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If you’re considering using henna hair dye as an all-natural alternative to traditional hair dye you’d use in a professional salon, there are a few things you should know before getting started. The first time I used it, I hadn’t done my research and regretted it!
I’m sharing these tips so that YOU won’t make the same mistakes I did.
Here’s what I think you should know.
1. Is Henna Good For Your Hair?
Henna hair dye is considered a good conditioner for your hair, and as a result can make it stronger, thicker, and shinier. It may help to restore the natural pH balance of your hair and scalp, too!
2. How Long Does Henna Stay in Your Hair?
Henna is a permanent hair dye. The color is most vibrant for the first 4 to 6 weeks, and in my experience it starts to gradually fade after that, but I’m not sure it ever goes away completely.
Keep in mind that if you want to dye your hair later, it may be difficult to go lighter in color. Henna is very hard to lift out of your hair later! (I found this out after the fact– and was disappointed that I couldn’t get my hair highlighted for nearly a year after dying my hair with henna.)
3. It’s Messy to Apply & Can Stain Your Skin
The first time I used henna, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I highly recommend working the henna through your hair in the bathroom– ideally standing in a dry shower, so you can rinse away any mess when you’re done.
When mixed together, henna has the texture of mud and it can feel a little awkward to apply. As a result, there’s usually some that drips on the floor, and down your forehead.
Before you apply the henna dye, protect your skin by using a thick balm or cream to create a barrier. I rub it around my forehead, ears, and neck.
4. Henna Hair Dye Can Take a Long Time to Set
Depending on the vibrancy you want, henna can take 1 to 6 hours to develop.
That’s a long time to have your scalp wrapped in a shower cap. (The shower cap keeps the dye warm, and therefore, more effective, while also preventing drips so you can walk around your house!)
I should note that I can only last 2 hours before my patience gives out, and usually my hair turns out well!
5. Henna Will Not Necessarily Even-Out Your Hair Color
In my experience, if you have roots or highlights when you start the process, you’ll still have roots or highlights when you’re finished. (Henna can cover gray hair, but it’s a slightly extra process.)
I happened to have roots and highlights the first time I used henna (you can see before pictures of my highlights and roots at the top of this post), so you can see how the reddish color varies throughout my hair, where I had more blonde highlights. I was hoping for a more even color, so this aspect was a little disappointing for me. Without the noticeable roots, I think this would be pretty!
6. It Can be Difficult to Change Your Hair Color AFTER using Henna
Some brands of henna dye have metallic salts added to it, and as a result, you cannot use chemical hair dyes over them. (The result is a chemical reaction that causes your hair to smoke!) It’s important to let your hair dresser know that you’ve dyed your hair with henna before you get started, so they are prepared.
In my case, I was able to even out my hair color after using henna using a semi-permanent dye. My stylist had to apply it twice, however, because she said my hair was not receptive to absorbing the color after using the henna. (Normally, my hair takes to dye very quickly!)
It should also be noted that my hair did not lift with bleach easily after using henna, so we had to go a shade darker, rather than lighter. I love getting my hair highlighted, so this something I wish I knew before getting started!
Which Brands of Henna Hair Dye Are Best?
There are always new brands entering the market, but I’ve only tried two brands so far. Most recently, I used Morrocco Method when trying to cover gray hair, and it worked really well! I love that it has no metallic salts added, so I didn’t have to worry about my hair smoking later if I got my hair dyed at a salon.
The very first time I dyed my hair with henna, I used Lush brand. According to their website, they add ingredients like lemon juice and coffee grounds to their henna, but I don’t believe they add metallic salts to their products, either.
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I hope these tips prove helpful for anyone interested in trying henna, too!
Reader Feedback: Do you color your hair? Have you ever tried using henna hair dye, or would you like to?
I HAD MY HAIR RECENTLY COLORED AT THE HAIRDRESSER, I AN VERY UNHAPPY WITH THE COLOUR.
IT WAS BLONDE MY HAIR HAS A ORANGE BASE AND IS NATURALLY DARK BROWN. THE COLOUR NOW IS MORE TOWARDS A MOUSEY BROWN GREY.
I WOULD LIKE TO USE LIGHT BROWN HENNA, WOULD THIS WORK?
I AM AFRAID IT WILL TURN ORANGE OR RED.
THANKS DEE..
hai dee-anna farrell mix henna with curd it should be look like a chapathi flour ok, then keep it 1 hour before using in ur hair, after 1 hour mix with 1 egg fully then apply in ur hair layer by layer u should keep 2hours in ur hair. After 2hours u should wash with normal water. This is the procedure of henna i usually used in this way my hair looks very beautiful. Try this and one important u should use only plastic cup and spoon for mixing the henna.
What are some of the well known stores in Minnesota that carry henna’s? I cant’t find it anywhere.
I’m in the U.K, but I’ve always bought mine online, through ebay (maybe try amazon too.)
I simply search for “natural mehndi henna powder” and buy it by the kilo. (Thick, wavy, dark brown, waist-length hair, I get through a lot.)
Henna is predominantly grown in india, so I tend to buy direct from indian sellers, as it’s cheaper & the henna is fresher too. Never had any problems with ordering it this way.
It costs around £6/kg for simple, unadulterated, ground Lawsonia Inermis (henna plant) leaves, with no added chemicals/colourants.
*N.B. ALWAYS CHECK FOR ALLERGIC REACTIONS/STRAND TEST BEFORE APPLYING ANY KIND OF DYES, EVEN ‘NATURAL’ ONES*
The following advice comes from 20yrs using/ experimenting with henna as a dye. Please note, i’m NOT a qualified hairdresser/chemist.
