I think I’ve hennaed my hair a total of three times this entire year. Since I’ve raved consistently about the benefits of henna for healthy hair, it’s pretty sad that I didn’t have the time to use henna more this year. Well I’ve decided to get back on my henna game, and I figured I’d also share how I plan to do this as I don’t see my schedule getting any lighter any time soon.
As some of you may know, I’ve been using henna since March 2010. With all of my crazy hair experiments and DIY hair concoctions, experimenting with henna has been one of my favorites for healthy hair care. I think one of the reasons I did not squeeze in any additional henna treatments this year is because I was also curious how my hair would fair without consistent use.
I used to henna my hair every month for a strengthening treatment without fail, so after my third henna treatment this year, I’ve noticed four major differences in my hair with infrequent use of henna.
1. Frizz
Henna has always made my hair less frizzy, while also giving my curls more definition. I’ve definitely noticed that my hair has been overall much more frizzy this year. Because the henna dye coats the hair strand, and fills in weak areas in the hair cuticle, the hair becomes smoother overall while frizz literally becomes a thing of the past. I’ve pretty much embraced my frizz to the fullest this year, yet at the same time I can’t deny my love for henna. Plus the benefits of henna outweigh my love for frizz.
2. Less Shine
Along with henna’s frizz elimination comes shinier hair. After my third henna treatment, which was this past weekend, the increase of shine in my hair was one of the things I instantly noticed.
3. Tighter Curls/Shrinkage
My curls have been tighter overall since I cut it short this spring, and continued to play around with different yet subtle hair shapes/cuts much of the year. The hair closer to my roots did not have nearly as many henna applications as my ends prior to the cut. The weight of longer curly hair does change the overall appearance of curls as well as minimize shrinkage some. Without the continued use of henna and lack of length obviously resulted in tighter curls.
I actually LOVE my tight curls, especially when they aren’t tangling up with each other. So I have decided to begin adding amla powder to my henna treatments as amla is known to prevent curl loosening when using henna especially if you have finer hair strands like I do. With the continued use of henna, coconut milk, and now amla, I will be able to share my results in this regard over the next year as well as a new henna recipe.
4. Lack of Strength
I’ve put my hair through a lot of experimentation especially since January 2014 when I began water only hair washing. Now that I’m done with experimenting, I’m going back to a hair regimen that provides consistent results. I’ve noticed the difference in the strength of my hair or lack there of most when detangling my hair.
Getting Back in the Game!
So my plan is to do full henna treatments with henna and coconut milk adding amla powder every 2-3 months which is only 4-6 full treatments over the course of the year. Outside of that I’d like to add about a tablespoon of henna to my weekly DIY deep conditioning treatments. That way I can give my hair some of the benefits of using henna without having to spend as much time with the process. Henna has been much too good to my hair not to use it in some form or another!
What has been your experience using henna for hair care or natural color?
Find an abundance of articles on henna here!
(Image by Dawn Michelle)
Autumn says
Hello there! This article was right on time for me as “the henna force has been weak with this one”. I’ve been more or less “water-only” with my wash regimen and wondered if you’ve ever tried rinsing henna without using a conditioner or something like a conditioner? If so ( or even if you haven’t ^_^), do you have any recommendations?
Thanks for the awesome site!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Autumn,
I have used both a DIY deep conditioner such as banana/coconut milk after a henna and I’ve also done hot oil treatments. On occasion I have just rinsed with water as well, yet most of the time I was better off doing something afterwards. Happy hennaing and so glad this was on time for you!
CD says
You mentioned here and in a previous post a new streamlined hair care regimen now that you’re done experimenting with water only hair washing. I would love to know what your new regimen is… : )
Dawn Michelle says
Hi CD,
I’m still working through all of the details of a new hair regimen. I also want to make sure that it has good results before sharing it. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!
Evelina says
I starten using henna and indigo about 2 years ago to dye my har black. Commercial har dye just destroyed my hair, and I found henna and indigo to be much better. However, I didn’t really achieve the black color I was after. I kept on trying, thinking it would eventually darken, which it did. But then I started googling, searching for tips on ways to enhance the recipe. That’s when I found your blog entry and read about using coconut milk with henna. I tried it and… well, I’m never going back! Not only is it much easier to apply the paste as well as rinsing it out, I do think the dye is released quicker. 2 maybe 3 hours, and my hair is pretty much just the way I want it! With additional moisture and shine courtesy of the coconut milk. I can’t thank you enough for sharing that henna advice!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Evelina,
This is so great to hear! This henna recipe has been my go-to almost six years now. I’m so glad that you have been enjoying its benefits too!
