Are you up for henna?
There are many reasons to consider dyeing your hair with henna instead of traditional dyes.
On the one hand, it's 100% natural, non-toxic, and compatible with pharmacological treatments like chemotherapy. The minerals in henna nourish and strengthen your hair. Furthermore, henna covers gray hair, giving it a beautiful color and shine. Gray hairs take on a different color than the rest of your hair, making it look like you have very natural highlights. Remember that, like other dyes, gray hairs will reappear as your hair grows out, although since henna is a semi-permanent dye, the line between gray and gray is somewhat less noticeable.
More and more hair salons are offering henna, mud, and other natural dyes, but henna can be made at home. We'll tell you how to apply it so it looks fantastic, and to help you choose, here's our selection of henna products.
1. Use gloves, a comb, and a hairdressing brush to carefully separate and easily coat each strand of hair. Always use glass, wood, or porcelain utensils, never metal, as these can cause the henna to react negatively. If you prefer, you can use your fingers, but do so with gloves to avoid staining them, as the henna stain can last for several hours.
2. Apply moisturizer all along the skin at the hairline where your facial skin ends and your hair begins. This will prevent the henna from staining your forehead, even if you accidentally get it outside the lines when applying it to the roots. Be careful not to get the moisturizer on your hair so that it adheres properly there.
3- Prepare the mixture with hot liquid, but not hot enough to burn your scalp, keeping your personal needs in mind. Making it with coffee or black tea helps cover gray hair, chamomile enhances blonde tones, and red teas like rooibos enhance reddish tones.
4- Add a splash of Add jojoba oil to the henna and water mixture (or coffee or tea) to moisturize and soften your hair while you dye it.
5- Start applying henna to your hair, always beginning at the hairline where the roots and/or gray hairs are most noticeable. Use a comb to work in different sections, especially where you normally part your hair. Then, apply the henna to the rest of your hair in strands.
6- Once the henna is applied to all of your hair, simply gather it up without elastics and cover it with a shower cap. You can use a hairdryer to warm the henna and make it work faster, but follow the instructions for the henna brand you are using to determine the processing time.
7- After rinsing out the henna, don't wash your hair. Apply conditioner to nourish and moisturize your hair, then rinse it out again. If possible, leave your hair unwashed for 24 hours, as the henna will continue to work even after rinsing.
8- If you have a lot of gray hair, you can reapply henna to just the roots more often than the rest of your hair, which is somewhat faster. For example, you could do the roots every 3 weeks, and the rest of your hair every 6-9 weeks.
Remember that although henna is natural, its high mineral content means it can react negatively with hair chemicals and give your hair an unwanted color, usually green or purple tones. If you have dyed or highlighted hair, wait two or three weeks before doing a patch test on a strand of hair at the roots to see how your hair reacts. Conversely, if you've been using henna for a while and want to switch to dye or highlights, ask for a patch test on a strand of hair at the roots before applying the treatment to your entire head.