Henna Thread, take two

[HeartofHaleth]

Oh Frabjous Day! Callooh, callay! My henna has arrived! Now to begin testing! :joy:

[Katia_k]

I think this weekend might be henna weekend. I strand-tested some samples, and strand-tested the actual full batch I got...and I'm probably going to do one more strand test with that because the first had a bunch of different mixes...

But I keep testing and thinking and dithering and I think it's just time to bite the bullet and go for it. And spring break is the perfect time to lurk at home while my hair calms down off the traffic cone ledge.

I will either be a lovely redhead, or I will have a lovely short haircut if something goes terribly wrong. These are both good options...

[bunneh.]

Good luck Katia_k, just remember that it takes time for henna to oxidize and that it changes colour a lot depending on the lighting, also you can try darkening it with multiple applications if you don't like the initial colour so there are ways to try and fix it a bit before considering cutting it all off.

[Katia_k]

Oh yeah, if it doesn't turn out how I like, I will try a bunch of different stuff. It got, like, drastically darker when I re-henna'd a previous strand test, so not sure if that's an option or not. But I'll look at stuff like glossing over it and other ways of adjusting the color, and may buy a red-enhancing shampoo or something too, just to try.

Chopping it off's a last resort--my hair grows like a turtle and there is much weeping and gnashing of teeth if I can't put it in a ponytail/braid. But I keep telling myself it's an option so I don't sit here paralyzed trying to make a decision. It's not like I'm tattooing my face...I can do stuff with this if I hate it. :)

I will share pictures either way. :)

[samanthaa]

Samanthaa

How was the result?

Whoops! Haven't checked in on this thread in a while.

The results were fine, actually! After dye release, the paste was as smooth and creamy as it normally is, and the stain was strong as ever. We'll see what happens the next time, as I'm planning to dye release with citric acid again.

[Katia_k]

So, while I sit here waiting for my henna to thaw, and try not to freak out...

What do you folks do about your eyebrows? I know someone talked about hennaing them too, but it sounded like an unpredictable mess. So, dye, henna, pencils? Help a girl out. :)

[bunneh.]

I dye my eyebrows because they are way too light and would clash with hennaed hair a lot. I don't use chemical dyes on my hair or eyebrows and I don't use pencils or gel or whatever is out there that would help me define my eyebrows or enhance them in any way so I henna them. The life cycle of eyebrows is way faster than hair though so my eyebrows get about 50% lighter after 2 months, but I just retouch them every time I do my roots. I don't worry about them getting too dark, because like I've said, they fall out and regrow way faster than scalp hair. :)

[Katia_k]

So it's done...a long long process later. I stress-ate a bunch of cupcake oreos and watched Parks and Rec. But it was actually pretty fun, and some of the pictures (which are not in the album) will make hilarious memories.

So far, based on the opinions of my lovely photographer/henna-applyer, the results are pleasing. We'll see what oxidation does.

Still can't attach, so here's my album. Last two or 3 pics are the relevant ones.

...I'm a redhead!

https://goo.gl/photos/78ZFGCmwE9ppMegVA

[irodaryne]

I don't henna my eyebrows, but that's because I have naturally dark eyebrows.

[Of the Fae]

Katia_k the results are amazing! It looks so beautiful and the coppery glow is amazing.

I love the feel of fresh henna in my hair, and the scent is amazing as well <3

[Katia_k]

Katia_k the results are amazing! It looks so beautiful and the coppery glow is amazing.

I love the feel of fresh henna in my hair, and the scent is amazing as well <3

Thank you so much! I'll update with some week-later pictures as soon as it stops raining and we get some decent light. I tried today, and it just looked like I had brown hair. But I got a compliment from a random stranger yesterday, and it was so gratifying I was happy for the rest of the day.

My hair's also seemingly recovering from its shock, too. Finally deep-treated and oiled it and it's much, much happier. And it smells like my hair again. I didn't mind smelling like henna at all, but it was getting a touch old and I was ready not to smell like hay anymore.

All in all, I'm super pleased. Going to ask a few folks to make sure oxidation-hair still looks good, but otherwise, I regret nothing.

[bunneh.]

In some lights my henna (and henna in general i assume) can look very brown or sometimes orange with lighter shades rather than red which is what I like. However I try to concentrate on how it looks in the most flattering light and that's a nice, natural, deep red which I love. When weather or artificial lighting is bad I just think of how nice my hair looks sometimes in different lights and photos. My virgin hair also looked more flattering in certain lights and horrible in others.

[OOnaOwl]

Oh Frabjous Day! Callooh, callay! My henna has arrived! Now to begin testing! :joy:


You have made me very happy with your antiquated exclamations!

[HeartofHaleth]

You have made me very happy with your antiquated exclamations!

Oh, good! Most people just give me odd looks! :D

[Anya15]

Has anyone ever used henna on deep black hair? My hair is naturally black and I'm wondering if henna will even do anything to it. :hmm:

[starfire]

Henna on black hair will give you a red glow in the sun (or other strong light).

[Anya15]

Henna on black hair will give you a red glow in the sun (or other strong light).

Hmm. Not sure if I want that. My hair gets a cool brown glow in the sun, I think red might be a bit too much for me :P

[Medievalmaniac]

Katia-k, you got great results! The henna is very flattering on you! :)

[Katia_k]

Thank you! I'm really, really loving it.

Also, fellow Medievalist shout-out! :D

[Amenahh]

Katia, the haircolour is amazing, and you have such lovely waves!!

[Mega Moose]

Oooo, looking at this thread has me all motivated to break out my henna today... :D My hair might be slightly too greasy right now though and I don't want to wash it yet. :P

[Anje]

Oooo, looking at this thread has me all motivated to break out my henna today... :D My hair might be slightly too greasy right now though and I don't want to wash it yet. :P

You can totally henna greasy hair. That's how I usually do it, then count rinsing it out as a wash. It stains just fine!

[Salwety]

This month I can't find the time to do my henna application. I miss my less frizzy hair. May be some time next month.

[PixieP]

Can I suggest someone adds Hennacat to the first post with sellers? www.hennacat.com (http://www.hennacat.com) I have bought from her for almost 3 years I am always happy. She's in the UK. It's BAQ.

[Anje]

Can I suggest someone adds Hennacat to the first post with sellers? www.hennacat.com (http://www.hennacat.com) I have bought from her for almost 3 years I am always happy. She's in the UK. It's BAQ.

Looks like the original poster isn't maintaining it anymore, but I added Hennacat. I've heard her mentioned before a few times as a good source. :)

[PixieP]

Thank you Anje :) I like promoting her shop because she's always so nice and helpful, the henna is beautiful (I've tried both her Raj, Yemen and once I got a free 100g package of amla in my next order cause Id been talking with her on FB about wanting to try it!). She always wraps the henna packages up in beautiful paper inside the cardboard box, and more than one time she adds little pieces of glittery confetti and stuff :D I always smile when I open of the package.

She also has a group on facebook, called Henna for hair, it's not a lot of activity, but when people post she's very quick to respond.

[Belle Paix]

Did my henna treatment last night...it's been far too long. Had to use 2 packs because apparently my hair is getting long enough for that. It felt like a milestone, but after a while, I'm sure it will go back to feeling like an added expense :). I love how it feels the day after though!!

[PixieP]

My hair is mostly WSL with my very ends closing in on TBL, and I still use only 100grams of henna to dye it! I started out with 300 grams when I was BSL, cause that's what a website suggested. Now I'm down to using only 50grams to make a henna gloss.

[samanthaa]

You can totally henna greasy hair. That's how I usually do it, then count rinsing it out as a wash. It stains just fine!

Seconding that. I think the only time I washed my hair before a henna application was the very first time I hennaed...almost two years ago. >lazy<

I currently have henna on my head, waiting to wash it out. It's been almost 8 weeks since my last app...the roots were bad. This is my first application at 80% henna, 20% cassia in the hopes of growing in an ombre (and growing out the henna!). I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to schedule a 24-hour dye release, so instead I dye-released for about 45 minutes with lukewarm chamomile tea, sticking my henna in the oven (yes, the oven! it was off, but I'd cooked my dinner at 400 degrees about 20 minutes before). My length has a cassia/SMT treatment on it. Ten more minutes until I can rinse this mud off!

My issue, now that I'm doing this ombre, is that I have no desire to do any sort of sectioning for my roots-only apps, and since I deploy a slather-all-over method, I'm sure there's a ton of overlap. I'm worried this overlap will cancel out the dilution effects of the cassia. I guess I shall see how it turns out this time.

[Lisa Long4Life]

Thank you Anje :) I like promoting her shop because she's always so nice and helpful, the henna is beautiful (I've tried both her Raj, Yemen and once I got a free 100g package of amla in my next order cause Id been talking with her on FB about wanting to try it!). She always wraps the henna packages up in beautiful paper inside the cardboard box, and more than one time she adds little pieces of glittery confetti and stuff :D I always smile when I open of the package.

She also has a group on facebook, called Henna for hair, it's not a lot of activity, but when people post she's very quick to respond.

I bought mine from her last month (raj & hibiscus), finally got around to henna-ing last week. I did like her packaging :)

[Lisa Long4Life]

You can totally henna greasy hair. That's how I usually do it, then count rinsing it out as a wash. It stains just fine!

I henna'd mine while greasy last week but tried doing a CO only rinse and it just looked like I'd dipped my head in a deep fat fryer so I had to shampoo as well the following morning rather than waiting 48 hours.

[PixieP]

Is there a thread somewhere for showing off different shades of henna? Sort of like the "your natural hair in different lights"-thread in the mane forum. I just did a massive collage of my henna through 3 years in different lights and it's so interesting, I'd like to show it off XD

[Lisa Long4Life]

Is there a thread somewhere for showing off different shades of henna? Sort of like the "your natural hair in different lights"-thread in the mane forum. I just did a massive collage of my henna through 3 years in different lights and it's so interesting, I'd like to show it off XD

I'm pretty sure I've seen a thread called Show Me Your Henna'd Hair :)

[Lisa Long4Life]

Here it is
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2963

I need to add my recent pics :)

[PixieP]

Thank you Lisa! :flower:

[lapushka]

Seconding that. I think the only time I washed my hair before a henna application was the very first time I hennaed...almost two years ago. >lazy<

When I still did henna, this is how mine was applied as well. On oily hair, then the wash out process = wash.

[Salwety]

My hair is frizzy and the clumping is aweful, I believe that it is because I haven't hennad my hair for 2 month now ,,, I try to do it every month, but I was super busy lately and had no time to stay in the house with henna in my head.
Has anyone experienced that too

[Katia_k]

So I'm starting to get some roots coming in (what hair you actually grow amazing!). I've read great tips on here about how to do root applications, but just wanted a bit more input on the "divide" between freshly done roots and the rest of my hair. My length has toned down quite a bit over the last six weeks, and I do really like it. But it was a slow fade, and I'm not sure how the much brighter roots would go with that. This is only my second henna, so I'm just looking for any tips or comments on this. I'm mostly just looking to do maintenance, since as far as I understand it, applyin g more henna all over will just darken my color, not make it more vibrant.

I've also heard that the demarcation line isn't that bad? But does that still apply if the hair has really contineud to change long-term? I can post pics of right-after color plus color now, if that would help.

Help appreciated.

[PixieP]

Got my fist round of henna&cassia developing. Did a 50/50 mix. Exciting!

[Kat]

So I'm starting to get some roots coming in (what hair you actually grow amazing!). I've read great tips on here about how to do root applications, but just wanted a bit more input on the "divide" between freshly done roots and the rest of my hair. My length has toned down quite a bit over the last six weeks, and I do really like it. But it was a slow fade, and I'm not sure how the much brighter roots would go with that. This is only my second henna, so I'm just looking for any tips or comments on this. I'm mostly just looking to do maintenance, since as far as I understand it, applyin g more henna all over will just darken my color, not make it more vibrant.

I've also heard that the demarcation line isn't that bad? But does that still apply if the hair has really contineud to change long-term? I can post pics of right-after color plus color now, if that would help.

Help appreciated.

Yeah I'm sitting here with my first batch of full-on henna (as opposed to glosses) on my head, and contemplating my roots. I won't have help with doing them, so I'm apprehensive about the demarcation lines, afraid I'll either overlap or leave a gap, and have stripes!

[Kat]

I had forgotten how much I hate the henna process. Roots won't be so bad, but the initial henna? This is excruciating. I'm hoping to leave it on four hours, but don't know if I'll last. It's only been 30 minutes and my neck is already so sore from this hair all piled on top of my head. MIght have to put a garbage bag on my pillow (in case my plastic-bag turban leaks) and lie down.


Also, I washed my hair before hennaing, but forgot to detangle it before application... between that, and me smooshing my hair around to try to get henna to all the strands, I am going to have one awful tangly mess later. Going to have to condition like hell when I rinse this out!

I'm also terrified I *didn't* get henna to all the strands and will end up streaky, esp. on my scalp. And I'm terrified I won't like the color after all (I did strand tests, but it's hard to tell from a little ball of hair what it's going to look like on your whole head. Also, my strands tests were with henna + conditioner, because I forgot to also order cassia samples, and I did my hair with henna + cassia, and I don't know that dilution is dilution is dilution). What I really want is bright flame red, but I think my starting color is too dark and I hope I don't end up with auburn and burgundy-- I can't do cool red. I'll find out soon, I guess! :)

[Katia_k]

So I have...kind of a dumb question. I always see people here talking about doing henna treatment after henna treatment 4-6 weeks apart or whatever, and it sounds as if they're doing whole-head applications, not just roots. But I've also heard henna darkens a decent amount each time you do it, and that it can go brown if you do it too much. So I was curious if everybody who's doing multiple applications every few months is just going for a darker color, or if most people don't find it has that much of a darkening effect? Or does it amp up the color? I'm not sure if this is one of those things that just depends on what color you started with, or what.

I used henna to go from a medium reddish brown to red, and I do really like the color I ended up with. Just did my root touch-up, and it went fine (except for a few missed patches but...). I wasn't planning on doing another application because I like where it settled out color-wise, but it seems like I haven't seen many people on here who just do one application and stop, so I was just wondering how/why the continual reapplications? I like what henna does to my hair, so I wouldn't mind doing it again, but I also like the color I have...

[ooo]

I could do my roots every other week :D I too got the idea that most people do always or most of the time full head applications for individual reasons. We could do at Hair Polls & Projects, if you like.


Most of the time I only do my roots and not full head because henna makes my hair dry. My colour already is quite dark, so layering henna is not a problem. Tbh layering henna on dark hair can make for a nice red glow.

[stahil]

I've been doing entire head after 4weeks gap. It works for me because my hair is dark. I have silvers that I'm trying to darken each time so that's my reason for whole head application each time. My silvers were orange looking after the first application. Now they've darkened to a deep copper color. I hope to turn them deeper red/burgundy so they blend better. I keep meaning to try a different henna but I have some frozen that I'm trying to finish up.

[ooo]

Katia_k, this might answer your question. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=23212

[rainbowvgn]

I did a full-henna about two weeks ago over bleached and chemically dyed hair. So my roots are more red and my lengths are more yellow-orange. I don't want my henna to go too dark so I bought cassia and though I should mix it next time. But my problem now is when I search for it it seems cassia makes it more orange (because it doesn't darken the henna as much with it?) and I do not want orange hair.

So if I use amla in the mix will it cool down the bright orange to a more natural coppery red maybe? And how do I go about making the mix? Do I mix all the powders dry or after dye-release? Or can I use something else to cool it down a little?

This is my hair now: (full head henna in a colour called red-brown)

http://s33.postimg.org/y2gwcqbpr/Cassiopeia_20160513_10_58_24_Pro.jpg

http://s33.postimg.org/gmz36lplb/Cassiopeia_20160513_10_58_24_Pro.jpg

[samanthaa]

Katia_k, my color changed dramatically with multiple full-head applications (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2963&page=531&p=3217068&viewfull=1#post3217068). If you like the color you're at now, I wouldn't keep doing full-head applications personally. I've actually found that cassia works way better at imparting shine, heaviness, and moisture on my length than henna ever did, so I now do henna on my roots and cassia on my length. I can go as long as two months between root touch-ups before the look of the growth starts driving me crazy.

In other news, I'm back to being wishy-washy about my desire to grow out my henna. I've been diluting my henna with higher and higher percentages of cassia to achieve a gradual ombre before finally quitting henna completely (goal: September), so this last time I did a 50% henna, 50% cassia mix...and, well, now I'm back to loving being a redhead. The coppery color at my roots looks so lovely! I find myself admiring it in the mirror now :love:

Of course, the issue is that I hate the upkeep. I really should henna every 3-4 weeks to avoid roots. Lately I've been doing it every 7 or so weeks. Argh, the internal conflict! And then if I do quit henna, there will be at least a year of the awkward growing out stage...but I'll have to go through that eventually, right? Since my goal is to get back to my natural color at some point.

