10 Things to Know Before You Use Henna On Your Natural Hair

Since introducing henna into my natural hair regimen, I've noticed a ton of positives. Henna is strengthening; I have less breakage. The color is stunning in natural light. But I've also noticed slight changes in my curl pattern. If you are considering henna, here is a list of 10 things you need to know before you start:

PERMANENT

Henna is permanent. It's a natural plant. It's not a chemical create in a lab nor is it ink. The henna plant only makes one color: Red.

CUMULATIVE

The effect of henna on your hair color is cumulative--meaning that each time you do a treatment, your color will get deeper and richer. It takes a few days for your henna to fully oxidize and produce the finished effect.

HEAT

Using a warm henna paste + sitting under the dryer after applying your henna will give your hair a deeper richer color.

RELATED: How to use Lush Henna on Natural Hair

DOES NOT LIGHTEN HAIR

Henna can not lighten your hair tone. Henna  does not open the cuticle and lift or lighten your hair's natural hair pigment. Henna coats your hair like a varnish, which means your individual shade sits underneath the henna, creating a color that's unique to you. Essentially, henna stains your hair the same way that a beet will stain whatever it touches. The result is a mix of the red from the beet and whatever color the object was before the beet touched it.

INDIGO

Indigo is not henna. It's another plant that can be used to dye/stain your hair. When mixed with henna it creates brown hues.

CASSIA

Cassia obovata is not henna. It's another plant that can be used to dye/stain your hair. Cassia has a yellow tint that typically doesn't show up on dark hair. Thus it's been called "neutral henna" because it has many of the same benefits of henna without the color.

RELATED: Lush Caca Rouge Results (3rd Application)

Curl Loosening Theory From JC @ NaturalHairHaven

CURL LOOSENING

Henna can loosen your curl pattern. According to my favorite Curly Scientist, with each henna application your hair absorbs the henna, but it also absorbs water. The henna + water combo weighs the strands down thus elongating the curl. If you strip all the science-y stuff away, to me, it sounds like henna can "over-moisturize" your hair depending on your hair's texture, porosity, and the frequency of henna use. I have noticed that my curls are more elongated following my henna applications. However, my curl returns to normal a few days later. My curl definition has also changed. When my hair is wet, it's a bit more frizzy, however when it dries (for example in a wash and go) the definition is actually greater and it lasts.

DRYING

Henna can be drying. The drying affects of henna can be combated by applying an oil to your hair before application, adding moisturizing ingredients to your recipe or deep conditioning your hair after application. I like to deep condition for at least an hour under my hooded dryer or over night after henna treatments.

APPLICATION

Applying henna to damp hair makes the application process easier. I like to co-wash my hair before applying my henna paste.

STRAND AND PATCH TEST

Always perform a patch test on your skin then a strand test on your hair of your henna paste before using. This video by Chemese about her severe allergic reaction to what she thought was henna should be enough to convince you. Because I love my hair and I can be stupid paranoid, I've only used Lush's Caca Rouge. Lush's henna treatments are premixed and reputable.

For right now, the pros of henna outweigh the negatives. I'm extremely happy with the health of my hair and the hair is EVERYTHING!

If you are a henna pro--share your experience with henna below. If you're a henna newbie---feel free to ask questions!

Besitos!
KLP

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Fro with Bangs | The #WashDayExperience

My wash and go is more of a wash, apply products, wait wait wait wait wait wait, wait some more wait wait wait wait until it air dries, band to stretch the curls a bit, then go. But you know what's weird? I honestly wouldn't have it any other way because this style lasts me for 5-6 days. My hair stays uber moisturized. I've experienced less breakage, less shedding, and more curl popping definition.

I can alternate between a high puff and wearing it out, without ruining my curls. I don't have to moisturize and seal daily. And I'm only washing my hair once a week. Like seriously---I dare not complain because the universe is a jealous fickle beast.

Day 2 of my wash and go from last week

Day 3 of my wash and go from last week

Most wash and go queens report that they have better definition and less frizz when they apply their leave ins in the shower. Well, my wash and go from last week frizzed up sooner than I was expecting (around day 3-4) and when I did that last week. So this week---I went back to applying my leave ins outside of the shower. Proof that what works for gander---might not work for this goose. Ha-ha!

