Anyone use henna on their hair?

[squee]

Hey everyone!

I''m thinking about dying my hair, since I''m getting kind of bored with it. It''s dark brown with some very slight caramel/coppery undertones when in the sun. I used to get highlights done years ago, but it was expensive to keep up with since my hair grows so fast, and my hair eventually started to dry out a bit. Any color it once had is completely grown out, and I''d be starting with "virgin" hair. One of my good friends uses henna on her naturally black hair, and it gives it a very slight shimmery red look when she''s out in the sun. Indoors, you can barely tell. My hair''s not black though, so I''m wondering how extreme I can expect it to look. I don''t want to look like a fire engine!

I''m hoping for it to just end up a nice auburn. Everything I''ve read up on says that henna is actually very good for your hair, it''s just time consuming to do. So, thoughts? I''ll attach a picture of my current color for reference. Thanks in advance!

 

[kama_s]

You wont get fire-engine hair with henna, just a reddish tint in yellow light. Henna is good for your hair, but keep in mind it is a drying agent. So when you''re applying henna make sure you give yourself hot oil treatments at home.

 

[purrfectpear]

Yes, for about 4 years.

1. All henna is NOT created equal. It''s been too many years to remember the brand I used, but it was mixed to many different shades (I used an aubergine on med. brown hair)

2. It''s permanent until it "wears" off. I suspect it can be removed by an expert, but it would be an effort.

3. You should NOT color over henna with any dyes or bleaches (thus the attention to #2 above).

It does add shine, and in my case body also.

 

[Ara Ann]

I have naturally light gold/red hair and I don''t color it, but I do use henna sometimes when I feel my hair is looking washed out or dull...certain shampoos make my hair too ''light'' or faded looking... Anyway, since I have long hair, I thought I''d need to use almost all of the henna packet...LOL...I didn''t need that much and ended up with VERY bright RED hair (like Wynona Judd!) Yikes! I washed it a few times and after a few days it was a ''nice red'' - much darker than my normal shade - but I don''t use that much anymore!

Since your hair is dark, I doubt you''d have a similar problem...I bet it would be really pretty!

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Henna is, more or less, a hairstylists nightmare!

For me, personally, if a client came in using henna products on their hair and wanted me to color over it or lighten it...I wouldn''t touch that person with a ten foot pole. Because henna is a natural product, there is no way to firmly predict what the outcome will be...it''s like going in blind.

 

[squee]

kama - Thanks for the confirmation!

That''s really what I''m hoping for. I just kind of want a little boost. I did read that it is a bit drying, so if I decide to do it, I''m already planning on using certain essential oils in the mixture, plus a deep conditioner. Hot oil treatments are a good idea though. I''ll probably add that to the list.

purrfectpear - Thank you for replying. I did read that you shouldn''t try coloring over it, so I''ll definitely not be doing that. I figure that if I really don''t like the results, I just won''t do it again and I''ll wait for it to grow out. I can''t imagine that the results would be SO scary that I''d be miserable until it grew out. I''m pretty easygoing that way. I figure, it''s just hair. It''ll grow.

I did some reading up last night, and you''re definitely right - all henna is not created equal. I found a website that has pure henna, and has gotten glowing reviews. From what I''ve read it''s body art quality henna, and I guess that makes all the difference.

 

[squee]

Ara ann - That''s what I''m afraid of! I don''t want to look like Wynona Judd! Haha! I have read that usually the color deepens after a few days, so I''m glad you didn''t have to live with it like that! I''m sure that color is lovely on some people, but not everyone.

Italia - I''ve heard that! I guess it binds to your hair in such a way that it''s practically impossible to remove.

That''s the only thing that has me a bit nervous.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 4/30/2009 4:10:37 PM
Author: squee
Ara ann - That''s what I''m afraid of! I don''t want to look like Wynona Judd! Haha! I have read that usually the color deepens after a few days, so I''m glad you didn''t have to live with it like that! I''m sure that color is lovely on some people, but not everyone.

Italia - I''ve heard that! I guess it binds to your hair in such a way that it''s practically impossible to remove.

That''s the only thing that has me a bit nervous.

That should make you nervous...because you''re stuck once you do it--good or bad. But, if it''s a look like you and want to try...go for it! Like you said, it''s just hair--it will grow. The question is...if you hate it, can you live with it for the next three years?

 

[squee]

Date: 4/30/2009 4:15:58 PM
Author: Italiahaircolor

Date: 4/30/2009 4:10:37 PM

Author: squee

Ara ann - That''s what I''m afraid of! I don''t want to look like Wynona Judd! Haha! I have read that usually the color deepens after a few days, so I''m glad you didn''t have to live with it like that! I''m sure that color is lovely on some people, but not everyone.

