Woman's Magazine

Henna Hair Dye

Henna is a natural hair colorant. It’s obtained from Lawsonia leaf which gives red colour, indigoferae leaf that gives dark shades and Cassia auriculata leaves are used for hair conditioning. It’s easily available in any health food and beauty products stores. The combination of these leaves will give different shades. The natural color of henna is red but it can enhance other colors too.

The leaves are powdered and mixed with hot water to make paste for applying on the hair. It’s a semi permanent dye and coats the hair with color. It’s also useful for sealing in oils and strengthening the cuticle which results in shiny and bouncy hair. But this dye is notorious for staining skin and nails.

Henna is a better than regular hair dyes as it doesn’t contain any chemical. There fore the risk of cancer associated with regular dyes is not applicable to henna. It’s the safest non-toxic and contains no coloring agent like peroxide or ammonia.

Henna Application To Hairs

It’s better to try henna on a small strand of hair first before applying throughout the head. First the hair strand should be tied. The henna should be mixed with hot water in a non-metallic container and stirred with a plastic brush until it reaches a creamy consistency. Then the cream should be applied on the hair strand through the brush and covered with a plastic sheet.

Heat may be applied to enhance the red color. The color should be checked every 5 minutes for getting the right shade. Once the right shade is reached, the hair should be washed. The same process could be repeated for the entire hair. Those with grey hair could go for stronger formulations.

Removing Henna From Hairs

Only draw back with henna is that removing the color is not very easy. If it needs to be removed then the processes should be carried on within 24 hours of application of henna.

If the hair is porous or light colored removal becomes difficult. Those with light color hair could mix Crystal Light Lemonade with half cup of conditioner or crème rinse and apply on the hair. It should be covered with a plastic cap for 45 minutes. The hair should be rinsed.

For dark hair, Baking soda and molasses should be applied in equal quantities on the hair and covered with a plastic cap. After the mixture hardens, it should be shampooed.  The above are fast forward means of removing it. But continues use of high detergent shampoo with heavy conditioner will gradually fade out the color.