Real People, Real Henna: "Ann P."
Closeup of Ann's hair after treatment
I am wanting to help my hair grow out long and strong without changing the medium brown color too much. So after much research decided to start doing cassia-herb-henna treatments to get that shiny, strong hair. I had colored my hair in the past but haven't had any color for several years now. The ends turned out a bit brighter but nothing too severe...nice, actually. It took a lot to rinse and my hair was a bit dry for two washes after, then it went to shiny, soft, and thicker feeling.
As for my mix I had a luxurious four day weekend and had a ball mixing away like a mad scientist and doing my strand tests. Here is what I did:
Henna paste--1 tbsp. of Ancient Sunrise henna (www.mehandi.com) and mildly acidic kitchen mix. This was mixed together and put in a baggie overnight for dye release.
Cassia paste--1/2 cup Ancient Sunrise cassia, 1 tbsp. of Ancient sunrise Amla (www.mehandi.com) and a mildly acidic kitchen mix.
I mixed together 1/2 cup of the henna paste to 1cup of the cassia paste, thinned it out a touch more and applied it using a squeeze bottle with pointed tip. I also wore a cheap $3.00 clear raincoat which was perfect for this! My bathroom is black so cleanup was a breeze. I put some coconut oil around my hairline so I wouldn't get colored forehead. Covered in saran wrap and a shower cap and puttered around my house for 4 1/2 hours. I rinsed with conditioner and lots and lots of water.
I love the results, soft, strong, shiny, nice gentle color!
Notes and ReferencesHenna:
https://www.mehandi.com/Mehandi-com-Ancient-Sunrise-Henna-for-Hair-s/121.htmDon’t have fruit juice on hand? Keep some fruit acid powders in your cupboard.
Mildly acidic liquid:
https://www.mehandi.com/Fruit-Acid-for-henna-dye-release-s/299.htmMore info on mildly acidic mixes:
https://www.tapdancinglizard.com/henna-and-acidic-mixes/Ancient Sunrise henna for hair kits with everything included:
https://www.mehandi.com/Mehandi-com-Ancient-Sunrise-Henna-for-Hair-Kits-s/124.htmHenna time and temperature:
https://www.tapdancinglizard.com/mixing-and-testing-your-henna-mix pp. 10-13
Video How-ToGoing red with henna:
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/739464950