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1:01 am
March 21, 2010
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I was wondering if anybody has ever colored their hair with henna. I have long/thick/wavy hair that is auburn and is starting to show some gray and would like to get rid of it. I have never colored my hair but now that I am thinking about it, would like to use something as natural as I possibly can. I have heard that henna is a good natural hair dye, especially if you want the reddish/auburn color. Does anybody have any tips or words of wisdom on this subject? Would really appreciate any info you can give me. Thanks
Live your life in such a way that if someone were to speak badly of you, nobody would believe them.
7:53 am
September 20, 2010
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All I know is if you dont like the color it is hard to fix because standard coloring reacts to it differently. Before you decide you want to put it all over your hair cut a little swatch of hair from the back and try bit of the color on it to see if you will like the final result. Good Luck 
8:37 am
December 28, 2008
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There may well be ways to change the color a bit. My Mom used henna MANY years ago and it was not always the same color. (Her hairdresser mixed it, so it wasn't just a matter of Mom being sloppy, and I remember their discussions about making it lighter or darker.)
Have no idea how any of that was done, of course, so no help there. But, surely whatever they were doing then is still out there somewhere?
Good luck!
Anulos qui animum ostendunt omnes gestemus!
8:29 am
June 10, 2010
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I have used henna a lot. I am a long haired curly brunette with reddish highlights (with more in the summertime). 
I have quite a bit of gray at the sideburn areas. And, a few scattered throughout the rest of my hair.
I use the a health food store henna. The brand name is; Colora. It has a color chart of shades available on the side of the box. Shades range from black to wheat blonde. They also make a “natural” henna to add body and shine without a color change.
It says on the back of the box the twelve color shades will add a thin layer of transparent color so the orginial hair color will shine through and enhance the final result for the ultimate natural look. That being said I use the shade; “red sunset” because I like my red highlights . It does a fairly good job of covering my gray hair. The gray is still noticable but, it sure doesn't stand out like it did. The color will last about a month and start degrading.
Here's a site I found which will give you lots more information about henna so you can make an informed decision. http://www.hennaforhair.com/fa…..index.html
HTH
Phyllis 
8:43 am
April 5, 2010
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Mod note–copying this over here from another topic.
MousE said:
Hair coloring… I've colored my hair at the salon for years. Now, with age, it's grey at the front and faded brown everywhere else. I'm tired of putting chemical coloring on it, so started investigating Henna. We have a huge East Indian community here, and Mehndi (Henna Body Art) is commonly practiced. Turns out that most Henna available in stores has metallic salts and dyes in it. Real Henna is only ever red. The best quality is that used for Mehndi, as it must be pure to put so much on one's hands and feet. I used to Henna my hair back in the 80's and it always came out a brassy red. Turns out I was using the wrong kind of Henna, and preparing it improperly. According to the info I now have, from the HennaVancouver website, if done right, the color progresses over time: “One can liken the colors of henna to those of the Autumn season:
Green leaves changing to shades of burnt orange, red, burnished rust, brown
and burgundy…”
I just bought 300 grams of Mehndi Henna from HennaVancouver, and will prepare it according to this site's instructions: http://www.hennaforhair.com/ .
I'll let you know how it turns out, if you are interested! Anyone else have success with Henna?
So the secret, apparently, is NOT to mix the henna with boling water as we used to do in the past, but wth lemon juice, and then you let it sit overnight. The acidic liquid causes the color to intensify and deepen.
Well, yesterday I hennaed my graying hair, and WOW, it looks amazing. It is not at all brassy, and is more a deep glowing auburn. I normally have medium brown hair that is now gray at the temples. I now have auburn hair with glowing highlights, and the color is still deepening. When mixed with an acid base, according to the author of the ebook, “Henna for Hair “How-To” Henna -Copyright 2006 Catherine Cartwright-Jones”, after application, the color deepens over a four day period.
So far I'm loving the depth and richness of this color. If I had a better camera I'd post pictures, but if you follow the link above, you can see Catherine's photos.
Cheers! to all.
10:48 am
February 10, 2009
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Well…. this is verrrrrry interesting! My hair is sort of a chestnut brown, gets more red in the summer, but is now liberally sprinkled with grey too, which would maybe be very interesting. I've always loved it in the summer when it gets quite red too.
