooler. (My starting colour is medium ash brown.) But I must say I am never 100% happy with the colour. I looks great in the pictures taken with flash, really red, but in real life it's more reddish brown. Not a bad colour but not what I really want either. And yes, in the sun it's orange flames :)

I have sticked to henna because it has made my fine delicate hairs much thicker, stronger, and as each individual hair is thicker, the whole head of hairs is thicker too. On me the conditioning effects have been terrific!

I have used henna for many years now, maybe 5 or so, and found the henna mix a little more than year ago. To my disapointment that particular mix (the whole brand actually) was discontinued and I haven't yet bought anything new to try... because deep inside I toy with the idea of growing out my own colour. I haven't seen my own colour since I was 13, I have been a hairdye addict, lol. I'm also worrying the new henna or henna mix might give me results I don't like.

Oh, and I never got the cheap henna to build-up into burgundy colour, but I only used it about every 3 month or so. I have never tried BAQ henna.

ETA: I have some pics in my blog but not face pics, sorry. I have created a category for posts that contain hair pics so you can click it. :flower:

[Heidi_234]

Oh, and I never got the cheap henna to build-up into burgundy colour, but I only used it about every 3 month or so. I have never tried BAQ henna.

Me neither. I used cheap weak henna for years without getting a hint of red. It did make my hair a richer color, but not flaming orange. Just not mousy brown my natural color is.
I'm not sure about this whole winter summer whatever complexion deal, I very pale and henna only did me justice by adding richer tone to my somewhat-gray-ish brown boring hair.

[sibilum]

Hi Taedareth. I could never figure out what type of complexion I have, but it seems to be similar to yours. Take a look at this thread: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=18100

I also decided to use henna mainly to avoid split ends.

[Taedareth]

Hi Taedareth. I could never figure out what type of complexion I have, but it seems to be similar to yours. Take a look at this thread: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=18100

I also decided to use henna mainly to avoid split ends.

Looking at the natural creamy tone of your skin, I'd say you're an Autumn. That rich auburn looks amazing on you!!

[Taedareth]

I looked up cassia on the henna website. It says waist-length hair needs 500g which costs $35 + shipping, and the effects last 1 month. Does anyone do that - spend just under $40 every month on cassia treatments?

[HairColoredHair]

I looked up cassia on the henna website. It says waist-length hair needs 500g which costs $35 + shipping, and the effects last 1 month. Does anyone do that - spend just under $40 every month on cassia treatments?

Quite honestly... With how I mix my henna, I never use that much. It takes maybe 100g for a full head and then I add in cheap conditioner to volume. I don't know if it would effect cassia's conditioning, because diluting it certainly doesn't kill henna's color. :)

[nienna42]

I looked up cassia on the henna website. It says waist-length hair needs 500g which costs $35 + shipping, and the effects last 1 month. Does anyone do that - spend just under $40 every month on cassia treatments?

Good lord, I certainly don't! I use henna, not cassia, but I don't think there should be that much of a difference. I mixed up 300g of henna to do a full-head henna recently, and I'd say I only ended up using about 200g of it. My hair is 32" and moderately thick, and I make my henna mix thick.

[wintersun99]

Yes, 500g seems extreme. I was only using 100g of henna on APL hair (medium thickness). Plus, you can always add a little conditioner to it, if you need to stretch it a bit, it won't effect the outcome.

[Samikha]

I used 100g of Cassia the two times I've done it - I bought 500 grams the first time mostly because I was buying from a local henna artist who firmly believed I needed it.:rolleyes: And because it sucks having too little.

I might upgrade to 150 or 200 soon, because my hair is starting to touch on waist. If I didn't have bangs I'd probably have done so already. I would also use more if it were henna, because then I would be concerned about covering all the hair. But with cassia, I only make sure to cover the length and go quite lightly from the ears upwards.
Oh, a warning: I got plenty of dye release with cassia on my ashy hair. I can't really tell from your avatar, it could be either way, but if you have a hair colour that's not very saturated (even if it is dark) you might want to take some precautions to make certain it won't be obvious - greenish tinge is never fun.

[kwaniesiam]

I have rosacea on top of a pinkish complexion, and henna looks very natural on me, or it did until I decided to add some special effects blood red into the mix :silly: before, I had a natural looking auburn, and initially a ginger color.

