after henna wash

[Um Enis]

What do you do. And more importantly, why?

ETA: I set the poll so you can pick more than one choice

[Top_Cat]

I find that my hair feels coarse after I henna. After a few CO washes it's soft as silk.

[halo_tightens]

I mostly just use conditioner to wash out the henna, but I do use a bit of shampoo and scritching on my scalp to minimize the "crazy orange sebum" phenomenon that I get for a few days afterward.

After that initial wash, I do try to go a few days before washing again, but I'm not worried about it if I decide to wash sooner.

[mowo]

I use only water to wash out the henna. It works quite fine but always need a lot of water ;-). Then, wait a few days to allow dye release, sometimes is 24 hours if I must go out somewhere, sometimes 48hours if I have more free time and I can stay at home. After that I wash my hair like always, so every day :)

[Um Enis]

I find that my hair feels coarse after I henna. After a few CO washes it's soft as silk.

I do too. That's why I posted this poll. I always water only or CO out the henna (depending on how crazy things are at the time) and then wait at least 48 hours before even getting my hair wet again. Then I return to Shampoo/ Condition as usual (1 or 2x a week). Maybe I'll try COing for a few washes (though I normally don't like CO). Though hennasooq suggested that some people have had great moisturizing results with shampoo bars, and I've been thinking to try that.

[rogue_psyche]

I CO my henna out because my hair needs moisture after a henna, and because henna is easy enough to rinse out without shampoo. I wait as long as I can to wash again because I get fading when I wash due to my porous ends.

[chickpea]

I used to CO wash to get the henna mud out, then wait a day or two to shampoo. Even with lots of conditioner and rinsing there was always some henna residue left, which made my hair feel dry until I washed it again.

Now I use conditioner to get most of the henna out, then wash with a shampoo bar and condition. My hair feels much nicer using this method, and I haven't noticed any difference in how the henna oxidizes.

[dearladydisdain]

I use water only to rinse out the henna. Then I wait a day or two to s&c my hair.

[aahavaa]

I used to use CO to wash out the henna but tried water only and does the same job.Will then not wash hair for about 3 days to allow it to settle.My hair stays looking so clean and shiny after hennaing that I could go 4 or 5 days without washing it after that first henna but since it picks up smells from wherever Ive been I usually succumb by day 3.
I have some henna(PP this time) on my head by the way :cheese:..only 5 and a half hours to go..groan LOL

[Fiferstone]

Since I've only used the LUSH stuff, I find I really have to use a 2-stage process: Mermaid soak, then slather on a ton of cheap coney conditioner (Tressemme) followed by shampoo. Then I wait at least a solid week to allow the dye to settle. I have to use a more aggressive method to get the LUSH stuff out owing to all the oil/butter in it, and I want to switch to regular henna because of the stronger dye and also because it will be less of a pain in the patoo to get out.

[RocketDog]

I apply liberal amounts of conditioner to help wash out the henna grit, then rinse with chamomile tea and white vinegar diluted in distilled water. I find the vinegar/tea rinse helps with color bleeding, and it enhances shine as well. I use the same conditioner to wash after using henna that I do during my normal routine, and I use the vinegar/tea rinse in my normal routine as well.

[anika]

if i dont shampoo my hair after henna it smells for a while, so i shampoo it all out

[little_cherry]

I use water..and lots of it. The next day I do a light oiling and don't have to wash my hair for quite a number of days. After this, I continue with my usual CO washes :)

[twilight_faerie]

I CO after hennaing, since I shampoo just before I henna, so it really doesn't need to be washed again. The conditioner gets out the henna just fine.

[Cherry_Sprinkle]

I use a ton of conditioner to get it all out of my hair, follow up with a gentle shampoo, and then extra moisturizing conditioner and heavy oil because it leaves my hair feeling super dry and my scalp doesn't like CO'ing for henna.

[Um Enis]

I used to CO wash to get the henna mud out, then wait a day or two to shampoo. Even with lots of conditioner and rinsing there was always some henna residue left, which made my hair feel dry until I washed it again.

Now I use conditioner to get most of the henna out, then wash with a shampoo bar and condition. My hair feels much nicer using this method, and I haven't noticed any difference in how the henna oxidizes.


really? no difference at all? i like my henna to have alot of color so I've always been afraid to shampoo.

