After so many years of doing henna and natural herbs for hair, and getting all sorts of questions, I really felt we could use a good post on common mistakes and errors, when it comes to henna for hair (and herbs). We’ve included some amazing tips that everyone should know.
This list will never be complete, and we’ll need all of you to help add to it. Henna and natural hair care is all about being open, having a good vibe, being natural, and accepting each and every recipe as special, and unique to every person.
- Henna is a plant, not a chemical, or ink. Henna is a natural plant, and it grows in very hot climates. As a natural plant it makes only one color: orange-reddish tones. Plants don’t give us more then one color. Typically blueberries stain blue, just as henna stains red. Commercial boxes of henna will tell us they are henna “colors”, but in fact they are pre-mixed boxed of henna that contain other herbs, and ingredients (sometimes even chemicals, additives, or metallic salts). It’s also not an ink. Henna powder is mixed into a henna paste, which can be used to dye your hair (permanent until it grows out), or to create henna body art designs (temporary) on the skin. Please read our recipes and how to’s section to find out how.
- Henna colors, is this possible? A lot of commercial boxed henna hair dyes will have a variety of colors available. Natural and 100% pure henna only dyes orange-reddish tones. Please always read the list of ingredients on the boxes you purchase, or just purchase 100% pure henna powder from a reliable supplier.
- Henna will not lighten your hair tone. Henna is a chemically-free all natural hair dye. It doesn’t contain chemicals, or bleaching ingredients that would lighten your hair.
- Neutral Henna. Cassia obovata is sometimes called neutral henna, but in fact it is another plant that has a low yellow dye molecule, that can color grey, light, and blond hair. On dark hair, cassia obovata will not usually show any color. Using cassia obovata will give you all the benefits of henna, but it does have to be done a bit more often, as the results are not as long term as henna is.
- Black Henna. Indigo is sometimes called black henna, but this is yet another plant that will color the hair brown to black tones (must be used with henna to give these results). Indigo does not have dye release the same way that henna does, so it must be mixed and used right away, or within 15-20 minutes. Please make sure your indigo does not contain PPD, which is can be quite damaging to the hair, and skin.
- If I use henna I won’t ever be able to use chemical dyes/treatments on my hair. As long as you use 100% pure henna powder, then yes you can use chemical dyes/treatments as you normally do. You won’t have to wait months to do your chemical treatments/dyes as the hair dresser would like to tell you. Keep in mind, that the hair industry is run by major companies that push all types of chemical products. They are in no way trained, or specializing in henna, and natural hair care (for the most part). You should give your hair a break in between treatments. Roughly about 1-2 weeks.
- How much henna do we need to use for our hair? No, you don’t need 500 grams of henna powder to color (treat) bra strap length (BSL) hair. First thing that needs to be asked is, how long is your hair, and secondly, how thick is your hair. Those are questions that need to be answered first in order to access how much henna powder you’ll need. You also don’t want to spend more money on products then you have to.
General speaking, shoulder length hair needs about 100 grams of powder, bra strap length about 200-250 grams, hip length about 300-350 grams, and so on. - Should I use lemon juice in my recipe? No, you don’t have to use lemon juice as your primary, and only liquid ingredient in your henna (herbal) hair recipe. So many people would have turned away and abandoned henna and natural herbal hair care, if they thought they could only use lemon juice. Lemon juice is acidic, and can be very drying on your hair. You can add a small splash of lemon juice, if you’d like. We usually add a bit of lemon juice. The most highly recommend liquid to use is warm water. You can even use tea (any variety of your choice), or coffee brews as well (for dryer scalps be careful with these as they can also be a bit drying). Chamomile tea has become quite popular to use in henna hair recipes.
- Is henna a temporary hair dye? No, henna is not temporary. It is a permanent hair dye. Henna alone only dyes orange-red tones. The only way to remove it is to let it grow out, or cut your dyed hair. That is why it is always recommended you do hair strand tests before making the “full head” committment.
- Can henna, and herbs for hair be drying? Yes they can be drying. If you have a dry scalp, then you will need to moisturize. You can add moisturizing oils, yoghurt, or a conditioner to your henna recipe, or use a good hair oil after your herbal hair treatment.
- Does henna lock out moisture? Some people believe that because henna coats the hair strand that no amount of moisturization can reach it. In fact no, henna will not lock out moisture from your hair. Oil, and condition your hair as usual, and as needed. The results will be amazing, and your hair will get all the moisturization it needs.
- Using a metal bowl, or spoon is it safe or not? When using pure henna powder (body art quality), and herbs for hair, you can use stainless steel bowls. Traditionally, they have used iron bowls, as it has shown to bring our more dye release. We typically use a spatula to mix it. We don’t usually use plastic bowls because they are porous, and the herbs will stain the bowl. The commercial boxes of henna, and henna “colors” that contain other ingredients, herbs, additives, metallic salts, etc..would more so cause reactions with metal bowls, then 100% pure herbs would.