Here is what I used:

Pre-shampoo- DIY Moisturizing Mist (tutorial here) + Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner (review) (buy it)
Shampoo- Jessicurl Cleansing Cream (review)(buy it)
Henna Treatment- How to use Lush Henna on Natural Hair
Deep Condition- Jessicurl Deep Treatment Conditioner (review)(buy it) + Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (buy it)
Clay Rinse- Here's the dets on my recipe
Leave-Ins- Castor Oil (buy it)+ Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner (review)(buy it)
Styler- Eco Styler Krystal Gel (buy it)

And here's how I did it:

PRE-SHAMPOO

I love my pre-shampoo sessions because they allow me to detangle/remove shed hair before I get into the shower plus it gives my hair an extra boost of either moisture or protein. I started by spraying my hair with my DIY moisturizing mist. If you haven't tried this recipe yet--WHAT ARE YOU WAITIN FOR?!?! It's not just moisturizing but it's an excellent detangler too! After I sprayed each section, I slathered on a little Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner. This conditioner has some of the best slip of any conditioner that I've ever used and the essential oils make my scalp feel happy.  I covered with a plastic cap and sat under the dryer for about 20 minutes.

RELATED: The Best Moisturizer For Natural Hair EVER!

SHAMPOO

With my hair secured in about 7 sections (4 in the back and 3 in the front), I rinsed the conditioner then shampooed with Jessicurl Cleansing Cream (review here). I expected tangles and a week's worth of shed hair, but surprisingly the process was quick and tangle-free. Now that I'm shampooing more often, I'm thinking about trying out the Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo too. It's stupid cheap (like $4!) and if it's anything like the conditioner---it might be a winner! Have you tried it before?

HENNA TREATMENT

Henna applications double the time that it takes to wash my hair. Ugh. But the results are sooo worth it. I applied my Lush Caca Rouge mixture to my freshly washed hair in sections, covered with cling film and let it sit for about 3 hours (one hour I spent under the dryer). You can read more about my latest excursion with henna here.

RELATED: How to use Lush Henna on Natural Hair

Henna Results

DEEP CONDITION + CLAY RINSE

After rinsing the henna for what felt like forever, I t-shirt dried for a few minutes then applied my FAVEEEE deep conditioner Jessicurl Deep Treatment (review here). Next, I layered on a little Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (shop it!) to seal in the conditioner. I covered with a plastic cap and sat under my dryer for about an hour. I wanted to make sure that my hair was moisturized after using the henna because it can make your hair feel a little dry. I rinsed the conditioner in the shower then did my Clay Rinse treatment. Clay rinsing defines my curls like no other treatment that I use. If you only try ONE thing from my regimen---clay rinsing is the one to try. Especially if you are having trouble getting your curls to clump and pop.

RELATED: How I Get My Curls To POP!

LEAVE-IN + STYLER

Out of the shower, I applied my moisturizing leave in, Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner (why I love this stuff here) then sectioned off my hair to prep for applying the gel. I used the same exact technique from last week. Starting with the back, I spritzed it with water until it was soaking wet then finger detangled until my hair clumped into curls. Then I smoothed a little gel on the roots--but not on my scalp. Next, I raked a little more gel through all the way until the ends and gently shook out the curls. (aka the rake and shake technique)

FRO WITH {FAUX} BANGS

The application process still takes me about 35-40 minutes to do. And because I didn't want to be waiting waiting waiting waiting waiting, and waiting some more, I decided to sit under my hooded dryer. Believe it or not--my hair was just about completely dry after an hour. Boom pow. No more air drying for this chica! Of course my roots were still a little damp. This just comes with the thicker than thieves hair that I have. I banded my hair using my new DIY Ribbon Elastic Hair Ties (tutorial coming soon!)

Ribbon Elastic Hair ties don't leave nearly has many ceases in my curls when I band, they are super comfortable and very very gentle on my hair. The next morning, all I had to do was remove the bands---which is super easy and doesn't cause breakage---shake my hair out a little then fluff.

I forgot to take pictures of my first and second day hair but this third day hair tho?!?!? I decided to pin my overgrown bangs up a little to get them above my eyes and rock this stretched curly fro.

Fro + Bangs? Shoot...y'all can't tell me NOTHING!

Let me know if y'all want a tutorial on how I pinned my bangs and got all this stupid crazy volume!

How was your #washdayexperience?

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Lush Henna Caca Rouge Results (3rd Application)

I did my third application of Lush's Henna Caca Rouge over the weekend! I used the same prep process and application as the previous two times. The only difference was that instead of co-washing before the application, I shampooed because my hair was still full of product from my last wash and go.