[walterSCAN]

I chose 'CO it out' and 'then wash normally', but I use such a mixture of different things, I thought I would post...

What worked perfectly for me last time was to fill a bucket with warm water and stick my head in it to start, and work as much henna out that way as I can. Then I apply liberal amounts of cheapy non-cone conditioner and let it sit for a few minutes. I rinse that out and most of the rest of the henna goes with it. THEN I use my normal amount of cheapy shampoo and rinse it out-- by then the henna is completely gone/ water is running clear. Finally I apply an even more liberal amount of the same conditioner and let it sit on top of my head for at least 5 minutes. When I rinse for the last time, my hair is gorgeously soft and comb-able! (I have a real problem with tangles, especially when using henna, so this is great!)

[NiAosSi]

I CO wash my henna out. Nightshade had provided an excellent tip when henna was drying my hair out, to use honey which also helped the henna wash out quicker.

[Nightshade]

I CO wash my henna out. Nightshade had provided an excellent tip when henna was drying my hair out, to use honey which also helped the henna wash out quicker.

I'm glad that worked so well for you!

I tend to CO out with V05's Chamomile Tea Therapy :) I should try that with some honey in it :ponder:

[Um Enis]

I chose 'CO it out' and 'then wash normally', but I use such a mixture of different things, I thought I would post...

What worked perfectly for me last time was to fill a bucket with warm water and stick my head in it to start, and work as much henna out that way as I can. Then I apply liberal amounts of cheapy non-cone conditioner and let it sit for a few minutes. I rinse that out and most of the rest of the henna goes with it. THEN I use my normal amount of cheapy shampoo and rinse it out-- by then the henna is completely gone/ water is running clear. Finally I apply an even more liberal amount of the same conditioner and let it sit on top of my head for at least 5 minutes. When I rinse for the last time, my hair is gorgeously soft and comb-able! (I have a real problem with tangles, especially when using henna, so this is great!)

you are the second person who said CWC left their hair so soft. hmmmmmmmm.

[Um Enis]

I'm glad that worked so well for you!

I tend to CO out with V05's Chamomile Tea Therapy :) I should try that with some honey in it :ponder:

What exactly did you recommend? Honey in the henna or honey afterwards in the CO.

[Nightshade]

Honey in the henna :) About 1 TB / 100g of henna will do.

[prosperina]

I CO the henna/cassia out. Then I wait a day or two and shampoo or conditionner. I also recommend the honey--I can tell when I forget it. It helps because the cassia especially makes my hair dry and coarse.

[ShadowSwallow]

I CO out my henna, because otherwise it remains matted into my hair. I am going to start doing a S&C wash after COing it out because my hair HATES COing.

[3azza]

I CO henna most of the time, sometimes WO. Then after two days i wash with shampoo and conditioner as usual. Sometimes my haed is too itchy because of the residue and i wash directly with shampoo. It depends!

[Tomato]

Mostly I try to do WO, sometimes I feel it necessary (which is purely a subjective feeling) to do a light CO. The only thing that I always do is to apply some coconut oil or monoi tiare. The oil is very important for me because my hair feels a bit stiff after henna.
Then at least three days no washing to allow colour development.
I had never any problems with this procedure.

Kind regards,
T.

[Monsterkitti]

I CO out henna with a cheap cone free conditioner after doing a mermaid soak to get it started. I wash before I henna usually unless I washed the day before hennaing so I wont wash it for a week after the henna.

The CO adds much needed moisture and it makes washing the henna out much easier. I'll add some coconut oil to the ends after washing to protect the ends that extra bit too.

[Heidi_234]

First of all - just so you know, my hair is so dry, I never ever need to shampoo it. It never gets oily, and I'll never even dare to shampoo it. Even WOing on the scalp dries it out.
But, funnily enough, shampooing out the henna help cut on the dryness SO MUCH it's unbelievable!

First I do a mermaid soak, and get most of the henna out. They I apply conditioner, soak it back in the water and get some more henna out. I sometimes repeat this until it feels like I can go on the next step. I take (SLS free, rather gentle) shampoo, lather it in my hands, apply to my scalp and the little leftover suds right on the length. I massage it some and I rinse out. Then I resume with more conditioner, sometimes applying and rinsing more than once. I also leave conditioner in as I always do.