To mix:pour some henna powder into plastic bowl (Use non-metal bowl & utensils to prevent unwanted reactions.)
Use plenty, as extra can be frozen for later use, and too much is better than not enough! I use around 250g powder for full head.
Cover with boiling water (appx 3 parts water to 1 part henna)and mix.
*tip- Instead of laboriously mixing til smooth, give it a quick stir, but then leave it to stand for 10 mins, before stirring until smooth. It will mix much more easily that way, minimal elbow-grease* Aim for a thick pate-like texture at this point – add more water/henna as needed.
Once smooth, you’ll need to add something acidic to “pull” the dye from the ground leaf paste. Lemon juice, lime juice and/or apple cider vinegar all work well for this. (If hair is very dry/fragile, be conservative here, try using the apple cider vinegar mixed 1:1 with water for this stage.)
Add dollops of juice/vinegar to the mix & stir, until it’s approximately the consistency of drinking yoghurt.
You can add some drops of essential oil if desired,but I personally don’t mind the smell of it as-is.
Fairly soon, you’ll see the red dye begin leaching out. Allow the mixture to stand for a couple hours/overnight if preferred.
Application: use barrier cream/vaseline on hairline first, and old towel round shoulders.
Apply mix generously to clean, slightly damp/dry hair. Dye takes better if you don’t condition your hair before application.
Cover a small section at a time, using a tint brush/gloved fingers, until your hair is thoroughly coated and resembles a large cowpat.
Wrap hair in vast swathes of clingfilm, to keep the mixture warm & moist (& therefore active) as well as reduce mess.
*tip- If the mix dries out on your hair and becomes brittle, it can cause some breakage, particularly with fragile hair. If this is an issue, and the cowpat starts drying out before you’re ready to rinse off, lift the cling-film, spray with a little water, replace cling film & briefly massage the water into dry area*
Dress in old/unwanted clothing, remove any inevitable cowpat mix from bathroom floor/walls/ceiling after applying (i am a messy person,and this stuff stains everything!), and leave the cowpat on for 3 hours, or overnight if preferred.
(Cover pillows with an old towel, as some goop will inevitably find its way out of its plastic prison.)
Rinse with a LOT of warm water, and comb through to thoroughly remove any remaining cowpat residue.
There’s no need to use shampoo, although if your scalp has changed colour, a small amount of shampoo massaged into the scalp & rinsed will take care of it.
Condition if needed, & style as normal.
The colour will continue to develop/deepen slightly for 24+ hours after finishing the process.
Subsequent washing will fade the colour a little, (rather than wash it out), but I’ve found my keeps hold of the colour very well.
I do my roots every few months, as they don’t seem too obvious on dark & slightly wild hair. Pulling the excess mixture through the lengths and ends just before rinsing is enough to boost any fading.
*tip-henna coats rather than penetrates the hair strand, and will show up even on very dark hair, but to a less noticeable degree.
If your natural hair is non-porous/very dark, and the colour doesn’t show as vividly as desired (and providing your hair is in good health), you can pre-treat it with a relatively gentle “shampoo bleach wash” treatment (ask google for more details.)
Basically, use 10% peroxide hair bleach diluted 50/50 with shampoo, left on for 10-15 minutes, before rinsing & commencing with the henna treatment.
It lightens dark hair only slightly, and with a reddish tinge -fine, given copper-red is the end result you’re aiming for!-but also apparently makes the hair more porous, helping the dye to grip onto and coat each strand.
I’ve used this pre-treating method very successfully when wanting a more noticeable outcome. I’ve also used it just on the ends, before using henna all over, for more vibrant ends, in a dip-dye effect.*
Good luck, have fun, and always keep a hat handy in case of mishaps!
Hello There!!! (= I want to make the change to using henna to color my hair but before I even attempt it I have some questions I hope you all could answer.I fell in love with a vibrant wine red henna,it is by Henna Maiden & you get it from hennaking on etsy,,has anyone ever us ed this brand or know anything about it? Another question I have is my chemically colored hair is pretty close to the wine red henna,what color would my hair be if I use this color henna,would I be able to achieve the color that they show as the vibrant wine red? Should I use henna before my grey roots really start showing? I do not know very much about using henna so any advise you could offer would be greatly appreciated,Thank you very much!
Sincerely,,Michelle
Well, I have grey and black hair (well, very dark which is streaked with grey – more grey by the month), and I am itching to try Henna. No hairdressers in my town will touch it, but a few friends are game to help me. So what results might I achieve? Mix with hot or cold water, or cider vinegar?
Suggestions and thanks.
Hi,
I’m allergic to bleach and it was suggested that I use henna to lighten my hair before using a semi-permeate purple on it (Urban Shock is the brand I will be using). Do you think this idea will work or am I’m going to need to experiment?
Hi! How long should I wait after using henna before dying it with semi-permanent dye?
It’s not messy at all. I applied it as a regular dye and it is actually easier to apply without making a mess, because of the muddy consistency I used a professional brush and parted the hair as I do with a regular dye. done in 10 min with no mess.
Um….so the Lush site says to do a strand test prior – perhaps if the author had listened to that advice her experience would have been different. That said I have used Henna for 2 years and love it – I have not use Lush and may give them a try but if you want a natural way to color your hair do it!!
Hello, Megan!
I’m from Brazil and I’d like to purchase Lush’s henna Caca Marron (Brown or Chocolate color). But, unfortunatelly, I can’t find this product here. Do you know some site to recomend? Thank you 🙂
Can anyone please advise me how long I should wait before using henna on my hair after synthetic hair dyes. I last had my hair colored and foiled 6 months ago.