Here are some simple recipes for mixing your cassia obovata. Please visit www.forums.longhaircommunity.com and www.longhaircareforum.com as you will find a wealth of information, along with techniques and various recipes. You can even ask questions on their forum!
Please remember when using any new hair product it is always recommended that you do hair strand tests first!
We also encourage you to add orange blossom water, rose water or essential oils to your pastes and mud, to leave your hair smelling great!
Important: Please keep in mind that everyone has their own unique hair texture. Herbal treatments can be drying for some, and it is recommended that you add hair oil to your recipe, or deep condition your hair afterwards. We recommend that everyone keep an open mind when using henna and natural herbs on their hair, and use the recipe that works best for you!
Cassia Obovata, also known as senna (neutral henna)
Mixing Cassia Obovata for healthy hair:
-Mix powder with warm or hot water and let sit for 15-30 minutes. Make sure your mixture is like pancake batter.
-Apply the cassia paste onto clean hair that is either dry or damp. Apply mixture in layers starting from the back and moving forward.
-Wrap your hair and leave on for at least an hour.
-Rinse or wash paste out.
Mixing Cassia Obovata for golden tones:
-Mix powder with warm or hot water and let sit for 3-4 hours. Make sure your mixture is like pancake batter.
-Apply the cassia paste onto clean hair that is either damp or dry. Apply mixture in layers starting from the back and moving forward.
-Wrap your hair and leave on for at least 3-4 hours.
-Rinse or wash paste out.
Optional
- There are many recipes for achieving different shades using cassia obovata and henna. From strawberry blond to deeper red copper tones and more. Visit our recommended websites for more recipes.
- There are many recipes for achieving darker rich tones using cassia obovata and indigo. Please visit out recommended websites for more recipes.
How to store your powder: fridge or cool dark place.
How to store your cassia obovata paste: freezer
Thank you for your post Courts.
Cassia obovata doesn’t color dark toned hair. It has a low yellow dye molecule which shows up on light hair such as greys or blond tones. It won’t show up on your hair at all, and neither will the amla powder. It’s henna that colors the hair red tones. I hope this helps!
Hello!
I just tried your Yemeni henna. I had natural roots (dark ash blonde) and the rest was a chemical chocolate blonde dye. My hair came out a fiery coppery red, glossy and dimensional. Very impressive! However, I would prefer for myself a darker, deeper colour (dark auburn?)Which type of henna should I get the next time for such a result? And do you think I can add coffee to the Yemeni I already have to make it a little darker?
Thank you for your reply and for maintaining this beautiful site
That did help, THANK-YOU! Can I use the Amla and Cassia together? With an oil of course, like Ramtirth Brahmi?
Welcome Courts. Yes you can use cassia and amla together and I am not familiar with the hair oil you are mentionning but do know brahmi hair oil is good! Enjoy!
I have dyed hair with a color (Aveda permenant color) I happen to like. I have natural hair as well. However, I would like to get the benefits of cassia as well. Is that possible and will it be a problem in between color touch-ups?
MzTeaze, that won’t be a problem at all. Our cassia obovata is organic and safe to use with your permanent hair color. You can do any ayurvedic recipes you want in between to continue to have gorgeous natural hair 🙂 Have a good week coming up!
Hi is it possible to use the cassia then die my hair with indigo powder? I have chemically dyed brown hair now and im wanting to try henna but im scared to use the normal henna incase i might like the reddish color it mat turn out as… My new school has hair color regulations.. Which do you recommend to make my hair a healthier looking black?
i have darker brown and use dye on it i am thinking about using cassia to cover the gray. will it help
Hi Shelia. Thanks for your post.
You can use the cassia, and it’ll yield a golden tone on your grey hair but won’t show up on your darker hair. It is like a semi-permanent and will need to be re-done every 2-3 weeks (sometimes 3-4 weeks). But if you wanted your grey hairs to be the same color as your natural hair color you’d use henna and indigo.
Hello Julia. Cassia Obovata acts like a semi permanent so it isn’t a good base for helping indigo to cling to the hair strand. It’ll cause discoloration. You would need to use henna and indigo to achieve black tones. You can also get hair strand tests with our online samples.
Hi, I let all my gray grow in about two years ago, after having dyed it with regular permanent hair dye for years. I used to use henna regularly before that. My hair is mostly gray (I don’t know, maybe 75%?) in front, on top and sides, with a medium brown underneath and blended in with the gray in back. My hair has always tended to be dry, and is coarser now that it’s mostly gray. I was thinking of using Cassia Obovata for conditioning, and wouldn’t mind a slightly yellow tint if that happened, but is it possible that it would turn it really bright yellow and fake-looking? How do I prevent that?
