hennalize this
May 19, 2020 9:28 AM Subscribe
I have brown hair with some red highlights and some gray streaks. I want to use henna to cover the gray only.
I would like to put henna (red or brown) over the gray, which is pretty much limited to a few streaks.
I used to use henna from a health food store box when I was in college, but that was a zillion years ago. I'm less chill now about possible weird results or irritation. I am paranoid about getting bad-looking (I remember some people came out with strange looking overly orange hair) or even some kind of toxic henna. by mistake. (And the point of using it now is that I"m not going to the salon. I don't expect salon-looking color but I am too old to rock a mistake.)
I am extremely sensitive to chemicals which is why I want to get henna instead of regular boxed dye. But when I google henna, I can absolutely not tell what brands are good, safe, high quality. The only reviews I can find are on sites I've never heard of.
What kind of henna do you like and do you know if it will cover gray?
I would like to put henna (red or brown) over the gray, which is pretty much limited to a few streaks.
I used to use henna from a health food store box when I was in college, but that was a zillion years ago. I'm less chill now about possible weird results or irritation. I am paranoid about getting bad-looking (I remember some people came out with strange looking overly orange hair) or even some kind of toxic henna. by mistake. (And the point of using it now is that I"m not going to the salon. I don't expect salon-looking color but I am too old to rock a mistake.)
I am extremely sensitive to chemicals which is why I want to get henna instead of regular boxed dye. But when I google henna, I can absolutely not tell what brands are good, safe, high quality. The only reviews I can find are on sites I've never heard of.
What kind of henna do you like and do you know if it will cover gray?
Best answer: First of all, you’re going to get BRIGHT orange on your grey if you don’t mix your henna with indigo or some other darker agent. Henna only adds stain, and grey is depigmented hair. Here come the links!
First, longhaircommunity is an amazing resource for all hair things. You can’t search the forums directly without an impossible to activate account, but here’s a thread on henna on grey. Use google for more hits, there’s a couple henna megathreads worth digging in.
Second, The Henna Guys sell high quality pure and premixed henna. I personally do not use their henna, because I like the brighter dye release of Jamila body art quality henna (in the iridescent box). If you try Jamila, look for the date of harvest being advertised with the product, and don’t buy the bag. Only the box is real! Etsy has a couple sellers who carry it, and Amazon has it here
Light Mountain is cheap and fine, and also have premixed “dark” or “brown” henna, but you must sift it first. They usually have sticks in their product.
Lush is overpriced for what it is, but smells very nice!
You’ll want to do test strands. Leave it on the strand for 2-3 hours, check a strand or two every 45 or so, no real need for overnight on grey. Adding lavender oil (or straight terpenes, if you have them) speeds dye release, as does some citrus juice for brighter reds, also mixing and then freezing for 12 hours prior to application. Thaw before you apply it! This bursts the cell walls and makes due release more total. But you can also just let the mix sit for about 30-90 min before application. No longer than 3 hours, or your dye release will drop off while it’s on your head and waste your time.
Add some oil to your mix, grey hair is fragile and needs the oomph.
If it’s too orange day one, don’t panic! Wait a couple days and see if you need to layer more dye to get it darker after it oxidizes. Henna won’t hurt you if you do it every few days, it helps to have a batch in the freezer if you think this might be necessary. A walnut gloss over the dye also can tone down the orange.
I’d recommend a pure henna application first, and then see if you need to darken it with other plants or mixes after a couple days. Everyone’s hair is different.
Wear gloves. Don’t expect to get it just on the greys, it’s messy, and don’t use foil. It can release aluminum into the dye and give you that nasty green effect. Use glass or silicone for mixing, and accept that anything with protein (wood, pets, etc) will be stained by stray droplets.
posted by zinful at 10:26 AM on May 19, 2020 [13 favorites]
First, longhaircommunity is an amazing resource for all hair things. You can’t search the forums directly without an impossible to activate account, but here’s a thread on henna on grey. Use google for more hits, there’s a couple henna megathreads worth digging in.
Second, The Henna Guys sell high quality pure and premixed henna. I personally do not use their henna, because I like the brighter dye release of Jamila body art quality henna (in the iridescent box). If you try Jamila, look for the date of harvest being advertised with the product, and don’t buy the bag. Only the box is real! Etsy has a couple sellers who carry it, and Amazon has it here
Light Mountain is cheap and fine, and also have premixed “dark” or “brown” henna, but you must sift it first. They usually have sticks in their product.
