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.
You could also do a repair treatment such as our Sukesh Ayurveda or Sweet Honey Hair Nourisher. This should really help. The washing method you’re doing sounds good especially if you’re hair isn’t as greasy now due to that.
Hello! For hair loss you may want to try to strengthen your hair and roots with our Sukesh Ayurveda hair treatment. This and our aloe vera powder can be found at http://www.hennasooq.com
The egg might not be ideal for your hair. Eggs add protein to your hair. You probably should skip that (no proteins) and then try to add conditioners to your herbal recipes as well and our aloe vera powder.
Hello Sandra. Some people do and actually I do personally as well. It’s the smell I found. Please add some essential oils to your henna/indigo recipes to help reduce the strong smell. It usually is that. Let us know if that helps.
Hello Bernice! We could definitely help you. Have you been to our website at http://www.hennasooq.com to start? We have a color chart, instructions and a youtube channel that would help: https://www.youtube.com/user/HennaSooq
I’m so glad you came by and sorry that it took so long for me to get a reply back to you. It’s been really hectic over here at Henna Sooq.
Sukesh Ayurveda is really amazing for what you need for the strength and promoting hair growth. Let us know if you have other questions once you have a chance to review some of the info I sent here.
Yes absolutely Little Lee. It would be your best option. I’d recommend you start at http://www.hennasooq.com and view our color chart, videos on henna for hair and download instructions. Once you have a chance to review please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I hope this helps you get started.
Thank you Khadija. In these days, I saw again two ladies with beautiful henna hair… I just can’t imagine myself doing this messy process again. Well, all the best to you and your customers, I guess I stick to plant based cream colors.
You’re welcome! I wish we could expand and have more colorists doing henna applications. I’m curious what part was the most messy for you in general or what made it messy?
Thank you so much 🙂
Hi Khadija, Thank you for all the great information. Please tell me how I should condition my hair when using henna. I’ve used henna for about 2-3 years now. My natural hair is medium thick and wavy. Henna has changed my wave pattern–which I don’t like–I’ll tray Amla. But, what concerns me the most is the dryness. My hair texture now looks artificial–with no wave–straight and thicker, coarse and puffy. I wish to find a way to keep it moisturized. If I put oil, it gets too oily. If use conditioner it gets too flat 🙁 What should I use on the henna mix when I apply it to reduce dryness?
Welcome! A really simple addition to your recipe would be to add our aloe vera powder to it. That would really help.
Hello, my boyfriend’s mom, Nadia, told me that Henna is the only recipe that allowed her hair to grow. She lived in Bulgaria and it was traditional for women to have long hair. Her mother used EVERYTHING trying to get her hair to grow… she used: eggs, onions, oils, and all the other things that are for hair growth… but Henna was the only successful thing. I am a junior (now senior) in high school and i had recently cut my hair a little bit on the short side. Now with thoughts of prom arising i knew i needed to find a way to grow my hair fast. DING DING DING she got me curious about henna from all of her interesting stories. I am naturally blonde but i started bleaching my hair because my roots started coming in brown.
Our Henna Recipe:
Pure Henna from a Arabic store: Olive tree in North Olmsted, Ohio is where we got ours. it was $7.99 for a huge container (Read the package make sure its pure) Pure Henna is RED/ORANGE no other colors unless it has additives!
we boiled nine ounces of water because we were covering my whole head. Don’t add ingredients while its boiling. (shut the stove off then add)
i have shoulder length hair but his mother Nadia still put about nine tbl spoon of henna powder into the water (to avoid chunks use a strainer or sifter)
we squeezed a whole lemon into our henna mix
then we applied it immediately to my hair
we wrapped my head in a scarf to trap heat & then waited 2 hours
Before:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0d20519f36bf0b3dd9f3075978bfa05d58c61986aa5f7276d581e838e66c98d0.jpg
After:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/84472fb205178e382f1afb451b2183e5ad526788b9cec330b136ba2d5402833b.jpg
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b22b32dc76b650ac54bdd617ddc1091e1e67adf386c72a3db9a4d63d206efdaa.jpg
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b2abc45f2ecf4db44b7d212a4d31cb5d1ee37250bdaadacf5385fefb032670a4.jpg
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a24979bde967d02b8549afdd91d8ce9fd8f8448903b558b478e73cab9f399377.png
i’ve only had it done for a month and there isn’t a huge growth change BUT my hair feels so much more healthier! maybe ill log back on here in a year and post hair growth results. i definitely recommend it. 🙂 Also! you will not need that much after you first dye it! i now use half of a lemon, three ounces of water, and one tablespoon of henna. i only dye my roots! also i do mine every full and new moon. i trim (very little) every full moon (if your superstitious, great. if not its not going to hurt you but id recommend you dying your hair twice a month)
Sierra you are absolutely gorgeous!! Thank you so much for sharing. Love love love!!
