I'm gonna try henna!
bharjala
Registered Users Posts: 52
in Hair Type 4
I just spent a ridiculous amount of time in the health foods store, but I'm just going to take the plunge. I know I wanted something different, after all these years... And so I'm going to do it!
If you don't know, or haven't seen my pics, I'm about 10yrs, 4a/4b with pretty long, thick hair. Check out some pics from my past posts if you'd like!
I've been reading so many things though, and I don't really know which place to trust. Nikki has her own recipe, Henna for Hair does too, as does the forums. It's a lot of "maybe" for time releases and sit times.
I have about 300g of Red henna, baq. It's pretty fresh (was delivered in December), smells right, and is very fine.
I am NOT attached to my curls and nappy hair, so there is no Amla stuff. I don't care about color so I didn't hunt down Cassia. I just got the red henna. Some youtube vids say add warm water, mix and let it "release" for 30 mins, then put it in! Nikki says it's done as she's mixing. The Hairscepades lady says let it sit for 12 hours.
Some use lukewarm water, some use warmer water, some use an acid (lemon juice), some use coconut milk and honey and oil. What the c-rap am I supposed to do? I'm going to do a spot test on my skin to check for a reaction while I figure this out... Any tips?'
DIrect question: Is there any way to let the dye release for TOO long? It's 12.30 now, so if it takes 12 hours, I'll just wait until tomorrow to put it in my hair!
PS, I despise that Mehandi/Henna for Hair site. Terrible navigation!
If you don't know, or haven't seen my pics, I'm about 10yrs, 4a/4b with pretty long, thick hair. Check out some pics from my past posts if you'd like!
I've been reading so many things though, and I don't really know which place to trust. Nikki has her own recipe, Henna for Hair does too, as does the forums. It's a lot of "maybe" for time releases and sit times.
I have about 300g of Red henna, baq. It's pretty fresh (was delivered in December), smells right, and is very fine.
I am NOT attached to my curls and nappy hair, so there is no Amla stuff. I don't care about color so I didn't hunt down Cassia. I just got the red henna. Some youtube vids say add warm water, mix and let it "release" for 30 mins, then put it in! Nikki says it's done as she's mixing. The Hairscepades lady says let it sit for 12 hours.
Some use lukewarm water, some use warmer water, some use an acid (lemon juice), some use coconut milk and honey and oil. What the c-rap am I supposed to do? I'm going to do a spot test on my skin to check for a reaction while I figure this out... Any tips?'
DIrect question: Is there any way to let the dye release for TOO long? It's 12.30 now, so if it takes 12 hours, I'll just wait until tomorrow to put it in my hair!
PS, I despise that Mehandi/Henna for Hair site. Terrible navigation!
~My salvation lies in your love... Alexi Murdoch~
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So, I just made it happen. I mixed all of my henna "cough COUGH" with hot-ish tea water for a quick release. Teas (orange herbal and my fanciest Vanilla tea (in the silk liner!) I threw in a little lemon juice (why, I don't know). Some honey was also in the mix, as well as a tablespoon of giovanni conditioner. It came out whipped, smooth, thick, but not runny or watery.
I did this in a BIG bowl... Lots of henna stuff. Then I put it in a big freezer bag and put that in the freezer. I've read, many times over, that the henna reacts better or more suddenly frozen. So, it's freezing, and then... I'll thaw it and use it whenever I have the time---hopefully tonight or tomorrow!
Why the sudden urge to henna? I was watching videos and there was this onslaught of "natural no more!" women, blasting being natural (which is fine) and putting in relaxer after 2 years or 6 months or whatever of being natural. But there was this one girl who just COULDN'T HANDLE IT anymore. Her hair was just under her ears in length, was clearly color damaged, and it was TOO MUCH for her. I wish could loan her mine for a wash and detangle... Anyways, she was freaking out, angry, feeling like she'd just wasted two years, and all attitude. So she was putting in a Just For Me Curl Softener. She, as is everyone it seems, is entirely convinced that it isn't a relaxer. It says on the package "This is not a relaxer," and countless videos of people mixing the softener with activator stuff and applying it, and coming out with straight hair all have "it's not a relaxer" as if they're coming out natural.
