Henna hair lovers!

[Sunshine4you]

I love using henna for my hair. Not only for the color but for all the benefits it's done to my hair since switching from chemical dyes.
My hair is thicker, healthy, shiny and easy to manage.
I also use cassia, alma and sedr powder as hair masks and to mix in my henna mix.

I thought I would start a thread for us henna lovers to share our recipes and tips!

So who else is a henna lover?

Cassia has a slight yellow dye content. But it's not permanent and washes out within a few weeks. Won't show up on darker hair tho or hennaed hair.

I use either Lush or unbranded powdered henna (the kind sold for Mehndi). I prepare Lush with a bain marie and use it straight away. If using the powdered henna I leave it overnight with a dash of lemon juice or peppermint oil.

Interested to read that hibiscus tea gives a darker red - would other types of leaf tea work, does anyone know?

Won't show up on darker hair tho or hennaed hair

Interesting, I didn't know this

Back in the days (80s) Henera was the biggest name in henna , they sold shampoo , conditioners ( I can still visualise the bottles , elongated teardop shaped ) full of promise .
Henna wax in tubs that you applied and wrapped your head in a towel wrung out in hot water , or a plastic shower cap with a towel ( no dry heat , had to be damp )

The best one was in a squidgey dark green bottle , I used to buy it in a little healthfood shop.

After working within a Pakistani community, on recommendation from the women I also use henna to cover my grey. I mix colours to get what I want.

I like ‘it’s Pure’ henna too!

I've used the Cassia Obovata / Neutral Henna tonight .
My hair feels thicker and definitely "coated" but not softer and no onbious shine . Having said that , my hair takes a while to settle after I do anything to it .

I washed it off with conditioner only so I'll rinse it tomorrow (plain water) .

I knew it wouldn't change the colour but my DS (adult ) wandered over and said "Hmm it looks so different Mum"

I've got half a pack left but I don't think it's something I'll do again after it's finished

Another lover of the It's Pure range here. I use the Chestnut colour, which is basically a mix of henna and indigo. Have also tried the Auburn but think I prefer Chestnut. Would be a bit nervous about the unpredictability of doing my own mix but this colour is gorgeous, hair is so much more healthy and glossy and few greys just look like the highlights I used to spend a fortune to have done. I developed an allergy to chemical dye but would never use again even if that wasn't the case.

@70isaLimitNotaTarget yeah I think the benefits of cassia are minimal compared to henna. But give it another go as I found the second time better than the first. Also be sure to add some oils and perhaps coconut milk into it and an egg? This will help boost shine.

Hmm it looks so different Mum

Actually that was meant to read no different (DS doesn't do sarcasm

My hair felt dry today , I've conditioned it and see how it goes .
Lush henna had a good % conditioner which was lovely (and I didn't smell like Fag Ash Lil either !)

It takes a little while to settle down and can feel a bit dry at first but soon softens.

Meeee...! Used to use the Lush solid blocks but recently found Schwarzkopf 100% Vegetal, so much easier to use as it's just a bag of powder. I've been using Mahogany and for the first few days it's actually quite 😳 bright, but it does settle down to a beautiful red.

I love henna. It's been a game changer.

Okay -update on the Cassia .
After application my hair felt thicker but dry . Then it felt really dry .
I have a good % grey so the texture is coarser and I need to have about 2"-3" cut off to take off the brassier ends .

I;ve been intensively conditioning which has helped and now using the Bleach ondon Silver shampoo /conditioner about once a week after Aveda Blue Malva mask.

So the neutral one isn't for me and I;m not after colour . I can end my sttint with henna here unless its a henna shampoo if I find a nice one .

Popping in to say what I do, before reading back for tips.
I wash my hair with henna every six weeks or so.

First I moisturise my hands and nails, so I pick up less dye on my hands.
I make a gloopy paste with a splash of lemon juice and boiling water. I spoon this onto partings in my hair and smooth it along. When most areas seem covered, and the gloop is all used up, I use my fingers to scrub it into the scalp.
I either wash off immediately in the shower, or wash hands and wait 20 mins before washing off. Scrub my scalp with my fingers in the shower until the water runs clear.

I often splash on some vinegar at this point, to help with the dryness of the hair.
Put argon or rose oil on my palms and squeeze into my damp hair, to seal in some moisture.

I like the sound of aloe powder for moisture. I'll look at that. I've used aloe from a plant in the past, but it's too labour intensive!

I like the idea of just using it as a scalp scrub for top up. I’m doing it tonight but can not get my plastic bags to sit right and they’re leaking so I’m not going to leave it fit my usual 12 hours, which I may regret as it’s such a faff to apply (bum length hair)