[Katia_k]

Katia_k, my color changed dramatically with multiple full-head applications (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2963&page=531&p=3217068&viewfull=1#post3217068). If you like the color you're at now, I wouldn't keep doing full-head applications personally. I've actually found that cassia works way better at imparting shine, heaviness, and moisture on my length than henna ever did, so I now do henna on my roots and cassia on my length. I can go as long as two months between root touch-ups before the look of the growth starts driving me crazy.

In other news, I'm back to being wishy-washy about my desire to grow out my henna. I've been diluting my henna with higher and higher percentages of cassia to achieve a gradual ombre before finally quitting henna completely (goal: September), so this last time I did a 50% henna, 50% cassia mix...and, well, now I'm back to loving being a redhead. The coppery color at my roots looks so lovely! I find myself admiring it in the mirror now :love:

Of course, the issue is that I hate the upkeep. I really should henna every 3-4 weeks to avoid roots. Lately I've been doing it every 7 or so weeks. Argh, the internal conflict! And then if I do quit henna, there will be at least a year of the awkward growing out stage...but I'll have to go through that eventually, right? Since my goal is to get back to my natural color at some point.

Yeah, I'm thinking full-heads won't be what I want. I may do a strand-test with just a gloss and see how that looks. But I do like the simplicity of just doing roots every few months. My hair grows pretty slow so that's more convenient. I've thought about using cassia for the benefits, but I'm worried about lightening my color with that, since I want to stay a solid red.

And good luck making your hair decisions; it's a long process, but if you're really liking the color, you may as well enjoy it for a while longer, right? Same process just a different day, so if you like it there's no reason to rush into the growing process. But I hope you can find the decision that makes you happy. :)

[GRU]

I've thought about using cassia for the benefits, but I'm worried about lightening my color with that, since I want to stay a solid red.

Cassia doesn't lighten hair.

[Shorty89]

Has anyone else needed to alter their hair care routine post henna? I find that coconut oil makes my hair feel more protein overloaded and overall my hair feels like it's higher porosity post-henna. I am mucking about with different oils now to see.

[Nightshade]

Has anyone else needed to alter their hair care routine post henna? I find that coconut oil makes my hair feel more protein overloaded and overall my hair feels like it's higher porosity post-henna. I am mucking about with different oils now to see.

Coconut oil and I never got along with henna. Honestly straight oils and henna and I never got along :) I do much better with salves and butters for leave-ins.

[reilly0167]

I noticed couple of weeks ago my hair is not liking the coconut oil( after a while using it) dry crunchy ends, so I have avocado oil on hand decided to try it, awesome improvement soft and silky, happy hair happy me.

[Anje]

I do well with straight oils, though some more than others, on my hennaed hair. For me, this is what I've noticed:
Coconut is hit-or-miss.
Olive makes my hair very soft, but I find it's especially easy for it to make my hair look piecey and oily.
Avocado is nice, for a while. So is emu. Good stuff, but nothing to write home about.
Shea feels sticky.
Cocoa butter in small amounts makes it slick. This deserves further investigation.
Baby oil-style mineral oil makes it slick if I apply it to dry hair. Doesn't do much applied to wet. Smells like baby. USP mineral oil is thick and sticky.
Sesame is probably my holy grail oil. Both the toasted and untoasted varieties work well, but the untoasted doesn't smell very strong, which is probably a good thing for most people.
Neem is gritty, stinky in an earthy sort of way, and a really bad idea to get in your mouth!

[Nightshade]

Neem is gritty, stinky in an earthy sort of way, and a really bad idea to get in your mouth!

That's firmly in the "mistakes you only make once" category.

[Shorty89]

I bought some Sweet Almond oil, and so far it works fairly well. It's really light. I hate how expensive jojoba and other oils are though. My wallet wants to cry. XD

[Anje]

That's firmly in the "mistakes you only make once" category.
"Hmm, l bet this stuff is good for acne."

[Nightshade]

"Hmm, l bet this stuff is good for acne."

Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhh *gag*

[Anje]

I bought some Sweet Almond oil, and so far it works fairly well. It's really light. I hate how expensive jojoba and other oils are though. My wallet wants to cry. XD

I primarily stick to things I find at the grocery store. If they don't work, you can cook with them. :D

[Persiangirl01]

Hey everyone! I am naturally a dark brunette, and I have just done my 2nd henna application. My 1st was in july. I was just wondering if anyone has an estimate on how many applications it will take to get my hair to a deeper red colour in sunlight?

[Anje]

It isn't already? Usually henna's pretty intense and I'd expect it to show up strongly on deep brown hair after two applications.

[littlestarface]

Hey everyone! I am naturally a dark brunette, and I have just done my 2nd henna application. My 1st was in july. I was just wondering if anyone has an estimate on how many applications it will take to get my hair to a deeper red colour in sunlight?

How long do you leave it on for? cuz you should have it by now.

[Persiangirl01]

Anje and littlestarface, I left it in 5 hours the 1st time and 5 hours this 2nd time. It is a deep red colour right now. It's just that it faded after the 1st application. I think the red red only lasted about a week and then it faded to just glow an orange in the sunight. So i am worried it will do the same this time :(

[Shorty89]

I primarily stick to things I find at the grocery store. If they don't work, you can cook with them. :D

This technically was found in a grocery store although it was in the natural foods/goods section. :P

[Antimony]

I think I messed up my Jamila dye release. I was getting a good stain after 4 hours so I glossed it on, but nothing. The gloss was not an unsubstantial amount of henna (1/4th wt of conditioner vs the weight of henna). Did I just choose a bad conditioner (VO5 Kiwi Splash)? I hate using cassia so I'd rather not go that route.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Im actually sitting with Henna in my hair right now that I bought from a local indian spice market, the man recommended the brand and 500g for 8$ is a steal in my opinion. Cant find cheap henna anymore. Also they had indigo, so I plan to do that tomorrow. I want black/brown black hair again. My hair is too light for me. I only needed 100g for a full head application and accidentally had a lot of henna left over, threw it out because my freezer is full. 4 hours, I will wait, then 2 hours of indigo tomorrow. Hope it works because the first time I tried this, it gave me a weird color. But I think I did it wrong that time too.. heres hoping!

[hanne jensen]

I have a question regarding henna. I want the benefits of henna and don't care about the color. I have dark auburn hair so henna doesn't show up that much anyway. Ifn I don't care about the color, do I have to wait for dye release? How long do I have to leave it in? I've tried cassia before and my grays got a horrible hm hm urine yellow color. Nasty! I am proud of my silvers, I've worked very hard for them. I just want the conditioning effects of henna.

[Nightshade]

I have a question regarding henna. I want the benefits of henna and don't care about the color. I have dark auburn hair so henna doesn't show up that much anyway. Ifn I don't care about the color, do I have to wait for dye release? How long do I have to leave it in? I've tried cassia before and my grays got a horrible hm hm urine yellow color. Nasty! I am proud of my silvers, I've worked very hard for them. I just want the conditioning effects of henna.

I would honestly try Sedr or Cassia. If you don't want red / orange then do not henna. It isn't worth it, even for the conditioning benefits.

[hanne jensen]

When I use cassia my grays get the same color as morning urine. Cassia is not colorless, at least in my hair.

[northstargal]

When I use cassia my grays get the same color as morning urine. Cassia is not colorless, at least in my hair.

I've never used Cassia myself, but from what I've read it would be your best option - possibly with something else added, another plant herb to slightly alter the shade you get on your gray hairs. Anyone have any ideas on what other plants, herbs, spices hanne jensen could try?

[Nimia]

Just a happy photo here, of henna in 4 oz. applicator bottles, in the freezer. Makes it so easy to do root touch-ups.

http://lisacach.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2016-12-07-20-57-26-0800-e1481174180878.jpg

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Just a happy photo here, of henna in 4 oz. applicator bottles, in the freezer. Makes it so easy to do root touch-ups.

http://lisacach.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2016-12-07-20-57-26-0800-e1481174180878.jpg

Wow, what an arsenal! Where did you find those bottles? I think I may do the same thing. I store my dry henna powder in mason jars but I was unsure about making a huge batch and freezing it all. How long does it last in the freezer? I work with frozen henna, prefer it but I usually only make 1 batch with 100g which gives me enough for either a full head and I usually prepare it the night before and immediately freeze. Never thought about making more and freezing it, since I never know when the next time I need henna will come.

[Nimia]

Wow, what an arsenal! Where did you find those bottles?

Amazon.

As far as I can tell, the henna lasts indefinitely... or perhaps I should say that it still works right now, six months from the day I first mixed it up.

[gracenotes]

I'm so happy I decided to go back to my beloved Red Raj! I love the rich ruby tones and the stringy consistency is amazing for root touch ups. I added a splash of ACV to my regular hibiscus mix this time, and got great results! Maybe I'll start doing my roots more frequently...

[Morphinea]

I loved Jamila years ago, but it's quite expensive here. Last week I found Estonian webshop Hennaserai and they sell Jamila with reasonable price. I used to have Organic Rajasthani but it has turned my hair auburn. I prefer dark orange.:o

[Khristopher]

I kinda need some troubleshooting with a henna gloss I just did. I do glosses because it's more economic than doing straight henna and gives me the same results plus it's easier to apply. But this time I mixed the conditioner with the henna I had thawed today and it formed weird clumps, I couldn't distribute it evenly on my hair at all. Any ideas what could cause this? Wrong condish, bad henna, etc?

[gracenotes]

I kinda need some troubleshooting with a henna gloss I just did. I do glosses because it's more economic than doing straight henna and gives me the same results plus it's easier to apply. But this time I mixed the conditioner with the henna I had thawed today and it formed weird clumps, I couldn't distribute it evenly on my hair at all. Any ideas what could cause this? Wrong condish, bad henna, etc?

Did the conditioner you used contain 'cones? Or protein? In my experience, conditioners containing these ingredients tend to cause a clumpy, ricotta cheese sort of texture when they're mixed with other things in a henna gloss or SMT. It might also have something to do with how coarsely or finely sifted your henna is-- a finer sift generally mixes more smoothly with conditioner.

[JessTheMess]

Hi Everyone! It has been several years since I have participated in the forum. Quite frankly life happened but here I sit with shorter hair and a henna mix from The Henna Guys on my head. I look like a cheeto exploded all over my arms, neck and my hairline is rather orange lol. I look forward to participating again and reading everyone's tips <3

[littlestarface]

Hi Everyone! It has been several years since I have participated in the forum. Quite frankly life happened but here I sit with shorter hair and a henna mix from The Henna Guys on my head. I look like a cheeto exploded all over my arms, neck and my hairline is rather orange lol. I look forward to participating again and reading everyone's tips <3

Hey welcome back to the forum and henna, I love your avatar its so cute!

I'm not doing any henna til summer time so by then my whites will be soo long, they're already 3 inches long and very very noticeable grr. But I do miss looking like I wrestled inside a cheeto bag :laugh:

[reilly0167]

Hi Everyone! It has been several years since I have participated in the forum. Quite frankly life happened but here I sit with shorter hair and a henna mix from The Henna Guys on my head. I look like a cheeto exploded all over my arms, neck and my hairline is rather orange lol. I look forward to participating again and reading everyone's tips <3
Teehee, adorable photo:)

[JessTheMess]

Hey welcome back to the forum and henna, I love your avatar its so cute!

I'm not doing any henna til summer time so by then my whites will be soo long, they're already 3 inches long and very very noticeable grr. But I do miss looking like I wrestled inside a cheeto bag :laugh:

I managed to get the worst of the orange off with the help of lemon and toothpaste..... The color turned out awesome "Deep Red". I just wish that the black chem dye wasn't so severe. It'll grow out eventually....sigh. I am so mad at myself for chopping it all off last year. My hair was all one length; virgin down to my tailbone. Then I went through a quarter life crisis, chopped it shoulder length with choppy layers and dyed it black. It looked cute but now the waiting game begins. I'd like to grow it all one length and once the dye hits BSL chop it off so I can start fresh.https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/16707416_1832531517003254_2574805130915399543_o.jp g?oh=f7c1c6d27b09aba94c5c2c66a06e8169&oe=5900F2FC

[littlestarface]

I managed to get the worst of the orange off with the help of lemon and toothpaste..... The color turned out awesome "Deep Red". I just wish that the black chem dye wasn't so severe. It'll grow out eventually....sigh. I am so mad at myself for chopping it all off last year. My hair was all one length; virgin down to my tailbone. Then I went through a quarter life crisis, chopped it shoulder length with choppy layers and dyed it black. It looked cute but now the waiting game begins. I'd like to grow it all one length and once the dye hits BSL chop it off so I can start fresh.https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/16707416_1832531517003254_2574805130915399543_o.jp g?oh=f7c1c6d27b09aba94c5c2c66a06e8169&oe=5900F2FC

Ah that's such a lovely color you got! I wish I could have it. Did the henna do anything to the black part,like a red glow in the sun?

[Khristopher]

Did the conditioner you used contain 'cones? Or protein? In my experience, conditioners containing these ingredients tend to cause a clumpy, ricotta cheese sort of texture when they're mixed with other things in a henna gloss or SMT. It might also have something to do with how coarsely or finely sifted your henna is-- a finer sift generally mixes more smoothly with conditioner.
Thanks for your reply, the ricotta texture is just what I got :p My henna is super fine, it's litterally light powlder. And the conditioner is not coney but I'm not sure about it having protein or not. I'll try using a different one next time.

[Milady_DeWinter]

I did henna today! The color may change the following days, meanwhile it looks like this:

http://pin.it/j1npcad
http://pin.it/aC7oRj4
http://pin.it/lpTKR0P

My original color is just like that, but a bit lighter may be; yet I still had a bit of lighter chemical dye to cover.

My recipe (note: My hair is very thick, I used everything):

10 hours before I prepared:
200gr henna
100gr mala
50gr bhringaraj
A little bit of white wine vinegar (but just with the amla if would have had enough acid)

And just before applying:
100gr indigo

I mixed everything, and voila! I hope you like it :)

[PrincessAralin]

Does anybody know any good retailers of quality henna in Australia?

[Aphra]

There are a few, but none cheap. I got mine from the Henna Tent, who are a certified organic supplier of BAQ henna in Fremantle WA. I found some others by googling BAQ henna Australia. There is also one in northern WA (who I forget the name of) who will sell pure henna, or various pre-mixed colours with indigo, cassia etc.

I did my test strip last night, and it is a bit too copper brown rather than red, but I only left it on for an hour, so I'll try another one later. What has surprised me is how light the henna bit has gone compared to my apparent base hair colour. Cleary the "dark" brown has a lot of greys lurking in there currently reflecting the surrounding colour.

[ephemeri]

JessTheMess , that's what my hair looks like right now! I'm growing out black box dye and have somewhere around 4-5 inches of roots that are red from straight up rajasthani henna. I feel like I found a hair twin. :o

Just yesterday I was in the property manager's office of my work building, getting my parking permit renewed. The woman at the desk there could not get over my hair, she kept asking me questions about it and eventually dragged me down the hall to show her boss my hair. It made me super self-conscious and uncomfortable, I am already aware that my hair looks different, I don't like getting gawked at!

I actually like how my hair looks until people start talking about it and staring...! I need to somehow get over that I guess! :rolling:

[Aphra]

Ooooooooooooooooooh. I am adding proper BAQ henna to my great hair loves list, along with spin pins. I did my parting and enough of my canopy and face framing area to blend it in with the brown, and the colour is awesome. It could still stand being a tadge redder and less orange brown, but even so pretty good. And the sift (despite being the wrong sift for body art, hence getting it at a discount) was so fine it was simple to spread in and wash out.

I was conservative with how much I dyed this time just in case the colour didn't suit me, but its looking good so next time my roots start showing, I'll do a full head and then get some pictures :D

[pandabarrier]

Hi guys, I'm new to this thread.
I started doing henna gloss last year for conditioning purposes, a hint of red in my black hair and partial coverage of the greys. I used to mix henna with coconut milk, cassia and fenugreek, but yesterday I tried a new recipe, from an older article in LHC:
http://web.archive.org/web/20111223233812/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=154
I followed most of the recipe, except some substitutions:
- 3 parts of Godrej Nupur Henna instead of 4 parts of henna, no wait for dye release (I don't want too much color)
- Hibiscus tea instead of catnip tea
- Grapeseed oil instead of the listed oils (that is what I had)

I made a full application and left it for 2 and half hours. It was much easier to rinse off and I shed less hair. I think I'll be able to do henna gloss more often because before I've always dreaded the rinsing part.
Since it's only been 12 hours the color isn't set yet, but now the hair is soft and has a hint of burgundy tone in the sun, that I like!

