Hey! Have you ever used henna to change the color of your hair?
Although girls have been applying henna dyes to their hair from many many years, I’ve learned about it fairly recently. I decided to give henna a go, especially that my hair color is less intensive than it should be. I’m not a fan of drugstore hair dyes with ammonia, therefore I think that applying henna to the hair at home is something right for me.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I had this thought that this treatment is time-consuming, difficult and tedious but… why shouldn’t I give it a shot anyway? The worst that may happen is me coming up to the conclusion that henna treatment isn’t for me so I’ll return to my faded hair.
Let’s start from the beginning. What is henna?
I think we should focus on the basics first because I assume that some of my readers may not know what henna really is. Without knowing this, we can’t move further 🙂
So, henna is a 100% natural hair dye (or “colorant” I should say). I think that the experts would disagree with me because the ability of henna to change the color is only a side effect. The truth is that henna, which is dried and powdered lawsonia leaves, is mostly a conditioning product. And with the power of all-natural nourishing substances, it can improve the appearance of hair, skin, eyebrows and eyelashes in a non-invasive way.
What henna does to your hair?
Probably most of you will answer this question saying that henna intensifies the color of hair and is used as a hair dye. Well, you’re right but the truth is that natural henna is considered as a plant preparation that:
- improves and repairs hair fiber.
- fills in the gaps that occurred in hair structure due to damage.
- is able to thicken hair shaft even two times.
- makes hair resistant to damage and protects it from losing water.
- grants intensive hair color and healthy shine.
As you can see now, henna offers more benefits than just coloring, yet it’s only known for being a natural hair dye. And today I’d like to focus on this widely-recognized quality of henna.
Dyeing hair with henna
When it comes to applying henna to the hair, we often reach for it in order to cover up gray hair, intensify and add more saturation to our natural hair color – we want to win healthy shine and resilience back. Actually, I wanted to camouflage a few gray hairs that I guess I noticed on my head as I also wanted to say goodbye to the dull look of my strands. I found my hair being somehow lifeless so I thought I should check whether dyeing the hair with henna can help me.
Luckily, and to my surprise, it appeared that using henna on the hair to change the color isn’t as challenging as I assumed it would be. Still, you have to make sure that the henna you choose is good – natural, made of 100% lawsonia leaves, without any synthetic additives.
How to dye hair with henna at home?
Okay, now we can move on to the dyeing itself. Is it even difficult? In my opinion, it’s not. I felt well-prepared for this procedure by just reading a few how-tos and watching a video tutorial. I managed to color my hair with henna so today I’ll share my instructions with you. Here is how to dye hair with henna step by step.
- Wash the hair with a silicone-free shampoo, but add a pinch of salt to help the hair cuticles open so that henna will gain easier access to penetrate the hair deeper.
- Combine the powdered henna with warm water (but not boiling water) and a few drops of lemon juice by following the instructions provided on the packaging.
- Spread the henna paste on the hair and wrap it with foil. I’d also recommend you wrapping the head with a warm towel just to keep the temperature higher.
- Once the recommended time passes, rinse the henna using water only. You can wash the hair with a regular shampoo no sooner than after 48 hours (!) after the treatment.
I’m not giving you the exact time and proportions on purpose because it all depends on the effect you want to achieve, and which henna product you use. Just follow the instructions given by the producer.
How often should you re-apply henna to hair?
The general recommendations say that henna hair dyeing should be carried out once per a month and a half. This is how long the effects last, more or less. Also, when you color your hair with henna, you should use only gentle shampoos, herbal hair rinses and non-invasive hair care products. I tried following these instructions religiously and now it’s 6th week and I can say that the effects of coloring hair with henna at home are still there! Well, actually the color has lost its intensity, so perhaps I should reapply the henna someday soon.
I’m sure I’ll reach for henna again 🙂