Anyways, the chick with the ear/jaw length hair did this treatment on her already thin, but frizzy hair. Her hair was also color treated to light brown, wannabe blond. It didn't look good at all to begin with, but after the process, her hair was just... limp and sad looking. I couldn't tell if she was happy with it, or regretted it already.
That made me start searching for Henna results... And here I am! My hair is pretty resilient as it is, but gets dull quickly after poos/cowashes. If there's an invention to weigh down my hair, I'm up for it. I'm not afraid of weight, or slight curl loosening, cause my hair is crazy. My hair could never be limp, there's simply way too much of it.
I gotta stop typing now!
Hey! I haven't put it in yet, it's in the freezer until I thaw it to do it (tomorrow is the day!)
I'll definitely take pics! Expect a bunch tomorrow night or the next day
:blob5:
I'm excited to see how my hair reacts to it! Did it take a few days to not be "hard" or "dry"? I've read that some people henna their hair, only to have it be hard and crunchy for a few days before it oxidizes completely.... But Nikki seems to have just had a perfect Henna Head upon washing/rinsing it out!
Holy Grail Products:
KCCC, KT
Nothing exudes confidence like a woman comfortable in her own skin.
http://members.fotki.com/parislarue/about/
Holy Grail Products:
KCCC, KT
Nothing exudes confidence like a woman comfortable in her own skin.
http://members.fotki.com/parislarue/about/
@parislarue I totally know what you mean! The first few inches of my hair (the top) has some awesome, relaxed curl parts. It's also a shade lighter than the rest of my head... Everything else is dense, foam-like, and the worse part of my head. Your hair sounds much worse though - 3c - 10Z! lol!
Nicci32 I've been scared to try henna for years. I've seen it, but it looked like a "process"... Not just changing the hair, but a serious production! I'm not a 4a/b genius... But properties I've read: shiny, softer hair. Well conditioned, richer color... About the Amla, I heard that it "enhances curl" so I ran away from that! I'm sure someone will post more about it here!
My mix:
300g red henna from the store (super fresh), BAQ super-fine like powdered sugar!
"A Good Amount" of Orange herbal tea and fancy Vanilla tea - hot
A wee bit of honey
A teaspoon of conditioner (cause it seemed like the right thing to do)
I put it in a ziplock and froze it for a few hours, then let it thaw overnight
My process:
Put on the hair, starting from the back. I had my hair in four big sections, each with two, two-strand twists. I coated each section of each twist and squished it through. I only barely had enough!
Piled on my head, Saran wrapped A LOT.
-It seems like everyone in the world has bonnet dryers in their hallway closets. I am not one of those people. I used, seriously, 6 Hot Hands packets (like, for winter) and stuck them on with more Saran Wrap. Then a T shirt, then some control top hose.
I was done wrapping it at 1.30pm or so. I left it in til after 7, when I drove 20 miles north to my in-laws slopsink to rinse it out with my husband. It stained everything, but it didn't matter! It was kind of perfect for rinsing.
I had two dips in there with conditioner, focusing on the back and front. (the length of my hair rinsed easily, but there was a ton of henna everywhere, filled the water instantly.
-I then just started pouring buckets of water over my hair... Then I sectioned it in to 4, and conditioned, detangled (for clumps) and rinsed each section... 3 times to the roots of the section, and an extra time to the hair... Then I dipped the hair in the bucket to check for any remaining stain. I bantu knotted each section. Then started squeezing. My scalp hurt so bad, was raw, felt like I waxed it. I put oils on it, and ran the cool water!
My hair dried faster than EVER. It easily takes me 3-4 days to get my hair to dry up, but within a few hours, my roots were dry, as were my ends. I rewet it before bed...
Thoughts?
Holy Grail Products:
KCCC, KT
Nothing exudes confidence like a woman comfortable in her own skin.
http://members.fotki.com/parislarue/about/