Here's my hair before I added the Special Effects dye in indoor lighting:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a90/KyanAdiel/LHC%20and%20BME/meandnose003.jpg

Here's my first henna, I had a bright gingery orange-red:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a90/KyanAdiel/LHC%20and%20BME/DSCN2657.jpg

I think it can work depending on other factors, like your pallor, eye color, etc.

[Taedareth]

Whoa! Cassia can turn hair greenish?!

kwaniesiam - Your skin tone is probably pretty similar to mine. Do you have any daylight pics of yourself pre-Special Effects? ;)

[HairColoredHair]

Well, cassia is yellow... ash is very anti-warm... so yes, it could turn a little green...

That why you should always strand test! (I am a hypocrite! I slop it on!)

[Girltron]

Heck, I use less than 100g to do my hair. If it's diluted to the texture of heavy cream, you use a lot less and it goes on easier. I think Catherine's amounts needed are blown way out of proportion.

[Anje]

I'm surprised no one has suggested katam/buxus yet. It seems to brown and cool henna a lot.

DH is somewhere between autumn and winter (dark ashy hair, beard that was red and is now less, fairly neutral to cool skin that makes mine look yellow next to it), and he's gotten some nice semi-cool results with a 50/50 henna/katam mix on his white beard hairs. I just posted the results to that thread, and they're in my album.

[Taedareth]

I'm surprised no one has suggested katam/buxus yet. It seems to brown and cool henna a lot.

DH is somewhere between autumn and winter (dark ashy hair, beard that was red and is now less, fairly neutral to cool skin that makes mine look yellow next to it), and he's gotten some nice semi-cool results with a 50/50 henna/katam mix on his white beard hairs. I just posted the results to that thread, and they're in my album.

I love your super-specific terminology about the neutral-to-cool complexion :D Were you trained as a makeover consultant? That's where I learned about this stuff.

Tell me, what is "ashy brown"? Is that what happens when brown hair starts going grey? If so, then I think I qualify... :p

[Anje]

His hair is a dark brown that generally doesn't look like it has any red to it. It isn't chocolate-y at all, more of a gray-brown tone, but with very little actual gray in it.

I'm not trained in any of this stuff, just read it online. I'm almost the stereotypical autumn, myself, down to very warm-toned skin, despite that I've been used as a standard of paleness for other people. (I'm under the impression that super-fair skin is usually cool-toned, at least in the eyes of makeup makers, but mine isn't.)

Anyway, sorry for the digression.

[HairColoredHair]

I love your super-specific terminology about the neutral-to-cool complexion :D Were you trained as a makeover consultant? That's where I learned about this stuff.

Tell me, what is "ashy brown"? Is that what happens when brown hair starts going grey? If so, then I think I qualify... :p

Ashy brown is a cool-toned brown. It's the color many people just call 'mousey'...

[Taedareth]

Oh, lol! Can't blame them - I'd rather be ashy than mousey any day ;)

[Girltron]

Ha ha, I fell into this category before henna and my highlights were gold. So it can also be brown that has gold highlights instead of red ones. Basically, though it's brown hair that doesn't have much red in the highlights.

Not sure how that part of the ashy color is represented with the henna/amla or henna/katam mixes. Maybe an overdye with straight cassia on top would do it, adding to the natural quality of the color.

I'm a stickler for trying to get natural looking colors. But I haven't personally experimented with the amla or katam for this purpose, because I don't want ashy--I've got that already!

[caribou55313]

Oh, lol! Can't blame them - I'd rather be ashy than mousey any day ;)

My personal favorite was "dishwater" ... ugh! Ash is so much more glam. :D

[caribou55313]

Oh, forgot to say ... I've used dye-released cassia quite a bit (you can't tell from my avatar, that was just henna) and I haven't had any green appear. I did have a bit of greenish color on my graying roots when I've used buxus, but that oxidized to an ash-toned brown in a day or two.

[rhosyn_du]

I'm a winter with naturally medium ash brown hair, and the henna red/auburn I have now works really well on me. I'm kind of camera shy, so I don't think I have any pictures of my face with my current color, but I'll try to remember to take one for you when I get home from work.

