DIY Henna Tips – DIY henna treatments: Henna has been used by women in the East for many centuries to dye their hair and hands. Indian brides cover their hands with beautiful designs made with Henna a night before their wedding. They have a whole celebration dedicated to just that!
But did you know henna can turn your hair into a brilliant red or Auburn? And if you’re not looking for a huge change in color, it can be a great shine treatment. And on top of that, it makes a super conditioning treatment for your hair.
One thing to note – henna is not like commercial dyes at all. It only has one shade because it is a plant. If it is marketed as being able to make black hair brown, then something has been mixed in it. Stay away from those products and find something that is 100% natural. It should be green when you get it.
Here are some suggestions for doing your own henna treatment. It can be a little tricky, though, and very messy. The important thing is to get all of the information you can from the manufacturer for best practices. There are a lot of “recipes” that people use to customize their henna formulations, as well. We recommend going to hennaforhair.com for info on DIY henna treatments.
Protect your skin. Henna stains clothes and skin very easily so apply some Vaseline around your hair to prevent that from happening. You don’t want an orange forehead!
Part your hair with a rat-tail comb and apply the color using a brush. Make sure to apply the color as close the roots as possible and then work your way along the length of the hair, applying generously. Always wear gloves and old clothing when working with henna because it’s a very messy job!
Twist your hair and place it aside when you have finished with one part. You don’t need to wear any clips; it will stay in place due to the gloppy henna. Take another part, closest to the one you just did and apply more Henna. Keep repeating this until you have fully covered your whole head. You should now have a muddy green head!
Wrap your hair in saran wrap after gathering it all up at the top your head. Use a good amount of saran wrap because it will help contain the henna. You can then put a shower cap over the top if you want for even more security.
Wait for the color to set. This depends entirely on how bold you want the color to be, anywhere from 1-6 hours. If you want just a bit of a lift, then 1 hour should be fine. If you have very dark hair that you want to enhance, then you can even leave it on overnight. Start with a shorter time-frame for your first time to see how your hair reacts.
Rinse thoroughly when you’re done. Make sure to get all of the colors out. This can get very messy so hop in the shower to contain the mess. Make sure you clean your bathtub when afterwards or it may leave staining.
The oxidation process can take up to 3-4 days. Imagine an apple browning when applied to the oxygen; your hair has to do the same. If your hair seems very orange, give it a few days to oxidize.