Thinking about Trying Henna

As natural items are making a strong comeback these days, so is henna as a natural hair coloring agent. There are a lot of henna hair color products on the market these days, but do be warned – there are also a lot of impostures out there, pretending to be real “henna”. So how do you know what is real henna?

Henna is Henna

Henna is henna – that’s it! To be sure that you have the purest henna, stick with the henna that is sold for body art.

There are “henna hair color” products out there, but if you turn over the package you will notice an odd ingredient on the back: Lawsonia inermis. This is not pure henna; it is a henna compound that can actually wreak havoc with your hair, possibly turning it orange or, even in some instances, green. Real henna is a red shade and will not make your hair turn any color other than red.

What about Different Henna Colors?

You will find a lot of different henna “shades” and colors out there, such as mahogany, auburn, copper and golden brown, but real henna is one shade and one shade only: an orange-red shade. If you find a lot of different “henna” hair color products out there that are of different shades, avoid them. Those are NOT real henna hair color products.

TIP: Bear in mind that henna is a hair darkening product, and should never be regarded as a hair lightening product. Real henna will do nothing but darken and redden your hair color.

Will Henna Turn All Hair Bright Red?

No. Henna works in such a way that it bonds with the keratin in your hair, so it works with your natural hair color to produce results. So if you have, say, a darker brown hair, you may hardly notice the henna coloring in your hair. You can expect to see a red tone in your hair when the sunlight shines on your hair, but you won’t have flaming red hair.

If you dye your hair platinum blond, however, and put in a henna coloring product, then you will definitely notice the difference. Within 30 minutes you’ll go from being a blond to a real red head!

What about Black Henna?

Avoid black henna at all costs. This is not even a henna based product. This product contains an artificial compound called para-phenylenediamine, otherwise known as PPD, which is actually a very dangerous chemical and has been known to cause hair loss, scarring, blisters, and it can even cause cancer.

Does Henna Wash Out?

Simple answer, no. Difficult answer, maybe but never completely. Consider dyeing your hair with henna to be the most permanent of any hair color of your life. As mentioned above, the color actually bonds with the keratin in your hair, so the two become one. That is why when you choose to use a real henna product you should not do so lightly. This makes strand testing all the more important before you use henna hair color 

products.

by Courtney