Preparing to Henna

[Vanille_]

I am new to the forums. I spent some time researching henna and have come to the conclusion that .... I still don't know wtf I'm doing. There are so many different opinions thrown all over the place.

So I'm waiting on some henna from hennahut (red) in the mail. Now, from some other threads, I know there is some controversy with this product. But I'm feeling okay enough to give it a try.

I'm looking for some tips on how to prepare. Should I buy a color corrector and treat it first to get rid of any color that might already be in it? If so, does anyone know of one I could pick up at a Sally's Beauty store?

Does anyone have any experience with hennahut and can give me some advice? How can I limit the bleeding and fading? What is the best hair care routine for henna'd hair? I live in a humid climate, so I find that I have to be careful with what I put in my hair or it will look oily and flat. Are there any other henna products that people who want red suggest?

[Vanille_]

Oh, by the way - yes my hair is obviously dark. I'm not expecting anything crazy. Even if it's just a little red in the sun. Right now it's just a very dull brown and I'm getting some grey hair.

[swearnsue]

I don't think you should get any fading with henna, unless there is some problem with the HennaHut henna that I don't know about. Henna is permanent. I have dark hair with gray and the henna makes it very shiny and the red shows a little in regular light and alot in the sunshine. The grays really show up a bright coppery red. I am now looking forward to going all grey just for the color! Have fun with your henna, I think you will really like it.

[Dolly]

Yes, Henna Hut does fade. I used the red and within about 3 wks time it went from red to an orange.....but, that said, it is an ok starter henna, and it was good for me at the time. It didn't damage my hair, but it just wouldn't last.

Vinegar rinses helped slow the fading on me, but I still have towels, shirts, and pillowcases that are stained orange. It is not absolutely NECESSARY to remove the dye from your hair first. If your dyed hair is close to your natural shade, I would leave it in. Less issues when your roots start coming in.

BUT, if you want to use a color corrector, Sally's has Color Fix and Ion Color Corrector. Both are good and do not appear to do damage to the hair.

Henna'ed hair (if you use BAQ henna) doesn't really require any special treatment, unless your hair has other issues. Your hair texture will most likely change, and your hair's reaction to different products and climate may change as well. Be aware of that. As for Henna Hut, get some dark colored towels, and stretch out your washes as far as you can....it fades whenever it gets wet.

[Lucie159]

So I am new to henna too, I recieved my "twilight" henna yesterday and mixed it up last night. I've done a 3 hr test and am into a 6 hour test on my harvested brush hair. I am normally a dark brown with some red hilights, but I have been dying my hair blonde for 20 yrs. I dyed it as close to my "remembered color" as I possibly could last week and now that I have gotten used to that I think I am ready for the red. The first swatch turned .... hot wing sauce color..lol thats as close as I can describe it. Its not a bad color... its actually kinda shiny and bright. I think I am just gonna go for it.. I expect the normal jokes from my friends and coworkers.. since my name is Lucie. Sigh, can't be any worse then the teasing I got all through school... oooooohhhh Reeeeky! hehe

[Dolly]

So I am new to henna too, I recieved my "twilight" henna yesterday and mixed it up last night. I've done a 3 hr test and am into a 6 hour test on my harvested brush hair. I am normally a dark brown with some red hilights, but I have been dying my hair blonde for 20 yrs. I dyed it as close to my "remembered color" as I possibly could last week and now that I have gotten used to that I think I am ready for the red. The first swatch turned .... hot wing sauce color..lol thats as close as I can describe it. Its not a bad color... its actually kinda shiny and bright. I think I am just gonna go for it.. I expect the normal jokes from my friends and coworkers.. since my name is Lucie. Sigh, can't be any worse then the teasing I got all through school... oooooohhhh Reeeeky! hehe

The henna will oxidize, so the bright orange you get at first doesn't usually last. It can take up to about a week to fully oxidize, which will normally tone down the orange.