Behind the Mirror: Hair Care – Henna

My hair in the sunlight

Like I mentioned in the April Empties blog post, I am using henna for about 4 years. I decided to start using henna, after I had a pretty bad hair period, when I lost a lot of hair. Looking for ways to improve and stop the hair fall, I came across henna.

I did some research and discovered that it is very good for the hair, because it contains practically all the nutrients it needs to look healthy across its length, to feed the roots of the hair and thus stopping it from falling and it is also good for the skin on the head, because it fights against dandruff and oiliness. Another “side-effect” of henna use is that it prevents the white hairs to appear. Taking all this into consideration, I decided I should go for it.

I wanted red hair. But my hair is dark brown. So after all this time, all I got was dark brown hair with red accents in the sun. at the beginning I did the foolish thing and mixed the henna powder with red wine. All the colorants and chemicals that were added in the red wine, when boiled changed and I got some allergic reactions and had to stop the use of henna for about three months. Now I learned my lesson and I use only boiled water.

Henna from Lush

I tried a lot of henna blends and brands along the years. My favorite will remain the Egyptian henna from elemental, followed closely by the red one from Lush. I also recommend the mahogany coloring powder from Santé, which contains red henna.

If you want to start using henna, here are some tips:

·         Once you’ve applied henna on your hair any chemical coloring will not be effective, because the nutrients from the henna mask enter the hair follicles and seal them. So when chemical coloring is applied these nutrients are being pushed even deeper into the hair and the color ends up looking black, especially if your dye has peroxide in it.

·         It helps regenerating the hair burned by chemical coloring or heat.

·         You can make it at home, like you would a normal paste, but you have to apply it as hot as possible on wet, freshly washed hair and keep it for at least 6 hours.

·         If you want a more light color you can stay without anything over the henna. Otherwise, you should put something like a plastic shower cap over the hair and over it a towel.

·         Henna powder mixed only with water is very drying for the hair, so you can add some natural butters (Shea, Mango, Cocoa) after you’ve achieved a homogenous paste and you have the mixture in a bain marie or towards the end of the “cooking” process some oils (Argan, Castor, Jojoba, Olive, Coconut, etc).

·         The pigments within the henna powder will be activated by heat. So using boiled water and keeping the henna bowl in bain marie until it also boils, helps getting you a more intense color.

·         When you rinse off the henna mask, try not to use any shampoo, only water and hair mask or conditioner. The color will still be oxidizing for about 48 hours, if you wash with shampoo right away, the oxidation process will be stopped. You can then wash after 48 hours. Also by not using shampoo, but only hair mask (if you have very dry hair I recommend not using a conditioner at all, it will only dry out your hair even more, no matter how hydrating it should be – use only hair mask) your hair will absorb more of the nutrients from the hair mask as well.

·         The color will change constantly. I discovered that after every wash and depending on the weather, the color looks different. In the summer, the sun intensifies the color even more.

·         You can use non-colored henna and still get the same nourishing effects. Be aware, that henna is highly pigmented and if you are a blonde and want to get red hair “the henna way”, you might achieve a pretty strong orange. In any case, always use loves, cover your shoulders with a towel and clean up the henna mask that might remain on your forehead.

·         The black henna is getting visible only after the 2^nd or 3^rd wash. The red henna is the most pigmented and colors the hair more intensely than other henna colors. Red henna is also the only henna that will cover the white hairs. If you don’t want red hairs, you can mix the red one with some browns. The result will be some brown white hairs.

·         Depending on the hair’s structure, natural pigment and previous coloring, henna will color your hair differently. In any case it is hypoallergenic (if you use pure bio henna powder mixed only with boiled water) and the end result will always look natural on your hair, so the damage of ruining your hair is slim.

·         Another thing, henna smells natural, grassy. If you cannot get along with the smell, you can always add some drops of your favorite essential oils. It will not only help with the smell of the mask, but give you a feeling of well-being and help you relax.

·         One of the advantages of using henna is that no smell will stick to your hair. Whenever I go to pubs, the smell of the smoke is not sticking to my hair. Because the oxidizing part of the henna keeps all the external aggression away.

·         I usually wash my hair with shampoo before I apply the henna mask and then 2 days after I rinsed it off. Afterwards my hair is fluffy, shiny and happy, this is what I like to call the “henna effect”. This healthy glow lasts for about 3-4 weeks. So I do a henna mask every month.

·         It is important to have a very good hair mask and to wash your hair before you apply the henna mask, otherwise the nutrients and pigments might not get into the hair.

The red henna bar fom Lush

·         No matter what hair type you have, henna will help improve the hair’s texture and stop it from falling. It will hydrate very dry hair, it will help with oily skin and also help you grow long hair.

·         I always use a wooden spoon and a heat resistant bowl, with which I prepare the henna mask. I never use metal spoons or bowls, because metal will oxidize the mixture neutralizing it.

The Lush henna is what I like to call, “the easy way out”. The mixture has already been done (it contains cocoa butter, lemon juice, rosemary and cloves oil), all I have to do is to add boiled water and keep it in bain marie until it heats up. Towards the end of the process I also add some vegetal keratin (about a tea spoon). The end result will be very hydrating because of the cocoa butter. It also smells very good and fresh, hiding the grassy henna smell.

The powder henna is more complicated. I also boil the water and keep the paste it in bain marie, but I like to add some castor and coconut oil, lemon juice (to intensify the oxidizing process) and of course the vegetal keratin. I usually mix the Egyptian henna from elemental with Rooibos powder, to get a more intense red color. The resulting paste will be less hydrating, but when I rinse it off and apply the mask, the hair will absorb more of the nutrients from the hair mask. In the end the hair will be just as hydrated.

No matter what henna I use, none of the fragrances of the shampoo or hair mask will remain into the hair. But in the course of the month the henna smell will diminish. Using henna constantly helped me grow a long and healthy hair.

Whenever I do the henna mask, I am trying to have 6-8 hours of relaxation, to feel good and enjoy the SPA time at home.

Relax it is good for body and mind!

Alex.