[Morphinea]

I'm going to try cassia/henna mix. I don't want to bleach my hair so it's going to be long journey to have copper hair. I mix Jamila BAQ and cassia 40/60 or 30/70.

[Eldergleam]

Hello everyone,

I'm quite newhere, so my apologies if I do something wrong.

I'm a complete newbie to henna, though I've read the sticky and have a general idea how it works and have seen my boss work with it numerous times in the salon. But now I would like to maybe experiment a bit with it. If anybody is interested, in my thread in the newbie section, one can read a more thorough explanation, but here's the short version:

Bra strap length, curly, dyed light blonde with 6/7 cm long dark golden blonde roots showing. I'm growing it out for the hair quality which is why I would only be looking at natural dyes in the future.
Right now I'm somewhat obsessed with Kate Winslet's colour in 'Titanic':

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/60/18/53/6018539d8c5d3b446496a3cfca32cb1d.jpg

Though it could be a tad less red/copper for me. Could this be achieved with henna?

I'm very afraid that my hair will just turn a very bright orange or that it will become too dark if I add things like indigo.

My boss said that I could also mix the henna with a brown component to counteract and soften the bright coppers and reds, either with this:

http://www.hairmission.nl/afbeeldingen/products/54-TC%20Direct%20Coloring%20Creactivity.jpg

or this:

https://cdn.beautyvice.com/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/8/4/8429421470520__3.jpg

Could anyone help me with this?

Sincerely,
Eldergleam

[Eldergleam]

Sorry, apparently I can't edit my posts yet. If I had realised how large the images would appear, I would have just sent the links.

[rouxlala]

Hello everyone,

I'm quite newhere, so my apologies if I do something wrong.

I'm a complete newbie to henna, though I've read the sticky and have a general idea how it works and have seen my boss work with it numerous times in the salon. But now I would like to maybe experiment a bit with it. If anybody is interested, in my thread in the newbie section, one can read a more thorough explanation, but here's the short version:

Bra strap length, curly, dyed light blonde with 6/7 cm long dark golden blonde roots showing. I'm growing it out for the hair quality which is why I would only be looking at natural dyes in the future.
Right now I'm somewhat obsessed with Kate Winslet's colour in 'Titanic':

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/60/18/53/6018539d8c5d3b446496a3cfca32cb1d.jpg

Though it could be a tad less red/copper for me. Could this be achieved with henna?

I'm very afraid that my hair will just turn a very bright orange or that it will become too dark if I add things like indigo.

My boss said that I could also mix the henna with a brown component to counteract and soften the bright coppers and reds, either with this:

http://www.hairmission.nl/afbeeldingen/products/54-TC%20Direct%20Coloring%20Creactivity.jpg

or this:

https://cdn.beautyvice.com/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/8/4/8429421470520__3.jpg

Could anyone help me with this?

Sincerely,
Eldergleam

My hair is exactly like hers, as far as curls go, but I have a different shade from my henna. I used Henna Maiden's "Wine Red." It is mixed with a few other herbs to make it a darker shade of red (not copper/brass colored). It is all natural, no chemicals, and I love it. I'd check it out and see if that's what you're looking for. <3

[poli]

I'm ready to switch to lighter henna / cassia mix. I have been using 50/50 percent for awhile now. I like the auburn color, but I would like to gradually make it lighter. So next time I do roots it is finally time for Nightshade's copper mix with 65% cassia and 35% henna. I have been reading old thread about it and some people mention using honey in the mix. Could you tell me how much honey I can safely add and at what point of making the paste?

[akurah]

I'm ready to switch to lighter henna / cassia mix. I have been using 50/50 percent for awhile now. I like the auburn color, but I would like to gradually make it lighter. So next time I do roots it is finally time for Nightshade's copper mix with 65% cassia and 35% henna. I have been reading old thread about it and some people mention using honey in the mix. Could you tell me how much honey I can safely add and at what point of making the paste?

I think in a henna paste it would behave more as a humectant (moisturizer) than a lightening agent, it would be really dilute. I don't know if it is worth the hassle unless you need the extra moisturizing. I'd not use much either (could cause a huge mess or abnormal sticky residue), unfortunately I have no gauge on what is "much". It also probably doesn't matter which point you add it to the paste. Since honey is shelf stable, the honey is probably fine to be added when the liquid is added to the henna, but I don't know what it could do to the henna. It might not do anything of interest.

If you're trying to help encourage lightening length, I'd just put honey treatment on the length and call it a day. If you want to moisturize, I'd start with a small dollop (maybe a size of a quarter?). If that isn't enough, next time you put henna, maybe a little more. If it's too much (trouble rinsing, sticky residue, whatever), cut back.

[poli]

I think in a henna paste it would behave more as a humectant (moisturizer) than a lightening agent, it would be really dilute. I don't know if it is worth the hassle unless you need the extra moisturizing. I'd not use much either (could cause a huge mess or abnormal sticky residue), unfortunately I have no gauge on what is "much". It also probably doesn't matter which point you add it to the paste. Since honey is shelf stable, the honey is probably fine to be added when the liquid is added to the henna, but I don't know what it could do to the henna. It might not do anything of interest.

If you're trying to help encourage lightening length, I'd just put honey treatment on the length and call it a day. If you want to moisturize, I'd start with a small dollop (maybe a size of a quarter?). If that isn't enough, next time you put henna, maybe a little more. If it's too much (trouble rinsing, sticky residue, whatever), cut back.

Thank you. I was thinking a little honey in henna as a humectant and maybe honey lightening on the length at the same time (just to brighten things up). I will start with a little amount, certainly don't want to deal with sticky hair :)

[poli]

I used chamomile tea with honey and few drops of lemon juice for my liquid. I diluted the mud with some conditioner also. It is hard to judge the color effect of lighter henna/cassia because I had very little regrowth to cover but if anything the roots look a little more golden than orange. It will take few months for sure to see a difference.

As for honey lightening I feel it is more "honey brightening". It did help me fade some too dark henna (possibly with indigo) in the past, now it's not really doing anything to the color. Nice for hydrating in proper weather conditions. :sun:

[desuvsdeath]

Troubleshooting question: I used Rajasthani Jasmine on what was naturally level 1-2 hair bleached to level 10 hair... and while the color is EXACTLY what I was hoping for, and the overall condition is vastly improved, the texture when I shampoo (roughly once a week when the gym demands it) is... a thousand times worse than prior to henna-ing. It's such that it's difficult to get shampoo THROUGH it. As soon as I condition it's fine again. It's smooth and sleek dry or wet, but the moment that shampoo touches it... it's a tangled mass of garbage. And interesting to note it's MORE tangled in the 'less damaged' sections of bleached hair.

I've previously only henna'd my virgin hair, so I'm a bit at a loss and haven't quite been able to find a thread that an. Should I just... keep deep conditioning and trust it will sort itself out?

[poli]

Troubleshooting question: I used Rajasthani Jasmine on what was naturally level 1-2 hair bleached to level 10 hair... and while the color is EXACTLY what I was hoping for, and the overall condition is vastly improved, the texture when I shampoo (roughly once a week when the gym demands it) is... a thousand times worse than prior to henna-ing. It's such that it's difficult to get shampoo THROUGH it. As soon as I condition it's fine again. It's smooth and sleek dry or wet, but the moment that shampoo touches it... it's a tangled mass of garbage. And interesting to note it's MORE tangled in the 'less damaged' sections of bleached hair.

I've previously only henna'd my virgin hair, so I'm a bit at a loss and haven't quite been able to find a thread that an. Should I just... keep deep conditioning and trust it will sort itself out?

I would check if your shampoo contains protein (keratin and such), henned hair does not like it. In case it does have protein just switch it for something else.

Maybe try diluting shampoo with water and protect your length with conditioner - like CWC method.

[desuvsdeath]

I would check if your shampoo contains protein (keratin and such), henned hair does not like it. In case it does have protein just switch it for something else.

Maybe try diluting shampoo with water and protect your length with conditioner - like CWC method.

Oh. Yup. Protein. That would explain why the shampoo is reacting most with the area that took to henna the best. Thank you. :D

[Corvana]

Hello! I'd like to henna my hair, since I've always always loved red hair. My natural color has a bit of red in the sun, seen here:

http://i.imgur.com/ZawuCgF.jpg

A little diffused, but the best I could get lol. In indoor lighting it's just a medium dark brown (see avatar).

My ideal color would be somewhere around:

https://beautyeditor.ca/.image/c_fit,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIxNDI3Mjk2MDI4OTUyMDc3/christina-hendricks-sag-awards.jpg

http://abchairstyles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/rich-copper-red-for-curly-hair-2016-450x660.jpg

Basically: Pretty copper, whether that's lighter or darker. I've used the Revlon colorsilk in 42 (medium auburn) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91zOO3B2CHL._SY679_.jpg) before and gotten results that I really enjoyed (on the bits I didn't miss, since I was always terrible at getting it all :p ), if that helps any? In the linked image of the back of the box, I'd get something about the darkest shade.

My hair is all virgin now!

What type of henna should I get? And what, if anything, should I add to it (teas? cassia?) to get a coppery color? I'm not too fussed about how light or dark it is, but I would prefer to be on the copper side a bit more than the burgundy side!

I should note: I'm allergic to citrus! It gives me a bit of a rash with contact, so I'd prefer to not use it. It doesn't stop me from chugging orange juice when we have it (it's just so good! but we rarely ever have any), but hives on the scalp are less than enjoyable :laugh:.

[poli]

I should note: I'm allergic to citrus! It gives me a bit of a rash with contact, so I'd prefer to not use it. It doesn't stop me from chugging orange juice when we have it (it's just so good! but we rarely ever have any), but hives on the scalp are less than enjoyable :laugh:.

You can just use water, no need for lemon juice.

I think it's really hard to predict results from henna, so first thing is - test it on your own hair. Get good quality (body art quality) BAQ henna, that is pure herb. Also you might want to start with glosses, so the color will slowly build up and you wont go too dark too fast.

The second reference photo is more realistic IMHO.

[Corvana]

You can just use water, no need for lemon juice.

I think it's really hard to predict results from henna, so first thing is - test it on your own hair. Get good quality (body art quality) BAQ henna, that is pure herb. Also you might want to start with glosses, so the color will slowly build up and you wont go too dark too fast.

The second reference photo is more realistic IMHO.

Alright! Would the hair from my last trim work for the test? Since I've got a good sized pile of it right now LOL.

And yeah I doubted I'd get too light at all, but figured I'd show some examples from the mid range anyway. I wouldn't even mind being so bright I could pass as a Weasley! XD

Would a 70/30 with cassia help?

[poli]

Alright! Would the hair from my last trim work for the test? Since I've got a good sized pile of it right now LOL.

And yeah I doubted I'd get too light at all, but figured I'd show some examples from the mid range anyway. I wouldn't even mind being so bright I could pass as a Weasley! XD

Would a 70/30 with cassia help?

Trim hair will be alright for strand testing (I never did, so you will be much wiser than me LOL).
As for henna cassia mix - I have some experience with 50/50 mix - it's almost the color of pure henna just doesn't build up so fast.
Lighter (coppery) mixes are still mystery to me - right now I'm trying 35%henna/65%cassia on the roots, but it's just too early to say. I'm sure some other henna users will share their advise.

[Morphinea]

What is henna leaf extract? I found henna powder and it contains only henna leaf extract. Darker shades contain sodium picramate and I know that it's metallic salt. I'm not going to purchase it because I want use pure henna. I'm just curious:)

[Corvana]

Trim hair will be alright for strand testing (I never did, so you will be much wiser than me LOL).
As for henna cassia mix - I have some experience with 50/50 mix - it's almost the color of pure henna just doesn't build up so fast.
Lighter (coppery) mixes are still mystery to me - right now I'm trying 35%henna/65%cassia on the roots, but it's just too early to say. I'm sure some other henna users will share their advise.

So a cassia mix will help keep the color from building too much? I'm wildly curious about what color I'd get with pure henna on my hair, hahaha.

I feel like my hair impulsivity will be going back to coloring my hair in some way, instead of cutting it. And at least henna isn't as damaging as commercial dyes! And unless my hair doesn't get more red at all (which includes just adding undertones), I won't be unhappy with what I get. Easy to please XD

[akurah]

So a cassia mix will help keep the color from building too much? I'm wildly curious about what color I'd get with pure henna on my hair, hahaha.

I feel like my hair impulsivity will be going back to coloring my hair in some way, instead of cutting it. And at least henna isn't as damaging as commercial dyes! And unless my hair doesn't get more red at all (which includes just adding undertones), I won't be unhappy with what I get. Easy to please XD

A cassia mix dilutes. It doesn't prevent buildup. It makes it easier to control buildup, but if you do enough all-over henna/cassia applications, you can eventually get to the same buildup level as slightly fewer all henna applications.

[Corvana]

A cassia mix dilutes. It doesn't prevent buildup. It makes it easier to control buildup, but if you do enough all-over henna/cassia applications, you can eventually get to the same buildup level as slightly fewer all henna applications.

Ok! That's about what I figured, since you are still adding henna itself.

[Shorty89]

So, I was looking at the instructions on my henna and it said to let it dry on your hair. :o Has anyone ever done this? It seems like everything I've read on here says to keep it covered and moist.

[Katia_k]

I wouldn't let it dry...that doesn't sound right at all.

[Lady Stardust]

I agree, keep the henna moist. I have heard of someone letting it dry out but it doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.

[GRU]

It's already hard to get it rinsed out... if you let it dry like concrete, you'd be mermaid-soaking for DAYS trying to get it out!!!!!

[Shorty89]

It's already hard to get it rinsed out... if you let it dry like concrete, you'd be mermaid-soaking for DAYS trying to get it out!!!!!

That was what I was thinking! I don't know why my bag said that since it goes against all the advice I've heard.

[littlestarface]

So, I was looking at the instructions on my henna and it said to let it dry on your hair. :o Has anyone ever done this? It seems like everything I've read on here says to keep it covered and moist.

This girl I knew from somalia used to have to henna like this :rollin: Her mom used to make her sit out in the sun with the mud on and make it dried then after some odd hours rinsed it off. Now she hates henna :rollin:

[Beckstar]

Henna stains best when kept wet. A plastic cap/bag is best under a satin cap. Slather your hair in conditioner and.rinse well when you are washing it out. Shampooing it never worked well for me. I always waiting 24-72 hours to let it fully oxidized before shampooing it.

[Shorty89]

This girl I knew from somalia used to have to henna like this :rollin: Her mom used to make her sit out in the sun with the mud on and make it dried then after some odd hours rinsed it off. Now she hates henna :rollin:

Poor girl!

I snapped some shots of my hair in the sun. You can't always see much of the henna indoors, but you can really see the red in sunlight!

https://i.imgur.com/hnFHtU5.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/N4f2Daa.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/L8dk6Mo.jpg

[Khristopher]

Woah Shorty89!!! :thud: That's an amazing color, and your shirt goes very well with it :D And the shine!!! Can I ask what your natural haircolor is?

[Shorty89]

Woah Shorty89!!! :thud: That's an amazing color, and your shirt goes very well with it :D And the shine!!! Can I ask what your natural haircolor is?

Aw thanks! My natural colour is a medium brown.

[maborosi]

What a pretty color, Shorty89!

[BlueKittyMeow]

I’m so excited to do some strand tests on Monday!

I let my roots grow out a good six inches. There’s no bad demarcation line but I’m longing for the copper orange glow everywhere not just my bun.

I used to just do Lush caca rouge because I liked the copper mildness of it but I’ve picked up nightblooming’s strawberry blonde this time since I like all the rest of her stuff.

I’ve heard some things about acid vs no acid and boiling water vs cooler in regards to getting a more copper orange tone that won’t oxidize so much. Does anyone have any info on this? I adore the light glowy orange color I get the first few days so the most I could lessen the oxidization the happier I would be. I’m going to let the tests (strawberry blonde henna, that mixed with a sample of her blonde senna mix, and just the senna mix to see if it gives any visible color on my hair) oxidize for five days or so.

The cool thing is my hair has taken a turn back to the strawberry color it had as a kid so I’ve got some strands that match my length :) Now I just want to amp the up. I love henna days - can’t wait for the grassy goop on my head again :P

[Nightshade]

I’m so excited to do some strand tests on Monday!

I let my roots grow out a good six inches. There’s no bad demarcation line but I’m longing for the copper orange glow everywhere not just my bun.

I used to just do Lush caca rouge because I liked the copper mildness of it but I’ve picked up nightblooming’s strawberry blonde this time since I like all the rest of her stuff.

