Applying Natural Henna and Herbal/Henna to Hair

Your henna purchased from EveryDay Mehndi for hair use will fall into 3 categories:

1. 100% natural henna for use both for body art and hair;
2. 100% natural henna developed and/or recommended for hair and not for body art; or
3. Herbal/Henna developed for hair and containing both 100% natural henna for conditioning plus a natural herb that serves as a natural dye for hair coloring.

You may rest assured that there are no metallic salts or metallic dyes in any of our henna products.

Preparing your hair for henna application:

Your hair needs no special preparation for henna application. There are some recommendations that may be helpful. Do not prewash your hair. The natural oils that are in your hair will be sealed in rather than stripped from your hair when you apply your henna. Prewashing your hair may strip these natural oils from your hair and you will therefore miss this benefit from your henna usage.

If you feel that your hair can benefit from a deep oil conditioning prior to your henna application, apply the oils and deep condition your hair the day or night prior to your henna application. Do not wash the oils out and henna your hair knowing that the henna will seal in the conditioning oils.

For deep oil conditioning, we suggest our hair oils that are specially chosen and developed as companions for henna users... EveryDay Hair Growth Oil... EveryDay Herbal Hair Oil... Tamanu Oil... BaoHen Oil. We also have other herbal hair oils that are excellent for deep conditioning as well. You may also have your own assorted or individual oils that you find loves your hair and you are satisfied with using for the purpose of deep conditioning.

Resist the temptation to scratch your scalp with your fingers or comb prior to applying your henna. If you have scratches or any sort of outbreak on your scalp that has broken the skin, put off your henna application until these heal.

Mixing your Henna Powder:

Like with people who use henna for body art, users of henna for hair have recipes that are varied... some effective and some not. Some effective and safe... some not. I recommend a pretty basic recipe for both henna for body art and for hair. Get to know what the henna will do for you on its own. Then add to your recipe from that place of knowledge and awareness. Using someone else's recipe that works for them may or may not provide you with the same outcomes they report. Your hair reflects you and your individual system. Understanding what your hair needs and wants and what makes it thrive is what is important. The additions another person adds to their recipe that works for them is a reflection of what their hair needs and wants and what makes it thrive. Know what is best for your hair and use those things as additives only after you know and understand what henna will do on its own.

How much henna is required depends on your length and thickness of your hair. Rule of thumb is 100 grams per every foot of hair length. If your hair is short, use 50 grams of henna powder to make your paste. Know that any leftover henna paste can be frozen and saved for your next henna application.

Put the required amount of henna powder in a bowl. If color is as important to you as conditioning with henna, add to your powder a mixture of lemon juice (concentrate will do) and water at a 50/50 ratio. It is important that your water is not hot. Hot water will cook your henna and impair the positive results you desire.

When conditioning is important but coloring is not, reduce the amount of lemon juice. The lemon juice helps the dye to release and therefore helps the paste to color the hair more effectively. Add the lemon/water liquid to your powder until you achieve the paste consistency like thick pancake mix. You don't want your paste too dry and you do not want it too thin. You want paste that you can scoop up with your gloved -- yes... always wear plastic gloves -- fingers.

When your paste is at the desired consistency, cover your bowl with a lid, or plastic wrap and foil. Place your bowl in a place that will keep your paste at a temperature around 75 to 85 degrees. A too-cool environment will retard the dye release and too hot an environment will either cook your paste or cause the dye to release and overshoot. Too little dye release or too fast dye release and demise will provide you with a paste that will condition your hair still... but you will not get optimal coloring.

Allow your paste to "sit" for 8 hours. Uncover and stir your paste well to mix back in the dye that has been released.

Some options you may wish to try later are the substitution of a tea brew for water…adding 4 to 5 drops of tea tree, lavender or rosemary essential oils to your paste…

Applying your Paste to your hair:

Separate your hair to make application easier. Part your hair down the middle using your fingers. Then separate each of these two sections into three. Begin applying your paste to the back sections of your hair. Take your time and make sure that you have covered all of your hair with the paste from roots to ends. When you are sure that you have all of the hair covered thoroughly, cover your hair with a plastic cap. Then cover with a towel or scarf. Leave the paste on your hair for the length of time required to get both the coloring and conditioning desired. This can be anywhere between 2 and 8 hours. A harvested hair test performed on hair harvested from your comb or brush will provide you with timing and coloring information.

To avoid henna from staining your skin, apply a protective oil or grease like petroleum jelly around your forehead, ears and neckline. To prevent the henna from running from the edges of the plastic cap, place tissue around the edges of the cap.

Removing the paste from your hair:

This is best done while standing in your shower and allowing warm water to rinse the henna paste from your hair. Let the water run over and through your hair and use your fingers to work the water through and paste out of your hair. At some point the water will run clear. Continue to rinse your hair. Repeat rinsing is necessary. Many of the reports of itchy scalp and other problems people report and attribute to henna result from lack of adequate rinsing.

While shampooing your hair at this point is not necessary, some people want to. If this is your choice, always use a mild and diluted shampoo. Do not use a shampoo that adds protein. You hair has received sufficient protein conditioning from the henna itself. Apply the mild and diluted shampoo and work through your hair and scalp and then rinse out thoroughly.

Then what?

While your hair is still wet, apply a moisturizer. The moisturizer used can be either the appropriate oil or oils or a moisturizing conditioner of your choice. Again, it will not be necessary to use a conditioner that contains protein. What you want is a conditioner that is developed for the purpose of sealing the moisture in your hair. The oils will serve that purpose as well as many other moisturizing conditioners that work for you.

Work your moisturizing oils or other conditioner through your hair with your fingers. You will find your hair to be softer, easier to manage and detangled. Then style as usual.

I have already mentioned our herbal oil companion products you can use with your natural or herbal/henna. Other companion products for interim deep conditioning to use when using natural or herbal/henna monthly, are our Lotus Powder Plus, EveryDay Herbal Shampoo and Conditioner, Crown and Glory or our Neutral henna.

Many monthly hair regimes include coloring and conditioning with natural henna or herbal/henna. Then interim conditioning on an alternating 2 week schedule with Lotus Powder Plus, EveryDay Herbal Shampoo and Conditioner, Crown and Glory or Neutral Henna. And deep oil and moisturizing conditioning and/or daily management with our EveryDay Hair Growth Oil, EveryDay Herbal Hair Oil, Tamanu Oil or BaoHen Oil.

See also: Henna Interview with Maureen -- includes extensive information on henna for hair

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