Henna: debunking myths. What color can you dye with henna; can it be lightened, why do they say that after henna you will turn green and how to properly use henna for hair

For centuries, people have dyed their hair naturally with henna. There are still a lot of myths regarding the capabilities and limitations of henna, despite its lengthy history. While some think it can only produce shades of bright red, others think it can be combined with anything to create a variety of colors.

The actual color that can be achieved with henna is determined by the type of henna and application technique. Although pure henna always results in a reddish tint, natural additives can be used to change the final color. But not all assertions regarding the adaptability of henna are true.

To help you know what to anticipate when applying henna on your hair, this article will distinguish between fact and fiction. We’ll look at the range of shades you can actually attain and the myths you can choose to ignore.

Myth	Truth
Henna only gives a bright orange color	Henna can give various shades, from light copper to deep red, depending on your natural hair color and the type of henna used
Henna cannot be mixed with other dyes	Henna can be mixed with other natural ingredients like indigo or amla to create darker or more varied shades
Henna dries out hair	When used properly and mixed with moisturizing ingredients, henna can condition and strengthen hair
Henna is permanent and can never be removed	While henna is long-lasting, it does fade over time and can be lightened with certain hair treatments

There are a lot of misconceptions about henna and its application as a natural dye. Henna can actually create a wide range of colors when mixed with other natural ingredients, from rich auburns to deep browns, despite the misconception that it only produces red or orange tones. In this article, the truth about henna is examined, along with its versatility and common misconceptions about the colors that can be created with it.

What is henna

The plant known as henna is Lawsonia inermis. The dried leaves of this plant are used to make the coloring powder.

Types

Henna from India and Iran are the most popular. Persian henna yields more golden hues, whereas Indian henna yields copper, and they differ in the degree of grinding (Iranian is larger, Indian is finer).

Additionally, there is henna from Pakistan, Egypt, and Yemen. The growing region of these henna varieties differs from one another.

Henna without color

Lawsonia is not the same as colorless henna. The plant known as Cassia or Ziziphus is distinct, and these herbs’ characteristics also deviate from those of traditional henna. I learned about ten years ago that Lawsonia and colorless henna are the same plant, but the preparation method differs. However, when I look at the colorless henna compositions, I only ever see Cassia or Ziziphus.

Henna in white

White henna is merely a shady business tactic. Manufacturers apparently made the decision to capitalize on henna’s popularity by naming the spouse of white henna. Kindly keep in mind that white henna does not exist. White henna is the least expensive lightener that ruins hair; it is not colorless.

Coloring henna with dyes

One kind of henna that is hardly natural is henna that has been colored. The makeup of henna with colorants varies widely depending on the manufacturer. There might be natural henna somewhere mixed with urzol or barium oxide, and there might be henna somewhere with just a name. We won’t consider such henna because it isn’t really henna anymore; rather, it’s the most authentic paint that lacks the qualities of natural henna.

How it works

Henna attaches itself to keratin inside the hair structure, where it stays permanently! The argument that henna dries out is frequently made by fervent opponents of the practice, who claim that henna does not lift the cuticle of hair. Every girl who applied henna felt the tanning effect of it. Your hair feels different right away after dying it with henna; it’s slightly dry, stiff, and definitely not how it usually is. It’s the actual tanning effect. The dryness goes away the next time you wash your hair, but if it was there before you dyed it with henna or if it persists, you made a mistake, which we will talk about in more detail.

If you dye your hair with henna for a long time, it can successfully alter the structure of your hair.

• Henna makes hair stronger and more elastic
• It gives it density and increases the thickness of each hair
• And also smoothes it out and gives it crazy shine

What color can you get with this dyeing

Red is the pigment used in henna. It therefore gives your hair a red color. And if things weren’t overly complicated, everything would be easy. Few girls are successful in getting the same shade of hair dyed with henna, despite the fact that many fiery beauties drive crazy girls in this direction. What’s wrong?

It all comes down to the initial base. It matters a lot that the hair was originally colored. On light hair, henna adds a shade that enhances brightness; on dark hair, henna only shows up as a reflection.

The shade will be brighter the lighter the hair. Furthermore, it makes no difference if the hair has previously been lightened to a lighter shade or is naturally light.

Remember that henna will never lighten dark hair! Henna will only show up as a reflection on dark hair, which will be visible in the light from lamps or the sun. But this shade will become more noticeable the longer you dye your hair.

We also must not overlook the pigment accumulation moment. With each dyeing, the henna pigment gets increasingly concentrated in the hair. The reason henna gets darker with time is because of this. You can experiment with color, going red or even going darker and more clearly eggplant-colored. As a result, you must be extremely accurate here. Should your objective be brightness, you must color the length until you reach that point; if not, you will darken, just like I did.

I will demonstrate the changes henna has made on my hair

This is long-haired bleached hair. Henna that has bleached. Base: hair that is yellow. _______________________________________________________________________

This is the base after it was hennaed in India.

Consequently, the yellow hair turned fiery. _______________________________________________________________________

The henna began to darken after coloring.

_______________________________________________________________________

And yet another coloring nearly eliminated the distinction between my unbleached and bleached hair, transforming me from a gorgeous redhead into a fiery brunette.

This illustrates the way dark hair shimmers with a distinct redness, but a photograph can only capture a small portion of the iridescence.

My pictures perfectly capture the way light shades turn into bright ones and then darken. After seeing this change, I believe you will find it simple to determine how many colorings are needed.

Another delicious quality of dark shades is their ability to turn purple when enough pigment has accumulated, giving the appearance of this. Examine the crown of the hair.

