Henna Thread, take two

**cocoisfit** · April 17th, 2014, 12:13 PM

Originally Posted by lindsayhv

Thank you! Why did you switch henna?

I wanted to try Raj, which I now like better as it stains my hair a bit better.

**Doni** · April 18th, 2014, 01:23 PM

As a beginner I used Lush Caca Rouge for a little less than a year, but as my hair's grown longer, I have noticed it stains my virgin hair very poorly (my natural hair color is light brown, like this). So, I guessed it was time for a better quality henna. I have ordered Jamila (2013 crop) and Henna, expecting to get them sometime next week. I've been doing some research, mostly digging through this forum, only to end up being confused

The hair that's been previously chemically dyed is still bright orange/red. The rest (15 cm or so) of the hair is just "meh". It looks like a washed-out red chemical dye, but it doesn't really show properly in any of the photos.

Here are a few examples:
hair that's been previously chemically dyed and then hennaed for around a year, today outside
inside with flash
also inside with flash (and kind of like my henna over my virgin hair looks, only here it's a bit brighter)

I'm aware the color gets darker with each application, but I think it's still bright enough to do another full-head application without ending up too dark (or?). However, I do have quite a few question when it comes to preparation. I want to keep my color bright red/orange and I'm aware I'll probably only have to touch up my roots later one, but I would really like to get a nice stain on my virgin hair before settling...

- If you suggested a mix of henna and cassia, what should the ratio between the two be? Based on the photos I've seen I was thinking 20 g cassia and 80 g henna... or was that a really bad guess?

- Should I prepare it with lemon juice, water (heated/cold) or tea (and what kind of tea)? Or any kind of combination? What gives the brightest results?
- How long and at what temperature should I wait for dye to be released?
- I've read some stuff about freezing the mix before applying it. Is this necessary and what difference does it make?

I'm sorry for so many questions, I feel like such a henna noob

**Achlys** · April 18th, 2014, 06:42 PM

Doni, the part of hair that has been chemically treated is probably more porous and takes henna better. Henna is also known to be difficult to photograph, that's quite normal.

Another full application might end up too dark, I'm afraid. It's better to be cautious with henna. You could do henna glosses or henna+cassia on your length only when you feel it needs to be brightened up and otherwise do just root touch-ups. Henna is pretty potent, so 80 g cassia and 20 g henna might be better for length, I guess? I haven't tried this myself. A gloss would consist of the appropriate amount of conditioner to cover all your hair with a tablespoon or so of henna (dye released) mixed in.

Water, tea and lemon juice are all options for preparing henna. Lemon juice should be diluted, but it could still be drying, tea is gentler. Acid is supposed to strenghten the dye release somewhat, but it takes longer. Also, some people don't see a difference. If you mix henna with water, then it will be ready in a few hours. If you use an acidic liquid (lemon juice or tea), then a longer time is required, like overnight. I usually mix mine with tea and let it sit overnight, but sometimes it ends up waiting longer. Most teas are fine to use, I have used hibiscus, chamomile, oolong, green tea... But be aware that caffeine is absorbed through skin if you're using tea that contains it. The liquid shouldn't be hot, otherwise it "burns" the henna - dye release will be instant, but weak, and the colour will be duller and might wash out of hair more easily. I've heard of people applying the paste right after mixing and letting it dye realease on their head for a couple of hours to get a lighter result, but predicting the outcome seems even trickier that way.

Freezing the mix before applying might help to maximise the dye release. It's thought to break the cell walls even more than they have been by powdering to release as much of the dyeing compound into the surrounding liquid as possible. It's not necessary at all. Again, some people don't see a difference at all or it might be very subtle. You can definitely freeze henna to store it for future applications.

Also, I recently discovered that adding sugar or honey to your mix will reduce dripping.

**Doni** · April 19th, 2014, 06:40 AM

I'm kind of afraid of how much henna gloss would stain my virgin hair compared to the rest... I don't want to end up having fifty shades of red on my head.

