Questions about our products ?
1. is henna good for my hair?
Yes ! But, only good quality, natural body art Henna or herbal/neutral Henna (cassia).
Some hairdressers will warn you that henna is not good for the hair, as it 'has metallic salts and compounds that will damage it'. The products they are referring to are generally the commercial brands you will find in the shops or over the internet which are mixed with chemicals & other compounds usually to obtain varying shades. It is known that these chemicals & compounds can react badly with synthetic hair dye chemicals if present in the hair.
2. HOW DOES HENNA REACT WITH OTHER HAIR DYE CHEMICALS? If you've dyed your hair with chemical hair dyes less than six months ago then you dye your hair with a 'poor' brand of henna then you might get a henna hair disaster. This could include green or brittle hair. All our Henna is 100% free of chemicals & other harmful ingredients & does not react badly with previously chemically-treated hair.
3. IS THERE SUCH A THING AS 'BLONDE or BLACK' HENNA? There is no such thing as ‘blonde or black Henna'. However, some refer to Cassia Obovata (Senna Powder/Neutral Henna) as 'Blonde Henna' & Indigo (indigofera) as 'Black Henna'. Some 'Blonde, Brown, Auburn, Mahogany or Black pre-mixed packs and other shades of what claims to be 'henna' are just mixes of other plant or synthetic dyes added, and may also have metallic salts added. Some of these products have very little henna in them & are mainly chemical dyes - so be careful ! Cassia Obovata will not alter the colour of your hair , unless you have blonde or grey hair, in which case it will turn it golden if left on for an adequate time. It will give all the regular benefits of Henna without adding unwanted red tones. If you are wanting to 'tone down' your red tones more towards ash or golden tones, then Cassia Obovata can provide this effect if mixed with other ingredients. There is a special mix recommended for this, please let us know of your specific requirement pertaining to hair colour & we will be happy to advise you.
4. is henna a PERMANENT hair dye ? Henna is a semi-permanent to permanent colourant depending on your hair type/length/condition etc. Henna bonds to the keratin and coats the hair shaft, thus locking in the shine, conditon & colour . The way in which Henna coats the outer shaft of the hair, is why henna makes your hair gorgeous and shiny, but it's also why it can take quite some time to fade out. Henna is super-special if you want a dramatic change and it does add superb strength, shine & gloss to your hair . Both natural and chemical dyes are always affected by the natural colour of your hair. If you have light hair and you apply henna, it might look perfect - or it might come out awfully bright orange. Before applying Henna, it really does make sense to do a strand test the first time to see how the henna hair dye will look on your own hair before going the whole distance!
Not sure about the colour? Then it would probably be best to start with Cassia Obovata for the conditioning/repairing benefits first. Perhaps adding a little Natural Henna to the mix at a later stage . There a few ways to minimize the red colour. Again, let us know of any specific requirements & we will be happy to advise you. If you are wanting the benefits of henna with only a very subtle effect of colour that won't last so long, then try mixing up Natural Henna in cool water, adding some olive oil (& 1 egg for protein), applying on hair immediately( before dye release has occurred). Leave on hair 30 mins- (1/2 hour) maximum to start with . Or you could try a 50/50% mix (Cassia & Henna & oil), left on for 1/2 hour, to enhance the red tones in the hair, but not give too much colour. If you like it & want more red tones you can re-apply it again say a month later for a deeper colour. The more you apply, the deeper & longer lasting the shade.
5. What colour will the henna make my hair?
Natural Henna - The colour you will get depends on your natural hair colour. Henna will turn your hair red/reddish, but this stain is translucent and will combine with your natural colour giving a tone-on-tone natural effect. Henna cannot lighten hair. On dark hair henna provides gorgeous red tones/reddish highlights which will be more visible /shiny in the sunlight. Henna will dye blonde hair bright red - be warned, that could come out a 'crazy orange'. Henna on red hair will make the hair a more lusturous, deeper red. Henna will dye white hair a natural red or a deep red. An advantage of using henna is that it is natural and therefore conditions and colours your hair in a natural and safe manner without any chemical side effects and is also beneficial to health. If you mix up some natural henna and you think it might come out too light for you, mix in some hot strong coffee until you get the right shade. There are many mixes to try and many variations to these mixes. It is your personal choice. Please let us know your personal requirement.
Senna - (cassia obovata) will give all the benefits of natural henna (ie. condition, strengthen,repair, bodify), but will NOT generally change the colour of the hair, apart from giving it a golden glow if it is of light colour. However, there are some variations of mixes that will give a 'golden' or more ash effect over a henna application.
Indigo - Actually, although people often refer to 'black henna', it isn't henna at all – it is Indigo ! Indigofera tinctoria (True Indigo). This species of natural plant substance dyes your hair if used in conjunction with Natural or Herbal Henna to give different colour ranges. Indigo on its own will only slightly darken your hair. If you wrap your hair in clingfilm after applying the henna rather than letting it air-dry then your final dark colour will have a warmer reddish tinge. If you leave uncovered, & add salt, it will be blacker. Indigofera Tinctoria is used to obtain jet-black/blue-black effect on hair.
Natural Henna Powder with some Indigo - will give you a warm auburny-red effect after dye release.
Herbal Henna/Natural Henna with Indigo & Amla - will give you a brown colour.
Herbal Henna - contains Amla & Shikakai, it will give all the added benefits of these herbs as well as giving you a deep burgundy-like colour with repeated use.
6. can i REMOVE henna from my hair ? Henna is long lasting and in most cases it will not fade out for a good few months, could be longer depending on the length, condition, depth of colour . If you're desperate, there are some things you can try (in this order) ......
(a) Indigo /Amla your Hair/Cassia mix - Did your hair come out too bright? Usually when people think they have a henna hair disaster and want to remove the henna from their hair it's because they've got naturally light hair and have gone too orange/bright. You can either wait & the colour will relax down after oxidising or you can try mixing Amla & Indigo Powder & applying to lessen the red & give cooler tones. This effect will be not be permanent so you will need to re-apply (how often depends on your hair type). You can also try a Cassia Mix (you need to add other natural ingredients as well) to obtain a cooler /ash colour tone. Please contact us about your requirement.
Quantities you will need :
50 - 100g Henna/Indigo- short to chin length hair
100g Henna/Indigo - shoulder length hair
200g Henna/Indigo - longer or thicker hair
(Product includes : full instructions for use, plastic gloves & cap)
