If you are seeking an alternative to damaging hair dyes we would love to introduce you to Henna!  

Quick facts about henna:

• The plant of Henna has been used throughout ages for coloring hair and body art. In India the application of henna tattoos is an ancient tradition
• Pure henna gives your hair a reddish brown color, depending on how long you leave it. To add new colors to henna, other botanical staining herbs are added to it.
• Neutral Henna plant known as Cassia Obovata It does not feature the true henna properties but gives your hair a good bounce and shine.
• If you are looking for henna that is colorless but gives the same benefit as henna
• Natural henna dye is an incredible hair conditioner as it locks the oil in hair. It prevents frizzy and coarse hair.
• Henna hair dye stain starts to fade in 3-4 months naturally. Unlike chemical hair dyes, it does not leave odd looking streaks of colors.
  Moving on, we will guide you through the best way to apply henna hair dye. But before that, let’s just highlight the few important things you should NEVER DO when staining your hair with henna.

1. Read the instructions

It is highly recommended that you follow the instructions step by step. There is a lot of information of what to add or what not to add online, which makes anyone confused where to start. Many end up following inexperienced bloggers online and try to experiment with the recipe. Just remember, try to keep it as simple as possible.  All you need to do is mix with warm water until it forms into a pudding/cake batter consistancy.

2. Use a brush

It is recommended to use an applicator brush to apply but if you dont have an applicator brush, your fingers will do the job! Just make sure to wear gloves before applying henna to your hair or your hands will get stained by henna.

3. Using olive oil instead of gloves

Recently we come across a few blogs that claim that application of olive oil before applying henna hair dye would prevent staining your nails and fingers. Well, this is a hoax. You need to cover your hands with gloves if you don’t want your fingers and nails to be stained.

Things you need:

Before you start applying henna, gather the following:

• Gloves
• A bowl (plastic/glass/wood)
• A stirring spoon
• Towel
• Hair sectioning clips(optional)
• A shower cap
• An aplicator brush (optional)

Strand Test: It is highly recommended that your do a strand test before application.

How to use henna?

Step 1:

Add the desired amount of henna in a bowl and mix with warm water. We recommend that you slowly add more water is needed. You paste should form into a pudding/cake batter consistency. The henna mixture should be thin enough to apply easily but not too watery that is slides off your tresses. Keep sitting for an even mixture.

Step 2:

Wear rubber gloves to evenly apply henna on dry clean hair in order to achieve maximum results. Start making sections of your hair so that the paste covers roots and tips alike. Apply the henna mixture from the root tips working down; each section at a time.

Step 3:

Once applied, apply a light coat of dye with fanned brush to cover any missed area. This would save you the trouble of having an unevenly dyed hair. At this point you should feel well coated with henna mud & a bit heavy(please note henna smells like nature).

Step 4:

Wrap your hair with a shower cap  or saran wrap to prevent the paste from dipping on you and to keep the heat locked to give you the maximum results. Leave the henna hair dye on for 3 hours(recommended).

Step 5:

Now its time to rise out. This will take bit more time then rinsing out regular hair dye. To better rinse out do not layer your hair on top to rinse. Start from the roots and rinse downwards. Rinse henna with cold/cool water (no shampoo) with/without conditioner and rinse until water runs clear. Cold water helps to lock in the tones. Please shampoo your hair between 24-48hrs of application to lock your color. It will take up to 72 hours for the color to fully deepen.

Popular tips:

• Mixing henna with warm brewed black coffee helps darken the color.
• Adding a pinch of sugar to your paste would make it smoother.
• Oil your hair one day before you plan to use henna hair dye. This would keep your hair from drying and becoming frizzy.  The most recommended oils to try are coconut, olive oil, camellia oil, mustard oil and almond oil. Do remember to wash your hair before application, as henna needs to be applied to clean dry hair.
• To achieve a richer and deeper color, let it stay for a slightly longer period of time.
• Wash your hair thoroughly. When you apply shampoo, let it stay for at least a minute to ensure that it fully scrapes of the henna. If the dye is not washed out properly your scalp would feel gritty and itchy.
• Keep your henna hair dye recipe simple. Avoid the recommendations of adding lemon juice and oils to your dye.
• You can use petroleum jelly or coconut oil to prevent your hairline from getting stained.
• Comb your hair before application of henna. It would help stick the paste to all areas of the head.

Reality of Myths about henna hair dyes

Myth: Henna can lighten your hair:

Henna can only darken your hair color. You can only go darker from lighter hair but never lighter from dark color hair. If you have dark brown hair color then you will not be able to use medium brown or anything lighter. One of the reasons why henna hair dye works naturally without damaging your hair is because it contains no chemicals or bleaching agents. Other hair dyes first cut the natural color of your hair. In case of henna hair dye, the natural color of your hair remains intact.

Indigo is not black henna: Another common myth about Indigo hair dye is that it is a black henna. Indigo hair dye is another botanical plant that contains a dark color pigment used to add black tones to dark hair. It does not have the same effect as pure henna.

You can not use chemical dyes after henna:

Since henna coats your hair it may take a few tries to get the color you want.Our henna hair dyes are 100% chemical free so there is no need to worry.Many salons avoid application of dyes if Henna has been previously applied due to other brands having metallic salts in them. Remember that as long as the henna dye you have used is 100% pure, you can continue with any chemical dye treatment. However, if you are doubtful about the purity of your dye, we recommend that you give you hair a break of a few weeks.
Lemon juice does not help with the results: Lemon juice is extremely acidic and generally works against the henna dye. Because dying your hair makes your hair slightly dry, combined with lemon it could make your hair brittle. Lemon juice is used in henna for tattoos as it deepens the color. If you have to mix anything with your henna dye, it may as we be just plain water or tea.
Henna colors are not only red: The pure and natural henna has shades ranging from orange to brown to red, depending on how long it is left on hair. But when mixed with other plants, different shades of henna can be achieved. For example, with Indigo and henna companies have achieved a range of hair dyes.

Tips to deal with the mess:

If you are new at applying henna hair dye, you are likely to create a lot of mess. The preparation of henna is quite similar to that of other dyes. What you need to prevent the mess is to prepare the space in which you are going to apply it on your hair. Lay down newspapers on your sink and floor to ensure that you don’t end up cleaning henna stains for hours later. Remember that it would leave a stain wherever it falls. Use a facial band to prevent henna from traveling to your forehead line and around the back of your neck. Wear an old- shirt to protect your clothes from staining. As already mentioned, gloves are a must.

Other Benefits of Henna Hair Dye:

Strengthens your hair: Henna is long known for its popularity in hair care products. It binds with the hair shaft, nourishing the damaged ends. It makes your hair stronger and more resilient to pollution damage.
Conditioning: Henna is a great natural hair conditioner. It develops a permeable layer that locks moisture and absorbs the conditioning oils for enhanced hydration and nourishment.
Silkiness: Because henna binds the hair shaft with keratin, it increases the softness of the hair strands. After using henna hair dye you will find your hair to be silkier and easy to manage.
Rich color: Henna leaves a beautiful color coverage. It penetrates to all parts of the hair leaving a strong and deep color that lasts longer than other dyes