I think this needs a buddy and a whole afternoon to indulge ourselves in a bit of luxury! …hmmmmm
Located in N.E. Ohio
10:54 am
February 27, 2011
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I haven't colored my hair with Henna, but I do some mehndi or 'temporary tatooing' with henna because of my daughter, and my friend did the hair dyeing. My only tip is to be careful of your skin because it will take up the color easily. I don't know what the dye kits say, but if you use vaseline on the hair line and of course gloves on the hands you'll be less likely to stain yourself.
…and then they bought the goat! :D
11:30 am
February 3, 2010
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I've heard that once you henna your hair you can never perm it again. Does anyone know for sure? Of course, chances are that if you want a more natural hair dye, you aren't going to want to perm your hair any way, considering all the chemicals involved.
For those of us who aren't trying to cover grey hair (meaning those of us younger than me
) when I was a slip of a girl, I would rinse my hair with a little water and lemon juice for blonde highlights and then go outside and let it dry naturally in the sun. Until I decided red hair was much more interesting, then I switched to vinegar and did the same thing. These are just highlights, not that gorgeous Irish red that we all want. And you do kind of need warm weather and sunshine and all.
Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long. Ogden Nash
12:45 pm
November 11, 2010
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Vinegar will give you reddish highlights?? Really? I have medium auburn hair, would it enhance that? Tell me more.
I (sorta) have a farm in Africa.
1:02 pm
February 10, 2009
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Yes it does Mammajoseph. Apple cider vinegar is best for that for some reason, and you just dilute a few tablespoons in about a cup of water, and rinse it over you hair after you wash it. Normally I leave it on for a few minutes, then rinse it out again. It's really good for your scalp and hair in general too. Then, time in the sun will add highlights more so than it normally would.
I used to leave the vinegar rinse in and go out to let it dry in the sun when I was a kid, then rinse it out later in the day, but if you have sensitive skin, it can make your scalp itch and I don't know that it's necessary. (plus, who wants to smell like a pickle! ) Now I just rinse it out at the same time I'm washing.
Here is the page where everyone was talking about it! https://chickensintheroad.com/forum/home-garden-recipes/vinegar-hair-conditioner-rinse/
Located in N.E. Ohio
8:43 pm
March 21, 2010
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MousE, thanks so much for the info. Do you have long hair? My hair is almost to my waist and I'm not sure how much my henna I will need. My sister's hair is a little bit longer than mine and she has been coloring it for years with chemicals. From yellow blond to dark brown. She has settled on a color that is about the color of my natural hair in the last couple of years and is thinking about trying the henna on hers next time instead of chemicals. Does henna work well after chemicals? Sorry for all the questions, but I am kind of nervous about doing this. Thanks everybody for your help.
Live your life in such a way that if someone were to speak badly of you, nobody would believe them.
7:09 pm
April 1, 2009
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I was a hairdresser for 30 plus years, and here is what I can tell you about henna. Henna coats the hair shaft , not like chemical hair color that penetrates the hair shaft to deposit color. Perming is not recommended when using henna, the permanent wave solution can not penetrate the hair shaft so the hair will not take a good curl, and henna also contains metallic salts which can discolor the hair if you try to perm. Henna is used mainly to highlight natural colored hair, I have seen gray hair on which henna was used, and it had a pink cast. You should not use chemical hair color on henna treated hair.
Henna can removed from the hair by a professional through chemical treatments, but I would not recommend it. You really should decide if you want henna or permed hair, both is not a good idea even using henna after a perm can leave hair looking dry not very attractive.
Henna has regained a popularity in the last several years, if you have questions about the product you are thinking about using on your hair, email or call the product manufacturer and talk to a rep. that really knows the product and ask questions.
I hope this helps.
"Be kinder than necessary, everyone is fighting some sort of battle."
7:14 pm
April 1, 2009
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mamajoseph said:
Vinegar will give you reddish highlights?? Really? I have medium auburn hair, would it enhance that? Tell me more.
mamajoseph said:
Vinegar will give you reddish highlights?? Really? I have medium auburn hair, would it enhance that? Tell me more.
mamajoseph said:
Vinegar will give you reddish highlights?? Really? I have medium auburn hair, would it enhance that? Tell me more.
The vinegar contains acid which will lighten you hair just a tad, not bleach it but just bring out the reddish highlights. When I was young, I had dark brown hair and in the summer I combed lemon juice on hair and sat out in the sun to bring out the red pigment, it worked.
"Be kinder than necessary, everyone is fighting some sort of battle."
8:30 am
April 20, 2011
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MMT, I regularly use henna on my hair.. I use Jamila henna from the Henna Sooq, found here: http://www.hennasooq.com/
You generally get better (and more predictable) results using body-art quality henna, which is different from what you find at the drugstore, etc. Different varieties of henna come from different countries (Yemen, Pakistan, etc) and have different qualities and shades.
I've had very positive results with the henna I've been using. My hair is a darker medium brown with some silver highlights and I've not had a problem with the henna turning my 'silver' into pink…it generally just turns the silver hairs into more of a red shade than the brown hairs do, giving me some nice highlights. When preparing my henna, I use very hot (but not boiling) water in a pyrex measuring cup, mix it well and then wrap it up in saran wrap and towels and put it in a warm spot for several hours…usually about 6, I think? You could probably get away with 4, but what you're looking for is “dye release”, which is when you start seeing reddish streaks in the henna, which until then will just be a dark greenish-brownish colour (not very appetizing ). Once I see that, I add a few drops of clove essential oil (for smell as I'm not entirely fond of the smell of straight up henna) and a bit of honey for moisturizing, and then I put it on my dry hair using rubber gloves to keep my hands from staining. I'm generally careful enough that I don't get it all over parts of me that I don't want to turn orange, and I find that once I'm done if I immediately clean off my ears, etc, with wet tissue paper then I don't get orange ears. Your mileage may vary… 
I find the henna is very protective on my hair, and I can tell when it's time to put more on – my hair will start to tangle easier, etc. The henna actually strengthens the hair shaft, keeping it from breaking, etc.
Like some of the other ladies here have mentioned, I've found some good information on the Henna For Hair website/forum, and also on the Henna Tribe forum. Don't be intimidated by the process of making the henna…it doesn't have to be rocket science! It can be as easy or as complicated a process as you want it to be. 
Good luck!
9:10 am
September 5, 2011
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I used henna for the first time this past weekend, had a sample that I ordered and it worked great! I am going to order enough to do all my gray….
4:27 pm
January 31, 2011
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wow. was THIS interesting.
I use the typical hair dyes from…everywhere. dying my hair for 27 years now… But it is turning my hair darker than it used to. Perhaps that has to do with menopause? and it's full of all kinds of unpronouncable chemicals.
In fact one of my OBs in the 90's would not let me dye my hair while i was pregnant…I should have continued afterward.
but I have alot of grey, and did not want to be called my youngests grandmother…
so I will cut my hair…and see what is going on at the Whole foods store, and on your henna hairsites…
thank you !!!
Betsy, what type did u buy ?
laur
3:51 pm
September 5, 2011
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Laur: I see I never responded to what type of Henna I was using. http://www.mehandi.com/shop/brunette/index.html
That's the website…I absolutely love love this for coloring my hair. It make the gray have a soft highlight to it and colors the rest a beautiful soft brown. I couldn't have found a better product to color my hair with and it last so much longer than traditional color. I only use half a box, so I get two colorings out of each. So what a deal at 17.00 per box, I am coloring my hair for what I paid for the stuff at Walmart…..Anyways, if you have any further questions, just ask. I'm not going back no way no how……..I was paying an outrageous amount to have someone color my hair every 4-6 weeks!
7:33 pm
May 23, 2010
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Once again, my interest is piqued!
12:53 pm
December 27, 2008
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I just ordered hena for my hair! I’m so excited about it. I have been dying it copper for decades. No longer! My hair has become a “hobby”. It’s BSL now but I’m growing it past my waist and looking at making my own hand carved wooden hair sticks.
From the research I have done, it’s very important to only use pure henna if you have chemically treated hair. The drugstore henna colours (Colora) have the metals and salts in them that can ruin your hair if applied on previous chemically dyed hair giving you weird colours!
Here is some henna information that I have discovered recently. If you are an experienced henna user and some of this info is incorrect, please let us know. I want as much info as I can possibly get going in.