RELATED: How to use Lush Henna on Natural Hair 

Henna is a tedious process. It adds 4-5 hours to my usual wash day. It takes me about 20-30 minutes to apply the henna. I let it sit for 3 hours (one of which, I'm under my hooded dryer). Then it takes an additional 20-30 minutes to fully rinse the henna from my hair. Luckily for me, the results are are so worth it. Here's why:

VIBRANT HIGHLIGHTS

My hair is naturally dark brown with peeks of auburn highlights.  What I love about henna is that my natural sun-kissed highlights are now more vibrant coppery color. In the sun light, it's almost like I have a subtle bronze halo around my curls.

STRONGER SOFTER HAIR

I'm not sure if it's my new minimalist regimen, my latest obsession with wash and go's or a combination of both but my hair has been on it's very best behavior. My strands feel uber moisturized, despite the fact that I'm only washing my hair once a week. I haven't had to moisturize or seal between wash days and my curl definition is even better. (I didn't think that was a possibility!) I've also noticed less breakage.

CUMULATIVE

With each henna application, the color gets deeper and richer. So, I have many more applications before I'll get close to the firey copper glow that I really want. Fingers crossed that my time at the beach this summer will help expedite the process!

Any one else playing with henna? Do you have any tips or tricks to share?

Besitos!
KLP

Perfecting My Wash and Go | The #WashDayExperience

I'm still in a little shock that my wash and go from last week actually lasted for 5 days. I didn't have to add any additional product and using banding to maintain my hair was so simple. Because I'm just not customized to only washing my hair once a week. I was really expecting my hair to be dry and my scalp to be itchy. Surprisingly it wasn't.

RELATED: How I Maintained My Wash and Go for 5 Days

I probably could have stretched my wash day one more day---but I decided not to push it. The one thing that I knew for sure was that I'd have to shampoo to remove all of the gel/castor oil/dirt/sweat that was bound to be on my hair and scalp. 

Here's what I used:

Pre-shampoo/Strengthening Treatment- DIY Moisturizing Mist (tutorial here) + Aubrey Organics GPB Conditioner (review here)
Shampoo- Jessicurl Cleansing Cream (review here)
Deep Condition- Jessicurl Deep Treatment Conditioner (review here) + Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (shop it!)
Clay Rinse- Here's the dets on my recipe
Leave-Ins- Castor Oil (shop it!)+ Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner (why I love this stuff here)
Styler- Eco Styler Krystal Gel (shop it!)


And here's how I did it:


I usually start my wash day with a pre-shampoo. My pre-shampoo sessions allow me to detangle/remove shed hair before I get into the shower and it gives my hair an extra boost of either moisture or protein. Because I already had a ton of build up on my hair, I wasn't sure that my pre-shampoo session would even be effective. But habits are hard to break. So I started by spraying my hair with my DIY moisturizing mist. This concoction is not just moisturizing---it's also fantastic at detangling my hair. After I sprayed each section, I slathered on a little warmed Aubrey Organics GPB Conditioner. After a week of wearing my hair out, I wanted to add a little protein to my hair for strength and to combat breakage. I covered with a plastic cap and sat under the dryer for about 20 minutes.

With my hair secured in about 7 sections (4 in the back and 3 in the front), I rinsed the conditioner then shampooed with Jessicurl Cleansing Cream (review here). I expected tangles and a week's worth of shed hair, but surprisingly the process was quick and tangle-free.

I t-shirt dried for a few minutes then applied my FAVEEEE deep conditioner Jessicurl Deep Treatment (review here). Next, I layered on a little Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (shop it!) to seal in the conditioner. I covered with a plastic cap and left it in overnight.


RELATED: Why I Deep Condition Overnight 

Wet hair after deep conditioning + castor oil

The next morning, I rinsed the conditioner then did my Clay Rinse treatment. Clay rinsing defines my curls giving them extra poppage. Made up word but whatevs... After applying the clay rinse in sections, I rinsed then applied some regular old castor oil (I used this one) to my soaking wet hair.
I rinsed my hair again to get my curls to clump up again. Out of the shower, I applied my moisturizing leave in, Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner (why I love this stuff here) then sectioned off my hair to prep for applying the gel.


RELATED: How I Get My Curls To POP!

