An email we received from Malaika.
Thank you for sharing your henna experiences and routine.-Khadija
Thank you for sharing your henna experiences and routine.-Khadija
My Henna Experience
Before henna I was struggling with keeping my hair moisturized (especially the ends) and the commercial color I had in my hair was dull looking and contributing to my dryness. My hair was just overall not in its best shape. So I did some research and found some really informative websites and blogs. So I decided to start with cassia before I took the plunge into henna.I did one cassia treatment with okay results and decided I needed to try henna. So here is my experience!
My routine:
I did two henna treatments back to back because I have heard the more you do it, the more you see the results so I wanted to jump start the effects of henna. I will continue to do henna treatments every week for the next month and then slow down to about once or twice a month.
My mix:
100-150g of Jamila Henna
4 bags of green tea (bring the water to right before a boil and brew about 1.5-2 cups of green tea)
While the tea is cooling I put my henna powder in a plastic bowl.
I begin pouring my tea into the henna powder slowly until I get something like a mashed potato consistency.
I then put on the lid of the container and hop in the shower to wash my hair.
* I don’t let my henna sit for hours because I can see the dye release while I’m mixing and the heat from my head and my heating cap will also aid in further dye release*
Application:
I wash and detangle my hair before I apply the henna. It is very IMPORTANT to detangle before or else the rinsing out process becomes very difficult. So once I am all done detangling I come out of the shower and towel dry my hair lightly. I MUST put newspaper on the floor and on my counter top or else I would be sure to have a mess and stains all over the place. Maybe with more practice I won’t need the newspaper, but for now it’s a must for me. By the time I am done spreading newspaper all over my bathroom my hair is just damp by that point. I open my container add maybe about 3-4 tablespoons of honey. I stir and stir until it is more like a pudding like consistency. The honey makes the henna very smooth.
Put on my gloves and I then begin to apply the henna to my hair in small sections. I do it from root to tip and I just kind of dab it through my hair rather than raking it through. Once I have my whole head covered in the henna (kind of like cake frosting) I put on a plastic cap.
My first application I left it on overnight and the second time I left it on for about 6 hours. It’s really a preference I guess. I think I prefer leaving it on overnight. When I first finish applying the henna I sit for awhile with my heating cap on to aid in the dye release and aid in the conditioning effects.
This is not a photo of Malaika. This is a photo to show the importance of detangling
Rinsing:
Once I wake up I can’t wait to rinse it out of my hair! I get on my knees and lean under the faucet in the bathtub and let the water pressure do all the work. Once I feel like my head isn’t feeling so heavy I turn on the shower and hop in. From there, I rinse, and rinse and rinse some more. I use more than half a bottle of conditioner to rinse it out. The rinsing process is tedious and even after I do all of that the water still doesn’t rinse out perfectly clear but that is okay. The majority of it is out. While I’m rinsing my hair feels a little brittle and stray like but the deep conditioner fixes that. I then hop out and deep condition my hair. I sit under my heating cap with my deep conditioner on for an hour and then I rinse it out. My hair feels like SILK when I rinse out my deep conditioner. Once I’m done all of that I just style my hair is usual.
The henna has made my hair so extremely soft, shiny, light and fluffy. While I’m styling my hair I can only compare the way it feels to barbie hair. It’s ridiculously soft and smooth and I’ve only done 2 treatments so far. I can only imagine how great my hair will look and feel after a few more treatments of henna. I am and will be a henna head for life 🙂 There truly is nothing like it and trust me I’ve searched!!!!
I unfortunately don’t have a blog but if anyone would like to reach me for anything at all….I am more than happy to have a discussion with anyone who wants to. Just send me an e-mail to curlytrini@gmail.com!!!
Thanks Khadija and Henna Sooq for all of your help and providing me with such quality henna, which is now my new found love!!! 🙂
I have done the two step Jamila Henna and Zenia Indigo twice.(three weeks apart)on 4C natural hair. I have extremely dry and brittle hair. My black hair remained dark with bright orange on the grey. I am trying to achieve jet black or at least dark brown. Will you help me achieve my goal. Please recommend a hair care regimen and products. Help Me!!!
Hello Pat. Thank you for reaching out to us. I’m not sure what to recommend based on the brands you’re using but if you use our moroccan henna and indigo for hair you’ll get black tones for sure. A two step will be ideal as well as far as what you’re looking to achieve. Please start with those and also our Organic Argan oil would be perfect for you.
Thank you for the information. Which indigo, organic or non-organic? I am so overwhelmed with all the options. I would also like to know what shampoo bars to use for my super dry 4C natural hair. I have already ordered the cocoveda oil and Sukesh Ayurveda. I need a routine plan to get my hair soft, shiney, and moisturized.
Morning Pat. It really depends on what your needs are on which henna powders and indigo you choose to use. Please read through the description of each to see which one suits you best.
I hope those products help (Sukesh and Cocoveda). For really good moisturizing bars our Mad Moisture is amazing!