Post-Holiday treat-Henna!

[swearnsue]

For those of us who like to henna our hair, don't you think it is so relaxing? I'm going to henna my hair later today to help me relax and to give myself a treat for surviving another Christmas! I have Jamilla 2010 with a little warm water and lime juice sitting in a bowl, releasing it's dye right now. Who is going to henna with me?

[suzye]

I'm doing the exact same thing tomorrow! It's been a good two or three years since my last henna job. I can't wait to be a hennahead again. I like chilling with the goop on my head. :)

[swearnsue]

Hi Suzye! YEARS! OMG you are in for a treat! Have fun being a henna head again!

[oktobergoud]

I was thinking of doing the same thing :D Might do it tomorrow or any other day this week :)

[MyKing'sQueen]

I'm sitting with henna in my hair right now:D

[Pierre]

I did Sunday night.

[Alvrodul]

I'll make a point of hennaing, perhaps this weekend. It will be a wonderful excuse for other kinds of pampering, too - but do we really need an excuse for that?:eyebrows:

[bna_rapunzel]

Henna sounds like fun but I have light blonde hair that I'm not willing to change.
Although Ariel (the little mermaid) red tb length hair sounds awesome!
The drastic change might give me a heart attack though lol!
I love following henna-threads! It sounds so fun! :)
Enjoy relaxing with goop on your head. :) I'm off to my oils! :p

[swearnsue]

bna Rapunzel, you might be able to use cassia instead of henna. But if you love your color it would be risky to try anything different! Oils can be very relaxing and pampering also.

[ladylowtide]

omgs I did this too yesterday! hate getting it all over the place but man is it worth it to not have a single tangle in my hair for the next month or so. I used light mountain natural hair color, red, which is just henna. Mix with water and some red wine vinegar and that is the ticket it is so soft and shiny! :) The perfect way to relax after the holiday.

[Jessibear2854]

I did it a week ago and it was so relaxing! I used Yemen Light Ancient Sunrise and my hair is still bright red. I was hoping it would tame down a little but now I kind of like the brightness. Yay, Henna!:cheese:

[kaned_ferret]

Yay me too! Got my henna on right now, it was super cooling cos I thawed it from a batch of pre dye-released jamila I had in the freezer :)

(so nice to not have to wait for dye release!)

I get to rinse in another half hour or so, then some monoi massaged in and my pampering shall be complete!

(I also hennaed by brows, first time for that, over already-dyed dark grey, so it'll be interesting to see if it takes... I may just be left with an orange face!)

[beachgirlla]

Ok I'm new here, my first post but have been lurking for a week on this board and on H4H board plus the curlyhair board (whatever they call it), I hennaed last Tuesday for first time after abusing my hair with hair extensions, Japanese hair straightener, flat iron for over 8 years, had to cut it to above shoulder :(, I agree it was so relaxing, want to do another one very soon but I'm afraid of the too dark color, I have medium to dark brown with some gray. You guys have wonderful hair, I guess I'm the only one that have ugly & damaged hair, lol, so embarrassed to post pics but for the sake of sharing I will do this later this week, lol :bounce:

[CurlyMopTop]

I have some ordered and am waiting anxiously! I'm hoping to henna for the first time this weekend! A little nervous to see what I'm going to end up with....but excited at the same time. I have all virgin hair right now and it's been forever since I've done any coloring....I can't wait!! :D

[beachgirlla]

CurlyMopTop, you have very nice curls :), what henna did you order, your color is very nice already

[coffinhert]

Me! I took advantage of my long holiday weekend to do a self-trim and henna. ^_^

[CurlyMopTop]

CurlyMopTop, you have very nice curls :), what henna did you order, your color is very nice already


Thanks for the compliment. :) I ordered Rajasthani Twilight Ancient Sunrise, Ancient Sunrise Indigo for hair and a little Alma powder. I haven't been able to decide on my exact mix yet, but I'm going for something between Auburn and Burgandy in color. I was thinking about starting off with a 4:1 ratio Henna to Indigo with a T. Alma powder. I'm only using the Alma because I'm afraid of loosing the curls....even though I know it's going to cool down the Henna a little. What do you think? I like my natural color, but I'd like to see if I can make my hair strands stronger (darn fine hair that breaks too easy) and I'm starting to get a few grays that I'm not quite ready for yet. :rolleyes:

