[Alejandro]

im deadly afraid of henna. oh god the disasters

[oicicup]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lollicandy You can get samples of pure henna from hennaforhair.com. I wouldn't buy henna from anywhere else, other than them or their list of reputable vendors because a lot of times, henna is adulterated with chemicals including PPD which some people are very sensitive to, as well as green dye, sand, dirt and twigs. The henna you see often in stores is often poor or low quality and doesn't dye very well leading to orange colors and are sometimes adulterated with chemicals. Lush.com henna is pure, but has many other additives in it like cocoa butter and fragrances and coffee grinds (see above post of mine). But as far as I know it is pure. Sometimes people say their hair turned green after using it. It also is a pain to use it, since you have to chop/grind a solid block of it, cook it and then let it sit. Not worth it, since you're paying almost $30 for it and for less than $20 you could get more and higher quality henna from hennaforhair or other vendors. Lastly you could try Middle Eastern, Pakistani or Indian grocers. Look for "Jamila" brand henna that is the best. With these they are sometimes unmarked or may have chemicals in them or dye as well. Really just to try it, Jamila from the grocery or better yet hennaforhair.com is your best bet.

thanks for this!!!
but, would a redhead have any luck using it? i want a more RED and less copper tone, well, i'm thinking about it.....

[lollicandy]

Yes, you would most definitely get a redder tone. I know a lot of people complain about getting 'orange clown hair' from henna, but the secret to getting a rich deep red, cherry or burgundy color is 3 things: high quality henna, good dye release, and multiple applications. Poor quality (old or not enough lawsone) henna won't have enough dye (lawsone) in it and gives off 'orange' colors. If you prepare your henna well, (ie w/something acidic like orange juice, tea or lemon juice etc, let sit for 8 hours in a warm spot) the henna will release a lot of dye. Multiple applications (2-4 times) will gradually increase the richness and depth of color; also after hennaing your hair, it oxidizes and gets darker. As long as you do this, you'll get a very rich red.

I have dark hair, but my highlights have gotten progressively more red and cherry-burgundy. I've tried a few types of henna but I liked Jamila the best for a deep cherry red. I would really recommend reading through all the articles on hennaforhair.com first, as it answers a lot of questions and has some pictures of what henna looks like on different hair colors. I should also mention that henna is a semi-permanent-permanent dye and that it won't make hair lighter but darker. Hope this helps

[ShesElectric]

I used to use henna a lot when I'd dye my hair black. I stopped using it last winter for no other reason than I wanted a change of colour. It's great -- hair always looks healthy, soft and shiny. Black tends make hair look dry so the effects of henna were awesome. I loved it.

From what I experienced over the past several years, it was not permanent. It faded and I re-did it about once every 6 months. When I wanted the change of colour, I stripped it and then dyed my hair a plum shade with regular dye. I did it at a salon though. I would advise people who want to change colour after using henna to go to a Middle Eastern salon as they have a lot of experience working with henna and how to strip hair afterwards.

Also, you can get all different sorts of henna hair dye colours at any Indian hair shop. I actually get mine at a local Indian grocery store.

My mom using black henna to dye her hair as well and she plans to change to Blonde this weekend at a local Middle Eastern salon. Will let you know how it goes!