I slept with lush henna on ....

[Wenchelda]

.... So on for just over 10hrs and my greys still aren't completely covered Its better coverage than when I only left it on for 2.5/3hrs but I was expecting no signs of greys at all. What am I doing wrong? I applied it with one of those hair dye paintbrush things, kept it over the heat so it hadn't cooled at all when I applied it and then wrapped it in cling film straight away. I'm not impressed!

[SoHereItIs2016]

Does henna cover greys? I didn't think it could!

[DelphiniumBlue]

I've avoided henna since I've had grey hairs, at best they go orange.

[Wenchelda]

Really? There was a really long thread on here about how amazing lush henna is and I'm sure lots of people in that were saying how good it was at covering greys.

[NicknameUsed]

I thought henna over grey went orange as well. It does on my friend's hair.

[Wenchelda]

I used the "Caca Marron" which is a chestnut brown, so my greys haven't gone orange but are definitely more chesnutty than brown, with grey still showing through.

So does anyone know what's best for covering greys if henna is no good and I don't want to use chemical dye anymore? I'm only on my 30's so not ready to embrace the greyness yet!!

[expatinscotland]

I use Naturatint and it works a treat.

[StrawberryLeaf]

I read the huge long thread and was inspired but didn't love henna, I thought it made my greys orange too and the rest of my hair was a very orange red! I am using nice and easy no ammonia now.

[MaybeDoctor]

I use Daniel Field colours - not perfect, but I find them quite good.

[PrimalLass]

I didn't think Lush henna was very good. It's a shame that Henara stopped doing it. I used to sleep in that and it was amazing - my hair was ridiculously shiny.

[TheDropBear]

Haven't used it for years but the instructions always used to say don't use it if you've got more than 50% grey because turns them red so you'll get a very "striking" result.

[HisNameWasPrinceAndHeWasFunky]

I couldn't imagine applying henna with a brush. Its like thick mud rather than a cream. I kind of slap it on so my hair/head is thickly covered.

Did you put enough on OP?

Although Lush henna does cover my greys it also fades off them quicker than the rest of my head.

[MrsLettuce]

Yes, I was also wondering if you'd put enough on OP. It should be a thick, muddy texture and I can't imagine how you'd get it on with a brush if it wasn't very watered down indeed.

Back in the day you had to add lemon (or something) to the henna mix to get it to activate properly. Had to leave it a good while after mixing and before applying too, IIRC. Not sure fi the Lush stuff is different.

It should cover greys but to a different shade than the rest of your hair, like highlights really.

[MrsLettuce]

Why are people using this Lush stuff over proper, high quality henna (or indigo or cassia) powder? I shall have to find the thread in question and have a read I think.

[CointreauVersial]

I think because it's mixed with cocoa butter, or something, so you end up with super-shiny locks. Also they've pre-mixed the powders for different shades, so you don't have to.

[Wenchelda]

I think I used enough - it was like thick, gloopy, grainy mud when I put it on. Having looked at my hair more today, I guess my greys are mostly covered - if only lightly - but along my parting there are some still definitely visible. It hasn't transformed my hair into glossy shiny locks either. The texture doesn't feel any different to before

[ZaraW]

I use Just for Redheads henna have no experience of LUSH. They advise if you have 20% or more grey use a base of champagne henna first and then apply your regular henna to ensure Grey's are covered. Not tried it myself but worth a try?

[IncidentalAnarchist]

My mum used to mix her henna with tea

[Gracey79]

I found lush henna had no effect on my hair colour at all, I left it on for 12 hours and although it was shinier it didn't change the colour.

[whatamess0815]

lush Henna is low quality. get yourself some good quality Henna (hennaboy or 'henna for hair'.

[whatamess0815]

lush Henna is low quality. get yourself some good quality Henna (hennaboy or 'henna for hair'.

[shovetheholly]

I've heard other people say this, I wonder if it works better on some heads of hair than others?

How much did you use? My hair is short - just below my ears - and I need 3-4 cubes of a block (around 2/3). I mix it up to cow pat consistency using boiling water - then place it in a Pyrex bowl over a pan of simmering water to work out the lumps. Then, as soon as I can bear to touch it (and I am quite good with handling hot things), I really work it into the roots (this is actually quite hard to do - the henna is crazy hot and the hair gets all tangled up).

Then I wrap it in a plastic bag, followed by a tight turban, followed by a towel and leave for 3-4 hours. Every single time I get a vibrant red, with grey hairs absolutely zingingly colourful. It conditions my hair like nothing else too.

Smells awful, though!