Laura says
Hello! I love your henna guidance. I tried the coconut milk with henna recipe last time I dyed my hair and you are spot on about the immediate dye release. It really held on my hair, even over the grays, to be honest I was quite surprised. Henna can dry my hair, and the coconut milk really seemed to help offset this.
I really want to try adding some amla powder next time. I was hoping you could share your recipe? I’m not sure how much amla to mix in or what the ratio should be to henna/ amla/ coconut milk/ oil. I’d really appreciate the guidance. Thanks!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Laura,
This is so great to hear and I will definitely share my henna recipe with amla once I’ve mastered it. Happy hennaing!
Leanne says
Hi Dawn,
Happy 2016 to you! Loving your posts as always! While reading of your henna experience has been encouraging I’ve decided to give it up, I find it way too difficult to wash out and has given my hair a sort of dirty brown colour which I didn’t like. I will be adding more natural oils to my hair regime and I’ll definitely try some of your DIY hair rinses. All the best!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Leanne,
Happy new year! Did you mix henna with coconut milk when you did try it? I find it is extremely easy to rinse with this mix. You can try honey to help remove the henna color if you didn’t like the color that it gave your hair. Regardless natural oils and hair rinses are amazing for hair too. Hope all is well and have a wonderful week!
cocogirl says
Do you use henna alone or a henna and indigo mix? I ask because your hair is primarily brown whereas henna alone generally produces more red, rose, or mahogany color on naturally brown or dark brown hair. If you are using indigo too, what is your quantity of henna to indigo mix? Thanks in advance.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Cocogirl,
I’ve been adding amla powder to my henna and coconut milk mix to darken the henna color overall. I’ve just recently started this and am still figuring out the best ratios of amla to add. Also my hair is a pretty dark shade to begin with and I’ve been using henna for a long time and I think the color deepens with each application. Best wishes!
Micarae says
I love henna! I love your site! It’s so informative. I have henna’d more in the past 2 years than in my whole hair journey since I started reading your site, lol. I have been using the Godrej Nupur one, since finding out about it and it being so accessible on Amazon. It’s so easy to see my newgrowth now (with a 5 yr old and more gray hair lol) when I henna. Right now, I have a lil over half an inch, and I henna’d on 1/1/16 so I could start my documentation off right this year. My last application before January, was 10/9/15. I usually henna about every 3-4 months, or every 1.5 inch to 2 inches of newgrowth. Thanks for the update! Your hair and cut are both gorgeous!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Micarae,
Henna is so wonderful for keeping your hair strong for length retention when on a healthy hair journey. I’m so glad that you’ve been enjoying the benefits of henna too. Sounds like you are making wonderful progress as well. Also thank you so much for your kind words. You are too sweet. I hope you are having a beautiful day!
Lisa says
Hi Dawn,
I truly love your blog. I check it weekly now for tips on how to work towards a minimalist lifestyle. I have to admit I found it because of your water only washing, but have since also moved away from it. I’m trying to move to herbal haircare, and I’ve even gotten myself some Henna to try this! But I can’t seem find something I can use to add moisture to my hair on a daily basis. I use Flaxseed gel after i cleanse my hair, but what do you use in between washes (although that may only be a day or two)?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Lisa Hanna,
I have been adding small amounts of oil to my hair daily at night to keep my hair flexible. I have been recently sealing in the moisture on wash day with an oil. I’ve actually been also using small amounts of shea butter again for this as well. I’ve decided to wear my hair up while I’m at it too since shea butter can sometimes break me out especially wearing bangs and hair down all around my face. Shea butter is amazing for my hair though and I’m trying to find a way to keep it in my life even if I have to live that “bun life” in the meantime. If your hair likes shea butter definitely give it a try. Hope this helps!
Lisa says
Hi Dawn,
I truly love your blog. I check it weekly now for tips on how to work towards a minimalist lifestyle. I have to admit I found it bacause of your water only washing, but have since also moved away from it. I’m trying to move to herbal haircare, but can’t find something I can use to add moisture to my hair on a daily basis. I use Flaxseed gel after i cleanse my hair, but what do you use in between washes (although that may only be a day or two)?
Kimberly says
Hi Dawn Michelle,
You really should do video blogs or write a book on your journey. I see so many bloggers on shows and getting their own tv shows and they mostly are rehashing same information. You question the status quo, experiment and add twists and your unique, fresh perspective — and we all get the benefits. Just want to add that I’m looking forward to reading your new hair regime. I never tried the water only routine but I was especially about the sebum buildup adding strength, body and shine to the hair. I wonder if your new routine matches or improves the results. Naturally, we all want to know why you stopped water only. Thanks for all the brillant posts.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Kimberly,
I am looking forward to the next step for Minimalist Beauty and continuing to share my journey. I really appreciate your kind words and enthusiasm for what I have been doing so far. I do plan on sharing more in why I stopped water only hair washing. I am still tweaking my current hair regimen as well. It has been a big change after almost two years of water only. I hope all is well with you!
Laura (same Laura as below) says
Hi there. I went ahead and tried some amla power when I did my henna this month. I used 2.5 tablespoons with about 100g of henna and 1 can of coconut milk and .25 cup coconut oil. (this was too much oil by the way. I had to really scrub my hair the next day to get it back out.) I had to add a little more water to the mix because the coconut milk wasn’t enough to get the right consistency this time. (maybe the amla affected it?). I didn’t add my usual 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. I usually use it help the henna hold on my greys, but I read that it isn’t appropriate for use with amla. The color and consistency of my hair came out BEAUTIFUL. The amla darked the henna to a really nice auburn, whereas my previous application was a bit orangey, and my wavey/curly hair seems more bouncy than before. I’ll definitely keep using amla. Just thought you’d like to know my experimental results. Have fun perfecting your mixture!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Laura,
I no longer add any oil to my henna mix. I used to use 1/4 cup of hemp oil, but as my hair has become healthier overtime I found this to be unnecessary. I really like the color I get from adding amla to my henna mix though. I definitely need to experiment more with this over time though. Thanks so much for sharing your latest henna mix. Let me know what you think if you try it oil-free!
Lyn says
Hi,
I noticed that in some pix of your hair, your hair has a plum tone to it. It looks so cool! How do you get plum or cool burgundy tones with henna? Do you add hibiscus to the henna or something?
Thanks~!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Lyn,
The tones of using henna can vary with continued applications and your original hair color. It also can change slightly depending upon the year of the henna crop. I have been adding amla to my henna powder to darken the tone some recently. I am also playing around with ratios of amla to henna so I can share a new recipe on the blog. Because I don’t henna often though my experimenting is taking some time. Using hibiscus will create a beautiful burgundy shade which I wrote about here.
JayeJaye714 says
Hi Dawn,
It is so great to reconnect with you. I just started the water only hair cleansing method today and also want a very simple, yet effective hair regimen.
I have very soft, fine, thin natural hair. My goal for using the water only method is to get my hair moisture balanced and no more dry scalp, and incorporate herbs and natural oils as needed.
Can you assist me in coming up with a hair regimen that is moisturizing, easy and not too expensive, as I currently am unemployed.
How long will it be before you share your new regimen? Will it be over six months?
I have 3c/4a hair and also want to train my 15 year old daughter in taking care of her hair naturally. She is a 4a/4b.
I am so tired of being a product junky.
Thank you for the excellent resources you provide us here.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi JayeJaye714,
Hope you are well! I am not sure how long it will be until I share an updated hair regimen as I am still figuring some things out with my hair. As for water only hair washing I share so many details about that starting here although I no longer use this hair care method exactly. You can also find examples of all natural hair care regimen examples shared in this article. This regimen is the most cost effective regimen I’ve had to date. With water only hair washing just as any no ‘poo hair care method you will learn to listen to your hair and understand its needs. I honestly can’t help you create a regimen when I can’t see or touch your hair. Yet I can help guide you by sharing what I’ve learned with my own process which I’ve shared in Minimalist Beauty.
Best wishes!
Micquetia says
Hello I am looking into stating Henna on my hair. I am very much afraid because it’s something new of course and I don’t want my hair to break off. I saw that you add a little Henna to your weekly deep conditioner. Would you recommend I start off with this to build a tolerance of the Henna? Thank you
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Micquetia,
Before you begin using henna, you want to make sure that you are comfortable with henna tinting your hair red. Henna is an all natural hair color and conditioner. With repeated applications the color for henna will increase. If you are interested only in conditioning the hair use cassia.
Adding some henna to a conditoning treatment is an easy way to incorporate henna into your hair regimen. You can also do the same withe cassia which is often referred to as neutral henna but it is not from the same plant. I hope this helps.