Do ya'll henna?

[sareca]

Doing a by post before the IS team comes up to confiscate my 'puter


I haven't checked my hair in the full light so I won't know if there was any color impact from the Hibiscus....I didn't use powder but boiled the herbs, the powder when applied with the Cassia may yield a different coloring result? I do not believe that Hisbiscus has any conditioning properties (but I've never researched that either) :scratchch

Rinse out easier? I've never used the Cassia before though I've had it a long time (3 months). It rinsed a little easier but I used the pectin (thank you SARECA!!) so that may have been why. Basically it was just like the henna except it didn't smell as strong which is good because both my guys can't stand the smell of henna.

The application was the same. One thing that is WONDERFUL is that the Cassia is truly neutral! I took a picture of my gloves after I put the Cassia in my hair (will post later) and they were still white, no staining whatsoever, not even from the Hibiscus. There was no staining on the counter top or flooring in the bathroom.

I used ElderBerry Juice in my mom's henna mixture and her hair came out the darkest we've seen it yet on an initial application (she has grey/whites) so it was easy to see the coloring on her new growth. I used the same mix I always use for her:

100 Grams Mehandi Henna
50 Grams Amla Powder
1/4 cup ACV
25 drops of Tea Tree Oil
3 Tbsp of ElderBerry (boiled in water to release color from herbs).
Enough water to make the consistency she likes

My mix was:

200 Grams Cassia
2 tbsp Amla Powder
2 tbsp RoseHips
3 tbsp Hisbiscus Herbs
Alfalfa, Nettle, Horstetail silica, catnip (that's call I can remember right now).

I boiled the herbs from 6 cups of water down to 3.5 cups...it was the color of Cranberry juice when finished.

I mixed that w/the Pectin (1.5 tbsp), then mixed that with the Cassia Powder. One complaint is that the Cassia stayed a bit lumpy though I mixed it for a while w/my spatula. I wish I could use a wire wisk, it would make it so much easier but you're not supposed to use metal w/henna (though I don't know why).

I have enough of my mix left for two more application...so in the freezer it goes until next time.

Really? Oopsy. I've doing that...um.. since I started. Hey wait a minute. Fia, who's pectin recipe I used, said use a whisk and Mehndskinart sells some kinda of traditional silver bowl for mixing your henna. Are you sure we're not supposed to do it?

Oh and you're welcome. The pectin made it big difference for me. If it wasn't a crazy difference in rinse time and effort I'd say add pectin. For real.

 

[LaNecia]

I read that some where and it stuck with me. However, I have been on sites and the HennaForHair Forum and some of the ladies use a wire wisk with no evident problems. I'll see if I still have that info and post a link to it. I've just not done it because of that, but my mom did and she didn't have a problem with it either.

I say, if it's not broken, don't fix it...keep on whisking!!!

ETA: Here's one reference to it: http://henna.radico.com/hair-colouring.html

But I just looked at HennaforHair site and they use metal tip applicators for the body art application.

 

[sareca]

Ok last two things and I'll go get a life.

1) Me and the coworker that I mentioned decided to go in on the 100 X 100g of from Mehndiskinart.com. We actually going to get 100X100g henna and 100X100g indigo and split 'em. So we each have 50g of henna and indigo. Brawhahah (evil laugh) I'm never buying and waiting for delivery (grrr) of henna or indigo again. BTW, she completely loved her strand test. I talked her into testing a strand on her head after she found the right color on her strand test. It was beautiful! She has brownish blonde hair. She used tumeric in her mix and it really pushes the color from wine color to brown. :scratchch

2) Vixxen! Girl, why didn't you tell me about amla powder and water. I'd been mixing it in my henna. Amla by itself is awesome. I just did a treatment w/ hot water, amla, tumeric, and cloves. I'm still tweaking the color of my hair a little and tumeric has some serious power. My palms are faint yellow cause I didn't wear gloves. I had no idea it was that strong. Now I'm wondering what my hair looks like... I guess I'll find out later.

 

[Sarafina]

Perfect. Thanks so much for the info .

 

[LaNecia]

2) Vixxen! Girl, why didn't you tell me about amla powder and water. I'd been mixing it in my henna. Amla by itself is awesome. I just did a treatment w/ hot water, amla, tumeric, and cloves. I'm still tweaking the color of my hair a little and tumeric has some serious power. My palms are faint yellow cause I didn't wear gloves. I had no idea it was that strong. Now I'm wondering what my hair looks like... I guess I'll find out later.

