Henna is popular with women and girls who want to dye or restore their hair. Here you will learn about the pros and cons of using this powder, instructions for its dilution and recipes.
Henna types
The following varieties of henna are divided: Indian, Iranian, Sudanese, colorless. Let's take a closer look at each of them.
-
Indian. The color range of Indian henna, unlike other types, is much wider and provides an opportunity to obtain a variety of shades for hair coloring. You are required to choose the correct color of the dye and not deviate from the instructions for use of the product. On sale you can find the following options:
- Brown. If your hair can be categorized as light brown or light brown, brown henna may work well for you, for a milk chocolate shade, try mixing this powder with turmeric.
- Golden. This option may appeal to women and girls with light blond strands or blondes. Do you want to give your hair a golden touch? Then dilute the powder with cinnamon or a seasoning like turmeric.
- Mahogany. It is a dark dye that fits well on dark hair and is suitable for women of the Autumn color type, that is, for those with yellowish skin. "Beetroot mahogany" produces a shade of copper with a reddish tint.
- Black. The name speaks for itself, what hair color can be expected from using this type of Indian henna.
- Burgundy. Would you like to get ripe cherry hair coloring? Then you should take a liking to a powder like burgundy and dilute it with beetroot juice.
- Iranian. Having this dye in stock and turning on imagination, you can get a palette of different shades by mixing different ingredients. Add vegetable oils to the prepared mass so that as a result you get not just a coloring mixture, but also a nutritious one.
- Sudanese. The colorant is produced in Saudi Arabia, giving an attractive rich copper hue. It is most popular among owners of sun-colored hair, as well as among women and girls with hair of the color of a juicy shimmer of copper.
- Colorless. How is it that Lavsonia leaves have a good coloring ability, and manufacturers manage to release henna, which does not change hair color in any way? It's simple, the fact is that this product is not made from leaves, but from bush stems, which a priori do not have a coloring pigment. Colorless henna is used as a remedy for strands, it stimulates hair growth, eliminates dandruff, regulates the sebaceous glands, strengthens the bulbs, reduces hair loss, visually makes the hair shiny.
Almost any shade of powder dye is suitable for dark hair, which cannot be said when it comes to light strands, for which the wrong color can aggravate the appearance of the strands and cause an undesirable result.
Dark-haired women should look to the Indian product with the indication of such tones as black, chestnut, burgundy or brown, or you can achieve the desired result by mixing different powders. Since it is impossible to lighten dark hair with henna, it makes no sense to take a golden shade of powder as a dye mixture.
Blondes are advised to be careful with the choice of henna color and, in the case of buying an Iranian version, mix the product with basma. Fair-haired women should keep the diluted powder on their hair for literally half an hour; to get a darker shade, they will have to increase the henna action time to an hour or even more. A golden hue can be obtained from the use of Indian henna.
How to properly color your hair with henna
Hair dyeing with henna takes a lot of time, and this is one of the reasons for performing this procedure at home. Painting is carried out independently or with the help of someone from relatives. How to use the powder correctly - this can be learned from the instructions included in the kit or indicated on the package.
Prepare a glass or ceramic container for preparing the coloring agent; a metal bowl will not work for this task. Dilute the powder with water at a temperature of about 80 ° C, if you do not have the opportunity to use a special thermometer for these purposes, it's okay, the main thing is that the product does not come into contact with boiling water. Diluted henna should resemble a thick gruel in its consistency. The liquid mass is bad in that it will flow, thereby painting over not only strands, but also skin and clothes.
The prepared product is applied to wet, clean strands. So that the diluted henna does not cool down, it is kept in a water bath. First, it is advisable to treat the nape area, since in this area the hair is more difficult to paint over. Then you should go to other zones, dividing the strands into devices and applying the diluted powder to the roots and to the entire length of the curls. Pay attention to gray hairs, they can be put in the first rows of the line for painting. After the application procedure, the next step is to put a plastic bag or cap on your head, as well as towels to provide warmth for a period of half an hour to 2 hours, depending on the expected result. Rinse off the paint only with warm water, without adding shampoo or other hair product.
Not happy with the result? In no case do not re-stain with other dyes, otherwise the result of such a manipulation will not please you even more. Wait for the henna to disappear from the hair on its own before dyeing the hair again, some women can use vegetable oils twice a week to wash off the henna.
What can be made with henna
Few people know, but henna can be used to prepare a variety of hair care products, and not just a dye mixture. If you decide to create complete products using powder in the recipe, you can take into account the following recipes:
-
Conditioner for blonde hair. First you need to dilute henna for light hair (5%) and turmeric (5%) in distilled water (90%), and also prepare some components:
- Grape seed oil - 30%.
- Emulsifier BTMS - 10%.
- Babassu foam - 1%.
- Silk Protein asset - 1%.
- Honey (powder) - 5%.
- Grapefruit seed extract - 0.6%.
A mixture of turmeric and henna makes up 52.4% of the total conditioner formulation. After cooking, put the product in the refrigerator for a day, remembering to stir it from time to time. After the time has elapsed, the mixture must be filtered (a coffee filter will do).
Transfer the oil and emulsifier to the first container, and the prepared infusion and babassa foam to the other. Heat in a water bath until the components are completely dissolved and combine, stirring the product quickly for about 3 minutes. The rest of the ingredients can only be added to the cooled mass.
This conditioner is applied to damp, clean blonde hair for a couple of minutes and then rinsed with water.
-
Serum for damaged and weakened hair. Mix olive oil (90%) with red henna (10%), refrigerate for a day, mixing the product every few hours. You will also need:
- Castor oil - 40.2%
- Mustard oil - 36.75%.
- Sesame oil - 12%
- A mixture of any essential oils for hair (juniper, patchouli, ylang-ylang, orange, etc.) - 1.05%.
The prepared infusion takes only 10% of the recipe. Mix the ingredients and transfer the mass to a clean container. Apply to the entire length of your hair, massage your head, cover your head with a towel for 20 minutes and rinse with regular shampoo.
-
Shampoo for dark hair:
- Green clay - 20%.
- Rice powder - 20%.
- Boxwood leaf powder (Katam) - 15.5%.
- Black henna - 15.5%.
- Moroccan clay - 26.5%.
- Black oxide - 2%.
- Juniper essential oil - 0.5%.
It is best to use a coffee grinder to mix the ingredient quickly and efficiently. Apply to scalp for 1-2 minutes and remove with a brush and warm water.
-
Mask for dry and brittle hair:
- Henna powder - 0.5% glass or ceramic cup.
- Water - 0.25% of a cup.
- Yogurt - 2 tbsp. spoons.
Pour the powder with hot water, stirring henna (not with a metal spoon!) Until you get the consistency of thick sour cream, add the specified amount of yogurt. To perform the grooming procedure, the hair must be clean and dry. Apply the product along the entire length and leave it under the cap for 15-45 minutes, then rinse with warm water.
Henna hair coloring master class:
