Soon to be Henna-er

Clearly I'm the only one awake, but..... I just bought henna! Woot! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] If it comes before my b-day I will be henna'd! Hehe [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I am too excited, my hair needs a boost of some kind and I think henna may be what I need. For 6 months I have been a wuss, afraid my hair would lose it's dark, shiny-ness! But after lots of research, a decrease in natural sheen, and shedding (discontinued BC pills), I have decided to be an adult and do it! Any advice, recipes, from experienced henna users will be greatly appreciated!

Night Ladies [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

This website helped me a lot http://www.hennaforhair.com/ along with the Henna threads on the CN forum.

The bottom section of http://www.butters-n-bars.com/henna4hair.html has some helpful info

Thanks tiashauntee! I had never read the butters and bars page. I downloaded that long Henna for Hair ebook! I'm on page 29! 30 more to go LOL.
I'm nervous about it, LOL. But I'm excited too!

The henna for hair ebook was what pushed me to finally try henna. I didn't read the whole thing as I thought some of it was common sense and some of it didn't apply to me.

I can't wait to hear how you like it! Well I hope you like it lol

The next time I'm going to try the yogurt idea. I'm going to do a henna gloss today after seeing Courties results

So.....
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It came! I am about to mix it right now. I will post pics of my mixture, with my mix-in details. From what I've read, it's best to mix and let it sit overnight, so the dye can be released [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] . I will keep you all posted.

So it sat overnight and now its in:
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I wrapped it:
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And now I'm going to eat dinner, put on my heat cap and get ready for Flash Forward to come on LOL

Can I just borrow your dimples lol? J/K I can't wait to see your results!

LOL. I used to hate my dimples as a kid, I wanted chubby cheeks instead!

So, I'm in love! This is my henna recipe:

100g Jamila Henna
2 cups of steeped green tea (1 regular, 1 mint)
3 Tbsp castor oil

This worked wonderfully. The mixture was smooth and the application was easy (minus my light orange hands/nails...no gloves!). I left it in for an hour w/no heat and 2.5 hours w/heat. It rinsed out easily and I used Suave tropical coconut for cowashing, which I did 3 times. I then massaged in Lekair cholesterol and rinsed it out. I then applied a mix of Lekair cholesterol, Aussie Moist 3 minute miracle and coconut oil for a deep treatment w/heat. I am currently still sitting w/ my heat cap.
I must say that my hair was extra smooth, super shiny and I had much less shedding. And the curls from my shed hair were poppin' Woot! Woot!
Shed hair before henna:
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Shed hair after henna:
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Notice, the first hair ball is a big clump, the second has clearly defined curls!
My texture did seem a bit relaxed, but not too bad. I attribute it to the smoothing effects of the henna. The left side of my hair has been a totally different texture since I was a kid, so I expected it to get even straighter. It did, but the curls that are there, were poppin'! LOL
After I finish my DT I will be bantu knotting for tomorrow. I will post lots of lovely, shiny haired pics then!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] WOOT WOOT!! Glad you liked it! I always feel bad when people don't have a great experience with henna lol likes it my fault or something. ((Waiting to see pics of the bantu knots )

I bought my henna today as well. I am too impatient to order online so I got it from Whole Foods. I'll probably order my next treatment online because this one was about 6 bucks for 113 grams. Wish me luck ladies. I'm going to do it tomorrow. I'm hoping for shiny hair with a slight reddish tint in the sun.

@wild_honey, you are hoping for the same thing I am....shiny hair with a slight reddish tint in the sun. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I can hardly wait for summer and winter just started here in Michigan! I've done 3 henna treatments so far and I'm loving it!

Guys I definitely have shiny hair with a red tint! Woot! It worked!

Yay!!! The color was my favorite part!

I want to Henna but I'm scared to death. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] Hopefully I meet someone at the Meet n Greet this weekend that can help me too. I've read the tutorials and went to the sites that sale the Henna. I've never been one to wear color so I'm nervous about the tones of red/brown. Can I use the indigo and alma powder without henna? Will I get the same results or should I mix it in. Im mostly concerned about the amounts of each. I think once I get a picture of how much oil, tea, and other ingredients I need, I will be okay.

I think you can definitely use indigo and amla separately. But I think the henna has more strengthening properties!

I am impatiently waiting to try henna for the first time as well. I'm so ready for it to deliver so I can see how my hair will turn out! I ordered on-line through amazon.com in burgundy. The brand is Surya . But it's a cream. And all of the posts I've read so far have been about mixing it. I wonder how this will turn out for me???? My fingers & toes will be crossed! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Congrats @TerraD! I did my first henna treatment this weekend too, with a similar mix to yours (2 cups green tea and 4 tbsp castor oil). I LOVE it! My hair is so soft/shiny, and I could feel the difference almost immediately. Henna rocks, can't wait for my next one

My very first Henna arrived today! I have the Jamila 2009 just like TerraD and I also purchased Amla. Am I understanding this correctly: If I use Amla, my hair will end up darker, but if I don't use Amla I will get added color? I SO want color..my hair is naturally jet black..

My hair is already red.. kinda auburn I guess. I'm a little excited and worried at how red my hair will be!! LOL

What's the difference between Punjabi Prime and Jamila? Can we start a FAQ for the Henna section?

Hi there,
I personally spoke with the owner of the Jamila company (this was after I myself had purchased Punjabi Prime only to see it arrived in a jamila foil pack) and
He stated "The only two brands of henna produced by this company are Jamila date stamp and Henna for Hair"-end of quote
Osman Ali also stated that "many of companies that resell Jamila repackage it and relabel it to suit their needs"

Jamila or any BAQ(body art quality henna) is best for when you want color. If you don't want color but want to henna for the conditioning, strengthening aspect of it then you should try cassia or Jamila Henna for Hair. Cassia is from the same family as the henna plant and unless you have blond/white hair it will not color you. Jamila henna has a good sift but unlike 'date stamp Jamila or BAQ henna has a lower dye content so it conditions without the hassle of debris in your hair but little or no visible color.
HOPE THIS INFO IS HELPFUL,
Sharika