I should add to my previous comment that I am not really interested in changing my hair color. I’m loving the gray! Just to be clear.
Hi. I’m 19 and I’ve noticed more hair is falling out after taking a shower. I think it may be from stress. People say it’s thick but I just think it’s poofy. What would you recommend for someone who doesn’t want to dye her hair and keep color natural but thicken it? My ends are also like hay (dry), any suggestions would be appreciated.
Hi Ann. Thanks for posting. Cassia with amla powder such as our Lush Conditioning Kit would be perfect for you, and you should look into getting one of our hair oils especially for the dry ends. Camellia for oily to normal hair, and argan or cocoveda oil for dry hair.
Hi Deanna. Thank you for posting. The cassia would add low golden tones to your hair but it isn’t permanent and lasts about 2-3 weeks, but if it does stay and you re-do your hair that often I think it’ll be fine but you can also do a hair strand to be certain especially since you’d like to see how your hair absorbs it. I’d say definetely try it out, and I’d really recommend for dryness to view one of our hair oils and even use our natural shampoo bars that we make ourselves for great cleansing and moisturizing.
Can I use henna on my salt & pepper hair to enhance the shine? I don’t want it to add color. Thanks.
Dee, yes you can. Just don’t let it sit out too long (the cassia) as it can color light hair and greys
golden tones as it has a low yellow dye molecule.
Hi. I made the mistake of bleaching my hair, and now when I try using a regular dye, the color will not hold. I have a treatement that is supposed to contain proteins and “neutral henna”, which I have learned is actually cassia obovata. I am trying to find out if I use a product with cassia obovata in it, will my regular hair dye work at all? Thanks for your help.
Thank you for posting Karisa. I’m really not sure. It won’t hurt to try the treatment you have and then try the color again. But you may need to go to someone who specializes in chemical colors. You have to be careful when mixing non-pure cassia products or henna products with chemical dyes as well or chemical treatments. When mixing it has to be done with 100% pure henna and/or herbs.
PS you could always do a hair strand test to be sure
Hi my natural hair color is dirty blonde and right now it has light and golden blonde highlights in it with about 1/2 inch roots. i love being golden blonde but the highlights are sooo expensive to upkeep! would cassia make my hair darker? i want a golden natural blonde color all over
Hi I was wondering if Cassia obovata is OK to use on kids. My daughters watch me do my henna every month or so and want to do it too. They are 7 and 9. I don’t want to change their colors. One is strawberry blond the other is dirty blond.
Hi Katie, thank you for you for posting. The cassia won’t lighten your hair, but it will add golden tones to your hair. I really recommend you add honey for lightening properties as well.
Robin, thank you as well for posting. Yes it’s safe to use on your kids. We do and in fact we have a video here with us doing it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k1sJqHZH4E
I really recommend this recipe and video for the cassia and honey recipe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBIfAakpHDs
Hi, I would like to mixed cassia obovata and amla on my dark brown hair. My hair is cheek length. How much cassia obovata and amla should i use. Do I use the same amount, or more of one than the other?
Thank you for your post Bee. You will need about 75 grams of total powder so you can use 50/50 of each for your recipe. The specific recipe is up to you if let’s say you want to use more cassia then amla but equal amounts is a good start. I hope this helps!
I used to be a beautiful strawberry blonde but now I’m a gray and dark blonde gal…I want to try and use the cassia and henna to get me back to that light strawbwberry blonde I used to be…can u help me with what I need to order from you to achieve this…also my hair is on the dry side. Thanks so much
Hi Lisa
This blog post will definitely help! Enjoy: https://hennablogspot.com/basic-henna-recipes-from-light-copper-to-red/
I used cassia yesterday to cover my grays. Mixed 20g with camomile tea, 1/2 tbsp honey, let it sit for 4 hours. Applied cassia to my grays, put on a plastic bag, 2 warm hats, and let it sit for nearly 6 hours. There was no color uptake on the grays at all! Could it be because I added honey? What else could this be due to? Can I still use this product in coloring mixes with henna (i.e., henna plus cassia plus amla in equal parts, to achive golden color – my natural hair color is light brown, with 25% gray)?