I’ve heard some things about acid vs no acid and boiling water vs cooler in regards to getting a more copper orange tone that won’t oxidize so much. Does anyone have any info on this? I adore the light glowy orange color I get the first few days so the most I could lessen the oxidization the happier I would be. I’m going to let the tests (strawberry blonde henna, that mixed with a sample of her blonde senna mix, and just the senna mix to see if it gives any visible color on my hair) oxidize for five days or so.

The cool thing is my hair has taken a turn back to the strawberry color it had as a kid so I’ve got some strands that match my length :) Now I just want to amp the up. I love henna days - can’t wait for the grassy goop on my head again :P

There is some truth that releasing with acid can prevent fading, but it can also be really drying. It has little to do with the end color, that's all about diluting the henna to get to the coppery shade! I would say if you have issues with fading, try dye releasing with an acid, but otherwise you're not going to see a color change one way or the other.

[BlueKittyMeow]

There is some truth that releasing with acid can prevent fading, but it can also be really drying. It has little to do with the end color, that's all about diluting the henna to get to the coppery shade! I would say if you have issues with fading, try dye releasing with an acid, but otherwise you're not going to see a color change one way or the other.

Oh thanks Nightshade! Well I’ll be using your blend this time so I’m happy to hear it directly from you! :D

[Nightshade]

Oh thanks Nightshade! Well I’ll be using your blend this time so I’m happy to hear it directly from you! :D

Good luck! I hope it turns out lovely :cheer:

ETA: to clarify more, I've done experiments on henna removal with lemon juice and other citric acids, and they do cause a short-term un-oxidization of henna, but this result is always temporary and it darkens back up. Lemon juice in no way prevents or reverses oxidization long term

[BlueKittyMeow]

It’s H day! (Henna day :P)

I’ve got my samples dye releasing for my strand tests.

Rusalki 100% that I’ll leave on for 3 hrs
Rusalki for 6 hours
50/50 Rusalki / Saranrae 6 hrs
Saranrae 6 hours

I’ll slap those on in a few hours and take pics tomorrow!
I’ll have roots and length on each strand so once they oxidize I should be able to dial in exactly what I want.

[Nightshade]

It’s H day! (Henna day :P)

I’ve got my samples dye releasing for my strand tests.

Rusalki 100% that I’ll leave on for 3 hrs
Rusalki for 6 hours
50/50 Rusalki / Saranrae 6 hrs
Saranrae 6 hours

I’ll slap those on in a few hours and take pics tomorrow!
I’ll have roots and length on each strand so once they oxidize I should be able to dial in exactly what I want.

Oh that's exciting :cheer: I can't wait to see how they look

[BlueKittyMeow]

Oh that's exciting :cheer: I can't wait to see how they look

Oh my god they are GORGEOUS!!

I just rinsed and dried and put them up in braids to keep them separate as they oxidize. Pics will follow tomorrow in daylight.

I’m so so so blown away by the colors I’ve gotten, some of these are EXACTLY what I was hoping for! If it wasn’t one in the morning I would be actually leaping up and down :D

I think I’ll be split between the 50/50 blend and the Rusalki that I left for 6 hours - oddly enough (or rather, against my vague expectations) the two are the closest in color to one another!

[Nightshade]

Oh my god they are GORGEOUS!!

I just rinsed and dried and put them up in braids to keep them separate as they oxidize. Pics will follow tomorrow in daylight.

I’m so so so blown away by the colors I’ve gotten, some of these are EXACTLY what I was hoping for! If it wasn’t one in the morning I would be actually leaping up and down :D

I think I’ll be split between the 50/50 blend and the Rusalki that I left for 6 hours - oddly enough (or rather, against my vague expectations) the two are the closest in color to one another!

hahahaha that makes me so happy! Hurry up, daylight!

[BlueKittyMeow]

Wow was it hard to get photos to show this. These were taken today after a day of oxidizing. There is, in my opinion, a huge difference between the strand tests and between them and the rest of my hair but it was SO hard to capture the colors in photos. Henna, how I love you :P

All photos the order runs from left to right (Except! The first picture which is shot towards me and is the opposite order):
100% cassia (Sarenrae) 6 hrs
50/50 Sarenrae/Rusalki (strawberry blonde henna/cassia blend) 6 hrs
100% Rusalki 6 hrs
100% Rusalki 3 hrs

I’ve got a photo showing the strands vs my roots and length at the bottom of the thread annnnd a picture of my rooster Persephone because I was just saying I wanted to match him :P

https://preview.ibb.co/kbYgX8/723_D18_F8_BFD9_4_C6_C_AAC2_91_B612_D4968_E.jpg (https://ibb.co/jDPoC8)
(Reverse order for this one, left to right it’s 3 hr henna, 6 hr henna, cassia/henna, cassia.
FLASH photo)

https://preview.ibb.co/gtY4kT/570524_AB_0_E57_4880_9072_5_FA1_C48_E92_CE.jpg (https://ibb.co/fVPAQT)
(The strand with the pink elastic is the 6 hr henna.
INCANDESCENT light)


https://preview.ibb.co/m0tgX8/9_A6_A661_A_3558_48_FC_878_D_79209_B6_FA6_ED.jpg (https://ibb.co/by2as8)
(INCANDESCENT light)


https://preview.ibb.co/iCpMX8/E25_D136_F_3_D39_45_A1_9_CE6_324_F1_F31_D4_D1.jpg (https://ibb.co/gG5vs8)
(Really bad back of the head pic but I wanted to see how it looked on my roots too
NATURAL light)


https://preview.ibb.co/iahVQT/17629_D3_D_282_A_47_A4_AD52_DF28_FB2_F1_C8_A.jpg (https://ibb.co/cfmDeo)
(This bird is on fire! And is totally a sweetheart.)


So, I know it was hard to capture but believe me they shine in person especially against my length. I’m split between the 50/50 or the 6 hr henna. Both have a lot of rich gold and really glow. The cassia definitely gave me a lot of great shine but not much color change (wasn’t expecting it to) and the 3 hr henna seemed, weirdly enough, way way darker than the 6 hr henna. Anyone know why this would be? I got more of the brighter dye to develop maybe in the 6 hours?

I really love the golden fiery shine of the middle two, so I’ll be patient (or at least try...) and see how they oxidize.

(On another note I do not get my hair - I’ve got a great of 4-6 inches of roots but some of it has fiery streaks. Guess I didn’t grow out of my strawberry blonde. I think I literally have hair dysmorphia :P for color and length - kept on making way too short pieces of Saran Wrap to put behind the strand lengths)

Anyway... thoughts on color (from what my poor pictures show)?

[Nightshade]

I think if you're split, I would start with the 50/50 because you can always move on to the 6 hour henna later, but it's harder to backtrack.

I'm not sure why the three hour henna seemed darker, though, but henna is a strange beast :lol:

That is also a beautiful bird :)

[BlueKittyMeow]

I think you’re absolutely right! I’m TRYING to wait until they fully settle but it’s so hard :P
Should 3 days be sufficient to have an idea about how much gold/copper will stay or oxidize or should I wait something like 5 do you think?

[Nightshade]

I think you’re absolutely right! I’m TRYING to wait until they fully settle but it’s so hard :P
Should 3 days be sufficient to have an idea about how much gold/copper will stay or oxidize or should I wait something like 5 do you think?

The less henna a blend has, the less it's going to change color. 3 is more than enough, I bet they'll be their final color by the end of day 2 :)

[AshtangiPNW]

They look great! I don’t think you could go wrong with these results. I really like the shade of the strand with pink elastic, though... :)

[BlueKittyMeow]

They look great! I don’t think you could go wrong with these results. I really like the shade of the strand with pink elastic, though... :)

Thank you! I was so split between that one and the other :) I went with the lighter one because I think I want henna on the length again (for strength etc) and to start transitioning to a much lighter almost gloss so I’m not covering but just making up my natural copper.

Wednesday should be henna day so I’ll be posting finished photos soon :D

[Conflizzled]

I wonder if this has been addressed somewhere- is henna affected by pool water chemicals at all? I was planning on finally taking the plunge with henna this weekend, but I remembered that I have a pool party on the 4th! Is that too risky?

[littlestarface]

I wonder if this has been addressed somewhere- is henna affected by pool water chemicals at all? I was planning on finally taking the plunge with henna this weekend, but I remembered that I have a pool party on the 4th! Is that too risky?

No no risk at all. I have years n years of henna on my hair and nothing happened to my hair after i got wet in a pool

[Conflizzled]

That’s very reassuring! Thank you littlestarface!

[Conflizzled]

Oooh but I forgot to mention it’s a henna/cassia blend. I wonder if that changes things 😬

[littlestarface]

Oooh but I forgot to mention it’s a henna/cassia blend. I wonder if that changes things ��

No it wouldn't, cassia is just like henna but no red. Heck I even went in the pool after I did indigo and nothing changed. You'll be alright don't worry lol.

[Conflizzled]

Hahahaha sorry. It’s my first time ever dying my hair, and I’m so paranoid about messing it up! I’ll try to caaaalm dooown. 🙂

[littlestarface]

Hahahaha sorry. It’s my first time ever dying my hair, and I’m so paranoid about messing it up! I’ll try to caaaalm dooown. ��

Nah don't be sorry I was scared too at first I thought "Ahh my hairs gonna turn green or some nasty swamp color" LOL but nope it was normal after.

[Conflizzled]

Hahahaha exactly. Your hair is gorgeous, by the way!!

[BlueKittyMeow]

Got a head full of henna on right now! :D I’m 3 hours in and I just started getting drips. 3 more hours to go... glad baseball is on tonight to give me something to do! I’m also getting a lot of yarn spun while I wait haha. Henna is a tool for patience in so many respects.

[browneyedsusan]

I'm thinking of switching from Jamila to Moroccan henna (hennasooq), but have some concerns about freezing the paste.

I usually buy a bunch of henna powder, mix it with warm water to a thick paste, then freeze it in little sandwich baggies. When I'm ready to touch up my roots, I thaw a bag in the microwave, the dye comes right out, and I add conditioner until it's runny. I re-freeze any leftovers and add more frozen paste when I'm ready to stain my hair again.
I've read that Moroccan doesn't freeze well, but don't know what that means. Does it lose stain, become difficult to handle, or what?

Can anyone enlighten me?

[Dixie Derelict]

I may mess this up, but I'm TRYING to get an attachment
Posted here...I finally did THE THING: For my birthday. This was my mix:
8 Tblsp Cassia
1Tblsp Henna (scant tbsp)
1Tblsp Methi
1Tbsp Chandan
1Tblsp Honey
1Tblsp Aloe Vera gel

I am quite pleased with my results: VERY subtle. Don't really see any red to speak of...I seem to have gotten very close to what I was after; richer, more vibrant Cassia glow!
I am using Nupur brand henna from my local Indian store. It's a blend, with 9 other herbs, which I chose thinking it wouldn't be as Intense in color.
(I am guessing I was right about this...)
I was kinda clumsy mixing my mud - it seemed too thin, so I added a tbsp more Cassia and a TINY bit more Henna and gave it another hour or two. (Maybe the tiny bit of Henna smoothed the whole mix out a bit?)
Paul helped me out this time, as it was my birthday. He was really more fun than help, tho!
I am LOVING the effects I seem to have gotten from just this tiny bit - thicker(!) softer; just feels DELIGHTFUL!
It's maybe a little fly- away ish today. I'm gonna let it settle for the day and do an SMT tomorrow, if I still think it's needed.
I am going to do this again next time!

[Hairismypower]

Where can I find some good recipes on here for henna treatments (not colour). I've been thinking about buying some powders like amla aloe rose ashwaghanda brahmi marshmallow and of course henna. I wanna mix them up in a bowl dry (same amount of each I think) about 1-2 TBS of them together with oils and honey and hibiscus tea and maybe sometimes some conditioner (I usually prefer DIY masks than conditioner). Anyone got any good recipes they did for strength and conditioning and also the results over time of using a tiny bit of henna every two weeks and also what herbs worked for you and what didn't. Btw I have medium brown hair with lots of red highlights and very porous frizzy hair. Forgot to mention I'm also curious about other herbal dyes like indigo cassia katam etc so I'm also interested in any mixes anyone did and if indigo has good properties too.

[Katia_k]

Planning to henna tomorrow... just realized I never put my Nightblooming henna in the freezer like I meant to. I never opened the bags it came in, but I really should have frozen it as soon as it got here. Really hope it dye-releases... I am so overdue for a re-color that I'm going to cry if it fails on me.

[Arachnid]

I used to henna my hair when I joined this site, years ago now and my hair was only chin length back then. I am really keen to dye my hair red but now I’m at TB it’s a much bigger commitment!! I’m going to watch this thread and google henna suppliers while I decide ...

[Alex Lou]

Is there any truth to different varieties of henna having a slightly different undertone. Or is it just a matter of how much lawsome content there is creating different shades (light to dark), making the varieties seem to have different undertones? I see Yemeni listed as the coolest. Rajasthani listed as "cool" as well, or even a "rose" undertone.

I'm considering trying a henna gloss to add a tiny bit of that henna oomph to my hair in the sun. I don't want to go dark. My hair is already gold enough for me, so if I could get a truer red highlight or a rose highlight vs true orange, that would be ideal. My understanding though, is that it's all essentially orange on lighter hair. I will do some hairball strand tests.

Here's my current color:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33272&d=1536512567

[poli]

Is there any truth to different varieties of henna having a slightly different undertone. Or is it just a matter of how much lawsome content there is creating different shades (light to dark), making the varieties seem to have different undertones? I see Yemeni listed as the coolest. Rajasthani listed as "cool" as well, or even a "rose" undertone.

I'm considering trying a henna gloss to add a tiny bit of that henna oomph to my hair in the sun. I don't want to go dark. My hair is already gold enough for me, so if I could get a truer red highlight or a rose highlight vs true orange, that would be ideal. My understanding though, is that it's all essentially orange on lighter hair. I will do some hairball strand tests.


In my experience most henna is just orange - stronger or lighter wouldn't matter anyway with a gloss.
But I did experience two exceptions - once I bought Jamila that was so fresh the color was very bright greenish yellow orange for few days until it oxidized. And the other time when I used Khadi red henna with added red herbs and red clay - the hue was ruby red until the added herbs washed out.

[Alex Lou]

In my experience most henna is just orange - stronger or lighter wouldn't matter anyway with a gloss.
But I did experience two exceptions - once I bought Jamila that was so fresh the color was very bright greenish yellow orange for few days until it oxidized. And the other time when I used Khadi red henna with added red herbs and red clay - the hue was ruby red until the added herbs washed out.

Thank you. That's really helpful.

[Nightshade]

Is there any truth to different varieties of henna having a slightly different undertone. Or is it just a matter of how much lawsome content there is creating different shades (light to dark), making the varieties seem to have different undertones? I see Yemeni listed as the coolest. Rajasthani listed as "cool" as well, or even a "rose" undertone.

Sort of?

The thing to keep in mind is that it is all the same plant, and the same dye molecule. The concentration of the dye in the plant varies from region to region, so there's a little truth to the fact that there are some broad trends tied to what region the henna comes from.

Regions that are hotter, with less rainfall will produce stronger henna / more concentrated lawsone molecules.

BUT

Those are only large trends and they are not 100% consistent. If one region gets more rain than another, or a region has a drought, etc. that can and will affect the amount of dye, and by extension the resulting color.

It's just one of many variations. When I did strand tests of a bunch of different hennas on white mohair, they were all virtually identical because I kept the rest of the conditions the same: Same water temp, quality, dye release time, dye release temp, and application time.

