Henna is a plant, found in Africa and the south of Asia, and it has been used from ancient times (Bronze Age) to dye skin (body art and tattoos), hair, nails or wool and other materials. Henna also acts as an anti-fungal and preservative lotion. That is why it's used also in medical treatments. Henna colors because of the "lawsone" found in the leaves. This is a burgundy organic compound that has the property of binding itself with proteins. If the leaves aren't broken they will not stain, because the "lawsone" molecule needs to be released in order to stain. They need to be smashed with a acidic formula like tea tree, eucalyptus or lavender. In this way the stain process will happen faster and last longer. So natural henna is a reddish color, but now you can also find other colors like blond, brown or black, derived from the base colors.
But thanks to tehnology, now we can buy the plant already made into powder. Henna is a good dying product, because it fixates on the hair protecting it from external agents. It also makes it thicker and stronger and you will see that not so much hair will fall off after the process. It also helps the scalp and heals it in case of dandruff.
What you need:
*one package of henna powder;
*a larger ceramic or glass bowl (henna will stain plastic bowls and it will oxygenate in metal ones) and gloves;
*your other products to put in the mixture;
*shower cap and an old towel;
*a cheaper, yet effective hair conditioner;
*time and patience; henna is harder to make and apply than a normal dye and you also need time to sit with it (from 3 to 6 hours in order for the ingredients to stain and help the hair).
How I make my henna mixture (keep in mind you can add whatever you want in the mixture to keep the color longer or help the hair):
*in the ceramic bowl I mix: pressed garlic (for my hair to grow faster and regenerate), one egg, castor oil (ulei de ricini; also for my hair to grow faster), vitamin A and F, one spoon of hair balm and 2-3 spoons of olive oil;
*I add the henna powder in this mixture and combine them, also adding fresh lemon juice from one lemon (this will help the color fixate better);
*in a medium tea pot I put water and place on fire until it reaches almost boiling point; put some chamomile or marigold flowers and let them boil; when I can't get anymore "juice" out, I put 2 teaspoons of coffee and cinnamon or cloves;I let them also to boil for 5 to 10 minutes; filter it while still hot;
*I put the hot water on the mixture from before and mix it until it has the consistency of cream; I let it rest for 10 min and place it when still warm, not to burn my scalp (henna is most effective when hot or very warm); it the product went cold you can put it the microwave and warm it up a little;
*I distribute it all over my head and hair,gloves on my hand, until I cover all of it; be careful not to place to much on the skin because you can stain it;
*I cover my hair with a shower cap and an old towel, because some of the water will drip and stain if you aren't careful; the warmth of your body will make it work faster and more efficient; if you want it to go even faster you can use a blow dryer;
*After 4 hours, when I want to wash it, I would put warm water on it and a medium amount of conditioner and start to work it through my hair; I repeat this step until all the "mud" is washed away (it will become muddy, but the lemon will keep it from drying);
DO NOT SHAMPOO HAIR!! Chlorinated water and soaps may spoil the darkening process and alkaline products may hasten the darkening process (lemon is an alkaline, but you don't want to use it anymore for a natural effect).
In the beginning it will be a vibrant color, but from that point the darkening process will begin; in 2 to 3 days time this process will end and the color will appear to fade, as the stained dead cells exfoliate. Using warmth, even after you washed the hair, will continue the process of darkening. If you want that vibrant color you can wash the hair with shampoo, but the exfoliating will start faster. You should also dry your hair with an old towel because it can still stain even after you wash it.
The process is long, but the results are worth it!Your hair will be healthier, with natural shine and a color that, I for one haven't found in other dyes.
For more recipes and ways to do your hair with henna go to this site: http://www.hennaforhair.com/
Hope this was helpful. Have a nice evening.
Kissu.
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