[Nannanej]

I just (generously...) hennaed my roots a couple of hours ago. I don't seem to have missed a single hair, and it looks and feels so nice. Glad I'm not the only one who loves the process of hennaing. I often do it as a treat for myself or to help me relax. (:
I also like the smell of freshly hennaed hair, I can't be the only one? :D

[battles]

I just did my first henna on Christmas day. :D I'm in love with how soft and glossy my hair looks.

[beachgirlla]

Thanks for the compliment. :) I ordered Rajasthani Twilight Ancient Sunrise, Ancient Sunrise Indigo for hair and a little Alma powder. I haven't been able to decide on my exact mix yet, but I'm going for something between Auburn and Burgandy in color. I was thinking about starting off with a 4:1 ratio Henna to Indigo with a T. Alma powder. I'm only using the Alma because I'm afraid of loosing the curls....even though I know it's going to cool down the Henna a little. What do you think? I like my natural color, but I'd like to see if I can make my hair strands stronger (darn fine hair that breaks too easy) and I'm starting to get a few grays that I'm not quite ready for yet. :rolleyes:

I see that your natural hair color is light brown mixed with some medium? Am I wrong? not sure what color are you going after but after I visited the hennaforhair forum and read so many posts I found out that using indigo can permanently darken your hair and there is no way to go back unless you chop it off, I know this is the case with henna as well, but you can always darken the henna, but you can not lighten the indigo, I used Rajasthani myself, straight henna, but my natural hair is darker than yours, my hair is damaged and was chemically dyed 100s times, lol, the color I had before I hennaed was golden damaged brown with some orange ends, the henna managed to give some smooth color all over but was so orangy the first 4 days so do not get scared when you see the orange, it will get way better 4-6 days later.
While I LOOOOVED the henna effect, I strongly suggest that you go visit that forum and read, read, read until you get all info you need, may be post questions and have some of the expert there answer you on what you need to get the color you have in mind, please do not mess up with your hair before you do this as you have gorgeous long hair :)
I hear you about the gray hair, I'm 31 and have some now :(, my mom got a full gray head when she was 34, but she was blond, I'm not, lets hope that I don't follow her in that direction, lol. What I see it now that no hair color gave my gray hair very good color except henna, however the henna gave me coppery color for those gray hair which is ok now since I do not have much gray going on, may be by the time I get full head of gray I will find a better way to get a better henna with something else, I for sure will use just henna for my next gray hair coverage (the new gray), I agree with you on the fact that just one henna application gave my very damaged hair so much gloss and made my hair stronger, I would just be very careful on the henna color, there is no way for you to avoid the red, your hair will get pretty coppery red as far as I see it but I guess it will look so good on you, I will avoid the indigo on first application if I was you as I said earlier, you can always go darker with henna but when you put this indigo on, there is no way to back off.
I'm actually checking on some way to do henna without getting much color of it, like killing the lawsone or whatever they call it, i wonder though if doing this can give much benefits?

[beachgirlla]

Nannanej, I too like the smell of freshly hennaed hair, but I get overwhelmed with how long it stayed on me even though i washed my hair 3 times in a week followed my first application last week, I felt very sleepy the first day, lol, not sure if henna smell or application can be a solution for insomnia :) as I slept like a baby that night :D

[Georgies]

Did mine today too. Just a gloss so I can do it again soon!

