[Rain Dancer]

I used to be a henna head. Loooved it. Besides a gorgeous, unmatched colour, my hair was soft, silky, strong and had shine that would put a Pantene commercial to shame. Sadly, I just couldn't love being a redhead. It wasn't me, deep down. So, I tried to remove it. And destroyed my hair. And had to chop it all off.

A cautionary tale. Not because I don't thing henna is fabulous stuff. Because I do. Just be damned sure you are a readhead at heart, because once that stuff is set in your hair, it is bulletproof. It isn't going anywhere until you cut it off.

That said, henna isn't difficult or mysterious, at all. Order good, pure body art quality henna. (I used to get mine from henna4hair.) Do a strand test and let it oxidize for a few days so that you will know your colour result before you henna. Just collect shed hairs from the shower and your brush and comb and test the hairball, that way you don't have to cut a tress to test. Just mix it with hot tap water. Acid, like lemon juice isn't really necessary and can actually dry out your hair. So, skip it.

Leftover henna paste can be frozen for later use! Put it in a container, cover and toss it in your freezer (it won't stink it up or contaminate your food) and thaw it when you want to use it. Frozen paste actually gives more intense stain, as the freezing process breaks up the henna powder and really releases dye.

If you have any questions or want more info or hints and tricks for using henna, toss me a PM, I will be happy to talk henna with you.

[BlessedBe]

You don't have to use lemon juice. You can use apple cidar vinegar, if you can stand the smell. But do NOT use boiling water. The color will come out funky. That website I posted has so much info it's not funny. They even have mixes that users have posted, along with pics of the color they got and what they started with. Yes, using henna on your hair does take time. 2-4 hours to "process," but it's well worth it. I haven't had split ends since I used it (and changed to organic hair prodcuts ). But really, check out that website. You can post on the forum and even the owner of the site will sometimes answer questions.

[86tolose]

I tried it once and it turned my medium brown hair black when it was suppose to make it lighter.

[Rain Dancer]

Originally Posted by 86tolose

I tried it once and it turned my medium brown hair black when it was suppose to make it lighter.

Oh no. That is a bummer. You must have got hold of "henna" that was actually a mix of different things and contained PPD or metallic salts. Henna mixes that contain these ingredients can have a terrible reaction to hair that has been previously dyed. It is also possible that you used a mix that contained indigo. (Which will dye hair black.) Real henna can't lighten hair. It is a plant stain and is not able to make hair lighter. It only deposits red stain.

I always recommend that anyone who wants to use henna use only pure, body art quality from a reputable supplier and always, always, but always do hairball tests before putting it on their head.

[caliyah]

i have curly hair so henna dries it out and makes it more difficult to manage..i guess maybe it works better for other hair types?

[Oasis]

I did the 2 step Henna/Indigo process and I love it. My hair is jet black and so beautiful.

[megwini]

Oasis, where did you buy your henna/indigo, and which method did you use? I have my hair currently dyed dark brown that looks black except shines red in the light and I want jet black hair, but I don't want to use commercial dyes because the dark brown hair dye WAY dried my hair out, and it's only now just barely starting to recover. But I looked and I'll probably need about 400g for my hair.. and all the GOOD henna/indigo bundles I've seen cost like 60 bucks for 4 bundles (to get 400g of each)... it's hard to justify spending 60 dollars a month to upkeep a color.. which is my concern.