How to Dye Your Hair with Henna

How to Dye Your Hair with Henna Henna, a natural plant-based dye, its a great alternative to chemical hair dyes that might damage the hair. However, some people are reluctant about using henna because they think it is hard to apply. While applying henna to your hair can get messy, there is nothing difficult about it. So how to dye your hair with henna?

Henna is a natural hair dye prepared from the flowering plant named Lawsonia inermis. It is known as the henna tree, the Egyptian privet, and the mignonette tree. Henna is native to southern Asia, northern Africa, and northern Australasia. Henna dye is prepared from dried and finely ground henna leaves. Historically, it was used in South Asia, parts of South East Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Northern Africa.

Today henna is mass-produced in several countries, including Egypt, Sudan, Iran, and India. Indian henna is probably the most popular due to its high quality. Most of Indian henna is made in the state of Rajasthan. It is very finely ground and therefore is easy to apply – of course, if you know how to do it properly.

There are several things you need to know before dying your hair with henna. First, it is not recommended that you use henna on your hair within six month of dying your hair with chemical dye, bleaching, or perming. Second, henna must be applied to clean and slightly damp hair. Do not condition your hair though, as conditioner will prevent henna from penetrating the hair. Third, you must not use metal bowls, combs, etc. because henna oxidises when in contact with metal. Use plastic tools instead.

The amount of the henna powder you’ll need depends on the length of your hair. You will need approximately 20 to 25 g henna powder for short hair, 50 to 60 g for mid-length hair, and 75 to 100 g for long hair. If you’re dyeing your hair with henna for the first time, take more powder than you think you might need to prevent running out of dye. When you get used to dyeing your hair with henna, you’ll know exactly how much henna powder you need.

The key to dyeing your hair with henna is the preparation because the powder must be mixed with liquid and left to sit with some time. Henna is most often mixed with warm water, but you can use other liquids, for example, lemon juice. Lemon juice is used to obtain darker shades of red and copper.

To prepare the henna dye with water, mix the henna powder with warm water (60-80 °С) and stir to combine. The henna paste should have the consistency of mashed potatoes. Let it sit for a couple of hours. To prepare the henna paste with lemon juice, mix the powder with room temperature juice and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the paste sit for 8 to 10 hours and warm it to 35 °С right before applying. Note that lemon juice can dry your hair out. You can add some olive, almond or avocado oil to the paste to prevent this effect.

Apply the henna paste just like you would do with conventional dye. Make sure that you apply the paste evenly because it doesn’t spread as easily as chemical dyes. Once you’ve fully covered all your hair, wrap it with plastic to keep the henna warm and moist while it is setting.

The result of the dyeing will depend on several factors such as the natural colour of your hair, the amount of time you leave the henna paste on, and the amount of grey hair you have. Henna generally takes between half an hour and six hours to set. The hair will be brightest if you have fair or grey hair. You should keep in mind that henna doesn’t affect the natural pigment in the hair and therefore cannot change the colour of dark hair. If you have brown or black hair, henna will only give it a reddish hue.

When the henna has set, thoroughly rinse it from your hair with warm water. You should not shampoo your hair because it will affect your new hair colour. But you can use silicone-free conditioner to loosen the paste. The finer the powder, the easier it is to rinse. When your hair first dries, it might look too bright. Don’t worry, henna takes 48 to 72 hours to develop properly. Over the next couple of days, the colour will become deeper and less bright. Remember that you should not shampoo for at least 24 hours after dyeing your hair with henna.

As you see, dyeing your hair isn’t that difficult, it’s just time consuming. To get the result you want and keep your hair healthy and conditioned, you need to use high-quality, finely ground henna powder. Our online shop Organic Store offers a fine selection of henna powder and henna-based herbal hair dyes produced by trustworthy beauty brands such as Aasha Herbals, Lady Henna, and Triuga. We offer reasonable prices, several payment methods for your convenience, and international delivery to any country within the jurisdiction of the Universal Postal Union.