Organic Henna is the perfect choice for dying your hair for color, gloss and nourishment without any chemicals.

“Henna has antifungal properties, which make it beneficial for those with dandruff and hair-fall related issues, as well as other microbial problems,” says Dr. Khushboo Garodia, a certified trichologist.

Natural henna on hair will yield a reddish brown color on blonde tone hairs. For darker tone hair, the henna stain will create a shine and work as a super conditioner. For those who have dark hair and whites, the henna will stain the white creating different layers of subtle reddish brown highlights. To control the shade, you will need to bleach before application.  

NOTE: Henna is a permanent hair dye. The color is most vibrant for the first 4 to 6 weeks, and starts to fade thereafter. However, henna is really difficult to lift, so if you plan to do any kind of bleaching and lightening keep this in mind. 

How to mix the henna:

Recipe:

100grams of henna powder + a blend of orange juice and water + choice of hair oil like castor or coconut oil 

  1. Pour the powder into a large mixing bowl, slowly add a mixture of water and orange juice and mix. The consistency needs to be mashed potatoes, not runny!
  2. Cover the bowl with seran wrap and let it sit at around a 70-80 degree temperature for 4 hours. If you cannot achieve this outdoors, then put the bowl under a heat lamp, careful not to cook it.
  3. After 4 hours, the henna will look more brown. Add your hair oil of choice 60ml or a 1/4 cup, then add more water or orange juice until you achieve your desired creamy consistency.
    Note: if you have your own brew such as vitamin e oil or drops of tea tree for dandruff, this is a good time to add them. You can also use 2 eggs to create a nice mask that doesn’t dry out. 

This video shows you how to mix henna for body art, but you can follow the same steps, use the orange juice and water instead of lemon juice and skip the the straining.  

Application: 

  • Wear gloves! even though this mixture isn’t as strong as the henna for skin recipe, it will still stain your skin. 
  • Use a balm like Vaseline along the edges of your hairline and ear to protect against the henna staining or dying those areas. 
  • Where an old black shirt or throw on a cape
  • Section your hair as you would with any dying process
  • Apply with a brush from the bowl, or put the henna into a hair dye bottle and squeeze through your hair, stopping to massage your strands. 
  • Try to get as close to the root as possible, without rubbing it into your scalp. Getting some on there isn’t that big of a deal, as henna does not stain the scalp as strongly as other skin nor will it last as long on the scalp. 
  • Once you are done applying the henna throughout the hair, pile it on top of your head, tie it and wrap it with a plastic cap.
  • leave it on for about 4-6 hours – some people leave it on for much less, but in my opinion, the staining power of henna is slow and steady. Even when the staining/dying is complete, the henna continues to do a deep hydration and conditioning of your hair. 
  • Rinse thoroughly in the sink or in the shower, you can wear gloves for this as well, just to be extra cautious your hands don’t turn orange. Do not shampoo let the henna settle and shampoo in a few days as normal 
  • Repeat 1-3 months as needed. 

Before and after:

Note: how acidic your liquid is, meaning how much orange juice vs water you use, can affect the tone of the henna. Yielding brighter tones, while others add ash tones, or deepen the overall color by a few shades.

By playing with different ratios of henna powder, cassia or indigo many different ranges of stain can be achieved. Unlike chemical hair dyes, these recipes do require some tinkering and figuring out what is best for your hair type and color. 

FAQ

  • How much henna will I need for my hair? This depends on how long your hair is and how thick it is. Ruel of thumb: mix more and freeze what you don’t use.
  • How long will the henna keep in the freezer? up to 6 months

If you are feeling nerdy and want to learn more about the science behind henna and hair, you can visit: http://www.hennaforhair.com/henna/index.html