Henna Thread, take two

**baanoo** · May 7th, 2022, 05:56 AM

Originally Posted by namarieyyy

Browsing this thread made me wish my black hair would take on literally ANY color for a change. I don't want to treat it with bleach then color it with henna. I shall simply watch this thread and admire everyone else's results from afar

Alas, I too watch and admire from afar (but not because my hair is too dark!). In your case, I wonder if you started using henna if it wouldn’t just light up in the sun while reading as black in softer light. A gorgeous surprise!

**AshtangiPNW** · May 7th, 2022, 10:10 PM

It might be worth trying a strand test, namarieyyy! It might lend a hint of auburn in direct sunlight.

**shelomit** · May 8th, 2022, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by namarieyyy

Browsing this thread made me wish my black hair would take on literally ANY color for a change. I don't want to treat it with bleach then color it with henna. I shall simply watch this thread and admire everyone else's results from afar

I find henna worthwhile even though it doesn't affect my color that much. (My natural color isn't as dark as yours, but it's dark brown and I already have reddish highlights.) I like what it does to my hair's manageability, and in my case it's also a cultural tradition in my family that I want to continue. Just depends on what you're looking for.

**tuanyiji** · August 3rd, 2022, 02:36 AM

I finally got some quality Henna, it's so hard to find pure ones here in China, and many of the online sources are kinda sketchy because most of them are labelled with a specific color, and that's a BAD sign. And they can be suspiciously cheap, which is another bad sign. Who knows what chemicals and trash they're mixed with? Meanwhile, some are extremely expensive as they claim to be real imports from India or Pakistan, and they're always some unknown brands that I got no search results here on LHC.

Too bad Henna Sooq doesn't ship to China, what a pity. I wanted to support her business after watching so many of her videos.

I ended up buying a pack of 500g 100% Pure Nupur Henna from someone living in Nepal at a reasonable price (60 yuan), hopefully, it will arrive soon. As far as I know, it's a very popular brand in India and I have read nothing but good words about it on LHC. I will update you on the feedback later. I plan to do cassia next week, and then in September or October do my first henna.

**shelomit** · August 3rd, 2022, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by tuanyiji

I finally got some quality Henna, it's so hard to find pure ones here in China, and many of the online sources are kinda sketchy because most of them are labelled with a specific color, and that's a BAD sign. And they can be suspiciously cheap, which is another bad sign. Who knows what chemicals and trash they're mixed with? Meanwhile, some are extremely expensive as they claim to be real imports from India or Pakistan, and they're always some unknown brands that I got no search results here on LHC.

Too bad Henna Sooq doesn't ship to China, what a pity. I wanted to support her business after watching so many of her videos.

I ended up buying a pack of 500g 100% Pure Nupur Henna from someone living in Nepal at a reasonable price (60 yuan), hopefully, it will arrive soon. As far as I know, it's a very popular brand in India and I have read nothing but good words about it on LHC. I will update you on the feedback later. I plan to do cassia next week, and then in September or October do my first henna.

We get Nupur here; it's quite a nice brand, although it's typically easier to find the "Nine Herbs" type here than the pure henna. The grind is very fine and fluffy. I've never had to sift it before using.

**tuanyiji** · August 4th, 2022, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by shelomit

We get Nupur here; it's quite a nice brand, although it's typically easier to find the "Nine Herbs" type here than the pure henna. The grind is very fine and fluffy. I've never had to sift it before using.

Thank you, at one point I gave up hope on finding pure henna and started searching for the body art henna, as I have read here that BAQ texture is finely sifted and easy to wash off, it also stains more, etc, I’d rather spend more money on a reputable brand than wasting money on questionable products that could potentially ruin my hair. And just in sheer luck, the ones that sell BAQ henna also have some authentic-looking henna sources, so I just tracked them down and found a legit-looking one.

I have seen the 9-in-1 variety in my search and I believe it’s very good for hair, but I already have collected quite a stash of ayurvedic and Chinese herbs during my search for henna, and I will incorporate them to my hair care routine more so as to curb my hoarding lol. I already convinced my mom to do henna as well, her long-time permed and dyed thin damaged hair is in severe need of a good henna for protection. I also need to practice the mixing and application first before I try it on my much longer hair.

**shelomit** · August 4th, 2022, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by tuanyiji

I have seen the 9-in-1 variety in my search and I believe it’s very good for hair, but I already have collected quite a stash of ayurvedic and Chinese herbs during my search for henna, and I will incorporate them to my hair care routine more so as to curb my hoarding lol. I already convinced my mom to do henna as well, her long-time permed and dyed thin damaged hair is in severe need of a good henna for protection. I also need to practice the mixing and application first before I try it on my much longer hair.

Yes, I've used the nine herbs variety before and I find it conditions my hair quite nicely. For those with lighter hair or who are looking primarily for color, I expect it would not give as vibrant a red simply because the proportion of henna is necessarily a smaller part of the mixture--but with dark hair like yours that wouldn't matter, and you found the 100% in any case ( ;

**tuanyiji** · August 4th, 2022, 11:48 PM

Originally Posted by shelomit

Yes, I've used the nine herbs variety before and I find it conditions my hair quite nicely. For those with lighter hair or who are looking primarily for color, I expect it would not give as vibrant a red simply because the proportion of henna is necessarily a smaller part of the mixture--but with dark hair like yours that wouldn't matter, and you found the 100% in any case ( ;

Yes exactly. I want pure henna to test on my mom’s hair first to see how much it would cover gray hair. For myself, since mine is almost black, I don’t really think it would change my color drastically. I’m more curious about the strengthening and thickening effect that many people have talked about here.
Also, since my ends have been kinda damaged by my lemon experiment and sun exposure, it would be interesting if henna can give me an ombré red tail lol.

**lapushka** · August 5th, 2022, 05:55 AM

tuanyiji, be careful with henna on a lot of gray. 1/ the contrast is major 2/ it is going to tint orange rather than red, very, an almost "clownish" orange 3/ it is very permanent even on gray. And with roots that are growing in just about *immediately* after applying, I... wouldn't. Maybe cassia (a yellowish blonde) would be better for gray, as the contrast is far less stark.

First thing my mom did when going gray is switch from her red dye to blonde dye. It makes it so that she only needs to dye about 3 to 4 times a year, because the contrast is so little between the gray and the blonde. She has a mid-tone yellowish blonde on it. It's been 4 months now and only now you can see that it's "time" to actually tackle it.