- Can henna loosen my curl pattern? Yes, a lot of people have seen loosening effects of their curls when using henna and/or cassia obovata. There is a small percentage of people that don’t get any loosening of their curls. If you prefer to maintain some of your curl, then add amla powder to bring them back. Keep in mind, that amla powder also tones down the red of henna. You can also use amla powder in your henna/cassia recipe to maintain the curls in your hair, in case you don’t want to lose your curl pattern.
- So many henna powders. How do I choose? Keep in mind that some henna companies do re-name their henna powders, and this causes more confusion then necessary. The basic, and most important information would be which country is the henna from, how fresh is it (current crop year is best), and how well sifted is it? Please read: How to Choose the Right Henna Powder. There is no henna for a particular race or culture. Henna doesn’t discriminate. It is for everyone to use. If you were to say that a particular henna powder is very well sifted and therefore better to use on curly or african hair, then that we’d understand. But giving a henna powder a new name, is just for marketing purposes. If your henna comes marked with Jamila henna powder in red writting in any format on the foil packaging, then that henna is Jamila henna powder, not any other generic name that it has been re-named. Please read more on Jamila Henna.
- Body Art Quality: What does that mean? This is another marketing term that basically means 100% pure henna powder. This pure henna powder is safe enough to use for body art, and most likely finely sifted. Body Art Quality can’t apply to any of the other herbs we use on our hair, because that would mean we are using these herbs for body art, and we aren’t. They are being used for hair usage. Make sure you get yourself 100% pure henna, and herbs. Getting organic herbs is even better because you are guaranteed that the company/farm has gotten proper certification, and inspection that there are no pesticides used, and is an overall healthier, and safer product.
- My katam/indigo didn’t work for me. Indigo and Katam should be mixed separately from the henna paste in its own bowl. These are herbs that require a little more care, and their own time for dye release alone. Allow indigo and katam to sit 20-30 minute. You can then add the indigo/katam paste into the henna paste (bowl) for brown tones. Should you be using indigo for black tones you can use this after you’ve first done your henna treatment. Do not allow indigo to sit out for more then an hour.
Tips that work!
- Putting henna (and any herbs) onto damp hair really helps it go on much easier. Also applying indigo onto damp hair (with a dash or so of salt) has gotten the indigo to absorb better and give even darker, richer black color results.
- Adding sugar to your recipe makes the henna paste smoother.
- Pre-oil your hair, if you tend to get really dry when using henna, and herbs in your hair. This will give you the moisture boost you need. This also helps prevent dripping when dyeing your hair. Some of the best hair oils to use are olive oil, coconut oil, argan oil, and camellia oil.
- In order to get deeper, richer red results use a good, fresh henna powder that is known for giving rich red results (such as yemeni henna). After 2-3 applications, the color will deepen further.
- Wash your henna, and herbal hair treatments out really well. Use a lot of conditioner to help with the process. If you don’t wash it all out well, then your scalp will feel itchy, and gritty.
- Rmemeber to always be opened minded, and if needed, adjust your recipe to suit your hair. Just because someone else does it, doesn’t always make it right for you.
- Keep your recipe simple. Don’t get overwhelmed with a lot of the other ingredients that are added to recipes.
Good luck on building your FAQ. Hope I was of help.
Absolutely, you are a big help 🙂 Thanks so much ukhtee. We’ll speak soon
This was an excellent post! So very helpful. Thanks!
I love brown tones, how do I achieve the brown tones.what combination should I mix to get the brown tones, my hair is dark with red tones.
Thanks for your post Tess.
You can achieve brown tones by following these instructions:
https://hennablogspot.com/how-to-use-henna-and-indigo-to-naturally-dye-your-hair-reddish-to-brown-to-black-tones/
Hi Sarah,
I love your henna color on your hair.
How did you get it ? I have brown hair with blone highlight but my root is 2 inch brown.
can you help me..thanks ..
Ebru, thanks for your comment. Sarah can be contacted here directly:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahemilypea/3222687383/in/pool-344119@N23
She submitted her photo as part of educating people about henna. I agree, her hair is so gorgeous!
Also to get red tones using henna powder is what you would want. Yemeni is the one that yields the deepest red results
This is a reply to Ebru Kocadogan:
First of all, thankyou for the wonderful compliment! My hair (before I henna’d it) was a medium brown with lots of blonde highlights…that’s why the bottom 6 inches are so deeply and vibrantly red. I use a straight henna powder (no indigo) The trick with henna is multiple applications. I would say my hair was the shade of red I was hoping for by the third time I henna’d it.