My Wash and Go Technique #2

I used the same exact technique from last week. Starting with the back, I spritzed it with water until it was soaking wet then finger detangled until my hair clumped into curls. Then I smoothed a little gel on the roots--but not on my scalp. Next, I raked a little more gel through all the way until the ends and gently shook out the curls. (aka the rake and shake technique)

The application process took me about 35-40 minutes to do. I let my hair air dry for a couple of hours. (about 3-4 hours) But that wasn't nearly enough time for it to dry, so I sat under my hooded dryer---set on cool--- for about 30 minutes.

My hair was a little damp at the roots, so I banded my hair using some extra wide hair ties. (these are my faves) Then let my hair dry overnight.

The next morning, all I had to do was remove the bands---which is super easy and doesn't cause breakage---shake my hair out a little then fluff.

Surprisingly, my hair actually felt more moisturized after this wash and go than it was after last week's wash and go. I attribute the extra moisture to applying regular old castor oil to my hair while it was soaking wet. I think that this technique helped seal my hair. Regular castor oil has a less pungent scent than JBCO so I'm glad that I switched plus it's soo much cheaper and the packaging makes it easier to use in the shower. Next week, I plan to switch to ribbon ties instead of the regular hair ties that I've been using. The regular hair ties leave dents in my hair--which I don't really mind, but I do worry if ribbon ties will work better. I also plan to apply just a little more gel to my roots. I noticed a little more frizz at the roots on day one than I had last time.

I wonder if I can get another 5 days out of this wash and go too!

Fingers crossed!

How was your #washdayexperience? Is your hair ready for the summer?

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How To Use Lush Henna on Natural Hair

Henna has been on my must try list for years. No really. YEARS. Why? Because it looks messy, time consuming, and seems a little more complicated than this chemistry flunking chica can handle. Plus I was just plan scurred.

RELATED: Why I have henna on the brain


Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I'm in Lush and I see their Caca henna collection. They did all the hard work for you. Pick your color, chop up the amount of henna you need, add water and then apply. Like---have you ever seen a henna recipe that simple?

So I picked up a block of the Caca Rouge and did a happy dance. Here's how I got started, prepped the henna, and applied my henna.

START WITH A STRAND TEST

 

Have y'all seen this video by Chemese? She had a severe allergic reaction to what she thought was henna. Yeah---enough said. So the day before I decided to do a strand test. I started by chopping off a tiny bit of the henna block, adding a little warm water to it and applying it to a small section of my nape. I left it on for about 3 hours then rinsed. I also tested a patch on the inside of my arm just to make sure.

PREP YOUR HENNA BLOCK

 

The next day, I moved ahead with a full application. Here's how to prep the henna:

1. Break the henna into pieces. 
2. Put your pieces into a glass bowl
3. Add boiling water a few tablespoons at a time. 
4. Then mix and add water until you have a cake batter consistency.  Keep the henna mixture warm for easily application. (I just placed my bowl in a warm water bath to keep it warm)

APPLY YOUR HENNA

 

When I did the strand test, I noticed that it was really difficult to apply the henna to my hair dry. So I decided for the full application, to apply the henna to freshly co washed hair. (I also did this because my hair had a ton of product in it from my previous wash and go style. I didn't want the product buildup to prevent the henna from absorbing into my hair.) Starting with damp clean hair, I applied Lush's Ultrabalm to my hairline and ears to prevent staining. Then I:

5. Apply the warm henna in sections to your hair, cover hair with cling film and leave for 3 hours.
6. Wash the henna from your hair using warm water then deep condition. 

After application, I hopped under my hooded dryer for an hour then I let the henna sit on my hair for 3 more hours. The Lush salesgirl told me that heat would activate the henna even more and allow my hair to absorb more color.

I rinsed the henna for what felt like FOREVER until the water ran clean. Then I did my usual clay rinse.

RELATED: How to get your curls to POP!

I've done two henna treatments over the last month. Here are what my results look like so far:

HENNA RESULTS

The first time that I henna'd it was pretty much impossible to catch the subtle color on camera. But the second time, I really saw a difference, especially in sun. It actually reminds me of what my color looks like after a summer at the beach. The effect of henna on your hair color is cumulative--meaning that each time you do a treatment, your color will get deeper and richer. Which is exactly what I'm looking for! The process was actually easier than I thought it would be and my hair feels thicker and dare I say fuller (as if my hair wasn't already stupid full) than before.

How was your #washdayexperience? Would you ever consider using henna on your hair?

Besitos!
KLP

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