The cassia (I assumed it was cassia, not zyziphus, because the label said colorless henna) was from some Russian store in NYC, pretty fresh as it was packed in September 2012. It did not give any other impact, but my hair is shiny and well-conditioned anyway from regular ayuredic regimen during the last 4 months. I feed some scalp itching despite pre-oiling, but it is not bad, just enough to proe I had some drying herb on my scalp.
Hello Anna. The cassia should have worked unless it really just wasn’t a good quality cassia. Honey usually uplifts the golden tones. It sounds like everything you did was good. What temperature was your liquid when added to the cassia?
I’d really recommend you look into our Organic Camellia Oil for your hair and skin. It’ll do wonders and you won’t be disappointed. Based on what you described this is exactly what I’d recommend for you.
Thank you Khadija. I used warm water. I will use cassia without honey next time, see what happens.
Okay absolutely. Please keep us posted 🙂
I currently have very long locks that are graying from the roots. I want to cut them off but am on the fence about the gray. Do you recommend the Cassia to give my gray an uplift or blondish highlights and not color the rest of my hair? I am about 25% grey/75% soft black. I don’t feel I am quite ready to totally embrace my grey. thanks
Hello Sharon. Organic Cassia will give you a golden tone which lasts 2-3 weeks as it’s temporary. Or you could use henna with indigo when you’re ready to color brown to black tones. This would be permanent. I hope this helps
Can I use a combination of peroxide (which I use to lighten my mousy dark ash roots and for over-all lightening) and then apply an application of Cassia to help color my greys and deposit golden tones to the roots? I was thinking peroxide and honey lightening all over my head on a daily/weekly basis and then every 2-3 weeks I used Cassia on the roots to cover greys. Will separate treatments of peroxide and cassia on a regular basis be ok? What if I add a touch of henna with the cassia to bring out more golden tones…could I still use peroxide to lighten the rest of my hair?
I am African-American with 90% gray hair. I am interested in using a natural product to thicken my hair and if possible add some length. I considered Cassia Obovata but I do not want to change the color of my hair at all. Is this possible to achieve with the Cassia Obovata? Does it depend upon how long it stays on your hair or is it just going to change the gray to blond color?
Hello Erin. You can use that and then use our Organic cassia safely to deposit golden tones. Sitting in the sun will help lighten it as well. Make sure you moisturize afterwards as it can be very drying. I’ve done this method before to lighten my hair as a teenager. Adding a touch of henna will add a small light orange tone. Yes you can use this all over as well.
Hello Yvonne. If you’d prefer not to affect the color of your grey I’d personally rather recommend and for best results as to what you’d like to achieve is use our Sukesh Ayurveda. You’ll love it!
Thank you Kadija for the recommendation. Will I have to mix this Sukesh Ayurveda? If so, please advise. Also, I have a relaxer and have been relaxing my hair for years, will this work on relaxed hair as well? Thanks.
Welcome Yvonne. Yes you’ll have to mix it and instructions will come with your Sukesh Ayurveda product. Yes this will work fine on relaxed hair
Would it be ok to use cassia to blend greys inbetween salon trips to have conventional highlights and root regrowth (at an aveda salon)? Similarly could you use henna/indigo to blend greys between trips – i have read horror stories concerning indigo turning hair green if you attempt to highlight afterwards. Many thanks
Katie, yes absolutely
PS Katie, indigo can sometimes turn hair green hues so do strand test beforehand but I said yes above to cassia being okay.
I have dark brown with grey hair I will like some golden or light ash brown can I do it with acassia or mix it to the color?
You can achieve a golden tone with organic cassia or add our organic amla powder to the cassia to give it more of an ashy tone. It’s semi-permanent though with those herbs.
I have natural dark brown hair that has been chemically dyed to cover gray hair in my part and at my temples. I like the dark color of my hair, but want to find a more natural way to cover the grays without having to dye it so often and since I’m only dying it my natural color to cover grays. I was wondering if cassia would be a good way to go. If you mix cassia and amla together, what liquid would you use…just warm water since amla would be the acid, or still have to use OJ or apple juice? And what’s the dye release times on cassia and/or amla? I’m not sure if I’m brave enough to try henna and indigo yet
I also forgot to mention I have been trying black/tea sage since my last chemical dye about 6 weeks ago, but it’s not working to cover the gray:(
Hello. You can mix those two herbs with a tea brew or just warm water or even chamomile tea (but this will boost the golden tones from the cassia). Please note these herbs are only semi-permanent and won’t last as long as henna and indigo would.
PS dye release time would be 3-4 hours