I did have to do a few applications before the red got deep enough to look right with my skintone, and it's still flaming orange in direct sunlight, but I'm very sun-sensitive, so I don't end up in direct sunlight much.

[beehives]

I looked up cassia on the henna website. It says waist-length hair needs 500g which costs $35 + shipping, and the effects last 1 month. Does anyone do that - spend just under $40 every month on cassia treatments?

No! I spent under $30, including shipping, on 6 pounds of senna (plus a pound of fenugreek), which has the same effects as Cassia Obovata. My hair is shoulder length and I used only about 50g of the senna with my first treatment, which was plenty. You'd probably want to use 100g, but it would still be very affordable if you order from Monterey Bay Spice Co. (http://www.herbco.com/c-185-senna.aspx)

I could slop that mud on my noggin every week for a year and still have some left over from my huge stash.


I hope you find something that works for you!

[UP Lisa]

I'm a Summer with red on my cheeks. I love red hair, but it sure would clash with my skin!

[earthymamawitch]

PP is a ruby red, but very bright. Yemen is a cool red but oxidizes very very dark because of the strength of the stain, and goes auburn on some people. Rajasthani is a WONDERFUL cool burgundy red with a STRONG stain, so far it's my favorite. Combines the best of PP and Yemen and none of the drawbacks!

Jenn

[SimplyViki]

I'm a Summer with red on my cheeks. I love red hair, but it sure would clash with my skin!
You might be surprised. I'm pretty sure my mom (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/member.php?u=23612) is a Summer, and henna actually turned out very nice on her! Her natural hair color is more of a dark blonde. I think she has some pictures in her album.

Adding indigo actually made it an unflatteringly neutral brown. The henna color looks much better on her.

[florenonite]

You might be surprised. I'm pretty sure my mom (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/member.php?u=23612) is a Summer, and henna actually turned out very nice on her! Her natural hair color is more of a dark blonde. I think she has some pictures in her album.

Must. Resist. Urge.

*repeats to self* henna does not suit you, henna does not suit you, even if it does suit other summers/cool-toned people, or other people with mousy hair as a starting point :p

[UP Lisa]

Maybe I should try on a red wig!

[RocketDog]

I don't know what 'season' my complexion is, but I've never found any particular haircolor to 'clash' with my skin tone. Warm haircolors seem to pull warm tones out of my skin, and cool colors showed off the poreclain paleness to good advantage.

I know this photo doesn't show a ton of my hair against my skin, but you can see that I have very little in the way of reddish undertones in natural light
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4193491097_52cd05c797.jpg

and here I am after my second application of Jamila henna, plus a faceful of makeup (bronzer works as a good eyebrow filler if you want that full-eyebrow look, btw). I actually think the color balance on this photo is just a bit off, as I look very 'pink' compared to the rest of the photo...
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4185988137_eddbb08e40.jpg

[StellaReade]

Rocketdog, I love love LOVE the hair and the EYEBROWS!! How do you do that? It's beautiful!

[dearladydisdain]

I have pale skin with pink/blue undertones and people always say that henna fits me perfectly. I have the same complexion as a lot of redheads I know. I am naturally dark blonde and my complexion actually looks really weird with that. :shrug:

[detritus]

Well, cassia is yellow... ash is very anti-warm... so yes, it could turn a little green...

That why you should always strand test! (I am a hypocrite! I slop it on!)

I think the greenish tone that cassia can create is really more of a risk for light blonde hair. I was using cassia every 2-3 weeks for a few months and only noticed a tiny bit of color build up near the end. Even then, I wouldn't have called it "green" so much as beige. Like when people try to paint blonde hair and it just looks...not quite right. The greenish tone I got when I tried to tone down the red of henna with indigo was much worse. If I wasn't tired of ordering hair supplies online, I would have kept using it and just spread out the applications a bit more.

I agree with others than you should only try henna if you want the color. It's so permanent and using indigo and other herbs to tone down the color is fiddly and unpredictable. Even cooled down with indigo, henna shines bright orange in the sun. Yes, it does add some strength and shine, but there are so many other things you can do to add strength and shine. Cassia, catnip tea, CO washes, heavy oiling, etc. Have you tested the porosity of your hair? If you have more porous hair, high pH washes like baking soda or shampoo bars aren't recommended because they can lift the cuticle and cause weakness. The Curl Chemist has an article on it somewhere...

