My First Henna experience was yesterday

I ordered Jamila crop 2009, sifted from hennaforhair.com I only bought 100g and that was good enough.

I steeped 4 green tea bags in 2 cups of water
I mixed it in with the powder
Once I got out the shower freshly detangled I added 2 tbp of organic honey ( I shampooed AND conditioned before applying the henna, while CN only conditions)
It took only 30 minutes for the dye to start releasing.
I didn't use any gloves as I put on the henna.....so now my FINGERNAILS and fingers look like they're bleeding [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
I followed Curly Nikki's method (except the glove part) and I left it on my head for 14 hours during sleep and household chores.
I dunked my head into a full sink of water once to take out most of the henna, then i slapped on some cheap condish and it only took me 2 rinses to take out the rest. (My hair...felt like STRAW however I noticed significant curl loosening in my 3c areas specifically, in the crown and back of my hair, they were also more softer compared to the 4a)
I then deep conditioned with some Devacurl one condition, coconut oil, aloe vera and honey. It is said that coconut oil is one of the only oils that can actually penetrate the hair shaft rather than just coating and sealing it, so that ingredient was a heck yes. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
I only sat under a hooded dryer with a plastic cap on for 30 minutes.
Ta-da! Both textures of my hair felt amazing! I rinsed out the deep conditioner, put in some Oyin honey hemp for my leave in followed by their burnt sugar pomade to do my plaits.

After the henna + deep condition my hair was:

Soft
More Silky
SHINEY?! (I've never been one for shine)
One specific part of my head, in the front was light brown in the sunlight.
Looser curled in the 3c parts, 4 a parts seem just fine. My 3c looks more of wave now.

I was a little iffy on whether or not it was okay for me to use my trader joe's conditioner in this process since it contains protein and I can't tell if I'm sensitive to protein or not. I decided against using protein while doing the henna for the fear it may be too much so none of the products used to do my henna contained any protein.

All in all, my first henna experience was great. I can't wait to experiment with my mix though I am a bit hesitant. I don't think i should fix it if it ain't broken, it may cause disaster my second time. I plan on doing it once a month.

CONGRATS... I am doing my first Henna tonight also!!!! I love Oyin, but I am not going to use it because my hair it a little sensitive to protein (the conditioner has it the bottom of the ingredient list) and it loves moisture
I have been using just Amla and Neem podwers to see how my hair reacts to the Indian Powders...

Thanks for the review!!!!
Wish me Luck....

Good luck dkl!!! are you using jamila too? Oh my god.... Oyin has protein in their condish? lol At least it's not a lot since the ingredient is towards the bottom of the list. How's the amla and neem?

Yes I am using Jamila.. the other powders are not "shifted" as finely as the "super shifted' so washing it out is HELL!!!!! But other then that my hair is super soft and my scalp issues are beginning to go away (thanks to Neem)...
I also use Amla Oil, Shakiki Oil, Vatika Oil.. I have alot of the Indian oils

My first henna experience was July 6th, I used Mehandi.com's BAQ Henna for African Hair. I am Asian and African American, and I have no idea what type of hair I have. It is very thick and I can wash it ,place a little oil to moisturize and go, however if I chose to comb it out when dry...Whoa! It is now cut slightly below the shoulder and I ordered 200g. I mixed it with ACV and water[not sure of the measurement] and let it sit over night to release the dye. I added honey and olive oil prior to applying it to my hair. I rinsed until the water and conditioned with V05 until the water was clear. I DT'd it with olive oil, and coconut milk for 45 minutes. While wet it was soft and manageable. When it dried, it was too dry and felt like straw. I co-washed my hair with cheap Vo5 moisturizing, a dab of hair mayonaise and olive oil for 10 days and my felt so much better. I flat ironed it. It was so silky, light, manageable and I loved the color highlight uptake effect that the henna had on my grey hairs. I previously used commercial dyes because of my grey hair, my hair was increasingly becoming a little brittle due to the chemicals.
3 days ago, I searched for local Indian/Asian markets here in Raleigh, NC and visited Patel Brothers on Maynard in Cary. I purchased some Amla oil, [one ingredient is mineral oil, so I'll keep looking for more genuine if I can] pure coconut cooking oil and 2 boxes of Season Dulhan Mehandi Henna Powder, it contains:
Amla powder
Mehandi/Henna
Shikakai
Brahmi
Reetha and
other herbs<---not sure what these are, but the box states:
Seasons Dulhan Herbal Henna contains pure henna, amla, shikakai, aritha, bhrinraj, reetha and other herbs as described in the Century old Indian Vedas.[hymns, incantations, and rituals from ancient India] This unique formulation will provide darker hair, reduce dandruff, prevent hair loss and naturally condition your hair.
Soak Mehandi for 4-6 hours to make a thick paste. Apply paste on hair. Leave on for 3-4 hours. Rinse off thoroughly with water.
Add lemon juice or ACV to enhance the effects of the paste, not only beneficial for oily hair, it also gives a golden or copper highlights.

I would like your opinion about this. It doesn't sound like compound henna nor does it seems out of sorts other than the other herbs. I mixed the paste, let it sit and the dye released after 6 hours. I let it sit on a rubber glove and it did stain it pretty good. It's sitting in the freezer now. I've cut a snippet of hair and did a henna test. It was pretty cheap, $1.99, next time I'll purchase their Jamilla as well to do a comparison. My hair is very, very dark brown, [color appears black indoors] I do like the hint of red when outdoors. I'll let lock of hair oxidize and sit for a week before I henna my entire head.