Italia - I''ve heard that! I guess it binds to your hair in such a way that it''s practically impossible to remove.

That''s the only thing that has me a bit nervous.

That should make you nervous...because you''re stuck once you do it--good or bad. But, if it''s a look like you and want to try...go for it! Like you said, it''s just hair--it will grow. The question is...if you hate it, can you live with it for the next three years?

Yeah... that''s what I''m trying to figure out!

I think I still need to do some thinking about it before I decide if I''m going to do it or not. My hair''s on the shorter side right now (shoulder length bob) so I wouldn''t have too much of it to grow out if I hated it. It''d probably take about a year and a half or so, since my hair grows like a weed on roids.

Maybe I should flip a coin.

I kid! I kid!

 

[Lorelei]

I used to use henna years ago and I mixed in all sorts of things to tinker with the colour such as coffee, beetroot juice, all kinds of stuff!

I found it messy to use and it STUNK. I used to buy the powder and mix it with hot water then apply. As it dried it would start to flake off the hair and it stains terribly. Also when trying to do regrowth it wouldn''t take evenly, the ends and midlengths would go redder and redder and the roots would have the barest red tinge.

On the upside it does leave your hair shiny but to me it has a very identifiable orangey red to it, also the smell lasted for days in the hair.

 

[kama_s]

Yep, there are different types/strenghts of Henna, depending on where they come from and how fresh it is. My mum gets hers straight from India, so it's the purest form possible. She's been colouring her hair with henna every 2 weeks for the last 25 years. When I was a kid we'd make our own henna at home (leaves grew in my cousins backyard, and then we'd sit and make a paste out of it all afternoon) and paint our hands with it!

Also, again as mentioned above, while you wont see a serious colour, don't forget about it being in your hair. The first time I put henna to get that pretty reddish tint, I kinda forgot about it 3-4 months later and coloured my hair...the brown dye turned into bright carrot-top orange

!

And one final thing, make sure you wear gloves at all times. Even a small blob on your hand for 15 minutes will leave a stain that takes days to come off. You can see my elaborate wedding henna design in my avatar

 

[kama_s]

Date: 4/30/2009 4:28:59 PM
Author: Lorelei
I used to use henna years ago and I mixed in all sorts of things to tinker with the colour such as coffee, beetroot juice, all kinds of stuff!

On the upside it does leave your hair shiny but to me it has a very identifiable orangey red to it, also the smell lasted for days in the hair.

There are three things that bring out the colour in henna to the max: calcium carbonate, lime juice with sugar and mustard oil. And I love

the smell of henna. When I make a design on my hand, I keep smelling my hands every 2 minutes!

 

[purrfectpear]

OK, you have me worried. I'm not sure you understood that I mean that there are different SHADE mixtures of henna, not just different qualities.

Unless you want RED hair, do not use RED henna.

I was concerned enough to search the net to find the stuff I used for years. It comes in a cloth bag. It's made by Avigal
http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/Avigal-Henna-BURGUNDY-Deep-Wine-3-oz-Bag-SET-OF-3_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ360097385388

Personally, it's the only brand I would use. Like Italia said, you can get some funky results if you screw up. I know for a fact that Avigal will not screw up. If you buy Copper, you get Copper, buy Burgundy, you get Burgundy.

If you just get persian red henna there's a reasonable chance you will end up like Lucille Ball or Bozo the Clown.

 

[LaraOnline]

Date: 4/30/2009 3:55:59 PM
Author: purrfectpear

It does add shine, and in my case body also.

Yes, body is the great by-product of henna!
But because it is drying, it can make hair look unloved after a while. It seems to get a build up going as well, after a while. Perhaps a clarifying shampoo would be worth while every now and then, while using henna.

Apparently there are different qualities of henna, as PP and kama have mentioned..

yeah, it smells and looks kinda like mud when it''s mixed up, doesn''t it?! It''s more difficult to ''just do the roots'' like you can with regular hair-dye products.

You can use black henna, or even mix up tow shades yourself as far as I know?!... or you could use clear henna!

TBH you have gorgeous hair already...

 

[sbde]

squee - yeps i've used it plenty of times and it is all that my granny ever used to color her hair. i use the powder that is readily available at south asian stores. i love the red tinge it leaves on my jet black hair, and the bonus is that it makes the odd white hair i have turn copper

the only piece of advice i have is to avoid getting any on your scalp because you don't want to have your scalp showing up as orange when you part your hair.

good luck - you have gorgeous hair!!