Henna: The Natural Hair Dye
Standard henna is of course red but at most Indian stores you can obtain a variety of colors to give your hair that extra shine and glamor. The price is minimal and actually a lot cheaper than real dye.
For all those asking henna can be used on both males and females, I am a male and it works great for me.
Originating from a bush that grows primarily in the Middle East and India, the process of making henna includes the leafs being ground into a powder and this is what you buy at stores in little packages, to use it you must add enough water to make it into a thick paste which can make quite a mess when applying it, and it stains, so be careful to do it in a safe environment where it won't stain anything important.
To apply you must mix it in with your hair making sure it covers all areas and is rubbed in enough, I would advise you to wear a towel around your shoulders so as not to stain your clothes as it does drip whether you like it or not. Another thing I found useful is to put on a shower cap after you are finished applying so that it can just all sit together and soak in properly.
You should leave the henna in for about 60 minutes but a little longer or shorter won't be the end of the world, some people even leave it on for hours and hours to get their wanted results but that is a little extreme.
When ready to rinse off put your head under the shower hose for at least 5 minutes straight, and don't be surprised to see color coming out of your hair every time you shampoo for the next few weeks.
Another point to keep in mind is that henna will never make your hair lighter as it is a dark color and will only make your hair darker or shinier, so just be aware of that before making the decision to use it.
It is not recommend to apply henna to your hair more than once a month but I would say once every 3 months as you don't want to end up ruining your hair in the long run, better safe than sorry.
Hope this guide helps you out and gives you the needed information you require for the next time you are planning to dye your head. My motto is "The more natural the product, the better the product".
Published by Jason Ward
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7 Comments
Post a CommentThe process you are describing with the product you are describing means that what you are using cannot possibly be all-natural henna. Often manufacturers of boxed henna dye will mix in black PPD dye. This can be very dangerous and can cause severe allergic reactions on the skin. Some people use this mixture to dye skin black semi-permanently so as to have the appearance of a black tattoo. Some people who have gotten this on their skin ended up with severe allergic reactions leaving a scar in the shape of what they had "tattooed". THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BLACK HENNA. The best henna resource on the net is www.hennapage.com
Sometimes what's labelled as 'black henna' is actually indigo. Other times it is a nasty chemical combination to give a black color (which is very hard on your hair). The way to tell the difference is by the color (in powder for pure indigo will be green, not brown), once it's mixed it will smell strongly of peas (it's a nice smell actually), and after being mixed with liquid for 15 minutes or so the mixture will look like dark blue ink (where as the chemical filled 'black henna' will have a brownish-black color to it). Pure indigo is safe an natural, 'black henna' is not.
EDIT: I meant any color but red. And I also meant to say that it takes henna two-eight hours to take affect. Henna cannot work in sixty minutes.
Real henna doesn't damage your hair no matter how often you use it. And real henna cannot turn your hair any color but black. You can add things like indigo, red wine, cinnamon and lemons to make it lighter or darker, but you cannot have black henna. Most likely you're using compound henna, which is pretty much hair dye with a better name.
*The ONLY safe henna dyes hair red. Bright red. To that, indigo can be added (this will darken your hair and, depending on the proportions of indigo : henna used, can give you anything from a deep-red, through brown to purplish-black. Depending on how dark your natural colour is, pure indigo (i.e without mixing it with henna, or dyeing your hair with henna first) may be used to give a truer black, but this is not recommended on light brown or blonde hair since indigo contains a blue dye (think denim jeans) and yellow (i.e. the 'blonde' tone) plus blue = a greenish colour. Both henna and indigo, if pure, come in a soft, greenish powder. Henna is a slightly brighter green and smells like hay, while indigo is a pastelly-green and smells like dried peas; if this does not describe the dye you're using, it isn't henna, indigo or any combination.
...if you're managing to dye your hair in sixty minutes and you're under the impression that henna-ing too often will 'damage' your hair, the 'black henna' you're using is almost certainly not real henna but a chemical dye much like any other. In fact, if it contains PPD to make it black, it could be very dangerous. Just google 'black henna dye' and you'll see what I mean.
...if you're managing to dye your hair in sixty minutes and you're under the impression that henna-ing too often will 'damage' your hair, the 'black henna' you're using is almost certainly not real henna but a chemical dye much like any other. In fact, if it contains PPD to make it black, it could be very dangerous. Just google 'black henna dye' and you'll see what I mean.
The ONLY safe henna dyes hair red. Bright red. To that, indigo can be added (this will darken your hair and, depending on the proportions of indigo : henna used, can give you anything from a deep-red, through brown to purplish-black. Depending on how dark your natural colour is, pure indigo (i.e without mixing it with henna, or dyeing your hair with henna first) may be used to give a truer black, but this is not recommended on light brown or blonde hair since indigo contains a blue dye (think denim jeans) and yellow (i.e. the 'blonde' tone) plus blue = a greenish colour. Both henna and indigo, if pure, come in a s