You can hear from many women that for many years they dye their hair with henna, and the result of its use is quite satisfactory. But is this product intended only for coloring? Many believe that henna is a cheap method to recolor curls in a red color, but this is far from the case. There are a lot of varieties and purposes for this product, and sometimes it is easy to get confused in the purpose of a particular henna. In this article I want to tell all about the tool, from which it is made, what kind and for what is needed, is it always natural. Also consider reviews of women using henna.
Production
Not everything on which there is an inscription "henna" is her, all the more natural. Henna is Lawsonia inermis - such a plant. It is used for production, and each part is intended for different purposes of use.
The upper leaves of Lawsonia are endowed with the most powerful coloring properties, and only they are used for traditional oriental body painting, that is, mehendi so fashionable today. Henna designed for hair coloring is a powder obtained from the lower leaves. Colorless henna is obtained from the stem of a plant. So to speak, non-waste production. What does henna look like? See photos in this article.
Now let's figure out when the product is natural, and in which cases - no. We will learn to distinguish the original from the fake in order to get for the money the product that was planned to buy.
Natural remedy
Natural types of henna are two means: for coloring hair in red color, that is, red, and colorless, the purpose of which is the treatment of curls and scalp. As for such products for coloring eyebrows and mehendi, it is rarely possible to find henna in the composition, we will talk about this in the article.
If you need henna, then carefully look at the constituent components of the purchased product. Natural henna is a product made only from lavsonia, and one single ingredient will be prescribed in the composition: "lavsonia" or "natural henna". Judging by the reviews of the girls, the most popular is Iranian, and it is sold in ordinary paper packages, it costs quite inexpensively (about fifteen rubles apiece).
When breeding, the natural remedy from Lawsonia smells of mown hay, and hair after henna also holds this pleasant aroma for a long time. Other products that can give a different color and are endowed with a different smell can be henna only partially, that is, have a minimum amount of lavsonia in their composition, or even be made from other herbs. Also, in such products there are necessarily chemical dyes that will definitely not bring us any benefit.
Henna of different shades
Multi-colored henna is obtained by adding various coloring substances to lavsonia , which, unfortunately, most often have nothing in common with natural components. From natural dyes, basma is added to henna to get a natural dye of black, not red. You can also stain chestnut, you just have to buy henna with the addition of coffee. If you see on the packaging an image of a woman with blue-black, raspberry-colored or eggplant-colored hair, then you can be completely sure that there are enough chemicals in the composition.
Manufacturers
There are only two types of natural henna, Iranian and Indian. Funds are made from the same plant, but the results are different, prices, respectively, also vary.
You can buy Iranian henna at a nearby store or kiosk; it costs cheaply, as we wrote earlier, but the result is not so stunning. Hair after henna will become red, but not bright. Such a tool is suitable for girls who want to get not the most saturated shade. Iranian-made henna is not recommended for frequent use by women with dry hair, as it can dry them even more.
If you invest in Indian henna, which sometimes costs much more than professional paint, then the result will be stunning. Curls will acquire a bright red color, become shiny, well-groomed. Indian henna can be used without fear for hair even after perming, it does not dry hair and scalp.
Now let's get acquainted with the varieties of henna.
For mehendi
Henna for body painting is rarely made from a natural product, that is, from Lavsonia. Some products are only half natural, and some are completely made up of solid chemistry. What is the difference between them?
- For mehendi, natural henna is not used at home. To work, she needs experience, special training. It is difficult to apply, it requires better cleaning of the skin before the procedure, dries very quickly, requires dilution with additional products, for example, special oil. In addition, the pattern appears rather slowly, and one incorrect hand movement can lead to a poor-quality and curved pattern. Paints based on natural henna work only professionals.
- Dyes for mehendi are most often made only from chemistry. On the packages they write that it is henna, but you will not find it in the composition, or there will be a very small amount of it. These tools are easy to use at home, they do not require additional components for work and are quickly absorbed, they are easy to apply, the picture is visible immediately.
For eyebrows
More recently, on the shelves there was one single type of henna for coloring eyebrows - black Indian. There were simply no other shades, but this dye was still popular. Such henna dyed hair perfectly, practically did not stain the skin, made the line of eyebrows clear and wide, perfectly held. Now in stores shelves with eyebrow dyes are full of a variety of shades. Almost every package says "eyebrow henna." The girls’s reviews on this subject are unambiguous: there is practically no hint of the use of lavsonia in any of the rosters! What is the difference between these dyes and those that are henna?
- Such products have a huge palette of colors where you can choose the one that suits your hair. Of course, such a gamma can only be obtained by combining lavsonia with chemical dyes.
- These products are able to color not only the hairs, but also the skin under them, creating a clear outline that does not require makeup, and will last long enough. It will be washed off after two weeks or a month - resistance depends on the type of skin.
