New To Henna, Thicker Strands?

**Spitfire** · May 20th, 2020, 12:29 PM

Hey!
I'm trying henna today and I'm really excited because I've read online about all the thickening and strengthening benefits of henna. I'm already auburn so I know I won't have any problems with whatever color it turns. I really don't care so long as it isn't dark brown or black. lol. I have very fine 2a/2b hair and I want to relax my waves a little and thicken my strands. Nowhere online have I found a definitive answer to this question (so maybe there isn't one and it varies for everyone): how many applications of henna will it take to see strand-thickening results?
Is it better to do 2 applications for a short time (2-3 hours each?) or one longer application for, say, 4-6 hours? Does that even make a difference?
I'm not expecting to go from a F to a M or C, I'm just hoping for at least a little more Oomph per strand!

So basically yeah, uh, it boils down to this, several short applications or one long one?

**Obsidian** · May 20th, 2020, 12:49 PM

I would think several applications over one long one would be better but I'm not sure as I always did 1 hour applications.

It took me a good 6 applications or so before I really saw thicker strands and any curl relaxing. If I had dark hair and wasn't concerned about going too dark, I would do a few extra applications to get the conditioning benefits.

**Spitfire** · May 20th, 2020, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by Obsidian

I would think several applications over one long one would be better but I'm not sure as I always did 1 hour applications.

It took me a good 6 applications or so before I really saw thicker strands and any curl relaxing. If I had dark hair and wasn't concerned about going too dark, I would do a few extra applications to get the conditioning benefits.

Interesting! 6 1 hr applications would probably use a lot more henna powder over time than one long one. I'm trying to be a cheapskate and minimize that but if it's worth it I'll definitely do it.

Edit: Ps, that is a very cool Avatar, Obsidian.

**ari123** · May 20th, 2020, 01:56 PM

I Hennaed my hair for the first time almost two weeks ago and noticed curl relaxation after having it on my head for two hours. It was a 50/50 cassia henna mix as well. However I have quite strange hair as it's usually a mixture of straight and slightly wavy hair on top with some corkscrew curls underneath. All of those curls went and are now wavy. My hair is much less frizzy than it used to be and does definitely feel thicker and stronger. I have also done an Amla hair treatment and a henna gloss so that would have helped too.

**s314** · May 20th, 2020, 02:01 PM

I also have fine 2a hair (can be 2b with a bit of effort) and I used henna for the first time ever today, for about 3 1/2 hours, just rinsed it out. Potentially too early to tell because it's still wet and in the process of air drying but it feels as fine as ever, and seems to be drying as wavy as ever, so maybe go for multiple

**Nightshade** · May 20th, 2020, 03:03 PM

Keep in mind there's two parts of henna's conditioning:

https://nightblooming.com/2018/02/06...ng-properties/

There's the lawsone, which adds maybe a little molecular weight to the hair permanently, but the second part of the conditioning is the natural plant wax (this bit fades after a few weeks). I feel this contributes more to thickness, so if you wanted maximum hair strand thickness gain, you'd have to henna faster than the plant wax layer fades, adding lawsone all the while.

**Obsidian** · May 20th, 2020, 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Interesting! 6 1 hr applications would probably use a lot more henna powder over time than one long one. I'm trying to be a cheapskate and minimize that but if it's worth it I'll definitely do it.

Edit: Ps, that is a very cool Avatar, Obsidian.

Yes, it uses more henna but I have short hair so it wasn't a issue for me. I can get 3 full head applications out of 100 grams of powder.

I can't say that multiple short applications are better since I've never done a long one. 2.5 hours is the absolute longest I've ever been able to leave the mud on and that was just a couple weeks ago after taking a 2 year break from henna.

It didn't seem to deposit significantly more color then a hour does I don't know what to think.

**Spitfire** · May 20th, 2020, 06:32 PM

Nightshade, that is amazing info, thank you so much! That article was a great read. I'm still amazed at all the amazing things plants can do. I also bought a henna/senna mix when I ordered my henna just in case the color stained more than I wanted and I preferred something lighter next time. I'll give it a try to see how it feels.

Thanks everyone for their responses! Here's my update:
I let the henna sit for 3 1/2 hours today on my hair.
I mixed it with steaming hot water, took a shower and washed my hair while I waited for the dye release (20 mins), and noticed a brown coating on the henna in the bowl, so I assumed it was ready to go.
My results are awesome--it's not much darker, it's a redder version of my normal color! I can't wait to see it when it oxidizes!

My waves are completely relaxed (but I did finger comb through quite a bit as it dried. I went for a walk with my hair damp to help dry it off). Sorry my camera is a potato.

**DropStitches** · May 21st, 2020, 07:09 AM

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Nightshade, that is amazing info, thank you so much! That article was a great read. I'm still amazed at all the amazing things plants can do. I also bought a henna/senna mix when I ordered my henna just in case the color stained more than I wanted and I preferred something lighter next time. I'll give it a try to see how it feels.

Thanks everyone for their responses! Here's my update:
I let the henna sit for 3 1/2 hours today on my hair.
I mixed it with steaming hot water, took a shower and washed my hair while I waited for the dye release (20 mins), and noticed a brown coating on the henna in the bowl, so I assumed it was ready to go.
My results are awesome--it's not much darker, it's a redder version of my normal color! I can't wait to see it when it oxidizes!

My waves are completely relaxed (but I did finger comb through quite a bit as it dried. I went for a walk with my hair damp to help dry it off). Sorry my camera is a potato.

Wow, what a gorgeous colour, Spitfire! You're inspiring me to finally pull the trigger on a henna purchase, though my base is much darker than yours - I dream of such a fiery result as you got!

**Spitfire** · May 21st, 2020, 07:56 AM

Originally Posted by DropStitches

Wow, what a gorgeous colour, Spitfire! You're inspiring me to finally pull the trigger on a henna purchase, though my base is much darker than yours - I dream of such a fiery result as you got!

Thank you very much!!
So far, I'm going to tell you it is totally, absolutely worth giving it a shot. My hair feels so, so good today, better than it ever has, no joke. I think it will oxidize a little less vibrant over a few days but so far after about 18 hours, no change. I'll take another pic on Sunday or Monday and post it to show how it oxidized and if my curl patterns are still as relaxed.