Talk to me about henna dyes...

[Maeve]

I'm thinking about coloring my hair, but never used henna. Is it permanent? Or does it slowly wash out? Does it look good, or is it harsh?

TIA!

[Woodsmuse]

Henna Hair

Hey there. I have been using henna on my hair for around 8 years. After having every hairdo and color you can think of, with every product made before making some serious lifestyle improvements, I can say I LOVE henna for haircolor. It always looks natural (kinda bright at first few days, though, depending on color), and conditions without all the chemical crap. I have recommended and assisted several friends, and they are all converted, even the ones that have used the same chemicals products for years. If your hair is not white-blond, you have a big selection of henna colors to choose from. Personally I prefer the reds. Unless your hair is pretty dark or ash-toned already, if you want natural-looking results, don't use Black. Henna is really easy to use,too...and MUCH cheaper than other products (I have long hair and get 3-5 applications from a box, around $6.00) I prefer a brand called "Light Mountain". Easily available at whole foods stores and color batches are fairly consistent. Henna washes out gradually, but without roots! My friend with pretty much grey hair applies henna every month or so, I do it every two to three months. A word: I have heard hennaed hair alters the way later commercial dyes perform, so if you plan to return to another product, you may want to look into this before trying henna. Have fun!

[Maeve]

It sounds great!
I'm glad to hear about the root thing. That's one of the reasons I hate coloring my hair, I hate having noticable roots.
Can you change colors easily? For instance, if I decide to do a brown one time, can I switch and go to red next time?

[~Megan~]

one thing my friend who is a colorist said was that you should never use henna if you have any hair that has been dyed commerically, even if its faded or has grown out. It can cause a reaction that will burn your hair

[girlndocs]

Please go to www.hennaforhair.com for the facts about henna. It's a wonderful, safe, good-for-your hair dye, but to ensure a result you're happy with you really need to know what it is and what it does -- and what it isn't and what it doesn't do!

[stafl]

Originally Posted by amarasmom

one thing my friend who is a colorist said was that you should never use henna if you have any hair that has been dyed commerically, even if its faded or has grown out. It can cause a reaction that will burn your hair

turned mine purple.... :LOL but I liked it. then the purple washed out in a few days. My hair doesn't like dye much at all, even the permanent stuff washes out. honestly, henna doesn't do much at all to my hair, except when I go out in the sun. If you have dark hair, don't expect any drastic change, just some redder highlights. It does condition it, though.

[Marni]

I may end up going this route too -- but someone just warned me that henna can really dry your hair out. (SOunds like a contradiction to the conditioning benefits I keep reading about).

My hair is curly (fine, loose curls -- nor tight or coarse) virgin med to dark brown these days with a small hand full of greys. The ends (about 2 inches) are a slightly different reddish color, from being colored 1.5 years ago. That said, do you think a red henna would be safe/attractive for me? Will it change my curl or hair texture? I'm such a chicken -- but I'd LOVE to fall in love with Henna!!!!

[melissa17s]

I tried henna when I was in high school. The version I got was supposed to be a pretty reddish brown, but my hair turned green. My aunt, who was a hair stylist, said it was because my hair had been bleach by the sun and that henna reacts with hair that has been bleached in any way. The green sucked because it wasn't like a cool green that was fashionable; it was drab olive green. I had to dye my hair red to neutralize the green.

[stafl]

Originally Posted by melissa17s

I tried henna when I was in high school. The version I got was supposed to be a pretty reddish brown, but my hair turned green. My aunt, who was a hair stylist, said it was because my hair had been bleach by the sun and that henna reacts with hair that has been bleached in any way. The green sucked because it wasn't like a cool green that was fashionable; it was drab olive green. I had to dye my hair red to neutralize the green.

the link girlndocs posted explains why/when that happens. It's because of other ingredients added to the henna, instead of using just the herb itself. It's a very interesting website I just might try henna again real soon, and see if I can't get better results than the last time.

[girlndocs]

Yeah, the myths and misconceptions are knee deep in this thread (no offense meant!)

Pure, fresh henna is a *very* powerful dyeing agent and, for example, covers greys very effectively. It also will not turn your hair green or purple. It also is safe to use over most chemical hair dyes. As with any hair dye you should always ALWAYS do a strand test first!

