You can hear from many women that they have been dyeing their hair with henna for many years, and the result of its use is quite satisfactory. But is this tool only intended for coloring? Many people think that henna is a cheap way to dye your hair red, but this is far from the case. This product has a lot of varieties and purposes, and sometimes it is easy to get confused in the purpose of this or that henna. In this article, I would like to tell you everything about the product, what it is made of, what kind and what it is needed for, whether it is always natural. Also consider the reviews of women using henna.
Production
Not everything that has the inscription "henna" on it is her, all the more natural. Henna is Lawsonia inermis - such a plant. It is it that is used for production, and each part of it is intended for different purposes of use.
The upper leaves of lavsonia are endowed with the strongest coloring properties, and only they are used for traditional oriental body painting, that is, mehendi, which is so fashionable today. Henna intended for hair coloring is a powder obtained from the lower leaves. Colorless hennaobtained from the stem of the 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 what cases it is not. We will learn to distinguish the original from the fake in order to get for our money the product that was planned to be bought.
Natural remedy
Natural types of henna are two means: for dyeing hair red, that is, red, and colorless, the purpose of which is the treatment of curls and scalp. As for similar means for coloring eyebrows and mehendi, it is rare to find henna in the composition, we will tell about this in the content of the article.
If you need exactly henna, then carefully look at the components of the purchased product. Natural henna is a product made only from lavsonia, and only one ingredient will be prescribed in the composition: "lavsonia" or "natural henna". Judging by the girls' reviews, the most popular is Iranian, and it is sold in ordinary paper packages, it is quite inexpensive (about fifteen rubles apiece).
The natural remedy from lavsonia, when diluted, smells like cut hay, and the hair after henna also keeps this pleasant aroma for a long time. Other products that are able to give a different color and endowed with a different smell can only be partly henna, that is, have a minimal amount of lavsonia in their composition, or even be made from other herbs. Also, such products necessarily contain chemicaldyes that will definitely not bring us any benefit.
Henna in different shades
Multi-colored henna is obtained by adding various dyes to lavsonia, which, unfortunately, most often have nothing to do with natural ingredients. From natural dyes, basma is added to henna to get natural black dye, not red. You can also dye chestnut, you just have to buy henna with the addition of coffee. If you see on the package an image of a woman with blue-black, raspberry or eggplant-colored hair, then you can be completely sure that there are plenty of chemistry in the composition.
Producers
There are only two types of natural henna, Iranian and Indian. The products are made from the same plant, but the results are different, the prices, respectively, also vary.
Iranian henna can be bought at the nearest store or kiosk, it is cheap, as we wrote earlier, but the result is not so stunning. Hair after henna will become red, but not bright. This 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 types, as it can dry them out even more.
If you spend money on Indian henna, which sometimes costs much more than professional paint, the result will be stunning. Curls will acquire a bright red color, become shiny, well-groomed. You can even use Indian henna without fear for your hairafter a perm, it does not dry the 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 even consist of continuous chemistry. What is the difference between them?
- For mehendi, natural henna is not used at home. To work, you need experience, special training. It is difficult to apply, requires better cleaning of the skin before the procedure, dries very quickly, and requires dilution with additional products, such as special oil. In addition, the pattern appears rather slowly, and one wrong hand movement can lead to a poor-quality and crooked pattern. Only professionals work with paints based on natural henna.
- Dyes for mehendi are most often made only from chemistry. On the packages they write that this is henna, but you will not find it in the composition, or there will be a very small amount of it. These products are easy to use at home, do not require additional components to work and are quickly absorbed, they are easy to apply, the pattern is visible immediately.
For eyebrows
More recently, there was only one type of henna for eyebrow coloring on the shelves - black Indian. There were simply no other shades, but this dye was still popular. Such henna stained the hair perfectly, practically did not stain the skin,made the line of the eyebrows clear and wide, perfectly kept. Now in stores, shelves with eyebrow dyes are full of a variety of shades. Almost every package says "henna for eyebrows." The girls' comments on this matter are unambiguous: there is practically no hint of the use of lavsonia in any of the compositions! What is the difference between these dyes and those that are henna?
- Such funds have a huge palette of colors, where you can choose the right one for your hair. Of course, such a gamma can only be obtained by combining lawsonia with chemical dyes.
- These products are able to color not only the hairs, but also the skin under them, creating a clear contour that does not require makeup, and will last long enough. It will wash off after two weeks or a month - longevity depends on skin type.
