Henna and Zizyphus spina Christi/ Sedr?

[Peonyrose]

Hello All! Just wondering if anyone here has used henna mixed with Zizyphus spina Christi (Sedr) ? So instead of using say a 30-50% henna and 70-50% cassia mix they have used the sisyphus instead of the cassia?

[Dixie Derelict]

I thought somebody with more experience would've chimed in by now...
I have only used sedr twice; both times as a wash/ condition mix with a little aloe and fenugreek. But I don't think there's any reason not to do it. One usually sees the adding of herbs to henna as being helpful to tweak the color. While I don't see sedr as doing that(since it's color-free) it should be great for conditioning, and I'm thinking sedr WOULD serve to 'cut' the mix and make it easier to apply evenly if you only use a small amount of henna.
Nightshade is the person who really KNOWS this stuff. She's great about giving advice, too. Go check her out, for a REAL answer.

[Nightshade]

Hello All! Just wondering if anyone here has used henna mixed with Zizyphus spina Christi (Sedr) ? So instead of using say a 30-50% henna and 70-50% cassia mix they have used the sisyphus instead of the cassia?

I thought somebody with more experience would've chimed in by now...
I have only used sedr twice; both times as a wash/ condition mix with a little aloe and fenugreek. But I don't think there's any reason not to do it. One usually sees the adding of herbs to henna as being helpful to tweak the color. While I don't see sedr as doing that(since it's color-free) it should be great for conditioning, and I'm thinking sedr WOULD serve to 'cut' the mix and make it easier to apply evenly if you only use a small amount of henna.
Nightshade is the person who really KNOWS this stuff. She's great about giving advice, too. Go check her out, for a REAL answer.

Awww thank you Dixie, that's so kind of you to say!

You are correct that Sedr will dilute the henna, which, honestly, is the most important thing when making lighter shades of red with henna. It's why you can use cassia or sedr or even conditioner for a henna gloss and come out with a more copper shade of red than straight henna.

That said there are some differences between sedr and senna (cassia). I'm going to start you out with this article that talks about the different conditioning benefits.

The Short Version
Sedr- The leaves of this plant have a permeable waxy coating to help retain moisture. It is the fatty acids and secondary alcohols of this epicuticular wax that gives Sedr its conditioning and cleansing benefits. As such, it will wear off over time and needs to be refreshed every 4-8 weeks.

Senna / Cassia– The conditioning properties and golden color come from Chrysophanic acid. The tannins and chrysophanic acid in senna also have anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. Needs to be refreshed every 4-8 weeks.

Henna– There are two steps in the conditioning properties of henna. The first is the lawsone molecule, which binds to the keratin in hair and permanently makes makes hair red-orange, stronger and thicker. Also a desert plant, henna leaves a permeable coating on hair similar to that of Sedr’s. This coating fills in rough spots on the cuticle and helps reduce damage from outside sources such as combing and styling. This permeable coating, however, fades after 4-8 weeks.



So by cutting in Sedr you're more closely replicating the conditioning benefits of a straight henna treatment--getting more of that permeable plant wax, which is the part of henna that "makes hair thicker." I find the color with this to be a more rusty orange.

By cutting in cassia / senna you're getting that chrysophanic acid which is going to give a more golden sheen to the copper color, and also provides some unique conditioning benefits not found in either henna or senna.


It's really up to you which you use, the color difference will be pretty minimal as long as your rate of dilution is the same regardless of which herb you're cutting the henna with, but that might help you decide one which way or the other based on the conditioning benefits each offers.

[Jane99]

Super interesting! Thanks Nightshade. I’d be curious to hear how it turns out if OP tries it

[jеstеr]

I used Sedr both with henna when I was doing some henna coloring ( just couple of times) and sedr with cassia obovata for conditioning treatments., and in the latter mix it was 50% cassia 50% sedr. It did dry my hair so you need to apply it on a preoiled hair, plus it was a pain to rinse out, comparing to henna or just plain cassia. It is more grainy and chunks of mix was not easily removed even by mermaid soakes. Since that experience I started to add much more fenugreek, which I prepare now separately, to get that wonderful slimy consistency, so the last time I did the mix, which was almost runny, but did not drip, I did not have the problems of rinsing it out at all. Next time I will try just Sedr ( with fenugreek, amla, honey, and, maybe, brahmi), to see how it goes alone.

[Peonyrose]

Thanks all! Will try it out next time roots need doing , and hopefully remember to report back. Might even try 30/30/30 henna/ cassia/ sedr.

[Dixie Derelict]

I recently did my roots with my thawed henna mix by putting my length up in a high single loose braid about 4-6 inches out from my scalp.I then used my tint brush and my gloved hands to paint/ smoosh in my henna mud. Then I unbraided my length and applied a mix of:
4tblsp sedr
2tblsp cassia
2tblsp aloe(fresh)
1tblsp methi
In a strong hibiscus tea

Definitely a success, on my classic length, mildly wavy henna hair. Very easy root method!
I was kinda going for Nightshade's conditioner mix type of thing for the length. Always seems a waste to leave my length out of the fun when I do roots; and this seems like a good fix for me!