Uh-oh...well, uh see... =)

I use the Amla Powder by itself sometimes on my hair, usually it's in a 50/50 mix w/henna to push the color towards brown.
I use it w/neem powder and sandalwood powder as a facial scrub 3 x's a week.
I've also used it w/the Shikakai Powder and Aritha as a rinse (though it makes a bit of a mess in the shower.

Now, this tumeric sounds interesting...where did you find that? I have ground cloves, I want to grab the walnut husks too but am scared I might have allergies to that so I'll have to definitely do a test when I order that.

 

[sareca]

Uh-oh...well, uh see... =)

I use the Amla Powder by itself sometimes on my hair, usually it's in a 50/50 mix w/henna to push the color towards brown.
I use it w/neem powder and sandalwood powder as a facial scrub 3 x's a week.
I've also used it w/the Shikakai Powder and Aritha as a rinse (though it makes a bit of a mess in the shower.

Now, this tumeric sounds interesting...where did you find that? I have ground cloves, I want to grab the walnut husks too but am scared I might have allergies to that so I'll have to definitely do a test when I order that.

Um-hmmph, I knew you knew.

I got the tumeric from the grocery store. Actually, I got it from the grocery store so long ago I stopped using it for cooking. I like my spices fresh.

Yeah, I wanna try the walnut husks too. I used to use a facial scrub w/ walnut husks (don't ask. it was 80's. I didn't know better).

Ok so I lied about getting a life, but ya'll knew I was lyin' when I said it.

 

[LaNecia]

Hisbiscus and Cassia DOES color!!

Update!!!

I came home and forgot about doing the photos, sorry ya'll. I just remembered, it's about 7:45 pm here on the left coast. Well, I was able to catch just enough residual light to look at my hair...

IT DID COLOR MY HAIR!! It's not nearly as dramatic as the Henna but it definitely turned towards the color of my liquid mix!!

I think this is going to replace the Mehandi Henna cause it looks more like a cellophane than a color treatment!! I'm going to boil up some elderberry to think my mix and see if that darkens it a bit.

I've tried photos, even putting my hair on my scanner...you still can't see the halo effect of the color. I'll try to remember tomorrow.

 

[douglala]

If I mix a batch of henna and use it right away without giving it time to sit overnight will I still get the same conditioning benefits WITHOUT the color?

I am trying to achieve jet black and plan on doing a henna/alma treatment followed by an indigo only treatment. I am striving for jet black with no red.

 

[LaNecia]

If I mix a batch of henna and use it right away without giving it time to sit overnight will I still get the same conditioning benefits WITHOUT the color?

I am trying to achieve jet black and plan on doing a henna/alma treatment followed by an indigo only treatment. I am striving for jet black with no red.

There MAY be some color release but probably not very much. Make sure mix it with room temp or cold water. I used to do this unknowingly at first and I always had good conditioning without much coloring (if any).

Remember that with the indigo, you're going to need to do the process more than once to get the darkest color possible. I'd make sure the hair was free from coatings that might prevent hinder the process.

Good Luck!!

 

[sareca]

Re: Hisbiscus and Cassia DOES color!!

Update!!!

I came home and forgot about doing the photos, sorry ya'll. I just remembered, it's about 7:45 pm here on the left coast. Well, I was able to catch just enough residual light to look at my hair...

IT DID COLOR MY HAIR!! It's not nearly as dramatic as the Henna but it definitely turned towards the color of my liquid mix!!

I think this is going to replace the Mehandi Henna cause it looks more like a cellophane than a color treatment!! I'm going to boil up some elderberry to think my mix and see if that darkens it a bit.

I've tried photos, even putting my hair on my scanner...you still can't see the halo effect of the color. I'll try to remember tomorrow.

Excellent.I can't wait to see the pics. Where'd you get elderberry?

 

[LaNecia]

Sareca,

I found the Wild Elderberries here locally in San Diego (in a VERY SMALL store), though I had a hard time finding the herb on the web. For the local ladies, the shop is in Pacific Beach, near the Pier InHarmonyHerbs. I purchased 2 ounces for $3.42. Not bad considering I wasn't even sure it was something I was going to like.

After having tried it out, I found a site: GardensByGrace, you can get 4 oz for $3.85, 8 oz for $2.75 more and 16 ounces for $9.85. I got robbed!

Check this, I'm going through their listing, they have black walnut hull powder, 4 oz for $3.25! Hibiscus, Rosehips, nettle, neem powder, catnip and others are included in their inventory. I'm impressed!

 

[LaNecia]

Ok, I was bored last night...

