Henna

Hiya.  It's been a week since I've used Henna and I'm loving the effects.  I've known about Henna forever, but I've always been reluctant to try it. Why? Well, just because it's natural doesn't mean it's necessarily good for you. It's plant based and there's always a possibility of allergic reactions occurring, which is why you should do a strand test, and test your wrist and the inner arm area.

Last Wednesday, this is what I looked like while I waited for the Henna to dye my grey strands. Yes, my grey. Lordy, I was sick and tired of looking at those strands...seriously.

The process is messy, and I stained my hands. I hate wearing gloves...never wore them when I used the creamy crack. But the stain goes away after several days. Now when you use Henna, be sure to add an oil (I used Olive Oil) when you mix it up. Some folks use coconut milk. I'm going to try that next time. This keeps the Henna from drying out your hair.

I used the Reshma Henna from Sally's.   Now, I used the natural highlights because Henna is the only ingredient. You'll see they offer different colors, but those have other ingredients and they aren't listed on the website. Be sure to read the box!  I had bad experiences with commercial dyes in the past and I wasn't gambling this time.

Anyway, I only used half a jar and I froze the rest since I don't plan to use it anymore until my grey roots make their appearance. When I mixed Henna and hot water together, I could immediately see a change from a spinach green to a rusty red color. I liked the scent, it was kind of earthy, grassy, with a hint of spinach and at first it did look like green mud.

Benefits of Henna

Loosens curl pattern ~  Some people may not like that, but my coils were very tight in my crown area and for the longest time I thought I was suffering from thinning hair.

Strengthens hair by filling in gaps and stops breakage, moisture retention. ~ My hair feels thicker and fuller than usual.  My hair also retains more moisture. A simple leave in, oil, and my hair butter are all I need and my hair is softer than it's been, even during the end of the day.

Dyes grey hair ~ If you want to take a break from the grey, Henna is perfect but please note, that it will not dye the rest of your hair. It lightens blonde and grey, but if you have black hair, it will not turn it red or coppery. This is what natural Henna does. Now the other colors will do that but they aren't all natural.

Scalp ~ Henna is great if you suffer from dandruff or an itchy scalp. I suggested this to my aunt who has had dandruff off and on her entire life, but she's not up for trying it. Now, you don't necessarily have to dye your hair. Indigo can be used with Henna to stop the color change. Oh and be sure to deep condition after your Henna treatment. My hair wasn't hard when I rinsed out the Henna because I used a lot of Olive Oil, but deep conditioning is a plus.

I really wanted to show my Henna mixture, but I had already put the stuff in my hair and it's a messy application.  I let it set for a few hours, but I was occupied with some business. Perhaps next time I'll have my daughter or hubby film me throughout the process.

So far I'm loving the Henna experience. Some people Henna once a week, some every 2 to 4 weeks, and some maybe once a month. I'm thinking once a month or whenever the grey roots decide to show themselves again. These rich coppery tones are similar to the wig I made a few months back.