I think Henna Broke My Hair Off!

I dont blame you for being afraid to try it again but, maybe your hair was just too dry and when you flatironed it , the heat dried it out even more.You bought your henna from a reputable source so thats not it.If you dont need the color maybe you should try cassia instead.What did you deep condition with and how long did you leave it on for?

Just a few suggestions if you ever want to give it another go:

1. Don't leave it on overnight. Let it sit for 12 hours to release dye and then apply on hair for 2-3 hours only. Overnight may have been too much for your hair especially if it is fine.

2. I've done the green tea and honey before. It's fine but my hair was less dry when I mixed the henna with coconut milk only. You might want to give that a try. Natural yoghurt is another suggestion.

3. I'm not familiar with your DCs. Are they deeply moisturising? You'd want something similar to Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose. Try adding oils to the DC such as coconut oil, EVOO. If you have any Aloe Vera gel on hand then add that too - I find it very moisturizing!

4. Keep co-washing daily thereafter until you are happy with your hair's moisture level.

Very good advice. Thank you!

@itsmedcj- what was the henna you used?

@r2d2- I've henna'd twice and doing my 3rd application soon and plan to use the coconut milk! I'll let you know how it goes!

itsmedcj, If you decide to henna again, consider using another deep conditioner. I've tried the curls line and it may not be moisturizing enough when you henna.

itsmedcj wrote:So I henna'ed (I guess that’s how you spell it) Last summer twice. I believe with 1 or 2 weeks in between. The first time my hair felt dry and stiff. I think it was because I didn't wash all the henna out. So I washed all the henna out. However when I did it the 2nd time, 2 weeks later, it still felt dry and stiff. I wash and wash and wash until it was no henna left. I also deep conditioned. Then I noticed maybe a couple months later that my hair was braking off in the middle when I tried flat ironing it. Doing the time that I did the heanna, I never used direct heat in my hair so I'm wondering what could have broken my hair off. The only thing I can think of is the henna. I'm kind of upset because I hear everyone having these wonderful results with the henna, but I didn't. I used green tea to mix it. I brought the henna for African American Hair off of the Mehandi site.

I have hair is really fine.

Does anyone have any advice on this or maybe had a similar problem? I want to try the henna again so I can get the good benefits, but I'm kind of scared....

Do you flat iron alot? The same thing happened to me pre-henna and I had to cut all my hair off. I kept flat ironing like a mad woman, on a daily basis with no heat protectant and sometimes twice a day. I only washed it once a month to maintain the look. I really needed a hair intervention. However, even after cutting my hair off, I still have the breakage in the middle. Additionally, I do have an iron deficiency and I am nursing, so it may be where my problem lies. I have just started henning(2x) and I can tell the difference in my hair already. I am addicted henna. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I really want to henna but I'm a little chicken. I'm five months post with a lot of relaxed hair. I don't want to damage my hair, but it always seems so dull since I've been transitioning. I've read that mixing conditioner with henna will help maintain moisture.

I didn't notice if you had deep conditioned after you cowashed the henna out? I think deep conditioning is a must after a henna treatment.

R2D2 wrote:Just a few suggestions if you ever want to give it another go:

1. Don't leave it on overnight. Let it sit for 12 hours to release dye and then apply on hair for 2-3 hours only. Overnight may have been too much for your hair especially if it is fine.

2. I've done the green tea and honey before. It's fine but my hair was less dry when I mixed the henna with coconut milk only. You might want to give that a try. Natural yoghurt is another suggestion.

3. I'm not familiar with your DCs. Are they deeply moisturising? You'd want something similar to Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose. Try adding oils to the DC such as coconut oil, EVOO. If you have any Aloe Vera gel on hand then add that too - I find it very moisturizing!

4. Keep co-washing daily thereafter until you are happy with your hair's moisture level.

I don't think I used a good DC. Also, i'm going to take the advice above and use coconut milk and leave it in for only 2 hours. I'm going to do it this Friday so I'll let you all know how it goes hopefully with a pic. Wish me luck.
Also, I only flat-ironed my hair once and it was months after the heanna. However, I won't be doing it again because one part of my hair is still semi-straight. My hair is too fine for that kind of direct heat.

I used coconut milk, amla powder, and green tea in my henna mix and I loved my results.. I also deep conditioned afterwards.. I will be doing my 3rd application this upcoming month.. I really liked the results that I got mixing with the coconut milk it seemed to make it a bit more moisturizing.. Hope the helps..

So I put the Jamlia heanna in yesterday and had good results. It defin enhanced my curl, not loosened it. Usually when heanna loosens your curl, is it a delayed reaction or do you notice it right away? I was just wondering. Anyway, I didn't notice the color until this afternoon when I was riding in the car. It's a auburn color now. I'm completely satisfied with my results and my hair very fine hair seems thicker. Thanks you all for your advice and thank you R2D2. I did the method you recommended, and it worked well.

I have some heanna left over. Any help on how to do a heanna gloss?

Medcj, reading your last post gave me hope lol! My first henna experience was pretty horrible too, glad it worked out for you

Thank you! After reading CN post on her site, I realized that a lot of people have not so good experineces with heanna. I guess it's finding out what works best for you and your hair. Keep hope alive (I was really press to type that)
P.S. Pic coming soon!!!!

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What lovely shine itsmedcj and I can really see the subtle henna colour coming through too. I'm glad you had a better time of it second time around by changing your mix and technique around.

When the curl is loosened, I always notice it right away. It's never a delayed reaction for me, in fact it's more the reverse. My hair becomes curlier again after several washes. However, henna is loosening especially after several applications and you might want to touch up most times after a while and only do full treatments every so often.

You are right that henna doesn't work for everyone. Sometimes they can try everything but still not get the result they want. That is true for every hair product or method though, it's a question of finding what works.