[CurlyMopTop]

I see that your natural hair color is light brown mixed with some medium? Am I wrong? not sure what color are you going after but after I visited the hennaforhair forum and read so many posts I found out that using indigo can permanently darken your hair and there is no way to go back unless you chop it off, I know this is the case with henna as well, but you can always darken the henna, but you can not lighten the indigo, I used Rajasthani myself, straight henna, but my natural hair is darker than yours, my hair is damaged and was chemically dyed 100s times, lol, the color I had before I hennaed was golden damaged brown with some orange ends, the henna managed to give some smooth color all over but was so orangy the first 4 days so do not get scared when you see the orange, it will get way better 4-6 days later.
While I LOOOOVED the henna effect, I strongly suggest that you go visit that forum and read, read, read until you get all info you need, may be post questions and have some of the expert there answer you on what you need to get the color you have in mind, please do not mess up with your hair before you do this as you have gorgeous long hair :)
I hear you about the gray hair, I'm 31 and have some now :(, my mom got a full gray head when she was 34, but she was blond, I'm not, lets hope that I don't follow her in that direction, lol. What I see it now that no hair color gave my gray hair very good color except henna, however the henna gave me coppery color for those gray hair which is ok now since I do not have much gray going on, may be by the time I get full head of gray I will find a better way to get a better henna with something else, I for sure will use just henna for my next gray hair coverage (the new gray), I agree with you on the fact that just one henna application gave my very damaged hair so much gloss and made my hair stronger, I would just be very careful on the henna color, there is no way for you to avoid the red, your hair will get pretty coppery red as far as I see it but I guess it will look so good on you, I will avoid the indigo on first application if I was you as I said earlier, you can always go darker with henna but when you put this indigo on, there is no way to back off.
I'm actually checking on some way to do henna without getting much color of it, like killing the lawsone or whatever they call it, i wonder though if doing this can give much benefits?

Thanks for all of the tips and compliments (I've never had anyone tell me that my hair was long before :))! I was considering doing my first application with just the Henna to see how it looks before adding any indigo. My natural color is a medium to dark brown, or so I'm told. I'm thinking medium. I also thought about trying a Henna gloss before sealing the deal. That would give me temporary color and from what I read, the same conditioning effects if I'm understanding how henna works correctly. Have you done any research on Cassia (neutral Henna)? That's suppose to have the same conditioning effect, and if you have dark hair, not much if any color. I've been reading on and off for the last several months about Henna, checking out the different types of Henna and recipes that other people are using trying to pay attention to their start color (both Henna and the Henndigoed forums). This was definitely a very big decision for me (it took me a long time to grow out my previously colored hair to all virgin hair). Now it's just a question of end color and making the final commitment. I'm going to do a few strand tests before I decide, but strand tests just are not the same as a full head application. I hear you about the orange (I've seen a lot of the pictures that others have posted). I'm trying to time mine so that I'll be home for at least the first 2 or 3 days (lol).

[Georgies]

CurlyMopTop, maybe start with a henna gloss? It's much less commitment and will you give you conditioning benefits and just a bit of color. For some people the color isn't even permanent in the first gloss. It will build over time but you can do it very slowly (I like that aspect to minimize the shock factor).

Good luck - post your results!

[naturegirl321]

I'm going to do it this weekend. My henna doesn't really dye my hair much, but it's still fun to get some R and R. I'm oging to get some from hennasooq once this is done.

[beachgirlla]

Thanks for all of the tips and compliments (I've never had anyone tell me that my hair was long before :))! I was considering doing my first application with just the Henna to see how it looks before adding any indigo. My natural color is a medium to dark brown, or so I'm told. I'm thinking medium. I also thought about trying a Henna gloss before sealing the deal. That would give me temporary color and from what I read, the same conditioning effects if I'm understanding how henna works correctly. Have you done any research on Cassia (neutral Henna)? That's suppose to have the same conditioning effect, and if you have dark hair, not much if any color. I've been reading on and off for the last several months about Henna, checking out the different types of Henna and recipes that other people are using trying to pay attention to their start color (both Henna and the Henndigoed forums). This was definitely a very big decision for me (it took me a long time to grow out my previously colored hair to all virgin hair). Now it's just a question of end color and making the final commitment. I'm going to do a few strand tests before I decide, but strand tests just are not the same as a full head application. I hear you about the orange (I've seen a lot of the pictures that others have posted). I'm trying to time mine so that I'll be home for at least the first 2 or 3 days (lol).

