Henna Addict

[Kome]

Just put henna on all of my hair except for my bangs. First time in a year and two months (I had labeled the batch) that I've henna'd. I feel like an addict that went back to her drug. It felt so calming and spiritual to henna my hair again. Maybe that sounds weird, but even though I am tired of the color, I missed the actual process of dying my hair with it.

[Kome]

To be clear... October 2013 was the last time I henna'd and I cut all of my hair off in March of 2014 and literally.... dyed it all GREEN. Hah. It's been many colors since then, but I recently dyed it all dark brown, except for the bangs, to start growing it back out and stop dying it and damaging it. But the brown is fading and not looking too hot so I figured instead of damaging it more I would just go back to hennaing. I am a bit tired of the color though. I have a love/hate relationship with henna at the moment, but just the process of doing it again made me feel so connected to something. Does anybody else feel this way? Maybe it's the cocaine they put in the powder. JUUUUUUUUUST kidding. Haha.

[Eruwaedhiel]

I have been hennaing my hair, and I don't want to stop, although I know I need to or I'll push past my desired color. I do feel like there is something I love just about the process of doing it, hennaing night is a special night for me. There's always excitement in waiting to see what results I get, the transformation feels almost magical. Fortunately, I get the same special feeling when using it for body art, and I can do that as much as I want after I switch to just maintaining my roots.

[Rosetta]

Maybe that sounds weird, but even though I am tired of the color, I missed the actual process of dying my hair with it.

There's always excitement in waiting to see what results I get, the transformation feels almost magical.

It's the same for me, too Even though I'm now growing out my natural colour, and prefer to keep that, I still miss the hennaing process and that magical transformation...

[Nimia]

We primates do soothe ourselves and each other with grooming, so it doesn't surprise me that a henna evening can be so pleasant. For me, a big difference between the henna and a box dye is that I don't have any fear of the henna: I know it won't hurt me and will only do good things, with predictable color results. I like the all-day planning it requires to get it mixed up and dye-released, to have my husband available to apply it (which is fun as we pretend to be stylist and client, and he's gotten much faster at it), to have time to let it sit, to have a book to read or movie to watch while it does, and then the block of time in tub and shower to rinse it all out. It's almost meditative.

[LadyCelestina]

Gaah I hope this thread doesn't pop up too often when I'm online I stopped dyes a long time ago,but still get dye cravings : did henna streaks and a couple faint glosses this year.I have since decided to stop them completely since some parts of my hair look dyed instead of just a boost of natural red,which I was going for.Slowly the last bits of it fade away,but everytime a thread like this or the show us your hennaed hair comes up,I feel like dumping a whole box on my head and having flaming hair again!

[Kome]

^^^^^ Yes, but henna isn't a bad dye. It's a deep conditioner and flamming red hair is beautiful! *enabler*

[Rosetta]

^ Yes, but it's so d**n permanent!!! You just can't get rid of it... That's what makes it so devilish

(And as for conditioning, there have been some threads about how long-term use is actually not good for your hair... Hmm, I guess the jury's still out on that.)

[Kome]

I've only had a problem with henna ONCE and that was when I terped it and then put it in the freezer for a couple of months. It dried out my hair super bad. It was awful. I guess you don't terp henna that is going on your head. Lesson learned! And I've also bleached out henna, but it never comes completely out. It just lightens a few levels. I went from dark burgandy to orange by bleaching twice, but I fried my hair doing it. I wanted to go green.

Anyways, that was back in March. Now I am rehenna'd and ready to grow my hair back out. Overall I feel like henna kinda dries my hair out so I have to condition it out and then condition it before getting out of the shower when rinsing it out. They say it's a deep conditioner, but I'd question that as well. It definitely makes your hair flatter though, in my experience.

[Achlys]

For me, a big difference between the henna and a box dye is that I don't have any fear of the henna: I know it won't hurt me and will only do good things, with predictable color results.

LHC -- the place where henna results are predictable and box dyes are not.