You can get pure henna powder, body art quality is best (BAQ), at a lot of places on the net or at just about any Indian grocery/goods store, where it’s considerably cheaper and just as good. Just make sure it’s pure henna powder. Any pure henna powder will work for hair, it doesn’t need to be triple sifted but will rinse out easier if it is. There are a lot of different kinds on the market: jamilla, rajasthani, rashan, ashfan, mumtaz, yemen and many more, all are pure henna powder and will do a good job, however, the older it is the less dye content it will have, but it will still work. Also, you can tone it down by not leaving it on as long or by watering it down with yogurt or conditioner after it is mixed, if you don’t really want copper red added to your hair. Henna only comes in the one copper red colour. If the box is for another colour henna, it’s not pure henna. That said, you can mix it with other organic herbs, like cassia, to get less red, or indigo to make it blacker. Indigo is black herbal dye but doesn’t always go well with chemically treated hair, unlike henna and cassia.
Henna coloured hair will be very bright orange at first, but will fade and deepen in 2-3 days. Pure henna powder is permanent. You don’t flirt with it, you marry it. You will only need to do the roots henceforth and the odd gloss to brighten it up and return the lush red tones if you have faded it with sun, chlorine, etc.
Henna is completely organic and natural and will not harm your hair. You can repeat the application as many times as you want without damage, but it will get darker with each application. Henna bonds with the protein in your hair to strengthen it, making it stronger and in better condition.
Some places recommend mixing it with a mild acid, like vinegar or lemon juice for better dye release but it will make it more drying. You can combat this by adding a bit of olive oil to prevent this. Henna will work through oil.
Mixing it with hot water and letting it sit in a very warm place will give you better dye release too. You only need some lemon juice combined with hot water for good dye release, not all lemon juice. When it is mixed and has sat for a bit, freeze it. Freezing the mixed henna helps break down the cell walls and makes for complete dye release when thawed. If you freeze the mixed henna, you don’t have to wait for further dye release when it is thawed. Also, you can mix it when it’s convenient to do so, freeze it and then wait to take it out and thaw when you have time to do it. All left over mixed henna can be frozen for later use. Some people mix large amounts and freeze it in ice cube trays for quick root applications. It prevents the pwder from aging on the shelf after you buy it. (I’m going to do this.)
There are no Indian grocery store near me so I had to order it online and pay more.
For the Canadians, here is a list of online Canadian suppliers that I found. They have different shipping costs, ranging from $5.95 to $12 but, at least, there won’t be any customs surprises or duty charges, as it all comes from within Canada.
Hennaart in Edmonton – I just orderd 300g of their H.A.R.T. BAQ
Mehndiskinart in BC
Mehndiandmore sells BAQ powder $5/cup
Dragonfly Designs in Edmonton
Atlantic Henna in New Brunswick
I am so exicted about doing this, and a little nervous! I will never again have to buy commercial chemical hair dye to be a red head and the red doesn’t fade, either! As my hair gets longer, it would get to be more and more trouble and expense to keep dyeing it with chemical dyes. Not with henna! I’m so exicted! I researched and read everything I could about henna before I ordered it.
I bought BAQ henna because I also might, just maybe, want to do a few body art paintings for friends who have asked me about it and it wasn’t much more expensive. i can’t wait for it to get here!
Sheryl - sherylgallant.blogspot.com - providence-acres.blogspot.com
"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." - 1 Thes. 4:11
11:04 pm
December 27, 2008
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Well, I got my henna powder! I made it up with three parts warm water and one part lemon juice, a little at a time until it was like thick yogurt. Too thick to be at all runny but thin enough to sqoosh into the roots well. Then I put it in the freezer to get immediate dye release. It stayed in there for a few days until I was ready to use it. About 3 hours before I was ready to go, I took it out to thaw. Just before I got ready to use it, I added one beaten egg and 1 teasp of olive oil. Then about 11 pm, I washed my hair, towel dried and put it on. (It took awhile!) I am used to colouring my hair myself, so I already knew how long it would take and how careful I had to be to cover every hair well.
About an hour later, I was finally done. I wrapped it in plastic wrap from the kitchen and covered with a knitted hat and went to bed. Around 8 am, I rinsed it all out very well, shampooed, conditioned and it was done.
At first it was very bright and brassy but after almost two days, it has calmed and darkened a lot. I know it won’t be through changing for another two days.
Sheryl - sherylgallant.blogspot.com - providence-acres.blogspot.com
"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." - 1 Thes. 4:11
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