My Hair & Henna

Henna, is definitely nothing new to the natural hair care world. There is a TON of information on the web about Henna, along with plenty of women’s recipes, regimens, and their experiences.  For those who don’t know, Henna  is simply a natural strengthener that will deposit a low red dye content on the surface of your hair.   Henna, basically coats and protects the hair strands.  The color isn’t too noticeable on dark hair, unless you’re in the sun.  But, if you begin with a lighter base color, the red tones can be very vibrant.  Henna has been a part of my healthy hair regimen since 2009. I began using it on my transiting hair, I loved how strong and silky it made my hair, and the color was a nice plus!   When I was relaxed my hair strands were very weak, they would snap immediately in a tension test, but after I started using Henna, my hair became as tough as nails!

Relaxed

Transitioning

Throughout my journey I’ve changed my regimen with Henna to adjust to my hair care needs.   When I first went natural, I used Henna every other week! Like many of us, I  honed in on someone else’s regimen and their results.  Let’s just say that was a NO Go for this head! My hair became so dense and dry that I could barely separate it when styling. (For women with finer hair, more density is wonderful!) Because of this, I soon saw Henna as my enemy and stopped using it for 8 months!

(Henna on left/Cassia Right)

Early Henna Days 

After some serious deep conditioning  treatments, at least twice a week, the softness and pliability returned to my hair.  But after reviewing photos from earlier in my journey, I noticed that my henna"less" hair was lacking vibrancy it had when using Henna once a month. My hair looked healthier with it. (to me anyway!)  So I made the decision to bring back an alternative to Henna, Cassia Obovata.   I began using Cassia and Amla treatments because it has the same benefits, and didn’t make my hair feel dense.  The coating is temporary, so I stick to my once a month strengthening regimen with Cassia and Amla.  

Henna"less" Hair

After a year of using Cassia, I started to miss the color and permanent binding strength from Henna, so it was time to give it a try again but not full strength. I mixed Henna with Cassia, loved it!  I also have done Henna Glosses(Henna and Conditioner) and my hair does well with those too.  

In all my experimenting, I’ve finally found my perfect balance with Henna.   I’ve learned that because my hair is already thick and coarse that too many Henna treatments will dry my hair out.  My natural hair thrives when I use Henna about twice a year (not full strength).   I also use my Cassia and Amla treatments monthly.    My lesson:  Don’t be so quick to give up on a good thing, (and Henna is a VERY good thing) just figure out how to make it fall in line with the chemistry of my hair.    If you would like more information about Henna please visit Hennaforhair.com, or email me!

Until Next time!