Herbal "henna" mixtures (many of which claim to be 100% henna) can be wimpy, rinse out quickly, and react badly to other dyes because other crap has been added to them. Pure henna tends to be towards the permanent end of the scale, although it will fade slightly with time.

Henna does not dry out hair but it can leave hair crunchy for two reasons:

1) it can take A LOT! of rinsing. If it's not rinsed adequately a slight dusty coating remains on the hair that makes it feel crunchy, dry and tangly.

2) it's very high in protein. "Over-proteining" some hair types can make them crunchy. No permanent harm is done, the remedy is a good moisturizing conditioner without any protein ingredients.

The active ingredient in henna, an orangy protein chemical, binds with the keratin in the hair shaft to strengthen and condition it. It's genuinely good for hair.

As soon as my temporary fuschia dye wears off, I'm going to henna my hair again. I use a "gloss" recipe that delivers very little color but a lot of glittering shine, strength and thickness. It's on the Henna For Hair site (I'm "Kris" in the mixes section with the dark-blonde hair). I henna DH's dark-chestnut hair whenever I can talk him into it Gorgeous!

[Kam]

Hi Marni,
Your hair sounds a little like mine: fine, but thick, slightly curly/wavy, frizzy in wet weather, light/med brown with a handful of greys and some natural red highlights, was virgin before I died it with henna two applications ago.

The first henna I did was Rainbow's Strawberry Blonde from the health food shelves, and it made my hair slightly reddder. Faded over about two months to hardly noticable.

The next application was with body-art quality henna and was left in much longer, and man, was it red!! It oxidized somewhat over the first few days, but now at a month later, it's still very red. I understand that it won't be fading out ever, and I do have roots. The up side is that if you ease into the red slowly (light applications once a month) until you get the color you like, you can just do the roots and condition the rest once a month or so. Much simpler than I imagined. Unfortunately, now I'm a redhead, and there's no going back for me. I'll learning to like it. It does make my hair less frizzy, shinier, and it feels stronger.

The hennaforhair site really is very helpful. Read the mixes as Girlndocs recommended. You'll get a feel for what's appropriate. And ask questions! This forum and that are both very helpful.

Good luck!

warmly,
Kam, mamamama! to Meg

[Maeve]

I love that site! Great info.

I'm thinking about using the kind that just glosses and strengthens your hair. I kinda like my natural color right now (few greys and all ).

[peaceful_mama]

Hi---I've henna dyed a few times, red. Mine's faded, even the stuff I got direct from Egypt. (pays to have friends )

I've done henna on my feet and hands too.


you CANNOT allow ANYTHING metal to come in contact with your henna, this is what will make your hair turn green! Take off all your rings, etc. etc.

I've had some 'henna dye' boxes turn my hair really orange-y at first, then tame down to the nice auburn I wanted. The stuff direct from Egypt didn't go orange first.

I've got more Egyptian henna from another friend, I'll let you know how it goes.

[anotherKatrina]

I just hennaed last Sunday. I order mine from the hennaforhair site, so it's body art quality. My hair is very dark and the henna gives it a beautiful red highlight when the light shines on it. I've also used equal parts of henna and indigo with nice results...more brown, less red.

I'll never go back to chemical dyes for a few reasons. The most important one is that I'm allergic to them and I get awful raised welts on my scalp after coloring my hair! But the great thing is that henna is so much better! My hair is shiny and strong and red from henna really lasts, whereas chemical reds fade very quickly.

And if you're not so crazy about red, there are ways to tone it down. Just go to the site and click on "mixes".

Next time I think I will experiment with henna mixed with strongly brewed tea...has anyone tried that before?

[Kam]

Yep, I used black tea for the thinning liquid the first time I used henna, Katrina. The red was pretty orange the first few days, but mellowed to a nice auburny red after a week. In fact, I had a breast exam a few weeks later, and the older doctor commented on my beautiful hair right before he felt me up! :LOL

I just love dark, dark hair with henna in it. My Japanese hostmom used to do it once a month. Her hair was so neat, sparkling in the sunshine even though it was black.

warmly,
Kam, mamamama! to Meg

[kvan]

Thanks for all the great info!
I just ordered henna and indigo...which me luck!

[deliarose]

Just a note, it does smell sort of funny. Kind of like funky smelling grass or something like that. I did get great color and it is difficult for my hair to take any color that is chemical. I used an auburn and loved it. Someone told me recently that I shouldn't go red since I am already red in the face... bummer!