henna

I'm thinking about dying my hair with henna.  Many of the ladies on naturallycurly.com's forum use it with great results.  I've been asking them all kinds of questions about it.  I got a free e-book from hennaforhair.com that tells all about how to do it and shows before and after pics of different hair colors and different mixtures.  I know that since my hair is so dark, the color won't be drastically different.  But I mainly want to do it to cover my gray streaks which are becoming more obvious all the time. 

You've got the best info there at hennaforhair, I love looking at their "mixes" page (although its too tempting so I try to stay away!).  Their henna is permanent, so all I can tell you is make sure you don't get tempted into going darker than you'll like, because you won't be able to lift it (not without a lot of trouble and maybe not at all). 

Sorry, I wasn't that into long hair back when I used to henna, so I don't remember noticing details like how it made my hair feel, if it was better or worse, (wish MissRini was here, she could tell you...maybe you could pm her).  Good luck!  What color are you going for?

I was thinking of just using henna alone (not adding indigo or anything).  I don't want a big change.  I know the gray will turn red, but there's not really alot clumped together so it won't be major streaks or anything like that.  My hair has a reddish tone anyway (as you can see in my sig) so from what I can tell, henna will just cause it to have a more obvious red tone.  I'm fine with that.  I'm not really wanting to change the color exactly, just cover gray.

Thanks.  The gray doesn't really show up in pictures, but it's more obvious in person.  I've had many people make comments to me about it.  Most of it is done in teasing, by people I know. 

You can always do one piece of hair to test strand your henna, just to make sure.  Good luck!

I think you should do a strand test as well. As you are my curly haired idol, I feel that I have an invested interest in your hair

Definitely keep us posted  I look forward to seeing the pictures if you decide to do your whole head.

I've never used henna on my hair. (I've never dyed my hair and never plan too) But I do henna my skin. You might want to check out www.hennapage.com. I would think that Henna would be a much better option rather than another hair color product with a lot of chemicals in. www.mehandi.com has great products (I order all my henna supplies from them) and special hair bundles with different types of henna for different hair textures and colors. Do you want more of a redish shade or brunette? You can do either with henna. Hope I helped out. Lengthygoal2008-06-23 07:08:09

I've been reading all about henna & it's really interesting. I always got the impression henna was only a reddish colour. I didn't realise that you could mix up different solutions & create different colours. Unfortunately, my hair is chemically dyed & it's not an option at the moment.

Lengthygoal - thanks for the info!  Mehandi.com is who I'm planning to order from.  I've never dyed my hair and don't want to use chemicals.  That's why I want to experiment with henna.

Got my samples in the mail today. Three different types of henna (from different regions) and one sample of indigo (just for curiosity's sake).  I also received a sample from another company who claims pure high quality but the price is extrememly low compared to mehandi.com.  I'm anxious to put it to the test as well. 

Good luck!! I hope that you find something that works for you! :)

I just read on LHC that henna loosens curls. Have you read anything about that side effect Hairbraider? For me, henna would not be an option for me in that case. I love my curls just the way they are

Hey, Sarah,

[QUOTE=30isthenewblack]I just read on LHC that henna loosens curls. Have you read anything about that side effect Hairbraider? For me, henna would not be an option for me in that case. I love my curls just the way they are [/QUOTE]

The samples were helpful in deciding which henna to use.  I've got the "experiement" results up on my site (with pics).  My next step is doing a strand test on my head.  I'll get a pic of that result too.

I did a strand test.  I can see the difference, but I couldn't get it to show up in a pic.  The slightness of the color change is a good thing though, because I'm kinda afraid of a drastic change.  My hair looks redder in the sunlight, and from what I can tell the henna will make it look all the time like it looks in sunlight.  So I'll be ordering the henna this week!

Your hair has a reddish tinge anyway so it should be all good :-) Good luck & can't wait to see pictures!

I got my henna in the mail a couple days ago!  I'm so anxious to get it done!  I have to wait till I have time to do it though.  I still have to buy gloves and things like that too.  I'll post before and after pics on my site when it's all done.  I'll let you know!

It's done!  Before and after pics are up on my site.  Let me know what you think.

The color is very pretty! I'm glad you like it.

Nice rich color!  I like it!  I so wish I could do reddish shades.