Henna gloss?

[ravenheather]

Are there any drawbacks to a henna gloss on dark hair? My hair is dark brown. I don't mind a tinge of red. I don't want to have roots to maintain. Mostly I'm interested in strengthening hair and or thickening it, as mine is fine and thin. I also am interested in the protection from sun as summer in texas is brutal. Is there any reason for me not to try this? I'd love to hear your opinions.:)

[Shatam1]

Just don't add too much henna at first to make sure you are not going to have a huge color change . And of course, do a strand test a day or two before your henna gloss, just to make sure you like it. I strand test on a my hair without having to cut anything and I wrap it in cling wrap and wait the time needed. For a first time gloss I would do it for only one hour or so. Without dark hair you shouldn't see drastic change but your hair will be soft shiny and very fluffy. Good luck :) and let us know how it goes.

[Roscata]

How dark is your hair? I have medium brown hair and can only see the red in sunlight and flash photography, and I use just henna, not a henna gloss. The reddish tints will show in sunlight even on originally black colored hair.

If you want to avoid coloring I suggest Cassia (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=406&highlight=cassia). Cassia will give you the same benefits as henna without being permanent or adding color to dark hair. If you want to maximize the conditioning benefits of Cassia just replace henna with Cassia in the henna gloss. I hope that helps. Good luck! :D

[Amber_Maiden]

You shouldn't get much colour change if you don't use much henna and mix it with conditioner. Don't leave it on too long either.

[gazelle]

I use plain henna, leave it overnight sometimes and get the effects you've mentioned. And very little color change. My hair is dark brown. Henna won't change much your color if you do a gloss

[TeaEarlGreyHot]

I too have dark brown hair. I use straight Raj Twilight on my hair, leave on for 4 hours. I add no conditioner to it or anything. The first 24 hours I have an orange hue because my skin is dyed orange but after than you can only see a hint of red in full sunlight outside. You can't tell I did anything when inside.

[ravenheather]

Do you get the full benefit of henna with just a gloss, or do you need it full strength?