What is henna?
Henna appears in coloring more than 9000 years ago. The Egyptians mixed it with blood to obtain a red color very fashionable, while the Romans, they mixed henna and saffron flower to get the famous Venetian blond . In India, henna has always been used for its coloring properties but also to give volume and obtain a soft and silky hair. It should be known that there are several kinds of henna, with different properties.
Natural Henna: Henna comes from a plant in India and Arabia, which grows in arid regions, from the Sahara to the Pacific. Depending on the region and its temperature, henna colors differ. The leaves of this plant contain natural red orange pigments, with lawsone. The leaves are collected and soaked in water. Once dried, they are reduced to a fine powder: henna. Natural henna produces colors ranging from copper to auburn.
Neutral henna: Containing no coloring pigment, it acts as a hair protector. He reinforces them, sheaths them and brings them shine. It is used mainly in mask and care. It can nevertheless, in the long run, have a bleaching action for the hair, so it is recommended not to exceed 30 minutes of exposure.
The henna blonde, chestnut honeyed, dark chestnut brown garnet or black henna: All these henna are obtained by mixing natural henna (coppery) or neutral (for the blond) with other coloring plants. We can find, for example, Ceylon cinnamon, hibiscus, indigo, chamomile, walnut husks ...
Advantages and disadvantages of henna coloring
Natural, henna color nevertheless requires to take precautions. We must first make sure of its composition. So that there is no risk, we choose a 100% pure henna, without additives and without metal salts. So, no need to wait for six months - minimum - after a chemical staining. Provided, of course, that the henna powder is pure. If not, the color may turn green and have disastrous conditions on your hair. Pure henna does not cause any allergy, it is the presence of PPD (paraphenylenediamine) that may cause it.
The main advantage of the henna color is its small price. We only buy the powder, which we will prepare with water. A 250 gram bag costs a few euros only. Henna also has many beneficial properties for the hair: it protects the hair by sheathing the fiber and thus restores volume and shine to dull hair. It also acts as a regulator on sebum and gives a soft and silky hair. However, it can dry the hair a little. To counter this, add to your paste a fatty substance such as olive oil, to moisturize the hair. Henna can also relax the curls and waves, by dint of application. As he sheaths a lot, he can end up denaturing your hair.
How to choose your henna hue?
The results of the henna color vary a lot from one hair to another, we can never be 100% sure of the effect that we will get. If you have dark brown, brown or red hair, you can use the black henna to darken a bit, the henna of Egypt or the henna of Rajasthan will give you copper and red highlights, like the red henna of Yemen . If, on the other hand, you have light brown to blond hair, prefer blond henna or honeyed chestnut henna which will give a little depth to your lengths. To cover white hair, henna is effective and we get intense and brilliant colors. The real difficulty in henna coloring is when you want to lighten your hair. The result is often disappointing.
How to prepare my henna color?
Purchased as a powder, the henna is prepared with water to obtain a coloring paste, which will then be applied to clean, dry hair. Mix the henna powder (vary the amount depending on the length of your hair) with warm water. She must not be hot! In order for the color to penetrate the hair scale, it is necessary to modify the pH of the preparation to open the scales. If you are preparing a black or indigo henna, baste the preparation with baking soda to intensify the color. Apply for at least 30 minutes (you can go up to 3 hours) and rinse with an acidic solution, such as apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to tighten the scales. If you make a dough with natural henna, add a little lemon juice to the water for the preparation, which will penetrate the color into the fiber. Before applying the paste, leave for half an hour a basic lotion made of 97 grams of water and 3 grams of baking soda. Then put your henna and rinse with an acid solution. For the application, be generous: make thick layers before wrapping your hair in food film. Do not wash your hair for three or four days to get the final color. Between two colorings, it is quite possible to retouch only the roots, adjusting the amount of product. Ready to switch to natural henna coloring and beneficial?
Henna of Egypt, henna of Rajasthan and blonde henna, Aroma-Zone, € 2.50, € 3.50 and € 5.50 for 250 grams.
