The Return of HENNA: A Magic Ayurvedic Treatment Your Hair Will Thank You For!

Circa April 2014: Post Henna Treatment/Bomb Twist Out

It's no secret, that I have a genuine love affair with henna. I've been henna'ing my hair for almost a year. I began my henna treatments in March 2014 to early September 2014. I was inspired to use henna based on the results natural hair blogger and guru CurlyNikki received. I was amped to improve the quality and condition of my hair. I stopped the treatments after the summer, because it was very time consuming and did not fit in with my Grad School schedule. During the time I used henna, I love the results it gave my fine, low porosity, curly/coily hair. My hair is shiner, fuller, hangs looser when wet, less shrinkage, fizz is reduced, and my hair color is considerably darker. 

This year, I decided to revisit the cult treatment among many curlies, wavies, and coily heads. I usually purchase my henna from Mountain Rose Herbs. I purchased  the 400 + grams of henna. Henna's is known as Lawsonia Intermis by its scientific name. Henna is a natural permanent hair dye that is derived from the henna plant. Henna used for many purposes such as body art, conditioning hair, and as a natural dye. Henna has several benefits on the hair and I will list the benefits I have experienced below. 

Benefits of Henna

• Remarkable conditioning benefits - Henna binds (keratin) and coats the hair strand, but does not block out moisture
• Henna has the ability to strengthen and even thicken hair strands (less split ends & breakage)
• The red dye released onto the hair is a non-fading red. The color that is deposited on the hair varies for different shades of hair. My hair is a very dark brown, almost black. Henna gives me a glossy dark tint to my hair. In sunlight you can see a dark red tint to my hair. 
• Curl loosening (can be a con)  is one of the benefits of using henna, this is NOT a universal effect. I have fine curls/coils and the "S" shaped curls loosen significantly versus the "O" shaped curls, which hangs a little looser
• Less frizz and more shine. You're hair will look transformed and styling may become easier for you
• Less reversion - I find that when I wear twist outs, my hair comes out silky smooth, soft, and last for days! When I retwist, my hair stretches out even more, almost like a roller set. My hair also does not poof or frizz up as much with henna

The Process

Henna comes in the form of a loosen green powder that has the scent of grass or hay (very earthy). I henna my hair weekly at the moment however, I will be switching to biweekly treatments soon. I usually apply henna to my hair once a week on wash day, which is Saturday evenings. I usually switch between full strength treatments (undiluted mix) and gloss treatments (diluted with conditioner). Keep reading below learn how I apply my henna. 

Intense Method

• I pour about 2 cups of henna (Mountain Rose Herbs)  into a plastic BPA-free container, along with boiling water. I apply about 1 to 2 cups of the warm water to the mix. I like my henna mix to be thick instead of watery. A thicker mix prevents your bathroom from becoming a muddy mess. 
• I add honey, 2 squirts of lemon, argan oil, and sometimes conditioner if I'm doing a gloss treatment (mild). 
• If I'm not henna'ing that day, I will let the mix settle in the the refrigerator to ensure the dye releases accurately. 
• Once I'm ready to apply my mix, I put on an old set of clothing (henna stains red) and cover my bathroom with newspaper or old magazines.
• Gloves are a must, if you mind your hands and fingers being stained from the dye. 
• I apply the henna to clean cowashed hair however, If I'm in a rush I will apply it to dirty hair. 
• I smooth the henna into my hair versus "racking" into my hair. Racking the henna through can cause breakage and induce tangling. 
• When I'm finished applying my mix, I place a plastic shower cap over my hair (sometimes two)  and don an old  winter hat to promote body heat. You can use a hooded dryer to speed things up if you're pressed for time.
• I will leave the henna in my hair for anywhere between 1 and 7 hours. If I decide to deep treat for lesser time, it's usually with heat. If I henna past 3 or 4 hours it's usually overnight. 
• When it's time to rinse out, I happily dunk my head under my bathroom sink with warm water until the water runs clear. 
• After the water runs clean, I apply a slippery conditioner to my hair and cowash. 
• Once I rinse out my conditioner, I apply my deep conditioner and leave it on for at least an hour with or without heat. 

I hope this set of information was helps a curly out there looking to try henna for the various benefits it offers. Until next time...

Ciao,