Nothing special, just multiple applications..
🙂
Sarah, thanks for replying :)So with Ebru’s highlights they may come out like your hair Sarah, as I think that is what she wants.
Henna build-up is the key to your deep color results.
Sarah, did you use any particular henna powder? Like from which country of origin is the henna you use from?
Thank you Sarah for the response.
Did you use Jamila or Yemen ? I can’t decide which one I should get. Khadija recommended Yemen but my mind is also caught up on Jamila 2009 crop.:)
Sorry for the late reply.. I actually use henna from Lush. It comes in a brick. I use a full brick per application…
It’s interesting that you get such amazing color results with a Lush henna bar. I have heard either people love it or they don’t.
The trick with the Caca Rouge Mama from Lush is to use VERY hot water..and let it sit in the hair, with plastic film, for 8 hours at least. So I sleep with it in..
Yeah that does make sense! It comes out gorgeous.
Thanks a lot all your comments and help..
I have a question about keeping your curly hair while using henna or cassia. How much amla do you need to add to your mix to maintain curl?
Thank you 🙂
Thanks for your post Mara.
To help maintain your curl pattern, I’d really recommend you use at least 3-4 tbsp of amla powder per 100 grams of powder you use. I hope this helps!
Hello!
How can I make sure my indigo contains no PPD? How to test indigo for pureness? The box I’ve bought says 100% natural high quality indigo. But I know not all claims can be trusted. By the way, the powder is not finely sifted, I can see little straw-like things in it.
Thanks
The best way to make sure your indigo is PPD free, is to have it tested at a laboratory that specializes in this, if you wanted to take matters into your own hands.
Or you can find a trustworthy supplier who has taken time to make sure they carry pure herbs and even organic ones are even better. The box you have is probably pure, if it says 100% pure indigo, but the sift might not be that great. I am going to post up my picture of what indigo looks like when it has dye release to give you an idea. Will do that right now
Thanks a lot! I enjoyed your indigo post today:)
Hi,
I have recently began using henna, and have been experiencing dry hair and coverage issues. I don’t want to give up! I don’t want to go back to chemical dyes, nor do I want to stop covering my gray hair.
I have been using rainbow henna – the dark persian brown. After doing a bit of research, I think I need to purchase BAQ henna, and add some indigo and amla powder. My normal color is dark brown, with quite a bit of gray. My hair is coarse and a bit unruly, and has some curl to it if air-dryed. I would like to have a medium to dark brown with some burgundy or cherry highlights. What type of powder and ratio of henna to indigo might work for me?
Also, in one of your articles, you mention pre-oiling hair prior to using henna – could you explain more? Do you leave it in, or rinse it out? I am currently using dermorganic hair care, and have an argan oil leave-in treatment. Might this work? Could I also add this to the henna?
THanks in advance…I really want henna to work for me, but don’t want dry hair!
deb
You’re more then welcome!
Good morning Deb, thank you for your post.
I’d recommend our indian henna as it can push up to burgundy tones really nicely or if you want more red tones then yemeni henna powder. The proportions would be 50% henna and 50% indigo and 3-4 tbsp per 100 grams that you use.
Some people do pre-oil, and find it goes on easier. Argan oil is a very good choice. I’d say you could add a bit to your recipe as well. You can leave it in but not a thick amount, just enough to lock in moisture. Then add the paste when you are ready to color, onto your hair. The most popular ways to use our hair oils are in your recipe directly, after your henna/herbal hair treatment, and lastly as a leave-in overnight (then you can rinse/wash it out). I also really recommend our shampoo bars such as Cocoveda for best results. See here for more information and video review:
https://hennablogspot.com/video-review-henna-sooqs-cocoveda-shampoo-bar/
Thank you! I have ordered some Indian & indigo henna, amla powder, lavender oil and camellia oil (my argon leave in treatment isn’t pure argon oil, so I wasn’t sure it was safe to use). Can I use the camellia oil as a pre-oil and in the mix?
deb
Welcome Deb. Yes you can use camellia oil as a pre-oil and in the mix! Enjoy and thank you for ordering with us.
I was looking around, and I couldn’t find if this had been posted anywhere else on the site. I’m going to be buying some cocoveda oil and I was wondering how much I should mix into the henna, my hair is BSL and fairly thick so I’m using 300g of Yememi henna. What would be the best ratio?
Hi April, thanks for your post.
If you want to add Cocoveda directly to your recipe then you can add 1 tbsp per 100 grams you use.