I'm actually new to henna, I did henna (few times) when I was teen at that time my hair was light brown and took the color very seriously, lol, my hair was so beautiful, long and with nice curl, but then I moved and have it shortened, colored, bleached ... and then the freeze & unruly hair started, I hated the curly hair, not matter what I still hate it as I don't feel it matches my facial features, I look too harsh with curly hair :(, anyway, I started doing Japanese hair straightening in 2003 and continued doing it to end of 2009 along with hair extensions and hair color, I will post my hair pics and story later this week or next week as I have bad cold now :(, so my last week henna was the first since pretty long time, I can't believe the condition that I got right away after I washed my hair, its like miracle, of course the damaged dried ends still damaged but look way better, my hair took the henna color so much as it was porous, but even with that, I could see some harmony in the color, I could not believe it because no matter what i did with all of the $$$ chemical dyes my hair always looked like it had 10 colors, lol. I never done the gloss or cassia, I'm going to order the cassia to see how it will look on my few grays, but to me the henna has no replacement in regard the almost permanent gloss that it gives you, I hear that the cassia gives gloss but temporary which is colorless somehow but won't last like 3-4 weeks. If you like reddish brown then go for full henna, why not, I honestly think it will look good on you but of course you must do a strand test. I did strand test but not on a shed hair but on some piece of my actual hair that is behind my ear, it was like 1.5 inch thick but it was much healthier than the hair on top or on the lower part, the color of that piece was dark anyway, it did not have the orange dark golden blond (chemical dye) so the henna color came out very nice, coppery dark reddish brown, I agree the henna color on the whole hair will look different compared to the strand test but at least in the same range, you should not worry as you do not have damaged hair or chemically dyed hair so I guess the strand test will give you 50-70% idea of what you may get with full henna, leave the strand for at least 5 days to get full idea how the oxidized color will look like, make sure to look at the color in the sun, the noon sun and the afternoon sun, lol, I noticed a huge difference between these two suns :D.

I will get the cassia next week and let you know how I like it

[eshta]

I did a full henna today, the first one this year. I didn't even do roots this year, luckily my natural color is close enough so the roots don't bother me. I hope my old supply of henna isn't dead yet and get some color out of it. It looks like the roots took some color, but it's still drying. I can't wait to feel the soft shiney goodness of henna again :inlove:

[suzye]

I just did mine for the first time in several years last night over BRIGHT blonde hair. I currently look like a pumpkin haha. It's bright red with orangey streaks. I kind of love it, but I'm hoping it will fade out a bit over the next few days.

[Dark Rapunzel]

I'm planning on doing a henndigo this week. I just have to get my process right. I'm so used to dyeing my hair chemically (which I am never going back to, ever) that the long process is weird to me. I have to figure out if I should do a hydrating treatment after henna and all that, so the more I do it, the better I'll get (and my hair will be happier!)

[Viscountess]

I did my henna application this morning - I'm off work this week and am taking the time to rest and recharge. Last night I mixed up enough henna with weak hibiscus tea to make about 2 cups of mix. I got up early and applied it to damp, sectioned hair. I spritzed with water. I then wrapped my head in plastic and topped it up with a woolly cap. I kept the henna in for a good six hours.

Unfortunately during application, I dropped a good sized henna dollop in my right eye. That hurt, a lot, but it eventually washed out. Moments like that I am so very, very grateful I have left my dye-days behind me!

Spent my day being self-indulgent. I meditated, I made DIY facial scrub with honey and sugar and gave myself a mani-pedi. Oh, and watched the World Juniors (ice hockey) Championships. A perfect post-holiday 'me' day.

I've started using a body brush before each shower - I got mine from the Body Shop. I have found my dry, itchy skin has improved with regular use of the body brush.

I love DIY spa days. I just hate the laundry they create....

[CurlyMopTop]

Thanks Georgies and Beachgirilla. I'm waiting impatiently for my Henna to arrive. Very excited, and thinking gloss or Henna...hummm... I'll decide before it gets here. ;)

[suzye]

After not hennaing for three years, this is my result from two days ago!
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=9392&pictureid=122234