Lawsonia Inermis is the scientific name for henna and is a plant found in the middle east. Henna has been used for centuries mainly in the middle east for body art, hair dye, and to dye clothing.
What are the benefits of henna??
Hair dye
For hair henna is used mainly for hair dye. Henna does NOT lighten hair, if anything it will darken the hair with more of a reddish hue. From my research henna, coats and "fills in" sort of like a protein treatment but it is not a protein. From what I have researched, if planning on applying henna to the hair, make sure it is a permanent decision because of the fact that henna coats the hair shaft so it may be difficult for commercial hair dyes to take as well on henna treated hair.
Strengthening
Henna acts as a protein treatment, but is not a protein. It strengthens the hair by "filling in" the gaps along the hair shaft that are caused by damaged cuticles and high porosity strands. Because it fills in the gaps, it will cause your hair to feel slightly heavier than normal and some curlies actually experience a loosening of their curl pattern with frequent use.
When I first began researching henna my main resource was of course curlynikki.com! Here is a link from her page that goes more into depth about the benefits of henna:
http://www.curlynikki.com/2008/10/im-henna-head.html
I absolutely love henna because it is 100% natural! Any other henna that "claims" to give a color other than any shade of red is not the purest form of the plant and may have certain metals that can be very damaging to the hair.
My Experience with Henna:
I started using henna last year around August after some extensive research about the benefits. I noticed my hair has thickened up tremendously and looks a lot more shiny instead of dry and crackly.
My curl pattern has loosened slightly as well and I really like what it does for my hair. My hair is slightly darker inside but as soon as I go in the sun you can really see the nice red hue. Curly Nikki describes it as taking a red crayon and coloring on a black piece of construction paper, as to the coloring effect of henna. Henna can be a quite messy experience so I didn't let that discourage me.
Henna Gloss:
Curly Nikki also mentions doing a "Henna Gloss" for people that don't want the full strength effects that henna will provide (i.e. strong dye release, curl loosening) but will provide a lighter version of the henna effects with more of a conditioning treatment. Henna gloss is easier to rinse out of the hair and your hair doesn't feel dry and like straw like it would if you used the full strength henna.
Here is the link to Curly Nikki's henna gloss recipe:
http://www.curlynikki.com/2010/05/curlynikkis-henna-gloss-recipe.html
Red glow
I don't know if you can tell much of a difference from these pictures but here is a picture of my straightened hair before using henna:
Here are the steps I took for my henna gloss experience:
Gather materials:
- Henna (Here I will be using the Dulhan Henna)
- Green tea
- Conditioner of choice (Here I will be using Tresemme Naturals)
Depending upon the length of your hair, henna normally comes packaged in 100g boxes. For my hair I use 2 boxes (200g). I have medium length hair. Shorter hair MAY require one box (100g) depending upon thickness. While longer hair MAY require 2 or more boxes depending upon thickness.
Pour henna in a plastic bowl that you don't mind getting dirty. (It's important NOT to use any metal utensils when mixing or applying henna)
Seep green tea bags for about 15 minutes in 2 cups hot water. Remove bags and allow green tea to cool
Pour cooled green tea into henna. Henna needs some sort of acidic liquid for maximum dye release if you are using henna for the coloring effects. Here I'm using green tea as my acid, but some people opt to use Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV), lemon juice, or Aloe Vera juice. Be aware that lemon juice can be extremely drying to the hair.
Take the conditioner of choice and pour it into the mixture until you get the thick consistency of cake batter. You do NOT want the mixture to be too runny or you will have an annoying mess on your hands. I usually don't measure the conditioner but I will GUESS that you will probably need about a 1/2 cup to one cup of conditioner. Just make sure the mixture is the same thickness of cake batter.
Prep yourself by securing a towel you don't mind getting dirty around your shoulders or wear an old shirt just in case it gets messy.
Prep your bathroom by lining your sink and floor with newspaper or towels to prevent henna drippies from staining your bathroom.
You can opt to wear gloves, but you don't have to. Just know that your hands, fingers and nails WILL BE orange for a few days if you don't.
Here is a glimpse of how messy it gets!! But don't let that discourage you, the benefits are much more rewarding! ...To me at least!
Here I parted my hair in 4 sections. I left the conditioner in after my wash, and the back is out because I plan on starting with the back first.
View of the back before applying henna
View of back after applying henna
View of front after applying henna
Hair is feeling pretty heavy right now!
Braided hair after henna is all washed out
Quick braid-out
Couple of things to note when rinsing henna:
Always rinse ALL of the henna out of your hair. I spent about 10-15 minutes or longer just rinsing the henna out. Let the water break up the henna and try to manipulate the hair as less as possible during the rinsing process.
Make sure that you do a good DEEP TREATMENT after you rinse the henna out because of the drying effect of full strength henna. The henna gloss is not drying because of the conditioner that's mixed in but I still did a deep treatment after.
Other things to remember:
When purchasing henna, make sure you purchase the BODY ART QUALITY (BAQ) henna. This type of henna is finely sifted so you won't find the little twigs and branches that could get caught in your curls.
Like previously stated, make sure henna will be a real commitment, because returning back to commercial dyes afterwards will set you up for disappointment when your color doesn't take well.
Make sure you research the type and brand of henna you plan to use before purchasing. Not all brands that say "henna" is safe to use on your hair. If it will produce any color other than A SHADE OF RED, is it NOT the purest form of henna. The henna plant only produces a reddish tint. There are other types of henna that is safe as well as household ingredients that you can mix with henna that will give you a color other than red that you may desire.
Here is the website to experiment with different colors:
Please research as much as possible about henna before deciding to take the plunge. No one's hair is the same and not everyone will experience the same results as the next, so know what works and what does not work for you hair and ALWAYS do a strand test first before using any product for the first time!!
Resources for research on henna:
www.youtube.com (type henna sooq in the search box)
www.curlynikki.com (she has a tab at the top of her page especially for henna)
Curly Nikki also has a forum on her site. Just sign up and there are lots of threads on henna from different women who can tell you from their experience how henna has worked for them.
Hope this helps ladies!!
Happy Henna'ing!
~Licia
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