Lush is overpriced for what it is, but smells very nice!
You’ll want to do test strands. Leave it on the strand for 2-3 hours, check a strand or two every 45 or so, no real need for overnight on grey. Adding lavender oil (or straight terpenes, if you have them) speeds dye release, as does some citrus juice for brighter reds, also mixing and then freezing for 12 hours prior to application. Thaw before you apply it! This bursts the cell walls and makes due release more total. But you can also just let the mix sit for about 30-90 min before application. No longer than 3 hours, or your dye release will drop off while it’s on your head and waste your time.
Add some oil to your mix, grey hair is fragile and needs the oomph.
If it’s too orange day one, don’t panic! Wait a couple days and see if you need to layer more dye to get it darker after it oxidizes. Henna won’t hurt you if you do it every few days, it helps to have a batch in the freezer if you think this might be necessary. A walnut gloss over the dye also can tone down the orange.
I’d recommend a pure henna application first, and then see if you need to darken it with other plants or mixes after a couple days. Everyone’s hair is different.
Wear gloves. Don’t expect to get it just on the greys, it’s messy, and don’t use foil. It can release aluminum into the dye and give you that nasty green effect. Use glass or silicone for mixing, and accept that anything with protein (wood, pets, etc) will be stained by stray droplets.
posted by zinful at 10:26 AM on May 19, 2020 [13 favorites]
hennaforhair.com is the most comprehensive henna site that I know of. When I was doing henna-related stuff, their information never steered me wrong.
posted by corey flood at 10:54 AM on May 19, 2020 [9 favorites]
posted by corey flood at 10:54 AM on May 19, 2020 [9 favorites]
Related to corey flood's response, the company featured in hennaforhair.com - Ancient Sunrise - has very helpful customer service and a very active Facebook group. I've noticed LOTS of people asking about grey coverage lately, so you would likely get some great advice there. The owner of the company (who literally did her PhD on henna!) wrote the guidebooks on the hennaforhair website which also has tons of useful information, so check that out too.
posted by Paper rabies at 11:31 AM on May 19, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by Paper rabies at 11:31 AM on May 19, 2020 [4 favorites]
irst of all, you’re going to get BRIGHT orange on your grey if you don’t mix your henna with indigo or some other darker agent. Henna only adds stain, and grey is depigmented hair. Here come the links!
After half a dozen trips to India over the last decade or so I'm still totally mystified if the uncles ive seen rocking this look actually wanted to look that way or they . . . just dont know better. but its definitely not your ideal desired look.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 12:12 PM on May 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
After half a dozen trips to India over the last decade or so I'm still totally mystified if the uncles ive seen rocking this look actually wanted to look that way or they . . . just dont know better. but its definitely not your ideal desired look.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 12:12 PM on May 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
Oh, and to clarify: test strand being hair that isn’t on your head! If you have a hairbrush with a nice big clump in it (or just save from a week of combing/brushing) try testing on the mixed color clump as well as just grey hairs you’ve picked out separately, to get a sense of what overall might look like as well as a clear picture of what it’ll do to just the grey hairs.
posted by zinful at 12:18 PM on May 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by zinful at 12:18 PM on May 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
I use list Lush, caca rouge, on my few grey steaks in my otherwise brown hair. I love the coppery effect.
posted by Dashy at 12:26 PM on May 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Dashy at 12:26 PM on May 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
And yes, it's called Caca for the reasons you might think, especially when it's sitting in the bowl ready to be applied. There is a definite smell to the henna once applied (luckily not related to the name of the product) that some people might find offputting, but which I like - sort of spicy and herbal - and which can last for a few days.
I have used Lush henna several times now and have had nothing bad happen. I know I don't need to mention testing the colour first, but I tried a couple of the different Lush colours when I first started as strand tests, and the strands did come out noticeably different on the highlighted / natural parts of my hair.
I also might be a bit more orange-tolerant than you are, but overall my hair has been a decent coppery red / orange rather than a bright orangey orange, if that makes sense?!
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 10:05 AM on May 19, 2020