Don't really want dye release!

I just got my hair hi-lighted maybe 6 weeks ago and while I love henna for the conditioning and strengthening it does to my hair, I don't really want the color anymore. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions/mixes for just the conditioning of henna. I was thinking of only mixing it with water and maybe honey (like I usually do) but what do others think?

I'm with you on this sis. I am starting to really hate the red tint. You are right on on not using anything acidic to prepare your henna. Just plain water is fine. You can even give your hair/scalp an added benefit by infusing any herb of choice into your water. Oh yeah! You can always switch to using cassia, which in my opinion works really well in improving my hair. I can actually see my hair's health. Lastly, when you mix your henna, allow to sit for 1 hour and then apply to your hair, leave on for as little as 30 mins. to 4 hours. Experiment with the times.

LushAfroBush wrote:I'm with you on this sis. I am starting to really hate the red tint. You are right on on not using anything acidic to prepare your henna. Just plain water is fine. You can even give your hair/scalp an added benefit by infusing any herb of choice into your water. Oh yeah! You can always switch to using cassia, which in my opinion works really well in improving my hair. I can actually see my hair's health. Lastly, when you mix your henna, allow to sit for 1 hour and then apply to your hair, leave on for as little as 30 mins. to 4 hours. Experiment with the times.

Interesting, what kinds of herbs would you recommend? And I keep hearing about cassia (and amla for that matter) and was thinking of making a switch to that.

CF Chick BTW, your hair is very pretty and your "out"" style is very defined!

Now, I am not a henna guru, but I offer a few suggestions for you to consider since strengthening and conditioning are your goals (right?)

1. Bentonite (DB uses it in the deep conditioning masque) or Rassoul clay treatments (quick, easy, and immediate feeling of strong hair). The hair feels incredibly strong, yet soft. Less mess, less time invested, no worries of dye release. Just have to wash it thoroughly and condition well after like with henna.

2. Cassia - conditioning/strengthening benefits without the red dye consideration. Haven't used it personally, but read tons of experiences and people generally say the conditioning effect is shorter lived than with henna.

3. Henna with water and use immediately upon mixing. No reason to let it sit if you are not interested in dye release. I don't know what type of henna you use, but some henna, such as the Rajasthani I use releases quickly. I used some Saturday and it released in 1 hour (at least I noticed it in 1 hour, may have released before that). The more liquid additives and more highly viscous ingredients in the henna (coconut milk, honey, oils, etc.) the less color uptake.

4. Amla with henna - does tone down henna. 3 - 4 tablespoons per 100 grs. of henna is the recommended amount to use, but if you want to kick it up to 50/50 mix, this is probably more in line with maintaining the color you currently have. You also have the added benefit of retaining your curl pattern, if this is important to you.

5. Use amla only. No red color worries and it does. It is actually an astringent, but purports to encourage hair growth and healthy hair (very high Vitamin C content), but IMO, best used with other herbs for the strengthening effect.


6. I use several ayurvedic herbs weekly and several of them purport to strengthen and/or condition (bhringraj, brahmi, methi, shikakai are just a few that I have). The synergistic benefit of these herbs is undeniable. IMO, the benefit of using these herbs is in the combinations. There are pre-packed products with several of them. Goodrey Nurpur is one such product. Note: many of them include henna,such as the Goodrey Nurpur. You will also notice some of the ayurvedic oils and some of the herbs in a host of hair products, including conditioners like KB Luscious Locks and of course the "veda"" companies and others.

7. Use a protein condish - no color considerations/little time investment/less mess

The question I ponder is what is the level of saturation with the henna color and is it obvious to the human eye when you get there?

Hope something I've written is helpful.

naturalnolagirl1900 wrote:CF Chick BTW, your hair is very pretty and your "out"" style is very defined!

Now, I am not a henna guru, but I offer a few suggestions for you to consider since strengthening and conditioning are your goals (right?)

1. Bentonite (DB uses it in the deep conditioning masque) or Rassoul clay treatments (quick, easy, and immediate feeling of strong hair). The hair feels incredibly strong, yet soft. Less mess, less time invested, no worries of dye release. Just have to wash it thoroughly and condition well after like with henna.

2. Cassia - conditioning/strengthening benefits without the red dye consideration. Haven't used it personally, but read tons of experiences and people generally say the conditioning effect is shorter lived than with henna.

3. Henna with water and use immediately upon mixing. No reason to let it sit if you are not interested in dye release. I don't know what type of henna you use, but some henna, such as the Rajasthani I use releases quickly. I used some Saturday and it released in 1 hour (at least I noticed it in 1 hour, may have released before that). The more liquid additives and more highly viscous ingredients in the henna (coconut milk, honey, oils, etc.) the less color uptake.

4. Amla with henna - does tone down henna. 3 - 4 tablespoons per 100 grs. of henna is the recommended amount to use, but if you want to kick it up to 50/50 mix, this is probably more in line with maintaining the color you currently have. You also have the added benefit of retaining your curl pattern, if this is important to you.

5. Use amla only. No red color worries and it does. It is actually an astringent, but purports to encourage hair growth and healthy hair (very high Vitamin C content), but IMO, best used with other herbs for the strengthening effect.


6. I use several ayurvedic herbs weekly and several of them purport to strengthen and/or condition (bhringraj, brahmi, methi, shikakai are just a few that I have). The synergistic benefit of these herbs is undeniable. IMO, the benefit of using these herbs is in the combinations. There are pre-packed products with several of them. Goodrey Nurpur is one such product. Note: many of them include henna,such as the Goodrey Nurpur. You will also notice some of the ayurvedic oils and some of the herbs in a host of hair products, including conditioners like KB Luscious Locks and of course the "veda"" companies and others.

7. Use a protein condish - no color considerations/little time investment/less mess

The question I ponder is what is the level of saturation with the henna color and is it obvious to the human eye when you get there?

Hope something I've written is helpful.

Wow, thanks for taking the time to give all this information. I'm leaning more towards the use of amla and cassia at this point. The henna I use is an Indian store brand that releases rich reds really quickly and I liked it but I really like my hi-lights and do not want them to change just yet. I tend to stay away from protein treatments because they seem to just make my hair hard and brittle.

but thanks so much for providing alternatives!