_______________________________________________________________________

Is it possible to go blonde after henna

Indeed! Even though henna’s red pigment is corrosive, lightning still takes it. Warm wheat shades of blonde can be achieved after henna, but ash blonde will not work (of course, if you want to stay with your hair and not etch them out with pigment and the ability to stay on your head).

Will the henna make you green?

Everyone finds this story to be frightening.

-You’ll turn green if you dye your hair after getting henna! -Avoid dying henna over paint; it will turn you green. -Lighten henna, what? It will make you green.

This is the most common myth that haunts henna. Well, you don"t turn green from experiments with henna!
The green does not come out after lightening the henna. And if you"re going to go into the wilds, then at the neutralization stage when switching to blond, if your hairdresser has problems with coloristics and he "extinguishes" the shade with the wrong tone, but the same thing happens when dyeing ash-blond, when green comes out.
The problem is not henna, but the sub-master. Green and blue appear from the basma pigment, and also if you like to rinse your hair with herbs. Then yes, if there is something to be afraid of.
But if you use pure henna, no worries.
You can dye henna on dye, dye on henna without worries, observing the rule of break.

Regulate

At least two weeks after the last coloring, you can dye your hair with henna instead of paint. Of course, waiting a month is preferable. There will undoubtedly be no surprises in a month.

Only when henna mixture is applied to recently dyed hair can henna turn hair green, and vice versa. In that case, the chemical reaction might be unexpected. This also holds true for processes like hair curling.

If you don’t believe me, I’ve included another before and after. The prior photo shows the transformation of everything the hair has gone through, as you are already aware. In this instance, the hair turned dark after a lengthy henna dyeing process. Lightened henna came next.

Henna dries

It is true that henna has a tanning effect and that the dye can cause them to dry out right away. Here’s what my hair looked like right after getting henna dyed.

However, they don’t appear that way in any of the other pictures, do they?

Everything is OK if washing your hair again solves the issue. However, if your hair is still dry, you may consider the following:

1. You prepared the mixture incorrectly. In order for henna dyeing to be as beneficial as possible, you should add base oils to it. During dyeing, they will additionally care for your hair.
2. You used low-quality henna.
3. Your hair was initially dry, damaged, dead, etc.. hair. It is a big mistake to think that henna is a panacea. I will dye my hair with henna, it will restore it, it will become shiny, elastic and will stop being dry. No way! Henna does not work like that. In this aspect, henna has more of a polishing effect. It transforms the good, and in the bad it only emphasizes the shortcomings.
4. And if you want to restore your hair with henna, this does not mean that you should not use it, such use is possible, but only under the condition of good care. Initially, you should support your hair with masks, bring it from bad to at least a satisfactory condition and only then use henna. Otherwise, yes, there will be dryness, brittleness.
5. Lack of care. This means that when dyeing your hair with henna, you must take care of it. Both before and after dyeing. Henna dyeing your hair cannot be done without proper care.

Which is the best

This question does not have a response. In this case, it comes down to personal preference. One person adores the henna of a different company. The moment is generally too personal. However, if we make a broad generalization, the finest grind is the highest quality (read: the best) henna. The henna behaves more "gently" the finer the grind.

How to properly prepare the mixture

Here, you must abide by the following guidelines:

• Do not use metal utensils and appliances
• Do not wash your hair for 3 days after dyeing (because the color oxidizes in the air, appears and is fixed during this time) and do not wash off the henna with shampoo.

• Measure out the required amount of henna
• Pour hot water/broth over it (it can be not hot, then you need to leave it to steep longer)
• Create an acidic environment
• Add lemon juice/vinegar/citric acid. This is necessary to help henna release its pigment. In an acidic environment, henna exhibits its properties better, which means the color will be more saturated.
• Add additives to the mixture (preferably when it has already cooled). Here, the range is from oils to anything you want. The only thing worth sticking to is naturalness.
• Wait until the mixture becomes pleasant to apply and start coloring

How long to keep the mixture

Make your own decisions. I have determined the following boundaries for myself: For the length, no more than three hours, and for coloring the roots, one hour. In the past, I could leave henna in my hair for roughly eight hours, but I’ve since determined that the effects in my case after three and eight hours are identical.

You can apply a mask immediately after coloring

You can, but from what I’ve seen, this still lessens the shade’s intensity. For example, I rinse my hair with water that has been acidified with lemon or apple cider vinegar, which perfectly conditions my hair while maintaining the experiment’s purity.

What hair to apply to

You can safely apply root coloring to unwashed hair. The length is also applicable, unless, of course, you want to get a specific henna shade. It would then make sense to use on damp, recently cleaned hair. Even better, you can use gosh before dying.

For the most part, it makes no difference on damp or dry hair; it only influences how much of the mixture is consumed. With dry hair, it requires more.

What to add to henna to get a golden/red/chestnut shade

To be honest, most of the additives that Google suggests are completely pointless, especially when it comes to red shades. The main methods for achieving redness and darkness are layering dyes and building up pigment. Most of the time, additives can only produce a very slight change in color toward the intended shade.

Out of all the ones that have been tested, the following work somewhat:

Use chamomile infusion and turmeric to get a golden hue. Pokeweed juice for reddish-brown, hibiscus flowers (not tea bags), and coffee for chestnut color (though the effect is only temporary in this case). Generally speaking, add basma or layer henna for darker shades. However, it is nearly impossible to change the hair color in this situation.

Few people know how versatile henna can be. Henna isn’t just about the standard reddish-brown hue; with the right mixing and application, it can produce a wide range of tones.

Henna can be blended with other natural ingredients to produce deeper reds, browns, and even black hints. The secret lies in getting ready and knowing how various hair types react to henna.

Although there are persistent myths that henna restricts your options for hair color, the truth is that it allows you to be more creative. Adopting henna entails experimenting to determine your ideal shade.