How To Use Henna Hair Dye On Black Hair

There is a lot on the Net about this topic. I am not a hairdresser, only someone who likes having black hair. I spent a lot of time researching how to practise this, so I am sharing it with you. Encounter the FAQ beneath for more information.

What y'all need:

A weekend. The first time you practice the procedure, it will crave a 1-2 mean solar day lead time for the henna to develop, before you employ it. For how to speed the process, meet the FAQ below.
Henna pulverisation (pure)
Indigo powder (pure)
A lemon
Salt
Cornstarch
Mixing bowl and spoon
Coloring brush
Greatcoat (washable)
Some towels (old or that you don't mind staining)
Plastic wrap
Plastic processing cap
Surgical gloves
A few hair clips for sectioning

How to practise it:

Y'all need to process in two steps: first henna and then indigo.
Start with clean hair
Gear up the henna: In mixing bowl, use spoon to mix 100g (most 1/4 cup) henna powder with:
- juice of one lemon or lime
- enough water to make it the consistency of thick pudding
Wait until "dye release".This takes about a day. For details on how to identify dye release, run into below.
Apply the paste.
- This is similar to the coloring application process you hairdresser might use.
- Put on the cape.
- Put towels on the floor to take hold of drips.
- Clip hair into sections. If you have thicker hair you will demand to split information technology into more sections.
- Put on surgical gloves.
- Remove the prune from i section.
- Paint the henna on from the mixing bowl using the coloring brush, one section at a time, getting at the roots. (Note: I have dispensed with the brush except for touching up my temples. Now I work the henna in with my easily, in the gloves, of course.)
- After you are washed with a hair section, add a little more paste and gyre the pilus around your fingers similar a spit curl, and stick information technology to your head and so it will stay equally you move to the next department. If it doesn't stick, use a clip.
- When you are washed with all sections, add some more than paste and work it in and then yous have complete coverage. Exist certain to get to all the roots.
- When you are washed, you will look like you have a cap of light-green mud on your head.
- If in doubt, use more paste, not less.
Processing:
- Put plastic wrap around your head. (2 pieces works best, 1 atop your forehead, and smoothed back, and i forth your hairline at the nape of your neck, smoothed frontwards — getting it in one sheet is hard. The objective is to wrap your head and hair and keep information technology warm.)
- Put on a processing cap on height.
- Clean upward your work area and tools, throw away gloves.
- Henna takes at least ii hours to process. It is also fine to sleep overnight with information technology. Keeping it warm improves the color process. Put a towel on your pillow to avoid staining.
- Remove and discard processing cap and Saran wrap.
- Rinse henna off in the shower.
- Practice not shampoo.
At this point you volition have a ruby color. Your scalp may exist reddish orange. If you feel uncomfortable about this and have to go outside earlier the indigo treatment, wearable a headband between this pace and the next.
At present echo with the indigo, equally follows:
- Mix 100 g indigo powder with 1 T salt, 2 T cornstarch and enough water so it is pudding consistency
- There is no need to await for dye release, and yous should utilize the paste within 10 minutes.
- Utilize equally described in a higher place in "employ the paste"
- Process in the same way as the henna. It is best to process overnight. Indigo takes longer to process than henna.
Rinse and moisturize, simply exercise not shampoo.
If all went well, you lot should now have black hair.
The color may deepen over the side by side day or two, so reserve judgment until then.
If your hair is still too red, you may need to repeat the indigo process.

Now, you lot probably have lots of questions:

Do I really have to exercise this in 2 steps? Can't I combine the two? According to conventional wisdom, no, you can't. You can combine henna and indigo for brown colour, but non for black. The two-step procedure is definitely the best result. Nonetheless, I accept been trying the use of indigo only. It works OK, but it doesn't last every bit long as the two-step method, and doesn't color the hair at the crown and temples, which is the hardest pilus to color due to its thick cuticle. These days, I usually do the ii-footstep process only every couple of months.
What kind of henna/indigo should I buy? 100% pure merely — don't buy anything with any additives — you lot don't demand additives. Both should look like a green pulverization and smell earthy when mixed. The effectively the pulverization, the meliorate. Y'all can buy both henna and indigo in Indian grocery stores or online.
Does it smell? Yes, a niggling, simply information technology's not a bad odour. The powder smells kind of earthy, with a vegetal annotation. Information technology goes away when you rinse it off. It smells better than chemical dye — that'south for certain! I have besides tried using some nice smelling essential oils effectually my hairline during processing, to tone downwardly the odor of the henna and indigo.
What is dye release? The henna plant's chemic composition has to suspension down to release the dyeing amanuensis. In that location is no way to blitz this, still, run across below for time saving tips. You can tell the dye release has occurred when the mixture oxidizes to brown on the top layer. If you take mixed information technology in a bowl, the pinnacle layer will be brown, and when you stir it yous will see dark-brown on top and green on the bottom. I recommend a clear glass basin for mixing — it makes dye release a little easier to spot. Only don't stress about it. It takes about a twenty-four hours, so but leave information technology for a day, or two if the weather is cold. The timing is not sensitive, but if you lot look more than than an extra day the dyeing won't piece of work. Hotter weather will brand dye release happen more quickly. Indigo does not crave this process, only henna.
How much exercise I need? Is 100g enough? I accept fine shoulder length hair and it is enough. If you take long or thick pilus, endeavor 200g. It's ameliorate to use actress than not plenty.
Any time saving tips?Once you get dye release from the henna, you can freeze it and utilize information technology later, so you can skip the starting time few steps above next time and do the whole process in 1 day. Once you lot are comfortable with the henna paste training process, make up a big batch and freeze it in plastic bags with a "unmarried serving" in each pocketbook. Flattening them out makes for easy storage in the freezer. When you are ready to utilise it later on, thaw it out starting time (no microwave!). I also mix the indigo, salt and cornstarch in advance, and then merely add water when I am ready to employ information technology.
I plant a production that says it is black henna. It might be indigo. But check advisedly what you lot are buying. Information technology is probably not what you want. Don't use anything but pure henna and pure indigo.
Can't I find a hairdresser to exercise this? Mayhap — if you are lucky. Indian hairdressers volition employ henna to hair very expertly, but y'all need to be clear with them on how you volition practise the ii-step process. Some will apply the henna and send yous dwelling house for processing — that makes sense. Bring a lovely hair scarf to put over your processing cap when you go home. I'm not sure why more than hairdressers won't utilise henna. My guess is that the processing takes too long to fit it into a normal salon experience, and the hairdressing schools don't teach it. Simply at that place are very few conventional hairdressers that volition do henna.
Why did yous add together cornstarch to the indigo? Indigo alone is hard to piece of work into your hair. Adding the cornstarch makes the paste smoother and easier to work with. But it is even so harder to work with than henna, because it is grittier.
Is it messy?Yes, a little, simply no more than any pilus dye. If y'all get henna on the sink or floor it volition not stain, if you wipe it up quickly. Use towels that y'all tin can stain, too as the cape, to minimize the touch. Attempt to avert getting henna/indigo on your skin or launder information technology off right abroad, or it will stain your skin.
How practice I sleep on it without staining my pillow?Purchase plastic pillow covers for your hair handling nights.
Is henna/indigo unsafe? Information technology is possible to be allergic to them, but they are just plants, and I await less likely to harm you lot than chemic hair dyes. If you are concerned, try a lilliputian bit on your skin every bit a exam.
I got a headache. What's wrong? I have heard about this, and it sometimes happens to me. Some people say it means you are slightly allergic, just I am not sure if that is right. I recommend processing overnight; when I practice that, I don't get a headache. Wrapping your hair up tight with plastic wrap will help reduce the smell.
Why did yous decide to utilize this method instead of using a regular pilus colour? I had been getting my hair dyed at a salon for years, and it became brittle and dry, plus I hated spending hours at the barber and paying a fortune to go my pilus colored. And so far, I am extremely happy with the results of henna/indigo. The supplies are inexpensive, and I tin exercise the task at domicile on my own schedule. I am very clumsy with pilus care, only I can exercise a henna color. Information technology's a fairly forgiving process.
The front of my brow/temples are all the same greyness — what'due south incorrect?These are the hardest parts to dye. Information technology'due south a merchandise-off between dyeing as well much scalp and covering those front end hairs. They also are hard to dye considering they may have more cuticle than other hairs. I simply consider the little grays to be a mark of wisdom that brightens the face, and I've stopped trying to go them all. If information technology bothers you, buy some Wow to touch it up betwixt washings.

Hither are some recommendations for supplies, but these are just for your information — I am not endorsing them.

Henna. Get 100% pure henna powder. I bought this, which is not 100% henna (includes another herbs) but it worked fine.
Indigo. Become 100% pure indigo powder.
Coloring brush. Brushes are easy to find.
Cape. I suggest getting a washable textile one.
Mixing bowl. This one as well works great in the kitchen.
Processing cap. Disposable is easiest.
Gloves. Costco is a great source, and these gloves have lots of uses — kitchen, garden, etc.
Plastic pillow covers.
Handy containers for freezing henna.
Coconut oil (for moisturizing, not required). Just get something cheap — no demand to spend a fortune. It's best if the bottle tin can exist microwaved and it's wide enough to put your hand into. It melts at slightly above room temperature, so you lot tin rub in in your easily or put information technology microwave for 30 seconds. Slather it on your hair and leave in for a while, fifty-fifty overnight. I like these towels for sleeping in.

Here are some of the sites I used to research this process. I constitute most of them have a lot of text, and are hard to wade through, or a bit preachy, which is why I wrote this folio. They have lots of information and opinions. They probably know more than me, and then check them out.

What is henna?
What is indigo?
Chart of dye release times.
A photograph of plastic-wrapped head.
A listing of henna stylists. (Not many — just for one production line)

Update: I have tried mixing indigo with oils (kokosnoot, and separately argan) to improve the consistency, but while that makes the mixture easier to work into the hair, information technology does not work well for dyeing.