So I'm kind of torn between a henna gloss and a Jamila/Cassia full-head application and then root touch-ups from then on. I definitely want a more intense color over non-chemical dyed hair because for now the change is really subtle (and I see much better results on girls with the same or even a bit darker natural hair color

).

And thank you very much for your answers, they've been really helpful.

I'm really looking forward to trying this.

**Doni** · April 19th, 2014, 07:04 AM

Here's another try at capturing my henna ombre. I think it looks far brighter in reality, but at least here you can see the difference. Henna over virgin hair looks almost brown at certain lights, whereas the rest remains red/orange.

**Doni** · April 25th, 2014, 01:00 PM

It's me again

My mix is now ready and I'm going to wait for dye release overnight. Now I was wondering how I should keep the rest of the henna and cassia powder in order too preserve their quality? I hope this isn't a stupid question.

**brunette** · April 25th, 2014, 04:11 PM

Make sure they are wrapped up airtight and put them in the freezer! Dry powders keep really well and keep dry so long as they are wrapped securely

They are still free flowing when you take them out to scoop for the next hennaing.

**Katlette** · April 26th, 2014, 02:31 AM

It's been nearly a week since my last henna, and I am unsure whether this is the standard level of colour change post-oxidisation or if I've done something wrong.

I mixed 150g henna with white tea, which I then left to dye release for 5 hours. I kept the henna in my hair for under 2 hours, because I was afraid of going too dark and just wanted to make the colour more vivid.

The first picture is pre-application, but has a two-week old henna on it. The second is right after my hair had dried post-henna. The third is on the fifth day after my henna application. I realise the pictures aren't ideal, but at least the first and last are taken in similar light. DH says the last picture is quite true to the colour of my hair right now.

Is this colour change to be expected? Or is there something wrong with my mixture and method? Is this poor quality henna?

I hope some of you more experienced henna-heads can help! I don't mind my colour at the moment too much, but love the vibrant colours some of you on this thread are sporting.

**creme** · April 26th, 2014, 03:29 AM

Originally Posted by Katlette

It's been nearly a week since my last henna, and I am unsure whether this is the standard level of colour change post-oxidisation or if I've done something wrong.

I mixed 150g henna with white tea, which I then left to dye release for 5 hours. I kept the henna in my hair for under 2 hours, because I was afraid of going too dark and just wanted to make the colour more vivid.

The first picture is pre-application, but has a two-week old henna on it. The second is right after my hair had dried post-henna. The third is on the fifth day after my henna application. I realise the pictures aren't ideal, but at least the first and last are taken in similar light. DH says the last picture is quite true to the colour of my hair right now.

Is this colour change to be expected? Or is there something wrong with my mixture and method? Is this poor quality henna?

I hope some of you more experienced henna-heads can help! I don't mind my colour at the moment too much, but love the vibrant colours some of you on this thread are sporting.

Are you saying your henna only lasted 2 weeks? and faded a lot, or completely faded (as it looks like on the top of your head in the first image) Which brand of henna did you use?

**Katlette** · April 26th, 2014, 04:45 AM

Creme: In the first picture my hair (which is naturally sort of mousy light brown with bleached ends) had already been hennaed once (about two weeks before the picture was taken). That henna didn't come out very bright, but it definitely changed the colour of my hair. For that one I used Macurth henna (a Danish brand).

In the second picture I have just washed out Satva henna. I had read reviews online about this henna where some people said it was little more than a conditioning treatment, but others reported bright coppery tones. It was really bright at first, but then oxidised (or just faded out?) to a far duller colour.

Both of these brands are 100% lawsonia inermis, but perhaps the lawsone content is very low or they are not very fresh? I have already ordered some definitely BAQ henna for my roots, but think I might do a full-head application with that.

Do you think it's just the quality of the henna that's caused the fading, or should I do something different in the application process (like lemon juice + longer dye release) when I get my BAQ henna?