- Sold in small tubes and jars. The cost of these funds is very high.
- For dyeing at home, these dyes are not suitable, since they require accurate application. If you accidentally miss and apply paint past the contour, then you can’t do anything with your bloop until you completely wash off.
Unfortunately, manufacturers of such products never write the full composition of their product. The package only lists plant components, these are lavsonia, amla, cassia, and other plants. But there is not a single reminder of the ingredient, due to which the funds would have such shades and durability. None of the listed herbs can give such a result.
Most women prefer to stain their eyebrows with henna (a photo of the result is in this publication). She is suitable not only for black-haired, but also for fair-haired girls. The intensity of the hue depends only on the exposure time.
For hair
Coloring henna is intended for coloring hair in a red tint, and is mostly natural. The powder has the color of dried grass, which is what it smells accordingly, when diluted with water, the aroma intensifies, the color does not change.
Colorless henna made from the stem of lavsonia is intended for hair care and their treatment. It is used in the same way as coloring (we will provide instructions later on), it does not bring any shade to curls. Often used by women with bleached hair requiring nutrition, hydration, and recovery. Curls that are prone to greasy curls are also useful, it will dry out, and it will become less and less necessary to wash your hair over time. Hair will recover, become more voluminous and shiny.
The use of coloring henna at home
If you decide to give your curls a red color, then you can not find a better remedy than henna. This is a natural product that does not harm hair, like paints. The color is natural, as if you have red hair from birth. Henna is an ideal tool for coloring thin and liquid curls, since after applying the hair becomes thicker, a volume appears. We will talk about the advantages later, but for now we offer you to get acquainted with the technique of staining:
- If the hair is short, then two sachets will be enough, for medium ones you will need from three to four, for long ones - more than four, it all depends on the length and density.
- The powder from the bags must be poured into the dishes, which is not a pity, since it will be painted, but not in metal.
- Boil water, and, without cooling, pour a little into the powder. Stir to make a thick slurry. Add so much water that the consistency resembles homemade sour cream.
- A few minutes henna should be infused and cooled down. At this time, you can wash and slightly dry your hair, since henna is applied only to clean and moisturized curls.
- The tool is quite difficult to apply, since the grass does not dissolve. Use the usual method (brush, comb).
- When applying, be sure to use plastic or silicone gloves. If henna gets on the skin, then it will be difficult to wash it off, it will take several days to pass with hands of a reddish color! In the summer, this problem is solved quite simply, you just rub the skin with sorrel and rinse.
- When all the hair has been processed, put a dye cap on your head. It will have little effect on the color intensity, but it will protect your furniture and floor from particles of henna falling off your head.
- If you need a more saturated color, then you can keep the product for as long as you have enough patience, at least an hour, at least two. Hair from this will not feel bad, on the contrary, they are nourished, they will receive more nutrients. Expect a slight shade or not too bright color - thirty minutes will be enough.
- Henna is washed off with plenty of warm water. The particles will be tangled in the hair, so be patient!
- Do not use shampoo as coloring pigments need to be well absorbed and fixed.
If you need a chestnut tint, then before diluting into powder, add coffee (instant) in a ratio of 3/1, where there are three parts of henna. If you need a darker shade of red, add half a tablespoon of basma.
Color fastness
The pigments of red color are the most persistent, so it is not so easy to get rid of them! The particles are large, they are practically "tightly" attached to the hair scales, and even a professional wash will not cope with them. If you added basma, then the shade will quickly disappear, leaving all the same red. The color practically does not fade, shimmers beautifully in the sun, glistens. Henna is also ideal for permanent staining (before and after photos can be seen in our article).
Benefit
As we already said, henna perfectly removes excess fat from the hair, and over time you will need to wash your hair less often. For thin hair, the product gives volume, makes the structure thicker. After staining with henna, the hair shines, the roots are strengthened. Loss and fragility are minimized. With each application of henna, the volume will become more and more, since it has cumulative qualities.
Harm
You can not use henna more than twice a month, as it can dry hair and scalp.
Dyed hair cannot be washed off, therefore, deciding to use henna, be prepared to stay red forever, or change your image over time by cutting your hair short!
Henna: reviews
As was written at the beginning of the article, many women use only henna for dyeing hair. The result is a beautiful natural color that does not fade and does not wash off. But what else do girls say about henna? Reviews were found in large numbers, and here's what they write:
- the color is perfect, the product is cheap, you can always adjust the shade using coffee or basma, the aging time;
- hair has become more voluminous;
- curls after henna stopped breaking and falling out, look healthy;
- the hair is obedient, soft, which rarely happens after using chemical paints.
For the treatment of hair, it is not necessary to repaint, you can use colorless henna. Reviews about her action are all positive.