Henna help?

[kristymarie87]

So i want to try henna. Im a bit afriad because i tried it once and it was so hard to apply and had to crush, grate it etc, mix in oils, leave it on for like...ever! It was hard to wash out, and didnt have much effect. I know you arent supposed to dye over it but i did and it was fine. (why arent you meant to dye over henna?)

I'd like a brwn rather than red....is this possible or is it only red? I heard of black henna but thats to dark.

Is there a trick to mixing/applying it?

Is it good for the hair?

[Lemur_Catta]

Crush, grate, mix oils? o.O That's weird, were you using Lush Henna? I have never used it, but I have heard that it is difficult to wash out because it contains cocoa butter and oils.
If you want to try henna, I would order online body art quality henna, the powered one. You can mix it with water or tea, or you can use less henna + water and more conditioner for a gloss - which is easier to wash out -
Henna is red, and if you use it even in combination with something else, there will always be a hint of red, especially because henna is permanent, while for example indigo fades.
With henna + indigo you can obtain a chocolate brown, warm and quite dark. I know that amla can tone down the red and add cool tones, but I have never tried that.

I have no tricks for mixing it, but for applying, I usually do upside down in the sink, because I do full head applications. I am looking into covering the roots first with a brush, and then glossing the length.

[kristymarie87]

Yes it was lush. It was in a block and a complete nightmare! I mixed some olive oil in and paprika because i heared it enhances the red - which im not going for now.

I might look for some examples of mixing indigo and henna...

[Alexannee10]

I'm using caca brun by lush, and it find it very easy to apply. To remove, it is a bit harder .. but what i do is that I take a big bowl of hot water and I add one or two tea bag. I put my hair in this bowl for onw or two minute, and I think it is easier to rinse the henna out :)

Oh and for lush henna, if you want a brown that last, use coffee instead of water for preparing the henna!

[halo_tightens]

Before you even think about starting henna, you've got a lot of research to do! I sincerely believe that it's important to understand the basic principles of the "henna life" before touching the stuff. :)

Crushing/grating/etc don't even come into play when working with BAQ henna and other hair coloring herbs. (There are commercial brands available where these things might apply, but that's another story unto itself!)

Dyeing over pure henna is perfectly fine, though it might not have a lot of impact on the powerful red. Those warnings stem from the common practice of mixing other substances in with the henna to change its tone-- and you don't want to mess with those sorts of nasties, anyway.

You're right, henna IS red, and red only. However, we can mix other natural herbs with henna to get other colors. Indigo and buxus are two herbs that can be mixed with henna to create brown shades. Use enough indigo, and you'll get black-- which is usually what people are referring to when they talk about "black henna."

There are SO many different mixes and tricks for application, seriously. It can be as simple as henna powder and water, or as complex as you decide to make it.

It does have benefits for the hair, including added strength and shine, but it's not for everybody. Do some reading! There's so much information... There's the henna thread, and that entire section of the site, actually... There's at least one article, probably more. There's info on the Henna for Hair site and Henna Sooq's site. I haven't even skimmed the surface with the basic info in this post. Not even close.

Please don't dive in unprepared! If you want to go the henna route, it's important to be really well-informed about every aspect of the process and be confident in what you're doing. :)