Hennas I tested

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vzAmOBqagzB6koP8DeCEuqlV-vM-QamhoKqKCyrgDY2GtZPy29nsEOUa1HZJwHzBY-eahT_9svyuf6z8clW8TWOLpvb_VmgvTN2L455MFLXbfhumnkZ1 IhGTepwoaij_oq9DSeGOQye6-vayEt27daksDZk6jw_1Tfwrwf8DPoGTGJwIn28G--8Ed-veiJviEEMgtnA7V8Usgc1FJ-kSG4f0tYRBi8D16vQT4q7D7ZI_Y2M2eWWHpyufLF8n5iC_-1YIwmBMk3UjQVQb8Ex4e886hE8Jy02osraMZ702I1uhbr3u2Q9 4Lrhlxj_h5VzY_MNjFbWuN30GNRSrAI7v_V-3hkp4itIp1q-2iOg09udyIXeIPSHNUu3joyVpkduqBcE391V9ko0D7LJifG-4cz3geHFdsPEvOtgddqP_l2P89A7LCWD3pdJBFs0iuexb1R_zQ 95vaEfY1Ca83zQDm4U8lNYD4pQTOHN7DSVfYS7KqWK4FHYY-AgD-rCQtMOWibWj8Iw9ug-bc51Rn-x9jqf5AfaVHkTgQf3wMs7544ke2HfOIHzV9GXHT97kSqSZfhI8 PSKL-ECP1ignUfydo-Cmmw19k6SUjY2CzFeIpx4_uw5vyv2ZxXdQvwpWGtue=w695-h862-no

Before Oxidization
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zLkxJQV4lTxhma78RQKI563uyBcFIrskDuq385_DGjonW9pIs5 BeSIyz2ykFLFUXddJV6J2DMl3dAu7z9o60iWl91e1ZMouFs3br HWpiwmYO6nzVZZxT17MGXWt5nj5-FF8hJRx81177CsUQjYGAqkk3PZvY7YhYWoYkJkjrAFvysjudA4 pUXwn9-60DxiE7A8Qaf0Fb--_DLvl6VvMptxZFnuPAFBMfoTcgC29B6QcuF3EOrQXhGTI9sKJD iOq3OVC7svCIvuU6MHgXBr9dDG2R_jjd1y6A3-F3uLTaDne07gfntkwbreo12o8IMqvy1Y_OgP9B9Atr_JjAqqr4 uSJ7Pk8nSsCXGIl1UEvS9wp769mXyByMyS79J6YW8VcDxQ5oly lXyy1MDtaZYK3Y8GokhxN2viMqexiWOeT0ersA8DTOLvsYWXH_ O3JuPhonEPo7P7ox56Z6tC2OJtcuXUgvSZbuKYYXqEah0LKzOF 7OHpBX0RbFHBQCytu6WY3I1N2iHx94YrM1s8NrM4CXY7ckmfP-kAEMj7Eu05LfvwxwxWSHFJv5ZsbLdVdOn18ZByuEu_8klq9SwW B2SMfFuJR08zaoBjnsYfw-CRfECusXZge5WfjxdwOT-XSuT_5e=w1152-h862-no


After Oxidization
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZlyweH9OIE1ll0HvWxT_0y3bTU3cKgexFjOEz0d4dw2zBGnpO7 JW2iJm7Y9C16lwXjl1sunTgzZmank9d3FEYOY-WAkFhpTox4zVFhja5KcoZLj5NJNB0y2TJt24KJfA8qWjKq48LX mJcmIeoZ3qMh6IQCNoRhCuirPePls9hTzGCIQSrtJaBbE6MUCa yM87KYmIQxNFlhwEsnmzlc2X6NAXX1LsFwntXyNrhfxdSbGgDM bTwIX-iGQ2iEsgMM3lqGSNDrXEUKF3WYqBN4nKmd4ScJklo-ryNMSDpEKrPc6If6T9SRKGCCKfgODPOGXWHQzhszdGiBL_0aZk LsIKSBsDch7xy5ldyuwhJ-hMkT-6JqccN252Dol-TmWic94dHR3XIhw5u6HY74sUIMd4A8Lc4rJkGFpRxhX2b8YApN or3B2E5kt-dtTrjYaf9LjkHP2ToR8oaI2M7erRJq9oNaym953B2FI73K7wYo 1JDzezwk-8Gz94x6Ak7GycUkK16cFL5HP9FibQshIaTWh72ZCxQz8pBqndV 3IuQYIU7MLzo4XpKO6MVV188ZuwhF45XG86DXTS068JhyRKjg7 OZRCO6ue2IfPIq36UrDGLFVqB4kM9rEZSRwvPKLcrBkgr=w119 4-h863-no

The lighting on these strand tests is kinda bad, the colors are all very uniform in person. I actually still have all these strands so I should reshoot them, but this is good enough for the general idea.


This is all a very long way of saying, yes there are some trends in the regional differences of henna, but they are less meaningful than a lot of other potential variables in the process.

[Lady Stardust]

I’ve only ever got orange from a gloss too, even using Yemeni henna.

As far as the different regions go, the higher lawsone content (like Yemeni and Red Raj) build up to burgundy more quickly with repeat applications, but I think there is always an orange flare in the sun. That’s my experience anyway, but my hair does tend to default to orange with or without henna!

I don’t know if you can look into hibiscus if you want to push red over orange? I’ve never used it and I don’t know if it would work in a gloss (with henna) but it might be worth researching.

[Alex Lou]

Sort of?

The thing to keep in mind is that it is all the same plant, and the same dye molecule. The concentration of the dye in the plant varies from region to region, so there's a little truth to the fact that there are some broad trends tied to what region the henna comes from.

Regions that are hotter, with less rainfall will produce stronger henna / more concentrated lawsone molecules.

BUT

Those are only large trends and they are not 100% consistent. If one region gets more rain than another, or a region has a drought, etc. that can and will affect the amount of dye, and by extension the resulting color.

It's just one of many variations. When I did strand tests of a bunch of different hennas on white mohair, they were all virtually identical because I kept the rest of the conditions the same: Same water temp, quality, dye release time, dye release temp, and application time.


The lighting on these strand tests is kinda bad, the colors are all very uniform in person. I actually still have all these strands so I should reshoot them, but this is good enough for the general idea.


This is all a very long way of saying, yes there are some trends in the regional differences of henna, but they are less meaningful than a lot of other potential variables in the process.
Perfect! You did the test that I was thinking of doing. Thanks so much. The lighting does make them look different, but I'll take your word for it that they're all the same.


I’ve only ever got orange from a gloss too, even using Yemeni henna.

As far as the different regions go, the higher lawsone content (like Yemeni and Red Raj) build up to burgundy more quickly with repeat applications, but I think there is always an orange flare in the sun. That’s my experience anyway, but my hair does tend to default to orange with or without henna!

I don’t know if you can look into hibiscus if you want to push red over orange? I’ve never used it and I don’t know if it would work in a gloss (with henna) but it might be worth researching.

That makes sense. Orange is orange is orange.

I am thinking of strand testing with beet powder and/or hibiscus since I see accounts either one being permanent when mixed with henna.

[littlestarface]

Is there any truth to different varieties of henna having a slightly different undertone. Or is it just a matter of how much lawsome content there is creating different shades (light to dark), making the varieties seem to have different undertones? I see Yemeni listed as the coolest. Rajasthani listed as "cool" as well, or even a "rose" undertone.

I'm considering trying a henna gloss to add a tiny bit of that henna oomph to my hair in the sun. I don't want to go dark. My hair is already gold enough for me, so if I could get a truer red highlight or a rose highlight vs true orange, that would be ideal. My understanding though, is that it's all essentially orange on lighter hair. I will do some hairball strand tests.

Here's my current color:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33272&d=1536512567

Oh your hair color is gorgeous don't do henna please lol sorry I know it's your hair and such but your hair color is my dream color.

[Alex Lou]

Oh your hair color is gorgeous don't do henna please lol sorry I know it's your hair and such but your hair color is my dream color.

Trust me I don't want to mess it up. I want to push the color a little bit. If the strand tests don't come out well, I won't do it.

[Obsidian]

When my hair was lightened with a box dye, I did a henna gloss with 1 tbs mud to 1/4 cup conditioner left on for 15 minutes and it gave a nice subtle tint. If I would have left it for another 15-20 minutes, I might have actually gotten strawberry blond.

[Alex Lou]

When my hair was lightened with a box dye, I did a henna gloss with 1 tbs mud to 1/4 cup conditioner left on for 15 minutes and it gave a nice subtle tint. If I would have left it for another 15-20 minutes, I might have actually gotten strawberry blond.

That's really useful for me. I may follow that exact recipe. How long did you let the dye release?

[Obsidian]

I always keep a bit of henna mud in the freezer so thats what I had used. I generally dye release for about three hours then freeze. Freezing releases even more dye for a better stain.

My hair was really, really light when I did the gloss. If that recipe doesn't give you enough color, try doubling the henna or leaving it on longer.

[Alex Lou]

I always keep a bit of henna mud in the freezer so thats what I had used. I generally dye release for about three hours then freeze. Freezing releases even more dye for a better stain.

My hair was really, really light when I did the gloss. If that recipe doesn't give you enough color, try doubling the henna or leaving it on longer.

Thank you for the info. I figure I can gloss as many times as I like until I get the color I want. But if I initially go too dark, there's no going back. I do have some light blond strands that I only want to be strawberry. And the hairball has all my hair mixed together and won't look blond, so I'll play it safe and stay very light.

[Alex Lou]

It's going to take me a while to collect enough hair for my hairball tests. I seem to be shedding hardly at all.

[Nightshade]

Perfect! You did the test that I was thinking of doing. Thanks so much. The lighting does make them look different, but I'll take your word for it that they're all the same.
.

I'm going to reshoot them this weekend and I'm also going to redo the test with the henna I have on hand on ash blonde human hair.

I've got:

- Rajasthani 1
- Rajashani 2 (Henna Sooq)
- Rajasthani 3 (Red Raj)
- Moroccan
- Jamila
- Yemini

on hand. Should be fun!!

[Alex Lou]

I'm going to reshoot them this weekend and I'm also going to redo the test with the henna I have on hand on ash blonde human hair.

I've got:

- Rajasthani 1
- Rajashani 2 (Henna Sooq)
- Rajasthani 3 (Red Raj)
- Moroccan
- Jamila
- Yemini

on hand. Should be fun!!

Awesome! I look forward to it.

[Nightshade]

Awesome! I look forward to it.

Yay ^_^

I have a few others (Jamila for hair, Light Mountain), but the crops are older and I'd like to keep them all the same freshness. My Yemini is older, too, but I'm at least confident on how that's been stored and there's no option for me to get more :/

[Nightshade]

Here's a preview! I'm going to wait for everything to oxidize and then do a big write-up of the entire experiment on my blog.

The very, very short version is that I mixed each henna with 180F distilled water, covered, and kept them at 100F. I allowed them to dye release for 4 hours.


Top row, left to right:
- Rajasthani 1 (henna from one of my direct suppliers)
- Rajashani 2 (Henna Sooq)
- Rajasthani 3 (Red Raj)

Bottom row, left to right:
- Jamila
- Moroccan
- Yemini

Here's right after mixing:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/athZ9vjnOo4vhtoBjmopJNv_-ViFlNpqr-KZfNuJ--7upatEVzxx8IvYlP8j38TgkWtHChRU8F9SPyJGQLoe9E1ru4qQ 5IcbMPWFSxR6tvkxDAxOu6d8c5MuAj9e3C7MTcYOvb6a8MTxO-Bi2s3YbUShgHeaapzIsDQROIUDYyUf_he3zi4wQdVP6Eiv5AmE i7VP35j2YKjzOZS0TBY8ti3WkWAxpjy0PgD7ofev7HWwHtt1Mt L65m-VRW3IrCfeIOfR2L056gbl6pi1H_1Vb3yY70QsGWZsBKYwhrL1v NgpeadkFUnCX6pnEMbweEfT0ujW3mMbVR3YWcPfAqmMEKvGVhF 5Nd4Emkjc5VbyB7iI-U2b9xy7fhnDzVKhc-nm6s7CU6mUK8fvf5ynEjDF7GjBnF7kjNaWyViPQ6Ba-EH6huBJoUaH_9DDszC2KPV53anj-btzjFiIBMXuOjtf-4R0oiYlQ150cLPjlov4tkXtQUjMljrGSZ0ekxQfapVdv9k4obL q7U-SYf4ZK_ipwEUkzXCsIlajvcnZmIFb2xS2MNOuBftK-5D0VVSCNNkNkdl-6iKy6uTfLj2BdkKYwspLNxhdvAUEHb2r2dDGd0rhCvD0LvI1XT fBQZpUsdYF=w1239-h871-no

4 hours later:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4iCoXAOXCeBQGci8OVoC3ks7D67wHXxohmwyqbxSxTLUvNflxv y_gCftXen19fd1OnoDXt6JqLG4aDDPeKW3WNdbeiOj_5cTMAA7 TAr9va6P1d4LVXi45mzater5n969WwPHXD49Ie_5563UFFmJ_y eXpDuth2blwOF-HpRPrDk-tIhg1xMvfb4o0U2VKF_FTf4ToXku9GDDKkvImTinM1KvMxNLdx s5sF8nfJ2mJQzxLQYES4bchJ-3BWhe6uAr1aBaOEdZW3fnfciGTUqhlUhwMyYVRiLRTgrjyt5dB fNiXQsOEiqXOoEq5Qebs9KfpB8HsGCw9IL-4v_UDXYg9XM8t6jPvJ_zwEHgyKpNFX4nWbGKhEjXg4GCgcEuo9 HDLCUhQRjwaYiIymDotjrtTzQVjpr7HZnbiuOSpmwPxbPYmA88 5jo7v9-l5kzMRs6l8xJDmO0-kJ6K7iOSCalyL2EQBcsxPMgea-87r63x2lQpEV0M9G8f9wjRpzEJyzaDIwEHdo6n0gfrSBQ_A5vU Ty9y3Z5uSFxWF6cUIZbyn5p514zIj89Bkeztjb-RKiH9TaXYG7yvTzEGv4vIv3PNpfLp8QVrF1Nl-v-T9RsSwZIP4tPpeN5V47H71Immo5d6=w1320-h871-no


Then, I added in my test strands, all ash blonde human hair donated by a LHCer. I allowed those to soak for 6 hours. Here's just after pulling them out:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OKu-xmMGxzf1TIOS6l0DlvHypvU72FWkM2vfmpCtusOKm3--_howfdImN6aVNzYDKDh2q1HoIsxHi9aqK9Ci6XcF__RNX5L8kO G9VLfagG4ULSpSLEJGhQIqGCaTi9O0MjBVveKBIid4GmXU44mS HN7n0pMbHfUhxOfOdY4tZNTgpzPES46jg0hEOF8SGGYxQXnD_6 IRmLsI9W3NTYygE4cXDrpzmNzyt53mJJCnyBL1x2U2KTDZ9uEz MEjT66mfMMaTBq-xhv3HYjqH_Y1yDkmUSNTcnxtDY2GAIBnmazpUqlbYmeIm_wz6Y MKngbRF0rSmDQ-MmB_GrhQkktW3jXbHHoF65I452TYszCsJzMZWBtjI9fHBdiTew jjGvxtWNw7v5IziBpvGANlrVDK09ODtL1X92cwWhwvsUAF8iAs WU8bhtIH-inVVoZ5YYK9FDA4GwUEEJwfz0Mjkhq4vtxNr1tH9Q0VZ6CMiH_ PLIjN4o5au9b5_pSKYJM1oTOGIRRcwN9BUzK3dZFwjwIOtMHbI 6NwKVBoaOfTChnKZesEDUyHBYGsXKE3e76dp8BaAU9ThQ9B-E9DZje6M65raxJFznDB2zkwFCNxL_q6fluQ-_XLOVouwKLuTRaIsXSNi=w1087-h871-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/t0jCng_OXQneBnLXTlJ44eOXNJuOuF0WPVFH5Dq1U89LWTBCaG hOunEdjr3rp5amuduYJ-XFBGpB_4VkgtTwqUtA20SWLp8miblmzD7rd_fZ72MBmCZslTPW lSAYreSpzjBtTbyjTAPLu8TJusCiV71mhDV0vfdOF5-YE9HPtcUxTENtfGsLOwIR7AtdRiiBravumiVcameCgm0kDcR4N bjl8Tcz5pKiaK4aZeRDOvpFOhJG1i_dhKfm6cD00inTBY5UDzb SJFFz0PQMmd1ke0t-GsgtdvpayWue42gCxrmAVgZvtHCQBcstIqgTAQ3pmKk6RGcs7O TYAvyEVMP_DhzyUa75cJRhCTWn66wXFQ9z94zuSRyzodWZwpEy AY31fW3a20vSLFQNcZzwQk_meudK62gLNXfDCWLrGJNX191g_I FS_aCJtBwomL0hHVdevVZFXgtWE7wSE9gNwir51DL48eZT0aEi tyZqs-MMltAAgPsqWMiT4h7gHZhBHXrOWC64YPNXUndAfOGBZPZuwB3z 1Ekqllv55AE4hMM-2toYgD4OylZAn8S6m7LtqYUja4td6gC1Rysfiwl92vXmVCbmPF vWBLxN-DPGFfkXbtYbHV0erPsvyfYVqaH-fPsE=w1241-h871-no


I took a ton of pictures of the strand tests in various types of lighting with my good camera (these were just with my cell phone), some in consistent order and some mixed up (the goal is to present them in such a way that the differences, if any or significant, should be evident even if you don't know the order). Once the strands are oxidized, I'll reshoot everything.

[Nightshade]

https://i0.wp.com/nightbloominggarden.com/wp-content/uploads/Preoxidized-Strand-Tests-Standard-ORder-Direct-Sunlight-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1


And here are the results (https://wp.me/p8jaRe-2uh)!

