Henna before Transitioning Weaves or Braids

Hi CN Community,

I'm a fully natural who wants to grow my APL hair to BSL hair while using a weave to let my hair take a break from constant grooming. Over the next 6 months I plan to redo a loose-braided sew-in weave every 4 weeks while henna-ing and DC-ing in between each weave redo. Hearing about the great results of henna, I expect my hair to be longer, retaining more length, stronger, and thicker by the end of my "experiment".

Can someone please let me know if henna-ing before and after 4-week weave stints will be safe for my natural hair?

Thanks so much for your help.!

Hmmm...I wouldn't do that. Henna can make your hair feel brittle or dry. There are a lot of factors that come into play, so it's hard to guarantee that you will get soft, strong hair after your treatment(s). After my 3rd henna, I randomly had "straw hair" and I couldn't figure out why. I think it's because I didn't clarify beforehand, but I'm still not sure.

I would do deep treatments with coconut oil in between weaves. After you take the weave out and before you wash, apply lots of coconut oil (I know your hair will be dirty). Leave it on overnight if you can. Afterwards, do a really thorough rinse and then clarify, condition & detangle, and deep condition.

Hope that helps!