Questions about henna?

I tex-lax my hair, but I was considering a texturizer. I have 3c hair,
but tex-laxing it makes my hair 3b hair, which I love. I read about
henna on here but I am confused. It sounds interesting, but I do not
want red hair! I have dark brown hair and I'd like to keep it about the
same natural color. How does it work straightening the hair? How long
does it last? I read that people said it does not last very long. How
often do you do it? Do you just use pure henna and mix it yourself, or
can you buy the treatments at stores or beauty supply stores? Every post
I read does not clarify enough about it. With henna can I still retain
my 3b hair that tex-laxing my hair gives me? Thanks!

I'll try to answer the questions I know the answer to:

1. If you have dark brown hair, henna is not going to turn your hair red, but it may give it a red tint when light hits your hair the right way. But some women don't want that either. If you don't, try cassia- same strengthening and conditioning properties as henna. Either way, do a strand test before using. And do research. A good place for LOTS of information is here: http://www.hennaforhair.com/faq/index.html and throughout that website.

2. Some women say that henna loosens there curls. I've never had this experience. On the website above, Catherine (the website admin) says that amla can bring your curls back but I would do more of your own research on that front.

3. The how long does it last is always a hard one b/c there's no one right or easy answer. I do a henna treatment once a month. Some women do it every 2 weeks and some women do it every other month. It all depends. Henna strengthens and conditions your hair and I'm not sure anyone can say EXACTLY how long those attributes last. From a color perspective (which you're not interested in), henna lasts indefinitely... it is not a temporary color, it is permanent. Now, the color may change (which I can only see on my gray hair, not on my dark brown hair) but that's part of the oxidation process.

4. DO NOT BUY HENNA already mixed from beauty supply stores and the like. Those products are prone to NOT be pure BAQ henna (which is the only kind you should use in your hair. Some people buy from local indian stores, but a lot of women buy on-line from hennaforhair.com or butters n bars.

HTH

Honestly, it's hard to say what effect the henna will have on your curls as it depends on the individual. However, I've read that if curl loosening happens, it is more likely to happen to those starting out with type 3 hair. I have definitely noticed a curl loosening effect. I reckon before henna I was a 3c/4a mix - now my hair all appears to be type 3c. I don't really want to lose any more curl so I'm moving to alternating between a few touch ups and then a full treatment every 2-3 months or so.

The way it happens is that henna progressively coats the hair strand with every treatment, weighing it down, which stretches out the curl. It may have an advantage over a texturiser because it is not a relaxer which I understand breaks down the protein in your hair to make it straight(er) and therefore could be less potentially damaging for your hair in the long term.

Also you can tone down the red by adding indigo powder to your henna mix. Some people even add cocoa powder or brewed coffee to tone down the red.

Edited to add: I follow this blog by a natural hair sister who is also a scientist. She explains how it works:

http://thenaturalhaven.blogspot.com/2009/04/henna-curl-loosening-theory.html

by R2D2
Yesterday at 11:13 pmEdited to add: I follow this blog by a
natural hair sister who is also a scientist. She explains how it works:

http://thenaturalhaven.blogspot.com/2009/04/henna-curl-loosening-theory.html

I may be a big dork, but this blog post is the coolest thing I've ever seen. I love the visuals!

I am thinking about using henna on my hair. My type of curl is a 4b, and I think a loosening curl would look nice. I'm 14 years old, and I was wondering if using henna on my hair at this age would be fine. I was also wondering if I should do the BC before using henna. I've read in some blogs that henna repairs your permed ends, and in others that henna can have harsh effects on them. Do you have any specific henna brands you would recommend to a henna newcomer? Thank you

I have henna in my freezer, and my question is what is the process I should use to thaw out my henna? Sorry...if this has been posted, but I couldn't find it...

TIA

I sat my frozen henna out for a few hours and it was fine. It didn't take as long as I thought to thaw. If it's hot where you are maybe you can sit it in your garage or out on the porch for a few hours.

Hello,
I was reading information on Henna and its effects on hair (on the website mentioned above). There is much mentioned about the types of hair (4b,4c,3c etc.) I would like to know what type of hair I have before I henna. I have a lot of hair but it is fine and curly/wavy with pomade. Where can I find this information regarding hair type. I would hate to get that "soul glow" look as the result... lol

to find out your type of curl, check out naturallycurly.com you'll see a little green button on the left hand side of the home page, that'll be asking you "What is your hair type?". Click that, and read the instructions. This is where I found out my hair type

Thankyou KinkyDO21 for sharing the information, it was great help.