So got out a little pot, put in 3 tbsp of the Elderberries and Equal Parts of Hibiscus and boiled those for about 30 minutes I usually boil the water down to about half of what I start with (2-5 cups of water for a higher concentration of color/herbal infusion), can you say "oooh, pretty color?" =)

I mixed that w/my already mixed Cassia from the night before (it was REALLY thick after it set for a while in the fridge). I applied it to my hair, leaving it on for about 45 minutes while I searched for Valentina's Henna Glossing Method.

I hopped in the shower and rinsed. It's much easier w/the Pectin! My mom hipped me to this one: After I rinsed the henna from my hair completely, my hair felt a little 'rough' or almost 'stripped', I took a small amount of Roux's Porosity Control and applied it to my hair and let sit for about a minute. My hair felt somewhat smoother, then she said to apply the shampoo ON TOP of the Porosity Control. Now, I'm using the Eqyss Premier Shampoo which in the past has left my hair very stripped feeling but it has NO cones or anything that coats the hair so I knew this would be the test. My hair felt SLICK. I did this process the night before but thought it was just a fluke, so I tried it again last night. S-L-I-C-K. Any tangles that contemplated staying in my hair packed up and left town immediately. My comb out in the shower w/shampoo in my hair was as if I'd used the PM Super Skinny Serum.

As for the coloring...IT'S DARKER ladies, not dramatic but definitely, where my hair was looking more red in the light, it's a bit darker, not quite a wine but I think if I used just the Elderberry I'd get it even darker (I don't want the color commitment of the Indigo) .

For red highlights on brown or red hair, use hibiscus, for deep brown chocolate tones on brown or black hair, use rosemary or sage or a strong brew of black tea. And for those who have black or brown hair and would like to get some bluish-black tones to their hair should use elderberry.

One final thought on the Cassia, I like the Subtle coloring effect but I don't think it conditions as well as the Henna. That's kind of a bummer but I'm sure I'll find a way to interchange the two and get the coloring AND conditioning I want. Stay tuned...

And no...I'm not doing my hair tonight!

 

[LaNecia]

Ok, here are some photos I took this morning after whipping out the flat iron (we truly have a love-hate relationship!). These don't really grasp the color too well but I'll try to get a photo in the evening outside before I head to the gym to sweat this all back to a ponytail.

What's in my hair: Aphogee EFA Oil (about 10 drops) and Fantasia Hair Polisher Heat Protectant (thanks HoneyDew). My hair air dried over night in a soft wrap and satin cap.

What's up with the right side? Why does it grow so much faster, or the left side break so much? I'm working on getting some thickness over length right now.

The ONLY time I flat iron my hair is for updates for you ladies...now, onto the photos!!

 

[douglala]

There MAY be some color release but probably not very much. Make sure mix it with room temp or cold water. I used to do this unknowingly at first and I always had good conditioning without much coloring (if any).

Remember that with the indigo, you're going to need to do the process more than once to get the darkest color possible. I'd make sure the hair was free from coatings that might prevent hinder the process.

Good Luck!!

Thanks for the tips!

I don't mind a little color release b/c I will be going over it with indigo I just want to make sure I am not going to miss out on any of the conditioning benefits of henna by not giving the color time to release.

 

[sareca]

Thanks for the tips!

I don't mind a little color release b/c I will be going over it with indigo I just want to make sure I am not going to miss out on any of the conditioning benefits of henna by not giving the color time to release.

Don't forgot indigo has lovely conditioning properties too. Indigo and henna are about the same IMO.

 

[sareca]

Ok, here are some photos I took this morning after whipping out the flat iron (we truly have a love-hate relationship!). These don't really grasp the color too well but I'll try to get a photo in the evening outside before I head to the gym to sweat this all back to a ponytail.

What's in my hair: Aphogee EFA Oil (about 10 drops) and Fantasia Hair Polisher Heat Protectant (thanks HoneyDew). My hair air dried over night in a soft wrap and satin cap.

What's up with the right side? Why does it grow so much faster, or the left side break so much? I'm working on getting some thickness over length right now.

The ONLY time I flat iron my hair is for updates for you ladies...now, onto the photos!!

Wow, it's so rich looking! It has gotten a lot longer and thicker too. Congrats! Is henna the only new thing you've been doing?

Oh and my left side was shorter and thinner because my ring was ripping it out. It's thickened up nicely since I started removing it before touching my hair.

 

[BrownBetty]

Ok, here are some photos I took this morning after whipping out the flat iron (we truly have a love-hate relationship!). These don't really grasp the color too well but I'll try to get a photo in the evening outside before I head to the gym to sweat this all back to a ponytail.

What's in my hair: Aphogee EFA Oil (about 10 drops) and Fantasia Hair Polisher Heat Protectant (thanks HoneyDew). My hair air dried over night in a soft wrap and satin cap.