Any other way I try to get the henna out, I end up with 80s big woolly head of hair, due to the post-henna dryness. WO, egg shampoos, CO, shampoo bars and ACV, nothing worked like little bit of shampooing (and it is indeed very little shampoo overall) from my hair. No 80's post henna hair day for me anymore. :)

[Lady Danger]

I envy all of you ladies who can go more than a day without washing. I have a greasy scalp and fine thin hair, so I have to wash daily. (I tried the whole "training your scalp" thing but it simply doesn't work for me. I am just oily and I live with it.) What I do after a Henna-ing is soak my scalp to loosen and remove the Henna, and then CO to get the rest out. Normally I Henna at night, so I'll go for the entire following day without a wash and I'll feel OK. After that, I have to remove sebum/oil buildup. I use SLS-free shampoo or a shampoo bar and wash as normal.

[Eden Iris]

I rinse the henna out with a SMT. I then shampoo about a week later, which is how often I wash.

[Islandgrrl]

Water only for me to wash out the henna. I usually condition the length, just like if I'd shampooed my scalp, since I don't do full head henna...just my roots in the gray places. I wait a few days to shampoo my scalp, both for oxidation to take place and just because I don't usually need to wash right after.

[Alexannee10]

I fill a bowl (the same as I used for mixing my henna) with green tea, and I let my hair in it for removing the biggest part of henna, then I wash my hair as normal !

[burns_erin]

I condition it out, then I wait a few days before I wash. O course I always stretch between washings, but I do mean I do not use shampoo soon after henna.

[walterSCAN]

you are the second person who said CWC left their hair so soft. hmmmmmmmm.

It's funny, because I haven't really tried CWC outside of removing henna... the first time I tried it, it left my hair fairly weighed-down. The henna just seems to clean my scalp so much that I need CWC.


I may be trying CWC again with different stuff though, I may very well have been doing it wrong.

[Um Enis]

you are the second person who said CWC left their hair so soft. hmmmmmmmm.

I meant CWC after henna, not CWC in general


It's funny, because I haven't really tried CWC outside of removing henna... the first time I tried it, it left my hair fairly weighed-down. The henna just seems to clean my scalp so much that I need CWC.


I may be trying CWC again with different stuff though, I may very well have been doing it wrong.

We have very similar hair and CWC never worked for me either at your age. But my hair has changed (aging/kids I think) and I might try it again, for regular shampooing.

[Athanéis]

I wash out the henna with water only until the water is clear. After this my hair feels a bit dry. So then I condition all of my hair with GothRosary conditioner (which is very moisterising for my hair) and leave it in for about 20 minutes. This is a great treatment for my hair:). Two days later I will wash it again (as usual) but always with a natural shampoo and conditioner.

[Rhiannon7]

I CO the henna out to give the hair a bit more moisture, sometimes i use a Deep Moisture treatment after henna and then wait up to 7 days to wash to allow oxydation and dye release.

[Isa-belle]

First I rinse with water, then use lots of cheap no-cone conditioner (this is the only time when I don't use organic condish, it would be too expensive :) ): Garnier's Ultra Doux with avocado+shea butter.
I usually also do a deep treatment after that.
Then I wait for as many days as possible before shampooing.

[Loviatar]

I water-rinse the henna mud out, then condition and rinse again just to make sure I have some slip - although I dont use as much with PP henna as I used ot have to with Raj. Then I wait maybe 3 days for oxidation, rather than 'dye release', and my next wash is a diluted sulphate 'poo and condish.

[EvaSimone]

I use CO then I take coconut milk and massage it through my hair. Then I take a sulfate free shampoo and wash just my scalp so I am not greasy. It leaves my hair soft and shiny.

[Qadupae]

I have to use a -cone conditioner to get all the little bits out, even though I hate to because it means my hair will be oily all day then :mad: What we do for the love of henna :rolleyes:

[Pierre]

I wash the henna out with water, then usually wait a day before oiling, 'cause I like the clove smell. I usually wait a few days before washing, but then I often wait a few days between washes anyway, and I just use water anyway ... as to 6, that's about how many hours I can sleep with henna on ;)

[georgia_peach]

I do a "mermaid" rinse in a big tub of water. Yes, I get completely submerged in the henna muck and just lay there while the henna drops out of my hair. Then I jump in the shower and rinse with more water and finish up with a good CO wash. I find the mermaid rinse really is necessary to get all of the henna grit out of my hair so I'm not manipulating around on my strands in the shower and while doing CO. :)

[truwave]

I do a mermaid soak as well, then I co-wash like crazy, and always do a dt afterwards

[RavennaNight]

I chose both WO and CO because I WO the henna, then use indigo. I CO the heck out of the indigo. I do it this way because that is how I read the instructions to do it, and I haven't deviates because I fear using CO or shampoo inbetween will inhibit dye uptake of the indigo. I don't want to mess with having orange roots.

