HENNA IS A VEGETABLE DYE THAT HAS BEEN USED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS INDIA, THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA TO DYE HAIR, FINGER NAILS, PALMS OF HANDS AND SOLES OF FEET, VARIOUS SHADES OF RED. HENNA COMES IN THE FORM OF A GREEN POWDER, MADE FROM THE DRIED LEAVES OF A PLANT WITH THE LATIN NAME OF LAWSONIA INERMIS. WHEN MIXED WITH BOILING WATER INTO A THIN, CREAMY SOLUTION, IT CAN BE APPLIED TO THE HAIR AND PREFERABLY KEPT WARM WHILE LEFT TO TAKE EFFECT. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WHEN USING HENNA ON YOUR HAIR, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT THE FINAL RESULTS. IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY THAT YOU TEST EACH NEW BATCH OF HENNA ON A SAMPLE OF YOU HAIR BEFORE APPLYING IT TO YOUR WHOLE HEAD OF HAIR. THE EASIEST WAY TO DO A STRAND TEST, IS TO USE THE LOOSE STRANDS OF HAIR LEFT ON YOUR COMB OR BRUSH. FIVE FACTORS YOU SHOULD TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION BEFORE USING HENNA: THE COLOR OF YOUR HAIR. YOU MAY GET YELLOW, COPPER OR TITIAN RED OVERTONES - BUT RARELY LIGHTER THAN YOUR NATURAL HAIR COLOR. WHILE HAIR MAY TURN BRIGHT ORANGE. BUT, OTHER VEGETABLE DYES SUCH AS WALNUT HUSK, INDIGO OR ALKANET MAY BE HELPFUL TO TONE DOWN THE COLOR. IF THE TREATMENT IS REPEATED PERIODICALLY, THE RESULTS WILL BE BETTER AND THE COLOR MORE PENETRATING, EVEN ON WHITE OR GRAY HAIR, WHICH REQUIRE REPEATED APPLICATIONS TO ACHIEVE NATURAL LOOKING RESULTS. YOUR HAIR TYPE. SOME HAIR ABSORBS COLOR EASILY, OTHERS ARE MORE RESISTANT, AND STILL OTHERS REACT COMPLETELY UNPREDICTABLY, RESULTING IN ALTOGETHER UNEXPECTED COLORS. TYPE OF HENNA USED. LIKE ALL NATURAL PRODUCTS, HENNA VARIES ACCORDING TO THE COUNTRY WHERE IT IS GROWN. FOR INSTANCE, IRANIAN HENNA IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROM EGYPTIAN. EVEN REGIONAL CLIMATIC VARIATIONS WITHIN ONE COUNTRY CAN AFFECT ITS PROPERTIES. THE AMOUNT OF TIME HENNA IS LEFT ON THE HAIR. THE LONGER IT IS LEFT ON, THE STRONGER THE COLOR WILL BE. HENNA TREATMENTS ARE CERTAINLY MORE COMPLICATED AND LONGER LASTING THAN CHEMICAL DYES, BUT YOUR EFFORTS WELL BE WELL REWARDED. HENNA IS CONSIDERED A PERMANENT HAIR COLOR, AND PRODUCES A WIDE RANGE OF SUBTLE TO DEEP COLORS. IT CAN MAKE THE HAIR MORE RESILIENT, ADD BODY, OR CONDITION THE SCALP. |