[Melisande]

You can see some pictures in my album - I'm a rather neutral colored person. I was classified as summer (bright and cool), but my hair always had a warm golden shimmer, and my eyes vary between green and brown. Maybe I'm all wrong about myself but I like myself in warm AND cool colors. My complexion is pale, with tendency to rosacea and red spots, unfortunately. So let's call me an unwilling summer :-)

My hair was always tawny and gold, like tigereye stones (which I'm wearing on my ava in my ears and hair). I never tampered with my color and never called it ugly names ;-) I liked it.

When my hair began to turn gray, I noticed that I don't like the new color at all - it looks faded and as though I was losing my hair. None of the beautiful elegant gray that I envy on other peoples' heads. I knew that I want to refresh my color, but change it? I was afraid to destroy my natural color scheme. For summers, that's so easy to do.

But for two years now, I use a commercial plant dye (Sante Terra, available in Europe) which is great for my hair. It contains henna, cassia and all kind of other plants, it conditions my hair, and it covers the gray hair. I don't have even a single split hair which may have many reasons but I'm sure the conditioning through coloring plays a role in it, too.

I think the color suits me okay. It's not the optimum - I'll have to check out the katam. But it's close enough to my natural color, only a bit redder, so I think I can pull it off. The only person who doesn't like it is my mother - but she keeps telling me to cut my hair so I'm not about to listen to her.

Henna is dominant and irreversible. I noticed that my ends are much redder than my roots - that's because every couple of applications, I do a full head and not only touch-up. Take this into consideration. If you only treat your roots, with the right color mix, after the initial coloring, you may be able to avoid reddish build-up.

But ask yourself: what colors do you wear every day? which make you feel pretty? If these colors won't go with redder hair, it's a sign that you should be careful...

[Lady Danger]

I'm about as pale as you can get without being albino, and cool/pink-toned. My natural hair color is an ashy dark blonde. Henna turned me into a fabulous auburn, almost like "Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge" color. It not only suits me well, it actually enhances me more than my natural color. I constantly looked so washed out. The henna auburn really warms me up and makes me look less drained!

Also, I've long been in love with (and looked great in) jewel tones, so the red makes it look even better.

[Qamar]

My skin is very fair with cool bluish undertones and henna brightens up my formerly auburn hair back to almost its original colour. I have a lot of bright red highlights now from the ever increasing percentage of silver, but I like the multi tonality it gives my hair. Its always super bright at first, but once it oxidizes its much richer.

[GlassEyes]

Uh.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't cool-toned skin types supposed to have warmer hair for contrast, and it's when you have a warm complexion that warm hair is probably a bad idea?

[Leena7]

I wouldn't trust that season thing with its view on orangey red hair. Most red heads I know have pinkish skin anyway. I think cooler toned skin looks natural with that coppery hair.

[detritus]

Uh.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't cool-toned skin types supposed to have warmer hair for contrast, and it's when you have a warm complexion that warm hair is probably a bad idea?

According to seasonal color theory, no. Warm skin/warm hair. Cool skin/cool hair. Cool toned people should wear cool-toned colors, and vice versa.

Doing the opposite can overemphasize the warmness/coolness of your skin. For example, I have light skin with a slight yellow tone. With my natural warm blonde hair, I have a "sunny" look, like a slight tan. I've dyed my hair cool colors (for example burgandy, shudder) and the high level of contrast emphasizes the yellow tones and de-emphasizes the pink tones in my skin. So instead of looking lightly sun-kissed I look jaundiced and washed-out.

I think the same thing comes in to play with henna. Henna (and many other natural reds) are very warm. So they tend to highlight cool tones in the skin--even in people with skin that falls on the warm side of things. For example, many natural redheads have freckles (which are a warm-toned trait) but the highly warm hair de-emphasizes the yellow/orange and emphasizes the pink of their cheeks. But because they already have warm skin, this looks like a healthy glow. Warm hair on someone who has cool skin can overemphasize the pink/blue undertones in their skin and make them look dull or sickly.