What's up with the right side? Why does it grow so much faster, or the left side break so much? I'm working on getting some thickness over length right now.

The ONLY time I flat iron my hair is for updates for you ladies...now, onto the photos!!

It looks good!

I have the opposite problem... my left side is all lush and thick but the right side 2 thumbs down....

I think its from my purse strap so I am experimenting with a clutch

We'll see...

 

[douglala]

Don't forgot indigo has lovely conditioning properties too. Indigo and henna are about the same IMO.

Thanks for the info.

So how is your indigo'd hair coming along? Are you having any color running at all?

I read on the hennaforhair forum about it being a bit messy and getting on clothes. It was only from one person but I wanted to be sure before I took the leap!

 

[LaNecia]

Wow, it's so rich looking! It has gotten a lot longer and thicker too. Congrats! Is henna the only new thing you've been doing?

Oh and my left side was shorter and thinner because my ring was ripping it out. It's thickened up nicely since I started removing it before touching my hair.

That's funny, YOU'RE drooling at MY hair and we're ALL up in hurr over YOURS!!

Well, I've been doing the Henna since Nov or Dec of last year, that's a stape, like breathing. I think the biggest contributors have been stretching my relaxers 10 - 12 weeks at a time and not relaxing bone straight anymore.

I've been doing over night protein conditioning every four days or so, shampooing about every 3rd day. I've done away with most of my products that have silicones and I clarify more often so my hair is able to uptake moisture better. After rinsing or CO washing I apply a leave in and/or oil to the wet hair to seal in the moisture and I've started misting my hair more often with a hydrating spray which has PCA in it. Most days my hair is in a wet 'bun' or pony so I apply the Heavy Cream to the ends (or Dabur Amla Oil, I still this stuff). And of course, I sleep with my hair protected ALWAYS.

I had a LOT of shedding and hair loss last month until I got the protein/moisture balance figured out for my hair, once I did, it stopped dead cold, even without taking my iron. There's a lot of LITTLE things new I'm doing that seem to be working but those are the major contributors.

And I'm much gentler to my hair.

 

[sareca]

Thanks for the info.

So how is your indigo'd hair coming along? Are you having any color running at all?

I read on the hennaforhair forum about it being a bit messy and getting on clothes. It was only from one person but I wanted to be sure before I took the leap!

Still lovin' it. I did an amla treatment that I'm in with too.

I picked up one of those plastic shampoo capes like they use in salons to protect my clothes but not to much of it ran. It was pretty thick from the pectin.

Good luck. Make sure you take before and after pics to share.

 

[Mestiza]

Your hair is looking great, VWVixxen! It sure has grown a lot and looks so healthy.

I'm still in love w/ Dabur Amla Oil, too.

 

[sareca]

That's funny, YOU'RE drooling at MY hair and we're ALL up in hurr over YOURS!!

Well, I've been doing the Henna since Nov or Dec of last year, that's a stape, like breathing. I think the biggest contributors have been stretching my relaxers 10 - 12 weeks at a time and not relaxing bone straight anymore.

I've been doing over night protein conditioning every four days or so, shampooing about every 3rd day. I've done away with most of my products that have silicones and I clarify more often so my hair is able to uptake moisture better. After rinsing or CO washing I apply a leave in and/or oil to the wet hair to seal in the moisture and I've started misting my hair more often with a hydrating spray which has PCA in it. Most days my hair is in a wet 'bun' or pony so I apply the Heavy Cream to the ends (or Dabur Amla Oil, I still this stuff). And of course, I sleep with my hair protected ALWAYS.

I had a LOT of shedding and hair loss last month until I got the protein/moisture balance figured out for my hair, once I did, it stopped dead cold, even without taking my iron. There's a lot of LITTLE things new I'm doing that seem to be working but those are the major contributors.

And I'm much gentler to my hair.

Well it's workin' like a charm. Your hair looks fantastic!

 

[Neroli]

Ok, here are some photos I took this morning after whipping out the flat iron (we truly have a love-hate relationship!). These don't really grasp the color too well but I'll try to get a photo in the evening outside before I head to the gym to sweat this all back to a ponytail.

What's in my hair: Aphogee EFA Oil (about 10 drops) and Fantasia Hair Polisher Heat Protectant (thanks HoneyDew). My hair air dried over night in a soft wrap and satin cap.

What's up with the right side? Why does it grow so much faster, or the left side break so much? I'm working on getting some thickness over length right now.

The ONLY time I flat iron my hair is for updates for you ladies...now, onto the photos!!

Vixxen!!! Your hair is simply beautiful!

