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595 minutes
Nice & Simple


Henna

  • Completed Project: Henna Picture #1
  • Completed Project: Henna Picture #2

A how to Henna your hair tutorial!
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Is your hair dry?
Damaged?
Dull?
Are you sick of plonking chemicals on your head?
Do you care about the effect of hair dyes on animal testing?

Then Henna could be for you!
In this tutorial i will show you how to achieve a natural red shade through the use of BAQ henna.

This is an art that has been practiced for thousands of years, it's natural, beautiful, theraputic, and really fun!

This tutorial is just designed as a starter block for those new to Henna, there are billions of different mixes you can make, and loads of different colours you can acheive (not just red ;D) this one is just a nice simple one. Check the link at the bottom of this tutorial for more mix ideas =)

PLEASE NOTE!!! *ALWAYS* make sure you purchase GENUINE Body Art Quality Henna, the metallic salts in other henna's are terrible for your hair!

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  1. Step 1

    Step 1

    Get your BAQ henna from wherever you had it stored (or take it out of the bag if you just got it! =D) and take a few minutes to sit and look at the pretty packaging, and contemplate your decision.

  2. Step 2

    Step 2

    Plonk all your ingredients on a easily-cleaned surface.


  3. Step 3

    Step 3

    Put your henna in a NON-METALLIC bowl. (This is VERY important, we don't want any nasty reactions! =D ) I'm using 100g of Jamilla Henna from Henna Boy.

  4. Step 4

    Step 4

    I like to add some Paprika to my mix, as it's supposed to intensify the colour (and adding stuff is fun ^_^)


  5. Step 5

    Step 5

    Add lemon juice! Some people make their whole mix with just lemon juice, but this can be quite drying on your hair, so go for about 1/4 of all your liquid additions as lemon juice.

  6. Step 6

    Step 6

    Add warm tap water to dilute the lemon.

  7. Step 7

    Step 7

    I also like to put some yogurt in mine! =D It helps to soften your hair :)

  8. Step 8

    Step 8

    Olive oil is also a great thing to add, as it makes washing the mix out of your hair easier.

  9. Step 9

    Step 9

    Mix it all up until it's somewhere between the consistency of mashed potato/brownie mix. I make mine quite hard, it makes it more difficult to apply and the henna doesn't go as far - but it means it doesn't drip as much while it's on.

  10. Step 10

    Step 10

    Cover your henna mix with cling film, and put it in a warm place. (As you can see, mine's in front of my LCDTV, another idea is in the airing cupboard, or in warm water in the sink) You will need to leave your henna until the dye releases, depending on your batch, and how warm the area you've put it in is, it can release in anything from about 2-24 hours. Mine took 6 hours, and 3 of those were in a warm sink :)

  11. Step 11

    Step 11

    This is what your henna will look like once it has seperated. Note the difference in colour from the henna on top and the henna underneath.

  12. Step 12

    Step 12

    Double check for dye release if you're cautious. Pop a blob of henna on your palm, and wait a few minutes.

  13. Step 13

    Step 13

    As you can see, after a couple of minutes, i washed off the henna, and it has left a stain, meaning the dye has released and we're ready to go! =D

  14. Step 14

    Step 14

    DO A TEST STRIP IF YOU'VE NEVER HENNA'D BEFORE. This is SO IMPORANT i cannot stress how important it really is. You do this to ensure your henna is BAQ, as if it isn't, it could turn your hair green, black, or it can even break off!!
    Pop some of the mixed henna on a strip of your hair, and wrap it up in cling film.

  15. Step 15

    Step 15

    Keep the strip nice and toasty (note the hat ;) ) and check on it again in a couple of hours. Put your henna somewhere cooler now the dye has released so it doesn't spoil.

  16. Step 16

    Step 16

    If your test strip came out ok, you're good to go! =D Wash your hair using a clarifying shampoo to get all the product out of it, and then thoroughly towel dry your hair. Apply the henna carefully, this stuff is messy! Not to mention it won't drip through your hair like regular dye, so you really need to smush it on thick!
    Once that's all done, wrap your head up nice n' tight in cling film, and pop a hat on it to keep it warm and moist (note the hat, again). You can leave your henna for as little as 2 hours for a lighter stain or as long as you can stand it for a deeper one! Some people keep it on as long as 24 hours!