There's a TON of pictures, so if you're on mobile, make sure you're not using your data plan for this one :P

[Alex Lou]

And here are the results (https://wp.me/p8jaRe-2uh)!

There's a TON of pictures, so if you're on mobile, make sure you're not using your data plan for this one :P

Awesome. This is such useful info that I couldn't find anywhere else.

I'm doing my own experiments tonight: henna vs henna+beet root vs henna+hibiscus

[Nightshade]

Awesome. This is such useful info that I couldn't find anywhere else.

I'm doing my own experiments tonight: henna vs henna+beet root vs henna+hibiscus

Awesome! I can't wait to see how your tests turn out :) And I'm glad my experiment was helpful for you!

[Alex Lou]

Here are the initial results pending oxidation:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33489&d=1538264414
On top is my shed hair. On the bottom, my dog's shed undercoat (originally white). These are all glosses using the same amount of henna, hot water, and conditioner. From Left to right: henna only, henna+hibiscus powder, henna+beet root powder

They all seem to be the same hue. Although the beet root powder one is definitely lighter. I'm really surprised. I had expected different hues for sure; that the powders would add red tones.

[Nightshade]

Here are the initial results pending oxidation:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33489&d=1538264414
On top is my shed hair. On the bottom, my dog's shed undercoat (originally white). These are all glosses using the same amount of henna, hot water, and conditioner. From Left to right: henna only, henna+hibiscus powder, henna+beet root powder

They all seem to be the same hue. Although the beet root powder one is definitely lighter. I'm really surprised. I had expected different hues for sure; that the powders would add red tones.

I didn't want to taint your observations, but I'm not surprised by your results. Beet juice, hibicus tea, and wine, for example, all stain some sorts of fibers really well, but not human hair.

Makes me cringe every time I read someone adding red wine to their hair to make it 'redder'.

[Alex Lou]

I didn't want to taint your observations, but I'm not surprised by your results. Beet juice, hibicus tea, and wine, for example, all stain some sorts of fibers really well, but not human hair.

Makes me cringe every time I read someone adding red wine to their hair to make it 'redder'.

Well now I know. I guess It's easy to see one's color deepening with subsequent applications of henna and attribute the cooler tone to the hibiscus or wine added to the mix. Also explains how some people seemed to get permanent color with hibiscus and beet: it was all just henna all along.

I guess I can use the beet root for food coloring or a natural sweetener. It smelled nice. Makes me want to eat beets.

[Nightshade]

Well now I know. I guess It's easy to see one's color deepening with subsequent applications of henna and attribute the cooler tone to the hibiscus or wine added to the mix. Also explains how some people seemed to get permanent color with hibiscus and beet: it was all just henna all along.

I guess I can use the beet root for food coloring or a natural sweetener. It smelled nice. Makes me want to eat beets.

I do think hibiscus and some red herbs can help, but it's generally in powder form. Some people have luck with it in the cherry cola thread, but it does take a pretty concerted effort and a bunch of layers of henna.

The issue is that the more red herbs you add, the more you dilute the henna, which makes it more orange. It's a pretty delicate balancing act.

[Alex Lou]

I do think hibiscus and some red herbs can help, but it's generally in powder form. Some people have luck with it in the cherry cola thread, but it does take a pretty concerted effort and a bunch of layers of henna.

The issue is that the more red herbs you add, the more you dilute the henna, which makes it more orange. It's a pretty delicate balancing act.

Well I'm pretty skeptical now. Especially of the idea that it could be permanent.

[Nightshade]

Well I'm pretty skeptical now. Especially of the idea that it could be permanent.

Aye, I am, too :)

[browneyedsusan]

Thanks for that study, Nightshade! I was considerin switching henna strains to get more copper, but will just stick with jamila, since it's all the same! You're right about the balancing act: I've diluted too much a few times and not gotten a good stain.

Thanks so much for the diligent testing. :)

[Nightshade]

Thanks for that study, Nightshade! I was considerin switching henna strains to get more copper, but will just stick with jamila, since it's all the same! You're right about the balancing act: I've diluted too much a few times and not gotten a good stain.

Thanks so much for the diligent testing. :)

You're so welcome! I had a lot of fun doing it and I'd like to do more.

So, if there's any other good controllable experiments regarding henna ya'll can think of, let me know, I'm all ears!

[maborosi]

I really liked seeing your blogpost on that experiment, Nightshade. I was really shocked!

I've been thinking of going a bit redder than where I'm at right now. But I'm not sure.
Generally I do Rusalki and just leave it on for 2 hours. Maybe I can just start by increasing my time with henna on my head by an hour or two, then decide if I want it redder xD

[Nightshade]

I really liked seeing your blogpost on that experiment, Nightshade. I was really shocked!

I've been thinking of going a bit redder than where I'm at right now. But I'm not sure.
Generally I do Rusalki and just leave it on for 2 hours. Maybe I can just start by increasing my time with henna on my head by an hour or two, then decide if I want it redder xD

I'm so glad you liked that post! I think/hope it should save some people money when they realize they don't have to throw down for the super special reddist red henna (because there isn't one.).

For your color, I think that's a good way to start. I notice a pretty big difference in the color I get between 2 hours with Genasi and 3 :)

[MoreSky]

Nightshade, thank you so much for doing this study. Really great work and I'm convinced about no differences now. And thanks to the LHCer who donated locks. This just busts through all my preconceptions about buying henna. From now on I'm going to relax and buy the best quality for the least cost. I'd love it if you might be able to save your work as a PDF posted on your website.

[Nightshade]

Nightshade, thank you so much for doing this study. Really great work and I'm convinced about no differences now. And thanks to the LHCer who donated locks. This just busts through all my preconceptions about buying henna. From now on I'm going to relax and buy the best quality for the least cost. I'd love it if you might be able to save your work as a PDF posted on your website.

Oh, that's a good idea and won't take me too long to do :) And I'll be sure to pass along thanks to the hair donor! I use her hair in all my experiments, so it's consistent across them :)

[Nightshade]

I've added a link to the experiment (https://nightbloominggarden.com/2018/09/6-types-of-henna-controlled-testing-on-human-hair/) where you can download it as a PDF if you'd like :)

[Kat]

I tried several different types as well; I ordered a bunch of samples from Henna Sooq to find the best shade for my hair, and did a bunch of hairballs. I honestly didn't see that much of a difference, either. A couple seemed a teeny bit more copper than burgundy or whatever, but not that much different, and sometimes I thought it was different samples that looked different. So I'm just gonna buy whatever's cheapest in future. :)


(FWIW, I don't mind orange, because I want a warm copper red, not dark burgundy, and my starting color is dark enough that I'm in no danger of looking like Bozo-- I wish my hair was still lighter like when i was younger so I'd get a brighter red, but I'm afraid to try lightening it and possibly hurt it with bleach.)

[Nightshade]

I tried several different types as well; I ordered a bunch of samples from Henna Sooq to find the best shade for my hair, and did a bunch of hairballs. I honestly didn't see that much of a difference, either. A couple seemed a teeny bit more copper than burgundy or whatever, but not that much different, and sometimes I thought it was different samples that looked different. So I'm just gonna buy whatever's cheapest in future. :)


(FWIW, I don't mind orange, because I want a warm copper red, not dark burgundy, and my starting color is dark enough that I'm in no danger of looking like Bozo-- I wish my hair was still lighter like when i was younger so I'd get a brighter red, but I'm afraid to try lightening it and possibly hurt it with bleach.)

You know, I've done Sun-In on my hair to lighten it to copper (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=19317) and then switched to Fire Genasi (35% henna, 65% senna and other herbs) so that might be an option for you, too!

That was 9 years ago and I never got damage from it, and I occasionally lighten my roots and the undersides of my hair that tend to grow in darker :)

[Kat]

You know, I've done Sun-In on my hair to lighten it to copper (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=19317) and then switched to Fire Genasi (35% henna, 65% senna and other herbs) so that might be an option for you, too!

That was 9 years ago and I never got damage from it, and I occasionally lighten my roots and the undersides of my hair that tend to grow in darker :)

That reminds me that I once thought of Sun-in! Thanks! My hair might be too dark to see any kind of results, but it might be worth a shot...

[MoreSky]

I've added a link to the experiment (https://nightbloominggarden.com/2018/09/6-types-of-henna-controlled-testing-on-human-hair/) where you can download it as a PDF if you'd like :)

Great, thanks! I've downloaded it. Now I can share it with my sister who is not an LHCer and firmly believes $$ = quality. Bwahahahaha.

[Nightshade]

Great, thanks! I've downloaded it. Now I can share it with my sister who is not an LHCer and firmly believes $$ = quality. Bwahahahaha.

Tell her that facts are priceless ;)

[Liz_H]

This is what I plan to add to 200 grams of henna mix. Is is too much altogether? I plan to use Nightblooming rusalki or rusalki/ sarenrae.

2 Tbsp EVOO
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp conditioner

[Nightshade]

This is what I plan to add to 200 grams of henna mix. Is is too much altogether? I plan to use Nightblooming rusalki or rusalki/ sarenrae.

2 Tbsp EVOO
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp conditioner

I think that should be all right :) The rule I tend to go with is not more than 1TB of oil per 100g of henna, and the honey, and conditioner, in those amounts, shouldn't affect dye uptake. Just keep in mind that the henna content of Rusalki is already pretty diluted, so if you don't get the color saturation you want, I'd halve these amounts next time :)

[Liz_H]

Thanks Nightshade. I'll go ahead and strand test the Rusalki, but I suspect I'll need to make my own blend. I've been rereading your book, and I suspect I'll need to make my own mix - adding some indigo to get the color I want, mixing and adding the indigo just before application.

[Nightshade]

Thanks Nightshade. I'll go ahead and strand test the Rusalki, but I suspect I'll need to make my own blend. I've been rereading your book, and I suspect I'll need to make my own mix - adding some indigo to get the color I want, mixing and adding the indigo just before application.

That's very possible! Just keep in mind that generally you want to add amla so it's 1/3 the amount of henna in your mix. So if your blend has 30g of henna in it, you'll want to add 10g of amla to mute it :)

[Genne]

I can tolerate little red but not as much as you showed me. How long should I leave it on to make it not stain?

Hello,
I'm certain your post has been answered by someone more knowing than me since I'm a new to henna and new to the forum poster but, I've heard and recently experienced that henna's color deepens in the time after application. This is "AFTER" it gets bright red in the first place. :)

Mine is about 4 days post application and it is darkening a little more. I am happy with it and actually amazed that this is the most happy I've been with my hair texture ever. I've also read that the entire color will darken after following applications so I may do one more full head application and then follow up with roots only mostly. I really need to do another full head application since there are two areas where I wasn't very good at getting even coverage. EVEN though I'm sure those areas will still look lighter after everything else still has a single full coverage more than those.

I hope that makes sense. It isn't an instant process.
Jen

[blackgothicdoll]

https://youtu.be/dQlTxgGDVSc

Ok so this video sold me on glosses. I'm growing out black hair dye and my natural color is how hers looks in the light. I don't have enough virgin hair to do a strand test yet (though I can just test whatever I find in my brush), so I'm wondering if anyone has a guess to whether it would tint my hair or turn it red.

I'm thinking my method would be to mix water and henna and let that sit, then add conditioner and indigo, maybe some oil, and use it as a mask after washing. Could that give me the benefits of indigo without the color change and risk of breakage?

[poli]

https://youtu.be/dQlTxgGDVSc

Ok so this video sold me on glosses. I'm growing out black hair dye and my natural color is how hers looks in the light. I don't have enough virgin hair to do a strand test yet (though I can just test whatever I find in my brush), so I'm wondering if anyone has a guess to whether it would tint my hair or turn it red.

I'm thinking my method would be to mix water and henna and let that sit, then add conditioner and indigo, maybe some oil, and use it as a mask after washing. Could that give me the benefits of indigo without the color change and risk of breakage?

I think henna will tint your hair. It might not show much in regular lighting but expect the orange cast, especially in the sun.
I recently went darker with full strength henna all over my hair and I must say the benefits - stronger, shinier, less frizzy hair are better with plain henna than the diluted one. Anyway strand test!
I have no experience with indigo, but with dark hair you might not need it.

[blackgothicdoll]

I think henna will tint your hair. It might not show much in regular lighting but expect the orange cast, especially in the sun.
I recently went darker with full strength henna all over my hair and I must say the benefits - stronger, shinier, less frizzy hair are better with plain henna than the diluted one. Anyway strand test!
I have no experience with indigo, but with dark hair you might not need it.

So I did a strand test on some shed hair and it was pretty darn orange in just indirect sunlight! And that was one application. My hair seems to naturally get an orange glow, so as I suspected henna alone greatly amplified that. Away from light, it appeared very dark brown or off black, as usual.

I've used full strength henna in the past, it was drying and a PITA to wash out. I was never consistent so I never saw benefits. I'm also nervous because I've read about henna causing breakage or changing porosity, so I figure starting with a gloss would be safer?

[blackgothicdoll]

So I'm thinking, maybe I should just bite the bullet and do a two step since I want darker hair? The only thing is the mess. A gloss would be one step and less messy. Hmmm

[Nightshade]

So I did a strand test on some shed hair and it was pretty darn orange in just indirect sunlight! And that was one application. My hair seems to naturally get an orange glow, so as I suspected henna alone greatly amplified that. Away from light, it appeared very dark brown or off black, as usual.

I've used full strength henna in the past, it was drying and a PITA to wash out. I was never consistent so I never saw benefits. I'm also nervous because I've read about henna causing breakage or changing porosity, so I figure starting with a gloss would be safer?


So I'm thinking, maybe I should just bite the bullet and do a two step since I want darker hair? The only thing is the mess. A gloss would be one step and less messy. Hmmm


Maybe? I think most the claims of dryness are from people adding acid to henna (there's no reason at all to unless you're having issues fading), or letting mud dry out when it's on the hair (for breakage).

I think perhaps your best bet is doing a henna gloss and then an indigo gloss? You'd get less color overall, but it might be worth a go :)

[Shorty89]

Maybe? I think most the claims of dryness are from people adding acid to henna (there's no reason at all to unless you're having issues fading), or letting mud dry out when it's on the hair (for breakage).

I think perhaps your best bet is doing a henna gloss and then an indigo gloss? You'd get less color overall, but it might be worth a go :)

The "dryness" for me was more like protein overload and was solved by doing a SMT a couple days after henna. I also think that making the mix too thick can cause breakage for me because it was harder to work through my hair. I always add a bit of conditioner to make it easier to worth through my hair.

[AutobotsAttack]

I will be doing my first ever henna application.
I’ve done enough research to get a good ground for how everything goes, I’m just curious as all.
So anyone with henna knowledge please...drop it on meh!

My hair is very fine, and chemically straightened, almost Classic length. Typically I do protein treatments as needed, but lately I’ve been wanting to use something different and much cheaper. My hair is already a bright chocolate brown color so I’m not worried about color changes. I’m highly porous, but I do keep on top of regular moisture treatments and washing.

I have a sensitive scalp, but I’m not really aiming to apply the henna directly on my scalp. Maybe an inch or two from my roots.

I understand henna is a good strengthening treatment, but I’m wary of protein overload since it’s incredibly easy for me to end up with that, especially with natural ingredients. I feel like the use of oils or conditioner might thwart the henna’s ability to penetrate and coat properly.

So any and all info is welcomed.

[JennGalt]

If you are concerned about protein overload, maybe a gloss would be a good method to try first. I’ve only ever done glosses, and haven’t had any issues with uptake or coating. My hair is inky black, but my ends have some dark reddish highlights from henna that show up in bright lighting. I follow the henna with a protein free conditioner, and after my last gloss I tried following the henna with a brief SMT with olive oil mixed in. No dryness, even with arid desert weather! Clarifying first also seems to prevent post henna dryness or other problems and might improve uptake.

Henna is great for porous hair (IME). Repeated applications seem to reduce porosity a little, which is a good thing, or at least it is for my hair. The first 48 hours after the henna treatment hair can seem more porous and tangly, but in my case at least this is merely because the cuticle is raised. It will eventually resolve itself, though a vinegar rinse after rinsing out the post henna conditioner seems to help.

For me, henna is a scalp treatment as much as it is a hair treatment. My scalp can be problematic due to eczema, but on rare occasions it will start acting up and getting itchy and irritated for no apparent reason. If oil and aloe can’t make it stop, a henna-coconut milk concoction will. I believe you have different scalp issues than I do, AutobotsAttack, but henna has been used for hundreds of years for relieving scalp trouble, and you will not likely be able to keep it off your scalp completely. I think it would be wise for you to look more into how it might affect your particular scalp issues, because seriously henna gets everywhere. A small patch test might be in order too!