So, you didn't find the cassia as conditioning as the henna. Perhaps I need to just stick with henna and do the "glossing" whenever I want to condition but not color. Please check my proposed recipe below and give any advice/comment. I want to gloss purely for conditioning, not color.

1. mix 3 parts henna powder, 1 part hibiscus powder with warm distilled water and let sit 10-15 minutes.
2. mix enough condish (leklair cholestral) with henna mixture to form a soft paste.
3. apply paste to hair until saturated. cover with plastic cap and towel for at least 1 hour.
4. rinse thoroughly
5. apply low pH moisturizing condish (roux porosity control) and let sit at least 5 minutes. Detangle hair while saturated with porosity control.
6. rinse thoroughly, apply leave-in, oils, and air dry.

I may add elderberry powder if I can find instead of the hibiscus powder because I want a darker, not redder, if you know what I mean.

Do you think this will significantly change my color by addition hibiscus or elderberry? Do you have any suggestions or changes to the above?

TIA

 

[douglala]

Sitting here with my henna/alma/indigo mix in my hair as I type. 2 more hours to go before I wash it out.

I am hoping you guys were exagerating on how hard it is to wash out of your hair............

It's only 10pm but I am feeling sleeply already...................................

 

[sareca]

Sitting here with my henna/alma/indigo mix in my hair as I type. 2 more hours to go before I wash it out.

I am hoping you guys were exagerating on how hard it is to wash out of your hair............

It's only 10pm but I am feeling sleeply already...................................

Did you add the pectin? If not then you can always rinse most of it tonight and the rest tomorrow morning.

 

[LaNecia]

If you find you have a hard time rinsing it out, try using a cheapie conditioner to help loosen the henna/hair. Works for me everytime!

Good luck!

 

[douglala]

Ok. The results are in!!!!!

I did a mix of about a 3/1/1 of henna/alma/indigo and added EVOO, honey, and lemon juice. I mixed the 3 seperately then added them together right before application.

Oh my!!!!!!! My hair felt WONDERFUL after rinsing out the mix. I could not believe how sleek and soft my hair felt!!!! I wasn't expecting this at all!!!!! My hair is definitely looser. After rinsing I put my hair in a loose wet bun and tied it down for the night. This morning my texlaxed roots are just wavy and my fully relaxed hair looks like it's been flatironed!!!

I did not succeed in rinsing it all out. I should have used pectin but I did not have time to go hunt some down. I rinsed for 10 minutes in the sink then put some cheap conditioner in and rinsed again for 10 minutes in the shower. This is when I felt the sleekness. If I comb my hair now I still see some grains of the mix on my shirt but you can't see anything if you look directly at my hair. I will do a second rinse tonight to get it all out.

The color change was very subtle. I can tell a slight difference but it may not be noticable to others. The little indigo I put in really did cut out the redness and brought me closer to brown in the sun. I will take some pics this evening but I am not sure if the camera can pick up the color difference. But I am happy with the results.

So how soon can I did it again??? Does it make sense to do another treatment tomorrow or would that just be a waste of product???

 

[LaNecia]

That's awesome, glad to hear such pleasing results!! ***High fives Sareca*** We've got another HC!!

Yes, you can do it again tomorrow but I'd recommend giving it a few days (If you have time) just for you to notice (and really appreciate) the difference in your hair! Repeat applications only further to condition and color the hair so you can't 'waste' the product!

Just wait til you really start getting the 'bling bling shine' from using it!!

I'd do mine every week if I had the the time!

 

[douglala]

Okay. I will wait till Saturday or maybe even Monday for my second treatment.

I did forget to mentions some of the negative for me....

I did not use gloves...I know bad me. I thought I had some there but at the last minute realized I did not have any...so I now have orange palms and nails... How long before this goes away???

The smell was a little hard to bear. I am not fickle about smells but the one thing I cannot take is any type of earthy smell. The smell of freshly cut grass gives me a headache within seconds. So will some strong smelling EO mask the scent? Will peppermint EO work?

Applying it was a chore but I think that was partly b/c I made the mix way too thick. The thickness helped it from being runny and messy but it also made it harder to spread when applying. What is the optimal consistency?


But I do need to add that the benefits outway the negatives BY FAR!!!

 

[douglala]

That's awesome, glad to hear such pleasing results!! ***High fives Sareca*** We've got another HC!!

Yes, you can do it again tomorrow but I'd recommend giving it a few days (If you have time) just for you to notice (and really appreciate) the difference in your hair! Repeat applications only further to condition and color the hair so you can't 'waste' the product!

Just wait til you really start getting the 'bling bling shine' from using it!!

I'd do mine every week if I had the the time!

How much longer until I get the BLING BLING?????????????