The recent surge in the number of people highlighting or dying their hair makes it seem like hair coloring is a recent phenomenon. However, this isn’t true. The art of hair coloring is centuries old! In the ancient times, people simply used plant-drives natural dyes like Henna and Indigo to dye their hair. 

Among all-natural dyes used across the world, Henna is the most popular and it isn’t without reason. Apart from being an amazing ingredient to naturally dye hair, henna also strengthens, conditions and nourishes your hair from deep within!

Are you thinking of using henna on your hair? If yes, then this guide to using henna to dye and condition your hair will educate you about the various benefits of applying henna on your hair, guide you how to color your hair using henna dye and conclude with some of the best Henna hair masks that you can use to condition your hair. 

WHAT IS HENNA?

Henna, also known as Hina, is an evergreen and flowering plant which belongs to the loosestrifes family. Even though most people associate Henna’s origin with India as it forms an integral tradition of Indian weddings, the origin of Henna using henna for beauty purposes was in Egypt. 

The earliest use of Henna was in 1200 BC when it was used to dye the hair and nails of pharaohs. It’s even said that Cleopatra herself used henna to adorn her body. For centuries, mehndi—the art of painting henna on the body—has been believed to bring love, good fortune, prosperity, and protect the wearer against all evil.

Henna is originally grown in Asia and the Mediterranean region, but today, it can also be found in the tropical and semi-arid regions around the world. Heena Manufacturer in India are required to grow heena at  temperatures of 35 to 45 degrees celsius and grows on deep, sandy soil to ensure optimal production of pigment on the leaves. These leaves are dried and crushed to make a fine powder that provides the red-ish brown dye. This powder is mixed with other natural ingredients like black tea to color the hair.

It’s important to note that there are actually three varieties of henna - Natural henna, neutral henna, and black henna.

Natural henna also known as red henna, produces a rich-brown stain that can darken in the days after it is first applied. Natural henna is a pure form of henna unlike neutral or black henna which may not actually contain henna, but are instead made from other plants or dyes. If you want to dye your hair naturally, without causing any damage from harmful chemicals, this is the henna that you should use.

Neutral henna as the name itself specifies, this kind of henna doesn’t give any kind of colour to the hair. This powder is not from the plant Henna, instead, it is from a plant called Senna Italica. Some people use it as an alternative to henna when they want to condition their hair naturally without dyeing. 

Black henna is derived from Indigo and can contain unlisted dyes and chemicals such as PPD (para-phenylenediamine). PPD stains skin black quickly but can cause severe allergic reactions and permanent scarring if left on for more than 2–3 days. If you don’t like the red tint that comes with using henna and want to dye your hair black, we recommend that you use only pure indigo powder. You can dye your hair black naturally by using Indigo Powder and Henna Powder.

Read - How to use Henna Powder and Indigo Powder as a Natural Hair Dye?

BENEFITS OF USING HENNA FOR HAIR

Henna, best known as one of the most popular beauty ingredients in India, has been taking care of most of our hair troubles since the times of yore. Women across the country have been taking their mother’s and grandmother’s advice on applying henna to their hair for years, if not centuries and reaping the benefits out of it. 

It is a go-to ingredient for every natural hair care enthusiast. But, did you know that apart from being an extremely fabulous ingredient for naturally dyeing hair, henna offers a lot of other benefits for hair? This versatile hair ingredient can be used for maintaining overall hair health. Let’s discover how henna helps boost overall hair strength and growth. 

1. Henna Maintains Scalp Health

Henna has a cooling effect on the scalp. The antifungal and antimicrobial properties of henna help in maintaining the scalp health by fighting against various scalp issues like dandruff, scalp itchiness, etc. It helps in removing impurities from the hair which further helps in preventing dandruff.

2. Henna Balances PH levels and Oil production

Not only does henna helps you in keeping issues like dandruff at bay, but it is also an excellent ingredient for balancing the pH and oil production of your scalp. It helps in removing the excess oils from your hair, unclogging follicles and restoring the normal functioning of the sebaceous glands.

3. Henna Curbs Hair Fall and Boosts Hair Growth

The boosted scalp health, balanced pH levels, and unclogged pores that we discussed above help put a stop to hair fall and promote healthy hair growth. Henna not only helps in growing your hair faster but also improves the texture of your hair.

4. Henna Strengthens And Repairs Hair

The nutrients in henna help repair hair damage while also nourishing your hair. It helps to seal the hair cuticle which results in hair locks that are more lustrous. This indeed helps in improving hair elasticity.

5. Henna Conditions Hair

Henna helps in building a protective barrier around each one of your hair shafts, locking in the moisture and keeping the hair conditioned. It can be very beneficial when we use it along with other hydrating ingredients. Henna helps in minimizing issues like split ends and hair breakage.

HOW TO MIX HENNA FOR HAIR?

While the leaves of the henna plant were used for hair care traditionally, modern India is now using henna powder instead to get the same benefits. All you need to do is ensure that you are using only 100% organic and pure Henna Powder. Any chemicals present in henna will impact the color you obtain on your hair and some of these chemicals could even cause hair damage. 

Ready to dye your hair with Natural Henna? Here is all you need to know about mixing henna for hair.

WHAT COLOR WILL I GET WHEN I USE HENNA TO DYE MY HAIR?

Henna’s coloring properties are due to Lawson, a burgundy organic compound that has an affinity for bonding with protein. The color that results from dying with henna can fall into a broad spectrum, from red to orange, burgundy, chestnut brown. The longer you keep henna on your hair, the deeper and stronger color you’ll get. If you wish to dye your hair black, use Henna Powder with Indigo powder.

HOW TO USE HENNA TO DYE YOUR HAIR?

Some brands recommend creating a mixture of Henna Powder and Indigo Powder to get brown hair. However, when you’re using Kama’s Natural Hair Colour, you only need to apply Henna to dye your hair brown naturally.

Follow these simple steps, to get brown to reddish brown hair. 

1. Soak the Henna Powder (100 gms for short hair, 200 gms for shoulder-length hair, 300 gms for long hair) in an iron skillet in Tea Water or Coffee Water overnight. (Adding coffee makes the red color of henna more visible.) 
2. Add a dash of Lemon Juice if you wish. Add Yoghurt or Egg for additional conditioning. 
3. On the next day, apply the paste on clean, product-free hair for 2 hours, depending on preferred intensity. 
4. Rinse well with water, repeating as many times as you intuitively need. Do not use shampoo.
5. Wash your hair with a cleansing shampoo the next day. You can choose shampoos with Ayurvedic ingredients like Hibiscus for hair. Unlike other shampoos, natural shampoos made from Hibiscus cleanse the hair without stripping the scalp from its natural oils.

Henna itself is an excellent ingredient for boosting hair growth and strength. But for extra nourishment and added benefits, you can use it in combination with other ingredients. Below are some henna hair pack recipes that you can make from the comfort of your home.