Henna virgin with questions

I just finished putting all the Henna in my hair, put my plastic cap on and a terry turbin to help keep the shower cap on and create heat. Question number one, I bought Light Mountain brand of Henna. On their website it says it uses 100% henna. Has anyone else used this? I hope I get good results in the morning, I followed Nikki's tutorial except I couldn't find Amla anywhere. Second question, do they sale Amla at the Indian stores? I didn't even think to check for Henna there, makes sense. Next time I'll check it out if the brand I bought doesn't work. I'll post a pic in the morning after I rinse. Oh third question, how often do you all Henna? Every week, once a month? I really want to get my hair back to top quality, my hair fell out and became very thin after taking acne medication (I'm no longer on it).

Thanks!

Hi,

I've never used Light Mountain Henna. I've bought Henna powder from an Indian store (Mumtaz Henna), and online at both Butters 'N Bars and Ayur Natural Beauty. You can get amla at both of those online stores, and in most Indian Stores as well. I prefer to buy BAQ (body art quality henna), but if you get a lower quality one from a brick-and-motor Indian store (they don't seem to carry the finest sift BAQ hennas), I've found that you can use the same sort of sifter you use for flour to get out rocks, sticks and other debris you might find in some hennas (dedicate a sifter for this purpose--don't use the same one to make a poundcake the next day ) By sifting my Mumtaz henna, I got a paste that was as smooth and easy to rinse as BAQ Jamilla, though the Jamilla was fresher and probably did more to condition my hair.

I currently henna every other week, but I anticipate reducing that to once a month or even once every other month. (Long story short--I have more time on my hands these days than is typical for me.)

Also, if thinning hair is an issue, you may want to look into Jamaican Black Castor oil. I had an odd spot just above my hairline where my hair was almost bald. It was a small spot that was easily covered, but *I* noticed it, and it always bothered me. Anyway, I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't taken pictures, but the spot is definitely filling in after massaging JBCO on it a few times a week. It's hard to get in stores, but has been totally worth it for me (I get it from Ayur Natural Beauty, where I get a few other things. I get the plain one and add lavender and rosemary essential oil to it to curb the smokey smell and for added growth benefits, but you can also buy it with lavender already in it.

Hope this helps.

Thanks , this did help a lot! I guess it's trial and error the first few times and finding the best products. I'll try every other week and see how that goes and look into the products you mentioned.

I was kind of bummed because my cheap conditioner turned out to be shampoo! I thought I grabbed the suave coconut cream conditioner but grabbed the shampoo instead. Anyhow, the Henna washed out smoothly. I followed up with my natural no suds shampoo from Hair Rules, and now I am on to my deep conditioner from Biolage, after that back to hair rules leave in conditioner and then my two strand twists and set on some rollers to air dry (some of my hair is wavy and not curly at all so it needs extra help). Hope it comes out softer and stronger.

I did notice after my wash that the curls seemed to fall out a bit, so I do need to get that Amla powder for the next go around.

I'll share finale pictures once I am all done.

Thanks again!