Good day Ruth!
Yes that would be with our cassia obovata. That would produce that color tone. We hope this helps.
Is Sukesh good for the hair shaft and the scalp? Or should it just be focused on the scalp for hair loss, and hair growth?
It’s also good for the hair shaft 🙂
Hi Rosie!
A gloss would be a lesser coloring treatment. Do you have a photo of your hair or the color you want to achieve?
I hope someone is looking at this now. I need an answer now. I did a 2-step on my hair yesterday. I rinsed out the indigo and used a conditioner to help remove the indigo. I now look and see my edges are still red. Do I just rinse out the conditioner and reapply the indigo or do I shampoo the hair to get out the conditioner which left a creamy oily layer on my hair?
You can reapply your coloring treatment to darken it up. The extra layer of oil from the conditioner shouldn’t create a barrier unless it’s quite rich and you can feel the slickness. If it’s too thick then you can remove the oils from your hair by washing again.
As henna is drying, so can I use coconut oil in henna pack. Will coconut oil in henna pack results in fading of henna?
If yes then what can be used as moisturizing agent in henna pack ?
Can I use coconut milk, henna, and coffee powder in henna pack?
We don’t recommend you use coconut milk as it dilutes the color and you won’t get good coverage.
We recommend you add our organic aloe vera powder to our henna recipes because that will add moisture without diluting the color. We hope this helps.
Is it safe if it touches our scalp
Yes of course. It will normally always tout the scalp as the roots need to be colored and treated.
Thank you so much love!!! Love seeing your posts. 🙂
Hello 🙂
I used natural henna powder mixed with indigo (ready made powder called ‘black henna’) to dye my light brown hair. The ends of my hair were a bit darker but the roots were quite fair so as the result the color of my ends didn’t change much while the top part got a grey-green shade. It basically looks like greenish highlights and my hair got a bit darker. What can I do to either make the color darker or to cover the green patches?
Thank you for your help.
Hello
It would be ideal to color your hair with really good quality henna and indigo to achieve the color you’d like. The blends or “colored henna” don’t always yield good results. Have you visited our brand online at http://www.hennasooq.com?
Awesome!! Let us know how it goes Kim.
Hi – I use your products to get brown tones and am still trying to perfect the process. I have THIN dry curliy-ish dark brown hair with early grey at the front and temples mostly, which is my target area 😉 I’ve read through a bunch of the posts here, but still need your help!
(Q1)- For me, my hair has gotten dry,like many, but I’m not clear about how to add oil (because I do a two step, first henna (with aloe powder) and yogurt, wash it out with just water, followed by indigo right away or within 24 hours). Should I be adding olive oil or argan oil (coconut is a bit heavy) between the henna and the indigo or after the indigo? Do I apply the oil to the scalp and the hair?
(Q2) – I got my sister to try a 2step like this for her more grey hair (similar dry thin wavy hair type to mine), but her hair has been thinning a lot lately (she’s a bit older) and seems to be shedding more than usual. She’s starting to think it’s the henna and indigo, but I’m not sure if it can cause shedding or if it’s over drying. Should she approach the process differently? Is there something we can to do to stop the “thinning” while still doing the 2 step for brown?
Please help in terms of how and when to oil or add moisture back in? (also waiting for more of your henna to be stocked at your .ca site!). Thankyou!!!
Is it ok to use protein enriched products such as conditions after the henna/indigo process?
Yes it should be fine as long as you aren’t sensitive to protein treatments too much as henna can act like one as well even though it’s not a protein treatment.
Hello Pearl!
1. Usually aloe vera honestly is the best moisturizing ingredient to add as it’s concentrated and works better then oils. It also can be use din both henna and indigo. You can add your favorite hair oil as well. Add that only to the henna part of the mixing process, not the indigo. Some do oil their scalp and hair afterwards.
2. She can use our Sukesh Ayurveda to help her hair growth and strengthening without coloring in between coloring treatments. She can also add aloe vera powder to her henna mix to help.
For Hennasooq.ca we’re working hard to make the site so much better then it has been going. Please stay tuned for updates!
