Henna for Hair - Natural Hair Dye and Conditioner

Henna for Hair

Henna or mehendi is an herb. It is used for thousands of years for coloring purpose. It is used to decorate hands and legs by designing many patterns. Hair on head is another body part where henna is applied. Henna on hair makes them colorful, healthy and shiny.

Benefits of Henna for hair:

Henna has got tannin in it and molecules of tannin bind with keratin molecules of hair. This makes the hair strands strong. By the application of henna, hair become strong, healthy with beautiful tint.  Hair becomes softer, tangle free and free from split ends. There is no harmful and artificial component in henna; it is just natural and safe. Hanna is a very good natural conditioner. So besides giving color to the hair, henna also conditions them. Henna gives beautiful natural red color to hair.

Due to its conditioner qualities, henna strengthen the hair.  It has anti-Fungal properties and it is beneficial in reducing the occurrence of dandruff. Henna helps to loosen the curl pattern and detangle the hair. It makes hair manageable, shinier and gives natural healthy sheen. Henna is not like color dyes. It colors the hair shaft with red color. It cannot lighten the hair color. With repeated application of henna, its color on hair deepens. When henna is applied on black or dark brown hair, it becomes dark auburn to burgundy or black and when exposed to sunlight, it reflects red highlights. When applied on blonde hair, hair becomes natural red. White hair turns red or orange to deep red, by the application of henna.

What is henna?

It is the powder of dried leaves of henna bush. Pigment of henna becomes dye when mixed with water or acidic liquid. Henna is different from other natural dyes as it has capability to stain skin and hair.

To release its dye, henna needs warm, humid and acidic environment. It takes its own time to release its dye. Also it should be well rinsed to remove it from scalp and hair properly. You should protect your hands with gloves while applying henna on hair as it stains skin and clothing also.

Preparing hair for henna Application:

Though hair does need any prior preparation but still if you follow certain recommendation, it will be helpful while applying henna on hair. If you want to condition your hair with henna, then do not pre-wash your hair, especially people with very dry hair.  Pre-washing means stripping hair of its natural oils. You will be benefited more if you do not pre-wash hair as henna seals natural oils present in hair. If conditioning is your priority rather than coloring, then you can apply oil for deep conditioning.

Otherwise if you want excellent coloring too, then do not apply oil before applying henna, as oil buildup in hair is a hindrance in having proper coloring of hair.

Another important thing to be remembered is to avoid scratching your scalp with fingers or comb prior to henna application as it can lead to broken skin of scalp. You should not apply henna before it gets healed.

Before applying henna, you should go for harvest test for the color of hair.
Apply henna paste to a layer of hair, separated with the help of comb. Leave it for three-four hours. You can see its color on harvested hair before applying it to whole head.

Preparing henna paste:

You should prepare henna paste with basic recipe, as there are many varied recipes. People add different other ingredients to basic henna according to what their hair needs. You should also prepare a mixture which suits your hair needs.

Take henna powder according to the length and volume of your hair. You can take 100 gm per foot of hair. Pour it in a bowl and mix it with lemon juice and water in equal quantities. Adding lemon juice to henna allows it to release its dye properly. Do not add hot water. Consistency of henna paste should be like pancake mix. Now cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 8 hours at place where temperature is between 75 to 85 degrees. This will allow optimum dye release of henna. You can keep this paste for up to 48 hours.   You can add few drops of tea tree, lavender, and rosemary essential oils to henna.

There is wonderful recipe for curing falling hair and dandruff. Take one and half cup henna, 1 egg, 1 tsp amla powder, one and half tsp coffee powder and tea leaves, one lemon, ½ cup curd and 10 drops oil. Mix all the ingredients well except egg and keep it for 12 hours. After that add egg and apply it. After one hour, wash it with shampoo.