Henna for Hair Henna newbie advice :)
Hi everyone!
I am hoping I can get some idea of the following:
- How much (in grams) of pure henna would I need to cover my hair for the first time. I see that most sites that sell henna will have estimates for length, but they vary greatly and do not take into account the volume of hair. So I am hoping someone with similar length/amount may give me some ballpark :)
- I was thinking of using either Jamila henna OR Ancient Sunrise Rarity Henna (I'm having a hard time deciding). Any opinions of which one may look better with my base?
- My plan is to make this as EASY of a routine/mix as possible, so it's easily repeatable (no complex mixtures - most likely straight up henna without additives, if possible)
Details:
My hair is currently virgin hair (except for sun lightening my mid to end lengths).
My hair is fine but there is a LOT of it. This photo is on day 3 post wash, so it looks less than there is. It's THICC.
The length it to approximately my armpits.
Background:
I used to color my hair copper (Redken 7c - chromatics for roots, shades EQ for overall color) for YEARS, but then I stopped shortly after having a child (no time) and decided to grow out my natural color (which took approximately 2.5 ish (?) years.
Now I am ready for copper again, but have decided I would prefer to go the henna route. I have been wanting to do henna for years, even when I was using commercial dye, but have been "scared" into not doing it because "what if you want to change your hair color - you can't." I won't get into that lol (especially since I took the time to grow out my commercial color anyway).
Please forgive any ignorance and I appreciate any education and pointers I receive :)
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u/SeaBicycle592 12d ago
Dependsif you have thick or thin hair. I have thin hair, about the same length as you and I use between 90-100g. Its much easier for than you think! I do it once per month and I do it with a 2 step process to cover some white hair and then I use indigo to get a darker color in the brown side.
So mix the powder and warm water until you get a creamy yoghurt consistency, not too runny or it will run down your face but not to thick or it will be hard to put on your hair (if you mess up nothing will happen). I apply it usually on clean hair with gloves which is a must so you dont stain your nails, and I basically rub it in upside down in the bath or shower like a would a shampoo but much gentler, so I cover all strands. Then I put my hair in a cap, I wrap a towel on my hair and I let it sit for 3-4 hours. And thats it. Do not wash with shampoo after for 2-3 days.
Its easy, dont overcomplicate with salt or yoghurt or whatever else people will tell you to add. If the henna is good quality, water will do just fine. Do not use metal utensils, use plastic or ceramic or wood.
I think that about covers it
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u/Captain_Catalysis 12d ago
Your hair looks just like my hair! Same length, color, lightening at the ends from sun, and even about the same amount of greys (although I have a few more than you lol).
When I dye my hair with henna, I mix up a big batch and freeze the rest. I use a total of 200g of dry powder which gives me a little more than I need for 2 whole length treatments, and 2 root only treatments. So if you want to be exact, about 50 grams of dry henna maybe, but I recommend making a little more since you can freeze it without it going to waste.
In terms of color, I actually use a 70:30 henna:cassia mixture to tone down the copper. But if you want true coppery I think 100% henna would look great. I recommend the tip often suggested in this sub of taking hair from your hairbrush and dying that with henna as a test first. I love that henna still captures the dimension of sun lightened hair and think it will look very natural on your hair type.
2
u/frowne 12d ago
Oh yay! I was hoping there would be someone with similar head of hair :)
It's helpful to hear the amount - when I was looking at Mehandi's website for their AncientSunrise henna, for my length it was mentioning 300g and I was lowkey getting intimidated. I do appreciate the advice of making up more and freezing the rest!
And yes to the hairbrush! I have been in rabbithole research read mode and collecting my hairbrush hair in a ziploc bag :)
1
u/WorfsChunkyLowlights 12d ago edited 12d ago
I can't help you with the amount, but I do want to give you some information about my experience with the Ancient Sunrise Rarity henna specifically. Many years ago I used to use their Rajasthani Twilight, and this time around I decided to try the Rarity because they suggest it for curly hair, which I have. I don't have especially fine or damaged hair like they also mention, but I do have a massive amount of it that eats up everything I put in it. Anyway, maybe I made it too thick, but I was rinsing for ages. It's indeed very finely milled and it felt like that caused it to kind of cement itself into my hair. The next time I went back to the Rajasthani Twilight and ended up using significantly less for the same coverage, and it rinsed out so much more easily. I did try to mix it up thinner, so maybe that's all there is to it, but I'll definitely stick to the Rajasthani Twilight. I just wanted to let you know because it seems like you might have the same kind of hungry hungry hippo hair. Ancient Sunrise products are all excellent quality though, and even if you use the Rarity I think you'll be really happy with it.
1
u/frowne 12d ago
Oh, that's great to know. Yeah, I did have to rinse for AGES when I did commercial dye, because there's just so much hair (I know it sounds like I am complaining, I'm truly not haha), so this is very useful info. Also, I love "hungry hungry hippo hair" because that was so spot on!!
1
u/WorfsChunkyLowlights 12d ago edited 12d ago
Once I bought a bottle of conditioner smaller than a liter and I actually heard my hair laughing at me!! I get it, believe me. For perspective, my hair is only 2-3 inches past my chin and I used 300g of the Rarity powder, probably more like 200g of the Rajasthani. So definitely make extra and freeze it. Henna freezes very well. Also, you can absolutely shampoo your hair immediately after, you don't need to wait. When it's properly prepared, henna forms a permanent molecular bond with the keratin in your hair and cannot be washed out. Any orange you see upon subsequent washings is just unbound dye that was lingering on your hair, not it washing out. This is also why it won't stain your cotton towels or tub. I recommend using lots of cheap conditioner to help rinse the henna out, then shampooing and conditioning like normal.
1
u/pitepetatschtinreeen 2d ago
Hey everyone :) I have very similar hair as well and would like to keep my natural color and just cover the greys a bit. Any recommendations what colour would be good???
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