@Myohmie,

Welcome!

I have some grey hairs as well and to be honest after experimenting with some brands of henna that contain other natural herbs like the ones you listed I'm not a fan. I find that the colour fades compared to BAQ henna e.g. Jamila. I think those mixes are great for people who have all over black or dark hair but not for those of us who are hennaeing and indigoing to cover greys.

@D-lish,
So glad your first henna attempt went well. If you decide you don't want to loosen your curls any further you can always touch up the new growth only.

This is my first Henna application using BAQ for African Hair ordered from Mehandi and applied on July 6th.
This is after my hair has been completely air dried.

https://i.servimg.com/u/f37/15/47/56/82/firsth11.jpg

The henna with the added herbs you mentioned doesn't sounds bad at all. All those extra things can be great for your hair type or bad, everyone is different. Your hair looks so shiney and soft-looking after the BAQ!!

An update on my color: I walked out into the sun and was greeted with fiery orange/red hair? LOL My mom's face was priceless. In normal lighting my hair is brown but with the sun it is indeed the actual color of a fire.

This is my first Henna application 23 days later, [done on July 6th] never had a relaxer, previously colored hair to cover grey, last commercial color application was in May, air dried hair, then Chi Flat iron. [ Deep Conditioned with V05 smoothie from dollar store, added a 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil, placed grocery bag over my head then tied scarf over that, left it on for 2 hours, rinsed then followed up with a small amount of motions leave- in] I applied the BAQ Mehandi for African Hair at 5 am that morning and rinsed it out at 3pm in the afternoon. [ used black tea- I drink it as well, so I brewed a big pot and used enough for the consistency desired, added the tea to the paste after it cooled and a cap full of ACV, after dye release added a dab of coconut oil and cinnamon ]

https://i.servimg.com/u/f37/15/47/56/82/100_0817.jpg
https://i.servimg.com/u/f37/15/47/56/82/100_0818.jpg

@D-lish, glad to hear your first experience was good. I used just acid my first few times. I have added amla to deepen the red and oils to help with conditioning. I think I will stick to just adding an acid because I did not notice any difference using amla and/or the oils. I will likely try different acids. I have used ACV, orange juice and green tea. Any one have other suggestions for acids?

Congrats on your henna results! When I did my third henna treatment, I did not use gloves and my hands and nails looked horrible for about 2 months. I had a job interview the next day and my husband said that I looked jaundiced because my hands were a yellowy-orange color! Needless to say, I kept my hands in my lap.

@Chrslvsbks,

Amla is sufficiently acidic enough to facilitate dye release. However, since you used oils in your mix that may have been the problem. Some people feel that oils impede colour deposit on the hair shaft, so if you experienced a problem then perhaps it may be best to avoid oils in your next mix?

Other acids - lemon juice is a popular one that you might like to try. I prefer milder acids such as yoghurt and coconut milk though as it's less drying for me but I still get beautiful dye release. I think the quality of the henna itself is important too.

[quote="D-Lish"]I ordered Jamila crop 2009, sifted from hennaforhair.com I only bought 100g and that was good enough. [quote]

Your hair looks gorgeous! For a second there I thought that was Nikki in the pic. Just curious how much did the Jamila cost, including shipping? I asked the local Indian market to order some for me at nd they said no problem. I used Reshma and it says "for body quality art" on the box. It only costs $2.99 for 200 g..

Ok so I finally did my all Henna treatment..

150mg of Jamila Henna

Lemon Juice

Green Tea

Honey

I pre-pooed with some Amla Oil and Shikakai Oil. I mixed the Henna in a plastic bowl and added the lemon juice until it was like thick instant potatoes. Then I added the green tea until it was about a cake batter consistency. I let it sit for about 30 mins while I co-washed and detangled with HE Hello Hydration. I applied the Henna (with little to no mess.. YYEESSS!!!!)… I let the Henna sit in my hair for about 10 hours.

I have a garden tube so I have to climb in the tub to let the water run over my head to wash it out (the pressure from the shower is not strong enough). This works very well. I co-washed three times with whatever I could reach to on the floor. I then DC with Jessicurl Weekly Deep Treatment. Because I have issues with my scalp I apply Navranta Oil only on my scalp with the DC. I left that in for about 3 1/2 hours.

My curl pattern was loosened, which I expected, but there is little to no color L… I was really looking forward to some color in my JET Black hair…Any suggestions?

My hair being dry afterwards was not an issue. I have a GREAT moisturizing cream that I order from England that works with my dry hair.

I am surmising that if you have dark hair, it may appear there wasn't any color release while indoors. Have you asked anyone's opinion when in natural sunlight? Dark to Jet Black hair will have minimal color uptake visible to the eye. Remember in grade school when you'd color a piece of white construction paper with any color and then add a second color coating with the black crayon. The base color would still be visible through the second coat once you placed the paper up to the light. This is comparable to Henna process. It coats the hair turning the hair invariably red, but your natural hair color will affect the hue of the red.
You'll have the affects of Henna conditioning more so than a drastic or strikingly visible color uptake. Once you begin to gray, the Red will be more noticeable on those strands.

Yes, MyOhMie is right. If the base colour of the hair was jet black, then the most colour that can be hoped for would be red highlights in the sunlight, probably after a few applications of henna.