  17. Step 17

    Step 17

    Wash the henna out of your hair. If it's being stubborn (and if it dried at all while you were applying, it will be. Try to avoid that happening!) use generous amounts of conditioner to work the henna out of your hair.
    The image to the right is my hair before henna, this is a chemical colour over bleached hair. The colour was 2 weeks old, and as you can see it was faded, dull, and lacked and oomph.
    The image to the left is my hair the morning after henna, nice and rich, highly pigmented (seriously, the shine and glimmer is blinding! =D), soft, and generally just lovely!
    After about 3 days my colour will have oxidised and will be slightly deeper than this. But aside from that, a voila! Happy Henna'ing! =D

    *****For more information on Henna and the benefits of using it on your hair please visit Hennaforhair.com*****

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Cat Morley

Cat Morley

June 19th, 2008 13:05

Great how-to, I tried this when I was younger, but I would like to try it again. Thanks for sharing!

Alex S

Alex S

June 19th, 2008 13:33

Definately give it a shot, i should have done it a lot sooner than i have! :)

Shivi

Shivi

June 19th, 2008 13:51

wow, I will definately get into thi in the future,very interesting

Jennie D.

Jennie D.

June 19th, 2008 18:36

I've been using henna to dye my fringe for a couple of years now and I loooove the intense red colour! Better than any chemical based stuff plus it leaves your hair so smooth and it smells gorgeous.

Alex S

Alex S

June 19th, 2008 19:30

Yay another henna head! Do you have pictures of yours? :)

Polly

Polly

June 19th, 2008 20:18

I like the olive oil tip-always find it so difficult to wash henna out. Coffee (of the fresh, ground variety, not instant) also helps to intensify the colour, though you have to mix it in well or you get little gritty bits.

Alex S

Alex S

June 19th, 2008 20:25

I had heard about the coffee thing! =D I may try it soon, but i really fancied a nice orange tinge to this batch ;D

skettio's

skettio's

June 19th, 2008 21:59

Thats awsome! I would totaly use it, but my hairs already red (naturly >3 even though it means old ladys like to compliment it in restuaraunts) XD

Alex S

Alex S

June 19th, 2008 22:08

Lucky! =D I'd love to have naturally red hair :)
Even still, henna is great for just condition! But you'll probably want to use a different mix so it doesn't colour!

Lindsay F.

Lindsay F.

June 19th, 2008 23:07

*sigh* I love henna. I use it to tattoo. (Bat Mitzvahs = money!) I add different things to my terp like black tea and stuff, but I LOVE doing it. I have yet to dye my hair with it though! Adding it to my 'to-do' list as we speak!

Alex S

Alex S

June 20th, 2008 17:48

Hurrah! It is LOVELY to use on your hair, the best part (bar the fact it's animal friendly) is the shine! I swear, i could blind myself with it ;D

KattyRa

KattyRa

June 23rd, 2008 15:32

Soo cool!

Charlotte

Charlotte

June 24th, 2008 15:18

I have used Henna before and i am thinking about doing it again. The olive oil tip is a good idea because it takes ages to wash out of my hair.

stephie N.

stephie N.

July 1st, 2008 17:07

My mom saw this and was telling me how she used to do this a lot when she was a teen! I've got 2 try this, but not in red because i dont think it'll look very good on me, maybe a cinnamon color :D

Ezme

Ezme

July 2nd, 2008 15:18

henna is amazing it is great to use as body art as well if you pipe it onto your skin and then let it dry then peel it off, you can see the patten on your hand... amazing!

CourtneyCatastrophe

CourtneyCatastrophe

July 25th, 2008 22:00

I've started a habit of dying my hair red every summer. I was hoping there would be a better way to do it! I never though of using Henna. How long does it last though?

JennJennJenn

JennJennJenn

August 5th, 2008 07:42

Is red the only color? I kinda want a light brown.

Musette

Musette

October 4th, 2008 12:34

I so want to try this. I'm trying to get one of my friends to help me, cos I have a LOT of hair, and I think it would be to hard to do on my own! I'm not having much luck tho :(

Mi.ezekatze

Mi.ezekatze

October 22nd, 2008 08:30

For -years-, I've just used plain henna... So, after reading this, I can't wait to add some fun stuff into the mixture next time I dye! xD
But my hair is too dark for a nice outcome right now.....

P.S.: I always use my mixture right away!? What's the reason for letting it sit that long before actually putting it on?

Aaaaand another tip: I rinse my hair with warm water with a spoonful of kitchens vinegar before washing it all out. I heard it helps the colour to stay in.

milomade

milomade

November 12th, 2008 09:13

I've not henna'd my hair in ages, but this has prompted me to go and get some this week and colour my hair again. Thanks for all the tips about adding stuff to the mix - will definitely try those. One thing I do though is rub vaseline all around my hair line and over my ears as it stops the henna dying the skin - that's my tip to add to your list.