Hope it goes well for you!

[AutobotsAttack]

If you are concerned about protein overload, maybe a gloss would be a good method to try first. I’ve only ever done glosses, and haven’t had any issues with uptake or coating. My hair is inky black, but my ends have some dark reddish highlights from henna that show up in bright lighting. I follow the henna with a protein free conditioner, and after my last gloss I tried following the henna with a brief SMT with olive oil mixed in. No dryness, even with arid desert weather! Clarifying first also seems to prevent post henna dryness or other problems and might improve uptake.

Henna is great for porous hair (IME). Repeated applications seem to reduce porosity a little, which is a good thing, or at least it is for my hair. The first 48 hours after the henna treatment hair can seem more porous and tangly, but in my case at least this is merely because the cuticle is raised. It will eventually resolve itself, though a vinegar rinse after rinsing out the post henna conditioner seems to help.

For me, henna is a scalp treatment as much as it is a hair treatment. My scalp can be problematic due to eczema, but on rare occasions it will start acting up and getting itchy and irritated for no apparent reason. If oil and aloe can’t make it stop, a henna-coconut milk concoction will. I believe you have different scalp issues than I do, AutobotsAttack, but henna has been used for hundreds of years for relieving scalp trouble, and you will not likely be able to keep it off your scalp completely. I think it would be wise for you to look more into how it might affect your particular scalp issues, because seriously henna gets everywhere. A small patch test might be in order too!

Hope it goes well for you!

Thank you!
That’s really good info. I’ll patch test maybe twice in a couple different areas, and see how it feels on a few parts of my scalp.

[poli]

I will be doing my first ever henna application.
I’ve done enough research to get a good ground for how everything goes, I’m just curious as all.
So anyone with henna knowledge please...drop it on meh!

My hair is very fine, and chemically straightened, almost Classic length. Typically I do protein treatments as needed, but lately I’ve been wanting to use something different and much cheaper. My hair is already a bright chocolate brown color so I’m not worried about color changes. I’m highly porous, but I do keep on top of regular moisture treatments and washing.

I have a sensitive scalp, but I’m not really aiming to apply the henna directly on my scalp. Maybe an inch or two from my roots.

I understand henna is a good strengthening treatment, but I’m wary of protein overload since it’s incredibly easy for me to end up with that, especially with natural ingredients. I feel like the use of oils or conditioner might thwart the henna’s ability to penetrate and coat properly.

So any and all info is welcomed.

I avoid conditioners containing protein for about few weeks after henna. I like to heavy oil my hair on the day after (I feel it helps combat the dryness). The things with application process that helped me is to keep the paste on the runny side and keep it covered with plastic cling or bag so it stays moist, I avoid keeping the henna on longer than two hours, so 2h for dye release and 2h max on my head. Washing it out with conditioner is a must. I hope it helps :)

[AutobotsAttack]

I avoid conditioners containing protein for about few weeks after henna. I like to heavy oil my hair on the day after (I feel it helps combat the dryness). The things with application process that helped me is to keep the paste on the runny side and keep it covered with plastic cling or bag so it stays moist, I avoid keeping the henna on longer than two hours, so 2h for dye release and 2h max on my head. Washing it out with conditioner is a must. I hope it helps :)
And @JennGalt

Just to give you guys an update:
I ended up going with Indigo. I saw a good price, and a good quality from an Etsy Store.
I did a bit of reading and video watching, and I didn’t know you’re technically supposed to use henna with the indigo, but it worked great on it’s own.

I brewed some Dong Quai tea, poured about 2-3 tablespoons of it into a plastic bowl with 1/2 cup of Indigo. I waited for about 20mins until the dye started releasing, and then applied it as evenly as possible. I didn’t add anything else to the mix, just the tea and powder mix.

I left it on for an hour and 30 mins. Rinsed as well as I could, no shampoo just a moisturizing conditioner. Currently I’m deep conditioning with a Ceramide treatment. I didn’t find it as drying as others have mentioned, but then again, I’m chemically straightened, so compared to this natural indigo treatment, my hair was feeling very happy.

It completely covered my sun bleached areas, and brought my hair from a light pecan brown to a Smokey hickory like brown. But I honestly love how it turned out.

Here’s some pictures:
These are how my bangs typically get in the summer
https://i.imgflip.com/32wtfv.jpg (https://imgflip.com/i/32wtfv)via Imgflip Meme Generator (https://imgflip.com/memegenerator)

Here they are after treatment
https://i.imgflip.com/32wtj4.jpg (https://imgflip.com/i/32wtj4)via Imgflip Meme Generator (https://imgflip.com/memegenerator)

Color of my longer lengths:
https://i.imgflip.com/32wtt2.jpg (https://imgflip.com/i/32wtt2)via Imgflip Meme Generator (https://imgflip.com/memegenerator)

Color now:
https://i.imgflip.com/32wtx9.jpg (https://imgflip.com/i/32wtx9)via Imgflip Meme Generator (https://imgflip.com/memegenerator)

My hair was still mostly damp in the last picture, but I can still see the color change. Certain parts of my hair are rather resistant, and I’m also sure I could stand to do another treatment just to get a bit more even coating, but so far I like it overall.

Thanks again guys for all the tips.
Currently I have Almond oil on hand, but I’m using that for something else, but I usually have Shea Butter or Cupuaçu butter on hand to help keep the moisture in. So once I rinse the deep conditioner out, I’ll just seal like I usually do.

Don’t know when I’d like to do another treatment, but I’ll keep you guys posted :)

[AutobotsAttack]

Here’s another one a bit more dry before deep conditioning
https://i.imgflip.com/32wvkx.jpg (https://imgflip.com/i/32wvkx)via Imgflip Meme Generator (https://imgflip.com/memegenerator)

I’ll post another one after another wash, and when my hair isn’t so clumped together.

[Genne]

I'm so glad you are overall happy with it!!! :)

Signed me: A new henna head. :)

[JennGalt]

That looks great, AutobotsAttack! Indigo can be finicky from what I’ve read, but it looks like it’s worked out well for you. I’ve been wondering what a standalone indigo treatment would do for darker hair to tone down warmth and I’m glad you posted pix :) I know I could very well have different results, especially since my hair has a multiple henna applications on it, but this is encouraging :) I may give it a try to darken my ends closer to their natural jet black shade sometime this summer.

[Laurenji]

Hey guys. I've been away from the forums for quite a while, but I want to dye my hair with Henna as it's growing out again 1) because it strengthens hair, and 2) because it's so much more permanent than the semi-permanent vegetable-based dyes I've been using. (only downside is that henna doesn't come in purple. boo.)

Anyways, I know that henna comes in different varieties and blends. It also looks like hennaforhair/mehandi.com has updated their website and doesn't have nearly as many varieties anymore? So I was wondering if someone could point me to what the most vibrantly fire truck red/carrot orange henna is these days. (my hair's bleached rn, so I know it'll come out pretty bright and that's honestly what I'm going for.)

[CosmoCat]

I’ve used henna a few times, but I’m still learning. What about the Enyo from Night Blooming?

[CosmoCat]

I’m sitting in front of a few samples now...Fire Genasi, Kitsune and Enyo. I bought enough of the Genasi to use on my hair, but I’m *trying* to hold off until the sedr gets here. I want to try the conditioning properties of that on my hair too. I’m torn between color, anyhow...henna or indigo.

[Genne]

I think henna will tint your hair. It might not show much in regular lighting but expect the orange cast, especially in the sun.
I recently went darker with full strength henna all over my hair and I must say the benefits - stronger, shinier, less frizzy hair are better with plain henna than the diluted one. Anyway strand test!
I have no experience with indigo, but with dark hair you might not need it.

The henna I used was Light Mountain Red henna which is only ground henna leaf ( https://www.light-mountain-hair-color.com/natural-hair-color-and-conditioner-red.html ) I think I was very lucky I found it, and also that I found here too!

Jen
p.s. my avatar was taken about 2 days after henna and my signature about 12 days later, it definitely darkened.

[poli]

AutobotsAttack I like it, seems you got some toning/darkening effect from indigo and it stuck without henna.

[AutobotsAttack]

I'm so glad you are overall happy with it!!! :)

Signed me: A new henna head. :)


That looks great, AutobotsAttack! Indigo can be finicky from what I’ve read, but it looks like it’s worked out well for you. I’ve been wondering what a standalone indigo treatment would do for darker hair to tone down warmth and I’m glad you posted pix :) I know I could very well have different results, especially since my hair has a multiple henna applications on it, but this is encouraging :) I may give it a try to darken my ends closer to their natural jet black shade sometime this summer.


AutobotsAttack I like it, seems you got some toning/darkening effect from indigo and it stuck without henna.

Thanks guys.
I ended up doing a second Indigo treatment and it’s much darker now, just to get it all one even color. :
https://i.imgflip.com/332z6q.jpg (https://imgflip.com/i/332z6q)via Imgflip Meme Generator (https://imgflip.com/memegenerator)

I think Jenn, a second application with just Indigo could do the trick. I didn’t do anything fancy either. Just followed up with moisture afterwards. Shampooed today, 2 days later, and it’s not running anymore so the color is definitely staying.

[blackgothicdoll]

Thanks guys.
I ended up doing a second Indigo treatment and it’s much darker now, just to get it all one even color. :
https://i.imgflip.com/332z6q.jpg (https://imgflip.com/i/332z6q)via Imgflip Meme Generator (https://imgflip.com/memegenerator)

I think Jenn, a second application with just Indigo could do the trick. I didn’t do anything fancy either. Just followed up with moisture afterwards. Shampooed today, 2 days later, and it’s not running anymore so the color is definitely staying.

Wow! Everyone always says plain indigo won't do anything, but it sure looks like it did. Is there any reason you decided against using henna at all, though? Indigo is said to not have any benefits outside of pigment.

[Genne]

Thanks guys.
I ended up doing a second Indigo treatment and it’s much darker now, just to get it all one even color. :

I think Jenn, a second application with just Indigo could do the trick. I didn’t do anything fancy either. Just followed up with moisture afterwards. Shampooed today, 2 days later, and it’s not running anymore so the color is definitely staying.

It looks really good!

Jen
p.s. I'm just at 2 weeks post my henna, (about,) and I'm so very ready to do it again, (darn me using a shampoo/condition with silicones in it, I'm now waiting for that to totally wash out.)

[AutobotsAttack]

Wow! Everyone always says plain indigo won't do anything, but it sure looks like it did. Is there any reason you decided against using henna at all, though? Indigo is said to not have any benefits outside of pigment.

I think people say that depending on if the indigo will even take. From what I’ve read it’s hard to get indigo to stick. I take it from issues with low porosity. I think the only reason my hair took pretty much all of the pigment is because it’s very fine and very porous. It looks and behaves much like a cotton ball does. Especially my longer lengths. Those parts will absorb pretty much anything I put on them.

For me personally I can see and feel the benefits. Now that I’ve shampooed it feels very very smooth. Even without any product. But it feels amazing when I apply any oils or butters. And I have itchy scalp issues, that for the most part, have subsided quite a bit since using indigo.

There wasn’t really any particular reason I chose indigo over henna. To be honest Deep down I was feeling a color change coming on anyways. With just henna My hair color would’ve been mostly the same, just with hints of red a bit more. I’m sure both of them will give me the strengthening benefits I was looking for. I just really felt like I didn’t have to do multiple steps, since my hair doesn’t really put up a fuss taking pigment from anything that dyes or releases color.

[AutobotsAttack]

It looks really good!

Jen
p.s. I'm just at 2 weeks post my henna, (about,) and I'm so very ready to do it again, (darn me using a shampoo/condition with silicones in it, I'm now waiting for that to totally wash out.)

Thank you!

From the looks of it I probably won’t need another application until the end of this month.

[Panthera]

Newbie questions coming up! :)

Is it ok to do a strand test to my actual hair, you know, a still growing, non-shed hair? :D I have a big ball of shed hair I've collected for testing but I can't separate it, my ends are bleached and I don't think the hair ball will show well enough how the bleached hair will look like. I'm totally prepared for having bright orange hair but I still want to see it. I want the colour to be as red as possible, I know it's probably not going to be like that at first.

Should I pre-oil my hair or add oil to the henna? I want to avoid dryness, my hair is already very very dry and I've heard the stories about strawlike hair after henna. I'm planning to mix the henna with warm water and/or chamomille tea, no lemon juice. I might add fenugreek too for extra slip and conditioning, any ideas how much should I use? Can I wash my hair first and use a rinse out conditioner?

[Nightshade]

Newbie questions coming up! :)

Is it ok to do a strand test to my actual hair, you know, a still growing, non-shed hair? :D I have a big ball of shed hair I've collected for testing but I can't separate it, my ends are bleached and I don't think the hair ball will show well enough how the bleached hair will look like. I'm totally prepared for having bright orange hair but I still want to see it. I want the colour to be as red as possible, I know it's probably not going to be like that at first.

Should I pre-oil my hair or add oil to the henna? I want to avoid dryness, my hair is already very very dry and I've heard the stories about strawlike hair after henna. I'm planning to mix the henna with warm water and/or chamomille tea, no lemon juice. I might add fenugreek too for extra slip and conditioning, any ideas how much should I use? Can I wash my hair first and use a rinse out conditioner?

You can totally strand test hair on your head. Just pick an inconspicious spot that's easy to reach, slather up the strand, sandwich it in between some plastic wrap to keep it from drying out and you're good to go!

You should not pre-oil your hair or add oil to your henna. Oils do not impart moisture, they prevent moisture from evaporating. The biggest contributor to dryness is using acids, but you're not planning on that :)

You can wash your hair first and use a rinse out conditioner.

Honestly I'd start with just henna and chamomile tea and see how your hair feels. It will likely be just fine :) If you think it feels a little dry after, then consider adding other things to it like coconut milk or fenugreek or what have you (I personally add a shot glass of silicone-free detangler to mine). I think it's worth having a clean baseline for testing so you know what modifications to make later, and why.

[Panthera]

I had a wash day today and decided to do the strand test. I started with something very simple as adviced, just henna and water. I did oil my hair before I washed it as I usually do. I'm really happy with the colour actually, it's very bright coppery colour and fades well into the non-bleached darker hair. Please don't fade back into the yellow bleached horribleness. :pray:

My hair had a weird texture when I was rinsing the henna, it felt stringy and tangly and frizzy. It went back to normal after my hair dried but I don't know... Doing a full head application kind of scares me, it's going to be a tangly mess.

[GRU]

My hair had a weird texture when I was rinsing the henna, it felt stringy and tangly and frizzy. It went back to normal after my hair dried but I don't know... Doing a full head application kind of scares me, it's going to be a tangly mess.

I wash it out with diluted conditioner....

[Genne]

So I'm thinking, maybe I should just bite the bullet and do a two step since I want darker hair? The only thing is the mess. A gloss would be one step and less messy. Hmmm

Hello,
I'm not sure. I mean, yes, the "copper panic' orange glow is strong but, only lasted a couple of days on my dark ash blonde hair and by 2 weeks my hair just look auburn more than red.

Maybe give that strand test a little time. How did it look 2 weeks later?
Jen
p.s my signature was taken about two weeks after my first henna and my avatar within the first week.

[Dee94]

Hi, quick question...

I hear that acidic speeds up the dye release?
I'm thinking of putting ACV in my henna water mix, how much of ACV would I put in?
I haven't gotten my henna yet, I'm very excited and patiently waiting.
Also, how long should I let the mix sit for before I apply into my hair? And I hear it's easier to apply to damp hair?
I got the BAQ Red Raj from Henna Sooq!
And... I'm wondering if I should just make up a whole batch and freeze the leftovers which I'm sure I'll have lots of.
Can I put one big batch in the same bowl instead of a bunch of baggies or containers and just keep thawing then refreezing the same batch?

Thank you.

[Dee94]

Oh, and how long do I wait to do a DC after I wash the henna out? A day or 2? Longer?

[Nightshade]

Hi, quick question...

I hear that acidic speeds up the dye release?
I'm thinking of putting ACV in my henna water mix, how much of ACV would I put in?
I haven't gotten my henna yet, I'm very excited and patiently waiting.
Also, how long should I let the mix sit for before I apply into my hair? And I hear it's easier to apply to damp hair?
I got the BAQ Red Raj from Henna Sooq!
And... I'm wondering if I should just make up a whole batch and freeze the leftovers which I'm sure I'll have lots of.
Can I put one big batch in the same bowl instead of a bunch of baggies or containers and just keep thawing then refreezing the same batch?

Thank you.


Acids do not speed up dye release. HEAT speeds up dye release. Acids are only useful on hair if you're experiencing fading with your henna (which is, for most people, little to none). :)

If you insist on adding an acid anyway, do a tablespoon or so to limit how drying it will be.

