Have you ever tried henna coloring?

Henna is a plant native to India and Arabia , it has been used in these regions since the dawn of time for its virtues as useful for the hair as for the skin. Women also use it as an ornament and base for the application of traditional tattoos, on special occasions or simply for everyday life. The use of henna for hair care or for coloring must be accompanied by specific know-how in order to be successful. We suggest you take a tour of it in these lines, in order to acquire a better knowledge about henna and thus derive the best benefit from it.

What are the colors that we can hope to have with henna?

The color that henna gives depends on three main factors . The first is the type of the plant itself. There are two types of henna. Natural henna or “lawsonia inermis” and Neutral henna. Only the first has a coloring power. The second only gives a very superficial coloring at best and only to light hair. Natural henna gives a diverse range of colors from copper to red to mahogany color, but it depends on the second factor, the natural color of your hair. The lighter your hair is, the closer the result of the henna coloring will be to copper. The darker they are, the closer it will be to a deep red. Mahogany being the middle shade between these two extremes.

There again a last factor, comes into play to bring an additional shade to the palette possibly accessible by the coloring with henna, quite simply its dosage in the coloring mask. The important exposure time, the concept of dosage, it’s objectively a mix of time. With the time parameter correct, it is possible to give her hair a specific shade. You should know that henna can also be used as a base. Indeed, it allows to better fix some colors. On the other hand, neutral henna, if it is not really coloring, does not have less various virtues. It can be used to strengthen the hair fiber and give a sheathing treatment to the hair.

I want to have a henna color done.

It is more than wise for a first color application to go to a professional who will be able to deal with the request. Indeed, henna is a very special pigment to be handled with relative care, errors of all kinds, tiny and imperceptible for the most part to the neophyte, can lead to a result radically opposed to what was initially desired. And this result becomes definitive, going back is impossible. As an example and to name just this one, if you are blonde, henna can quickly turn copper if you are not careful with the dosage and exposure time of it. On the other hand, if a blonde is correctly applied in a henna-based color, the result is worth the detour, a soft red color settles delicately with dazzling reflections. The professional is needed for another equally important reason.

A henna color requires preparing the hair with a clay maskwhose rigorous dosage. Is only mastered by the practitioner if it is your first time. The most suitable and effective henna remains 100% organic henna. Even in stores that maintain the image of organic brands, the natural henna-based products offered nevertheless contain compounds similar to those present in artificial colors and which therefore involve the activation of the same sensitivities of the scalp and hair than these. You should know that depending on the desired rendering and the natural shade of the hair, there are natural powders which, in addition to henna, make it possible to obtain a wider range of colors. If you have hair that is a natural shade of light brown and want to achieve a dark red,

Getting a henna color at home

For the more daring of you, who want to save your money while honing your hair coloring skills, it’s up to you how to achieve henna color. Mix your henna powder as well as the complementary natural powders with hot water, but not boiling, to avoid altering the coloring power of the powder. To mix again to avoid altering the color, never use a metal utensil. Opt instead for a wooden spatula to play it traditional or more simply for a plastic cream whisk. Carefully apply the henna over the entire length of the hair. Adjust your dosage according to the intensity of the color you want to obtain. Once the paste is applied to the hair,

Again, depending on the intensity of the color you want to achieve. Once the film is removed, rinse thoroughly with cold water. Above all, do not shampoo. It is by coming into contact with air and therefore by oxidizing that henna releases its color. The henna should continue its oxidation process on your hair for two or three days. This is the reason for the need to refrain from shampooing for at least the first few days. An essential information to have in mind before you start coloring your hair is that the hair should be clean of all traces of silicones, vegetable oils, shea butter or any other form of fat.

Henna a potentially toxic plant to handle with care

Henna is a plant considered to be potentially cytotoxic , that is, it can be toxic to cells, especially those of the blood. We are talking about hemotoxicity. However, this toxicity is not systematic, it depends on the metabolic constitution of each person and mainly concerns young children.