I have quite a lot of grey hair since I was 25, and have been using Henna to cover them up and to enhance my natural hair colour. Today I wanted to talk about all the brands that I have tried, and share a few tips for using Henna. Oh, and a few words about the "natural" dye Herbatint.
Here is how my hair looked like two years ago before I started Henna-ing it. I had a rather cool hair colour which didn't really compliment my warm skin tone, and quite a bit of grays which were very visible since they were wiry and stuck out at weird angles. Since that time I'd say the amount of greys I have has tripled.
This was after the first Henna, I used Logona Hair Color Powder which is Henna with some other plant-based ingredients. I think I used the chocolate brown shade:
Here is how my hair looked like two years ago before I started Henna-ing it. I had a rather cool hair colour which didn't really compliment my warm skin tone, and quite a bit of grays which were very visible since they were wiry and stuck out at weird angles. Since that time I'd say the amount of greys I have has tripled.
This was after the first Henna, I used Logona Hair Color Powder which is Henna with some other plant-based ingredients. I think I used the chocolate brown shade:
After that I started using red shades, since they make my hair House Tully auburn. I loved the shade I got from Henne Color Paris, but stopped using it because of the Sodium Picramate:
Then I tried several brands of pure Henna, including the one from Hobbythek and Waldfussel, however nothing compares to Khadi when it comes to the ease of application. I also tried Sante Henna in red:
Why I love Henna:
* It gives a beautiful 3D effect. The colour is not flat, I get gradations of the colour. On me it usually looks like a very expensive lowlight-highlight job.
* Volume and lift! The Henna particles fill the missing gaps in the hair shaft, and make the hair look shiny and full. Blondes can try the colourless Cassia Henna to get this effect.
* No unwanted toxic chemicals.
* No damage to the hair.
* No damage to the hair.
Disadvantages:
* It can stain the bathtub and takes a bit of scrubbing to get off
* Is time consuming
* Limited choice of colours.
When I don't have the time for Henna, I use Herbatint just on my roots. The advantages are that it takes just 30 minutes and is much less messy. Herbatint formula is made in such a ways that it is easy to prepare small amounts at a time and store the rest. So one box lasts me for a year. The coverage is good, but I don't get that wow effect that I get from Henna. The ingredients aren't exactly perfect, Skin Deep gives it a score of 4.
With both Henna and Herbatint I use very bright red, and it turns to copper on my hair. The grey hairs take on a lighter shade of the colour, it's almost amber, and rather translucent. I like the effect especially when they catch the sun, but I imagine that if I had more greys than dark hair the effect might be too orange. When that happens I might switch to darker shades.
My tips and tricks for using Henna
You'll find the basic instructions in this post. Here are some additional tricks I have:* Khadi henna is the brand I prefer. The Henna is ground really fine which makes it easy to apply and stay on longer.* If you have a more coarse formula, a dollop of conditioner added to the henna paste makes it easier to apply.* A dash of vinegar or lemon juice added to the paste helps the colour to be more vibrant.* Apply Henna on moist hair. For best results, wash hair with a strong shampoo with SLS to get rid of any products from the hair.* After applying it evenly, work the henna into the hair with your fingers. Massage the scalp with your fingers to make sure that the henna gets to the bottom of the roots.* Latex gloves are the best.* Henna needs heat to work. Pack your head in cling-film, and wrap a towel over it. Blast with a hair dryer every now and then, or sit in the sun.* When rinsing the henna out, it kind of sticks onto the hair and can be hard to wash off. So, just skip ahead to the conditioning, the conditioner will add slip and make it easier to wash it all out.* Conditioner is mandatory, otherwise the hair will feel coarse and stiff, like after a protein treatment.* Don't shampoo your hair for the next 3 days. This is not hard, since freshly hennaed hair stays fresh and oil-free for a surprising amount of days.* A bit of oil on the freshly hennaed hair makes the colour a bit darker and more intensive. When I had hennaed my hands we had to oil the skin twice a day to help the colour develop and get deeper.
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