How long you let it sit also depends on heat. I add steaming water to mine and dye release it in a crock pot on warm (https://nightbloominggarden.com/2019/01/crock-pot-instant-pot-henna-for-perfect-dye-release/) . It's ready to go in 3-4 hours. If you have it sitting out on a room temperature, it's going to take double or more the time to dye release properly.

I think dry or damp hair is kind of a horse apiece and depends how you mix up the mud. If you make it thicker, doing it on damp hair is best because then it smooths easier. If you make the mud thinner, you want to apply it to dry hair because then it wicks out the moisture and isn't so drippy. There's also been some conjecture here that you get superior stain on dry hair because the dye-water is what's absorbing into your hair rather than having it already wet with water. I personally haven't noticed a difference in color doing it on damp or dry hair.

You can put one big batch in the same bowl and keep thawing it, but you can only do this a limited number of times. I have a bottle I keep just for doing my eyebrows that I do this to so every couple of weeks I thaw it in warm water, use it, and pop it back in the freezer. It does take several instances of this, but eventually all the dye does break down and it stops dying. If you have enough leftovers for one or two root touchups, I think thawing it all is fine. If you're going to do more than that, then I'd spit it up before freezing :)

[Dee94]

Acids do not speed up dye release. HEAT speeds up dye release. Acids are only useful on hair if you're experiencing fading with your henna (which is, for most people, little to none). :)

If you insist on adding an acid anyway, do a tablespoon or so to limit how drying it will be.

How long you let it sit also depends on heat. I add steaming water to mine and dye release it in a crock pot on warm (https://nightbloominggarden.com/2019/01/crock-pot-instant-pot-henna-for-perfect-dye-release/) . It's ready to go in 3-4 hours. If you have it sitting out on a room temperature, it's going to take double or more the time to dye release properly.

I think dry or damp hair is kind of a horse apiece and depends how you mix up the mud. If you make it thicker, doing it on damp hair is best because then it smooths easier. If you make the mud thinner, you want to apply it to dry hair because then it wicks out the moisture and isn't so drippy. There's also been some conjecture here that you get superior stain on dry hair because the dye-water is what's absorbing into your hair rather than having it already wet with water. I personally haven't noticed a difference in color doing it on damp or dry hair.

You can put one big batch in the same bowl and keep thawing it, but you can only do this a limited number of times. I have a bottle I keep just for doing my eyebrows that I do this to so every couple of weeks I thaw it in warm water, use it, and pop it back in the freezer. It does take several instances of this, but eventually all the dye does break down and it stops dying. If you have enough leftovers for one or two root touchups, I think thawing it all is fine. If you're going to do more than that, then I'd spit it up before freezing :)

OK, great. Thank you! I will just use henna and water. :)
I like the link with the crock pot you added, that's a great idea!
I will also freeze separate batches.

Thanks, Nightshade!

[hennalove]

Hi, quick question...

I hear that acidic speeds up the dye release?
I'm thinking of putting ACV in my henna water mix, how much of ACV would I put in?
I haven't gotten my henna yet, I'm very excited and patiently waiting.
Also, how long should I let the mix sit for before I apply into my hair? And I hear it's easier to apply to damp hair?
I got the BAQ Red Raj from Henna Sooq!
And... I'm wondering if I should just make up a whole batch and freeze the leftovers which I'm sure I'll have lots of.
Can I put one big batch in the same bowl instead of a bunch of baggies or containers and just keep thawing then refreezing the same batch?

Thank you.

A lot of folk use lemon juice or ACV in their henna mixes. I do not because they can be drying. Acidity keeps the lawsone molecule intact giving deeper staining.

The mix sits until dye release which depends on the henna and the warmth. Quicker dye release - use warm not hot liquid and set wrapped in a towel in a warm location for 2 hours or more. Look for the dark layer on top. When you see that it is ready to use or freeze. My experience with Red Raj is 3 hours for dye release.

Freezing - I always freeze. I use small containers with 9 tbsp for a full head treatment plus whatever other herbs I'm adding. It is easier to use later if froze in smaller quantities in my experience but I haven't heard anything that says you can't thaw and refreeze. If I have any plain henna left over from a treatment I will freeze it so technically froze twice. Certain herbs added especially indigo don't freeze well so are best used fresh. Also, I don't freeze any henna that has had coconut milk added to it.

[hennalove]

Oh, and how long do I wait to do a DC after I wash the henna out? A day or 2? Longer?

You can wash and condition your hair immediately after rinsing out your henna UNLESS you are doing and indigo right afterwards. Unlike many, I only rinse henna out with water then wash a day or two later. But, I do oil as soon as my hair is dry after doing a straight henna BUT only if not doing an indigo. Also, if you are using indigo [can't remember if you are or not] my experience is no washing, conditioner or oil for 48 to 72 hours later. Your hair actually will let you know when its safe to wash with a texture change.

[Dee94]

A lot of folk use lemon juice or ACV in their henna mixes. I do not because they can be drying. Acidity keeps the lawsone molecule intact giving deeper staining.

The mix sits until dye release which depends on the henna and the warmth. Quicker dye release - use warm not hot liquid and set wrapped in a towel in a warm location for 2 hours or more. Look for the dark layer on top. When you see that it is ready to use or freeze. My experience with Red Raj is 3 hours for dye release.

Freezing - I always freeze. I use small containers with 9 tbsp for a full head treatment plus whatever other herbs I'm adding. It is easier to use later if froze in smaller quantities in my experience but I haven't heard anything that says you can't thaw and refreeze. If I have any plain henna left over from a treatment I will freeze it so technically froze twice. Certain herbs added especially indigo don't freeze well so are best used fresh. Also, I don't freeze any henna that has had coconut milk added to it.


You can wash and condition your hair immediately after rinsing out your henna UNLESS you are doing and indigo right afterwards. Unlike many, I only rinse henna out with water then wash a day or two later. But, I do oil as soon as my hair is dry after doing a straight henna BUT only if not doing an indigo. Also, if you are using indigo [can't remember if you are or not] my experience is no washing, conditioner or oil for 48 to 72 hours later. Your hair actually will let you know when its safe to wash with a texture change.


Hi, hennalove,
thanks for the response!
That's good to know about dye release time, as I'll be using the Red raj as well! (Thanks for your recommendation btw!) :o
I am only using Henna, no indigo.
I think I'm actually going to put the organic aloe vera powder in with my henna and water.
I just watched a youtube video from Henna Sooq!
Oh and it's good to know how much you actually store in the freezer for each batch. It's hard to find straight answers, I'm sure I'll probably use less than 9 TBSP as I have short, on the thinner side kind of hair, but, nice to have an idea of how much to put away for each batch. So, thank you!

[GRU]

I make a HUGE batch at a time, and freeze the leftovers in zippered plastic sandwich baggies. I fill them to the top and squeeze any air out of them and lie them flat to freeze so they stack well in my freezer.

When the time comes, I just take out one baggie and float it in a bowl of hot tap water to thaw. When thawed, I transfer to a plastic applicator bottle and apply to dry hair (too many drippies with wet/damp hair).

[Nightshade]

A lot of folk use lemon juice or ACV in their henna mixes. I do not because they can be drying. Acidity keeps the lawsone molecule intact giving deeper staining.



This is one of the things I see oft-repeated by henna vendors and while I think it's true for skin art, my own testing has never shown this to be true for hair.

[hennalove]

This is one of the things I see oft-repeated by henna vendors and while I think it's true for skin art, my own testing has never shown this to be true for hair.

I wonder too whether adding lemon juice would later cause the hair to lighten if out in the sun even with the henna in it especially if your hair is lighter to begin with. Just thinking out loud.

[Nightshade]

I wonder too whether adding lemon juice would later cause the hair to lighten if out in the sun even with the henna in it especially if your hair is lighter to begin with. Just thinking out loud.


I'm not sure. I do know that even adding an acid later will cause henna to un-oxidize a bit (one of our other members did a lot of testing on this trying to remove her henna), but it always darkened back up.

[Katia_k]

I just used some of the Yemeny henna I bought off Nightblooming, and I'm so excited! My hands look like I've been eating very aggressive cheese-snacks, which boes so well for what my hair's gonna look like in the end. At least...I hope so. Because I have a wedding next weekend, so if my hair doesn't like this imma look like a freak. Which will be all my hair's fault, not the henna's, so I hope my hair behaves.

[Nightshade]

I just used some of the Yemeny henna I bought off Nightblooming, and I'm so excited! My hands look like I've been eating very aggressive cheese-snacks, which boes so well for what my hair's gonna look like in the end. At least...I hope so. Because I have a wedding next weekend, so if my hair doesn't like this imma look like a freak. Which will be all my hair's fault, not the henna's, so I hope my hair behaves.

:lol: aggressive cheese-snacks.

That Yemini is fantastic henna, and super-potent that way.

[Dee94]

Just curious, when it comes time to rinsing the henna off, is it going to stain my whole body and hands while it runs down and out of my hair?

[Nightshade]

Just curious, when it comes time to rinsing the henna off, is it going to stain my whole body and hands while it runs down and out of my hair?

hhhhahaha Nope :) It won't sit long enough for that. It might color your nails and palms a little bit, but mine never has just from rinsing.

[Dee94]

hhhhahaha Nope :) It won't sit long enough for that. It might color your nails and palms a little bit, but mine never has just from rinsing.

Phew! Haha, ok good. I was a little worried about that.

Thank you!

[GRU]

I've even done mermaid soaks to rinse out henna, with no repercussions to my body that was soaking in the green swamp water!

[Katia_k]

The only time henna ever stains me is when I'm mixing it up and don't rinse my hands often enough. I've still got some stained fingers today, but I was not very careful yesterday when prepping, so that's my bad. I did sweat a little orange after being in the pool today, but I think that was just some leftover that didn't rinse properly.

Also the Yemini was wonderful! It's still oxidizing, so I don't want to post just yet, but I got several comments to the effect of "is your hair redder than usual?" So I'm very pleased. Also I felt like it rinsed out easier than usual? But maybe that was my imagination.

[hennalove]

The only time henna ever stains me is when I'm mixing it up and don't rinse my hands often enough. I've still got some stained fingers today, but I was not very careful yesterday when prepping, so that's my bad. I did sweat a little orange after being in the pool today, but I think that was just some leftover that didn't rinse properly.

Also the Yemini was wonderful! It's still oxidizing, so I don't want to post just yet, but I got several comments to the effect of "is your hair redder than usual?" So I'm very pleased. Also I felt like it rinsed out easier than usual? But maybe that was my imagination.

I bought Yemeni henna from Etsy and while I like the staining and colour, it is not a nice smooth henna like Zenia or Red Raj. There was a lot of sand when I washed it out, something I don't like because it cause wear on my hair. Not sure I will use Yemeni again.

[Dee94]

so many questions, sorry guys...

I'm feeling like I want to henna my head over night... Does it matter if I do it that way? Sleep with it in? What's the worst that can happen? I don't care about the color. I really don't, I have a wig that I wear anyways, so if the only thing that'll happen is the color going really dark or really bright, that won't bother me, I'm not concerned...
Would it be bad if I left it on longer than 4-5 hours and slept in it?

I won't be hennaing until next week, I got my henna but I really want to put the organic aloe vera in with it, should of just ordered together but didn't, haha so I have to wait for that to come in next week. Patientlyyyyyyy waiting.


Thank you. :D

[Nightshade]

so many questions, sorry guys...

I'm feeling like I want to henna my head over night... Does it matter if I do it that way? Sleep with it in? What's the worst that can happen? I don't care about the color. I really don't, I have a wig that I wear anyways, so if the only thing that'll happen is the color going really dark or really bright, that won't bother me, I'm not concerned...
Would it be bad if I left it on longer than 4-5 hours and slept in it?

I won't be hennaing until next week, I got my henna but I really want to put the organic aloe vera in with it, should of just ordered together but didn't, haha so I have to wait for that to come in next week. Patientlyyyyyyy waiting.


Thank you. :D

hahahha ask away, it's what we're here for.

You can indeed sleep with henna on if you want. Worst you're going to get is your covering slips and your mud dries out and you get henna on your sheets. If this happens just make sure your henna is again totally wet / muddy before attempting to remove it from your hair. I'd recommend a mermaid soak.

Color wise you're going to see diminishing returns after 8 hours. What you get for color in the first 8 hours will be way more than what you get in the second 8. Henna's dye molecule wanes and becomes less potent naturally over time, so you're getting less color in those last hours, but still won't hurt.

[Dee94]

Ok, thank you!!!
I'm so excited. I cant wait!!!!

[Liz_H]

I'm curious about this. I froze mine with the coconut milk, and it didn't seem to be a problem. I ended up using just a few teaspoons with SMT as a gloss, not a full treatment. Coconut milk by itself will separate when frozen. I wonder if the all the plant matter makes a difference when in a henna mud.


... Also, I don't freeze any henna that has had coconut milk added to it.

[Dee94]

Has anyone found that they turned to or cowash sometimes since they've started hennaing? Did your routine change or has it been the same since you started? I only ask because I've finally found a simple haircare routine about a couple months ago, wouldn't really matter if I had to change it for henna but was just curious.

[Katia_k]

The only thing that changed for me was that my hair stopped tollerating shea butter, for some strange reason. But I don't know if that was because of the henna or not.

The other changes, like going to herbal washes, weren't things I *had* to do after henna, they were just things I wanted to do after opening up the world of Indian hair care.

[Katia_k]

I bought Yemeni henna from Etsy and while I like the staining and colour, it is not a nice smooth henna like Zenia or Red Raj. There was a lot of sand when I washed it out, something I don't like because it cause wear on my hair. Not sure I will use Yemeni again.

I think that depends on the henna, because the stuff I got was lovely and smooth. It actually felt like it washed out easier and more gently than usual. But not sure since this is the first time I've bought or used it.

Also, the henna turned out amazing! I was at that wedding, and got so many compliments on my hair color. Someone said they could even almost see purple tones in it, so I'm so, so thrilled. And going to be so so sad when it's all gone... I hope someday Yemini will be more available.

[Dee94]

The only thing that changed for me was that my hair stopped tollerating shea butter, for some strange reason. But I don't know if that was because of the henna or not.

The other changes, like going to herbal washes, weren't things I *had* to do after henna, they were just things I wanted to do after opening up the world of Indian hair care.

Thank you!

[Dee94]

I'm excited!! Today is the day that I'm hennaing my hair!
I hope it turns out though, not sure if I'm doing it right... a little nervous.
Right now I actually have it in the crock pot on the warm setting with a bit of water under neath my bowl without the lid on though.
I'm worried it's going to get too hot if I were to keep the lid on.
I think I'm only going to let the dye release for 3 hours for this first application as well. Also, worried I may over do that.
And when it comes time to it, I'll probably let it sit in my hair for about 4 hours.

[Nightshade]

I'm excited!! Today is the day that I'm hennaing my hair!
I hope it turns out though, not sure if I'm doing it right... a little nervous.
Right now I actually have it in the crock pot on the warm setting with a bit of water under neath my bowl without the lid on though.
I'm worried it's going to get too hot if I were to keep the lid on.
I think I'm only going to let the dye release for 3 hours for this first application as well. Also, worried I may over do that.
And when it comes time to it, I'll probably let it sit in my hair for about 4 hours.



Good luck! I'm sure it'll be fine in the crock pot :) You can always cover the bowl itself (but not the entire crock pot) with a plate to keep it from drying out!

[Dee94]

Good luck! I'm sure it'll be fine in the crock pot :) You can always cover the bowl itself (but not the entire crock pot) with a plate to keep it from drying out!

I'll have to do that next time, cover just the bowl!
It is now in my hair, haha it will most likely be uneven... I can tell but that's ok.
It was hard to put on, but, I'm sure I will get the hang of it with each application.
I feel I had a good muddy consistency, it wasn't runny but it also wasn't too thick. Pretty much like yogurt, or pudding... haha, it did look like chocolate pudding kind of, except maybe not as dark as pudding, anyways...

[Dee94]

HOLY POOP, IT TURNED OUT SO ORANGE! :rollin::rollin:

It's ok though, I don't mind. I'm really only using it for the benefits anyway, color doesn't bug me.
Looks like I actually did pretty good with getting most to all my hair covered. :)
In the end, I'm happy with it.:D

[Nightshade]

HOLY POOP, IT TURNED OUT SO ORANGE! :rollin::rollin:

It's ok though, I don't mind. I'm really only using it for the benefits anyway, color doesn't bug me.
Looks like I actually did pretty good with getting most to all my hair covered. :)
In the end, I'm happy with it.:D

hahhahahaha it'll calm down in 2-3 days, no worries :lol: It'll still be bright, but not see-from-space bright.