Or you can add it as a pre-oil treatment, and wash out or not. OR you can use it after you henna or did a herbal hair treatment, and put a bit in your hands and then rub it in your hair and brush it through. This will lock in moisture, and give you all the benefits of the herbal extracts in our Cocoveda hair oil
Thank you very much 🙂 I haven’t used Henna in my hair in a long time because I wasn’t too fond of the dryness it had afterward. But I saw the Cocoveda oil and I got so excited! I’ve been trying to do what’s best for my hair, so I haven’t colored it in ages. I’m a fanatic for coloring my hair and I’ve been so tempted to dye it many times. Your hennas are so affordable I love it 🙂
Hiya-
I am interested in using Henna – Im allergic to normal dye but not peroxide/bleach Im getting a few greys but i really want a bright red- i have dark brown almost black hair- can henna help me achieve this? I can bleach it what would you recommend?
Angie
I got my henna and oils in the mail yesterday! I ordered some camillia and lavander oil. How much should of each should I add to the mix? I think I’ll need 200 grams of henna/indigo to cover my hair. I am also using amla powder. Is it ok to use 3 tbsp/100 grams?
Can’t wait 🙂
deb
Welcome April. Yes with henna and herbs moisturizing is really important. I’m glad they are easy on the pocket, because we are all every day people and the economy isn’t being the kindest to many of us.
Hi Angie. Thank you for your post. If you use henna you can get a pretty descent red. I do and I have pretty dark hair. Not black though but dark brown as well. I don’t recommend bleach as we are really striving to be as natural as possible and that influences our recommendations.
Yemeni henna would be a great choice for you and that’s what I use personally.
Hi Deb. 3 tbsp per 100 grams of amla powder is great!
The lavender oil just 1 tsp per 100 grams works well, and camellia about 1 tbsp per 100 grams. I hope you enjoy the products! Happpy henna’ing!
Deb just to clarify: I meant 3 tbsp of amla powder per 100 grams of henna/indigo that you use is what you can add.
I have a question. I tried a skin test with the indigo and amla powders since I haven’t used them before. I tested at the bend in my arm. after 3 hours, tHe amla was fine, but the indigo is a little red. It doesn’t itch or hurt…is it safe to use?
deb
After that, I did test the indigo on the inside of my upper arm, and it was fine, just made a patch of greenish-blue skin.
deb
4 hours later – it has cleared up,. and the spot I tested on the inside of my upper arm is fine. deb
PS Deb we do have pure argan oil as well. I hope you like the camellia oil you got.
Well the indigo can be sensitive to about 10% of clients I have come across since 2005. I would say that it should be fine especially since it didn’t get any worse. I would say sure you can do your hair or strand test as you’d like.
Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Well, I immediately noticed the difference between good quality henna (yours) and the stuff I was buying. It mixed better, went on better, and rinsing was much easier. My hair also doesn’t feel as dry 🙂
What I still need to work on is grey coverage – I have quite a bit of grey growing in, and the roots are a bit brighter (orangy-red) than I would like them – I will give it a few days to “settle”, but after that, if they are still to bright for me, can I touch up the roots (at least around my face) with a mixture of maybe 75% indigo and 25% henna?
Thanks for all your help and advise, I appreciate it!
deb
I am glad you really liked the quality of our henna.
Yes I agree at least that mixture work well for you. It’ll give you a chocolate brown tone, is that okay for you? Just want to make.
You’re welcome, anytime!
I am going to re-do my roots tonight. I still want some red, so I’m going to try a 1/2 & 1/2 mixture.
Question – I’d really like a more cherry or burgundy red. Should I try henna from a different region ( I used Indian), or can I add anything else to my mix? I have heard of people adding wine or grape juice to their mixes…
thank you 🙂
deb
Morning Deb. Yes you can add those liquids or hibiscus tea to bring out more red tones 🙂 Enjoy!
fun! any suggestion on how much? I think I’ll wait until I do my whole head to try adding wine to the mix.
deb
I don’t do a lot of measuring unfortunately! So just until it’s creates a thick henna paste, like pancake batter. or yoghurt, but what works best for your hair in thickness of the paste 🙂
ive never tried henna, where can u get it from?
Thanks for your post! You can get henna powder locally at indian or middle eastern stores, but usually they aren’t as fresh or finely sifted. We’d recommend the henna powder from Henna Sooq, and you can purchase it there. It’s http://www.hennasooq.com
Hello, what is Katam and how do I use it. I am presently using henna and then indigo to cover my gray hair.
Regards
Seriah
Hello Seriah
This is the instructions for katam: https://hennablogspot.com/how-to-use-katam-buxus-dioica/
Katam is used when a person wants reddish brown hair, and is used along with henna powder
Hi, I stated using henna and indigo to cover my gray hair, but the ends of my hair which have the commercial dye is still very dry and crunchy even after I henna. Also, I am experiencing some serious shedding. I think If i continue like this I will be bald. Can anyone help me please. How do I get rid of the problem because I do not want to go to the commercial dyes.
seriah