[Dark Rapunzel]

I chose 'CO it out' and 'then wash normally', but I use such a mixture of different things, I thought I would post...

What worked perfectly for me last time was to fill a bucket with warm water and stick my head in it to start, and work as much henna out that way as I can. Then I apply liberal amounts of cheapy non-cone conditioner and let it sit for a few minutes. I rinse that out and most of the rest of the henna goes with it. THEN I use my normal amount of cheapy shampoo and rinse it out-- by then the henna is completely gone/ water is running clear. Finally I apply an even more liberal amount of the same conditioner and let it sit on top of my head for at least 5 minutes. When I rinse for the last time, my hair is gorgeously soft and comb-able! (I have a real problem with tangles, especially when using henna, so this is great!)
What henna do you use? I've only ever used henna once (from Lush) and it took a really long time to get it out, and it smelled and felt weird for a while after I washed it out...should I wash my hair before henna?

[raehysteric]

My hair gets far too tangled when I smoosh the henna in (and usually whenever I wet it down), so I kinda have to use some conditioner. I rinsed out as much as I could with WO before I tossed in gobs of conditioner to detangle to wash the grit out easier.

[Amber_Maiden]

Shampoo and CO for washing out henna.

[owlathena]

CO out, then wash as normal (the next day or day after next)

[oktobergoud]

I use a lot of conditioner to rinse it out, I feel it will make the hair smoother and the henna easier to rinse out :)

After that, I wait a few days, about 4 (that's what I did this week) and then I washed etc. it!

[AMW]

I also fill a bucket with warm water and stick my head in it to start, and work as much henna out that way as I can. Then I apply liberal amounts of cheap non-cone conditioner, I rinse that out and most of the rest of the henna goes with it. Then I put a good moisturizing conditioner mixed with avg because my hair needs lots of moisture after henna, let it sit for 15 min and wash! Then I go almost 4 days without washing my hair =) it works for me ... My hair looks so good after henna too bad it is such a long process.

[gazelle]

As some of the friends mentioned, I feel my hair coarse and hard to detangle after henna. So I use a mousturizing conditioner and conditioner only wash.

I also clarify before henna, since I beileve that I get better colour with clarified hair

[Priska]

Wasn't this just an interesting thread! Am I wrong or did people use more CO or WO over 10 years ago? And today maybe more ordinary shampoo & conditioner combination?
Laying in bed with overnight henna in my hair and planning how I rinse it out... the coconut milk tip was very interesting!

[maborosi]

I do CWC to get my henna/herbal muds out and use a bowl to help mermaid soak out the grits. Once the water runs clear I'm done. Then I usually wait a couple days before washing my hair again, because henna is just so cleansing.


Wasn't this just an interesting thread! Am I wrong or did people use more CO or WO over 10 years ago? And today maybe more ordinary shampoo & conditioner combination?
Laying in bed with overnight henna in my hair and planning how I rinse it out... the coconut milk tip was very interesting!

I feel like you're probably right on that. It does seem that people are a bit more open to shampooing in general now than in the past. CO-wash was so big whenever I first joined in 2011, but it seems that there's more acceptance that it's definitely not right for everyone. I can't skip shampooing my scalp for even a single day, or my scalp breaks out, so CO-wash was something I ditched pretty early on. (It also doesn't help that I have hard water and no water softener...)

[TatsuOni]

Wasn't this just an interesting thread! Am I wrong or did people use more CO or WO over 10 years ago? And today maybe more ordinary shampoo & conditioner combination?
Laying in bed with overnight henna in my hair and planning how I rinse it out... the coconut milk tip was very interesting!

CO-washing was super trendy then. It was when I first started and I'm one of those who's still CO-washing. My scalp hates shampoo and CO works great for me. But yeah, no-poo overall was trendy back then, but not so much todady.

I rinse my henna with water, apply indigo and then CO-wash my hair.