I had some highlights done on my dark brown asian hair 2 weeks ago in an attempt to distract from my grey roots. I’ve since read a lot about henna and want to go this route to avoid any more chemical hair dyes. However, I heard that I should not do henna for a few months as it won’t work over the highlights. Is that correct? because in the meantime I don’t know how to cover my grey roots! It will be a vicious cycle if I go back to the hairdresser for a root touchup (which I need every 2-3 weeks!)
Hello Bessi. Thank you for posting on our blog. Our henna powders and Ayurvedic herbs will cover highlights. Sometimes it may require 2-3 applications but it will color your hair and safely. What color were you hoping to achieve?
Hello Becky. Thank you for posting on our blog. Have you tried using amla alone as its own treatment for your curls? Have you tried doing only root touch ups and not coloring the length? Henna does build and if you have the length being colored then it’ll continue to get darker. Not sure if heat alone will do that as it happens to me personally and I don’t use any heat on my hair.
I saw your last comment about root touch ups as I’m reading and writing at the same time 🙂 Root touch ups might really help your situation though and I would recommend you try to be consistent with the henna and Ayurvedic herbs you use so the coloring is consistent and even as well. Have you ever tried our products at http://www.hennasooq.com?
OMG!!! Absolutely stunning! Did you happen to use henna from us here at Henna Sooq? I’m wondering which of our henna powders you used.
Hello. Yes we do carry a line of color safe shampoos for hair at http://www.hennasooq.com. We don’t specifically recommend our soapnut shampoo bar as that’s more clarifying (the one exception).
Welcome! The first time for some, not everyone, may not color as deeply but may need 2-3 applications. Let me read your other newer comment.
Hello Bessi. It may require a second application to really darken and deepen. When you have a chance do another application to get the greys more.
As long as your hair feels good then it’s okay to do root touch ups every 2-3 weeks as we understand those areas can grow very quickly for some.
Hello Bessi. Which of your henna powders are you using? Can you give us your detailed recipe and mixing steps?
How much aloe Vera powder would you add? How much if using 100- 200 grams of henna? Thank you!
Usually 1 tsp of our aloe vera powder to 100 grams.
hi you seem to know a lot about henna treatments so i logged in just to get some closure. i have dark brown, natural hair and ive always wanted a red tint to my hair, not too intense. henna seems perfect and it doubles as a conditioner which is even better!! ive done a ton of research for months and i finally came to a conclusion. i dont want a bright red eventually or initially cause i know the dye can build up i just want a tint, because ill be using this consistently not only because of the dye but because of the benefits. so i heard mixing in teas/coffees can “deepen” the color so i came to a conclusion to use black tea for that and its benefits. the problem is i dont want to completely eliminate the red tint so what do you recommened i add for the benefit of that tint and not the bright orangey red over time or initially and how much for 100-200 grams? i also know to add lemon juice/acv to release the dye better/quicker?? so im gonna use acv for sure but how much should i use? can i use it with the element im gonna use to deepen the color? i also dont want it to be too drying so i know im gonna do honey, how much should i use or what do you recommend?? i know im going to deep condition very very well after so maybe nothing too blocking to the dye. i want to use the least amount of additives possible so i can definitely get the tint. im gonna go to a local indian store and get a 100-200 grams because i know it will be authentic. im glad i came across your blog as ive seen youre very informative and still active, nothing has really been answering my doubts. thanks for your help!!
Hello. What we recommend is our Red Raj with green tea, ACV or water. Your hair is already pretty dark so using a straight henna recipe would be your best choice to get a reddish natural tint as other ingredients may dilute it to much to show up.
Our aloe vera powder for moisture would be best and won’t affect the color. Do note the henna out of the Indian stores usually aren’t good quality for a beautiful color tone as they don’t specialize in henna. The henna we carry is body art quality and has a higher dye content and a good sift so sticks or bits don’t get stuck in your hair.
Our site is http://www.hennasooq.com
We hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
That does help a lot thanks!! Do you know what stores have aloe Vera powder? I’d rather just pick it up at one. I already picked henna up at an Indian store so I’m just going to use that one up first
Welcome! Sorry we don’t know which stores will carry reliable henna and aloe vera powder which is harder to come by. Our retailers do and on our website we carry it: http://www.hennasooq.com. Please note using body art quality henna powder will give you the best results and will be the most gentle on your hair.
We hope this helps.
Hello, I am from Japan. Can I buy your product online from japan? I am have few white hair, I want to color only them with natural henna, Please suggest me one of your product.
Hello Nasrin. Yes we do ship to Japan. We have do so many times. What color would you like your hair to be? Our website is http://www.hennasooq.com