- Sold in small tubes and jars. The cost of these funds is very high.
- These dyes are not suitable for dyeing at home, as they require precise application. If you accidentally miss and apply paint past the contour, then you can’t do anything with your mistake until it is completely washed off.
Unfortunately, manufacturers of such products never write the full composition of their product. The packaging only lists herbal ingredients, 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 color their eyebrows with henna(photo of the result is in this publication). It suits not only black-haired, but also fair-haired girls. The intensity of the hue depends only on the exposure time.
Hair
Coloring henna is intended for dyeing hair in a red shade, and is mostly natural. The powder has the color of dried grass, which is what it is, smells accordingly, when diluted with water, the aroma intensifies, the color does not change.
Colorless henna, prepared from the stalk of lavsonia, is intended for hair care and treatment. It is applied in the same way as coloring (we will provide instructions in the future content), it does not bring any shade to the curls. Often used by women with bleached hair in need of nourishment, hydration and restoration. Such henna is also useful for oily curls, it will dry out, and over time it will be required to wash your hair less and less. Hair will be restored, become more voluminous and shiny.
Use of coloring henna at home
If you decide to give your curls a red color, then you will not find a better remedy than henna. This is a natural remedy that does not harm the hair like dyes. The color is natural, as if you had red hair from birth. Henna is an ideal tool for coloring thin and liquid curls, since after applying the hair becomes thicker, there is volume. We will talk about the advantages later, but for now we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the staining technique:
- If the hairshort, two bags 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.
- Powder from the sachets must be poured into a dish that is not a pity, as it will be painted, but not metal.
- Boil water, and, without cooling, pour a little into the powder. Stir to make a thick paste. Add enough water so that the consistency resembles homemade sour cream.
- Henna should infuse and cool for a few minutes. At this time, you can wash and dry your hair a little, since henna is applied only to clean and moisturized curls.
- The product is quite difficult to apply, as the grass does not dissolve. Use the usual method (brush, comb).
- Be sure to use polyethylene or silicone gloves when applying. If henna gets on the skin, it will be difficult to wash it off, you will have to go through with reddish hands for several days! In the summer, this problem is solved quite simply, one has only to rub the skin with sorrel and wash it off.
- When all the hair is processed, put on a cap for dyeing. It will have little effect on the intensity of the color, but it will protect your furniture and floor from henna particles crumbling from your head.
- If you need a more saturated color, then you can keep the product for as long as you have the patience, at least an hour, at least two. Hair will not feel bad from this, on the contrary, they will be nourished, they will receive more useful substances. Expect a slight tint or not too bright color - thirty minutes is enough.
- Henna is washed off with plenty of warm water. The particles will tangle in your hair so be patient!
- Do not use shampoo, as coloring pigments need to be well absorbed and fixed.
If you need a chestnut shade, then add coffee (instant) in a ratio of 3/1, where there are three parts of henna, before diluting into powder. If you want a darker shade of red, add half a tablespoon of basma.
Color fastness
Red pigments are the most persistent, so it's not easy to get rid of them! The particles are large, they are practically “tightly” attached to the hair scales, and even a professional wash cannot cope with them. If you added basma, then the shade will quickly come off, leaving the same redhead. The color practically does not fade, shimmers beautifully in the sun, shines. Henna is also ideal for permanent coloring (before and after photos can be seen in our article).
Benefit
As we have 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 dyeing with henna, the hair shines, the roots are strengthened. Breakage and breakage are kept to a minimum. With each application of henna, the volume will become more and more, as it has cumulative qualities.
Harm
Don't use henna more than twice a month as it can dry out your hair and scalp.
Dyed hair cannot be washed off, therefore, having decideduse henna, be prepared to stay red forever, or change your image over time by cutting your hair short!
Henna reviews
As it was written at the beginning of the article, many women use only henna for hair coloring. As a result, they have a beautiful natural color that does not fade or wash off. But what else do girls say about henna? Reviews were found in large numbers, and here is what they write:
- the color is perfect, the product is cheap, you can always correct the shade with coffee or basma, aging time;
- hair became more voluminous;
- curls after henna stopped breaking and falling out, look he althy;
- hair is obedient, soft, which is rare after using chemical dyes.
For hair treatment it is not necessary to repaint, you can use colorless henna. Reviews of her action are all positive.
