Henna Hair Coloring Tips
Henna hair dye  
By Doris Möller
 

• How to remove henna from your hair
• How to avoid picking the wrong henna color
• A tip to make henna color more effective
• Can you perm over henna in your hair

Henna colors hair by attaching itself to the cuticle (the outside of the hair) of the hair and is therefore considered a semi permanent hair color. (A permanent hair color will penetrate the cuticle and deposit pigments. The pigment molecules expand and get locked into the hair and therefore cannot wash out).
 
Typically semi permanent hair colors wash out (if they really are a semi n permanent hair color) after several shampoos. Henna, because it has a different kind of chemical make up, lasts longer.
 
Henna does not have a variety of different colors such as brown, chestnut, wheat, gold blonde, burgundy, black or neutral. Henna has only one color and that is a red-orange color. The reason why you see different henna hair colors in the drugstore is because they have been mixed with other organic material, such as indigo which is a plant that produces a violet blue dye, rhubarb (to create blonde tones) or powdered senna for neutral tones.
 
You can easily make a mistake with henna if you don't know which color to use. If you're not careful, you can have a color on your hair that you don't like. Now you have carrot red hair. What to do? How can you get it out of your hair?
 
Bleaching (removes the pigments from your hair) your hair to remove that unwanted color it is not a good option. The technique of bleaching your hair is tricky and you could be left with a yellow, light brassy gold or orange color. Of course you cannot leave your hair like that. It looks bad. What you need to do is add pigments by coloring your hair with a permanent hair color. Sounds complicated? Well it is. This process will affect the condition of your hair by making it porous.
 
There is also a different kind of color remover. This type of color remover will only remove the artificial pigments from your hair and not your own pigments. Unfortunately, this color remover only works with permanent hair colors.
 

The best way to remove henna from your hair
 

Here is the formula for removing henna:
 
Step 1: Start with clean, dry hair. Apply alcohol (rubbing alcohol 70% proof from the drug store) all over your hair. Put the alcohol in a cup or bowl. Take a piece of cotton wool and dip it into the alcohol. Squeeze it out a little bit so it doesn't drip and apply it section by section to the hair. (About one inch wide sections). This ensures that no part of your hair will be left out.
 
Step 2: Now, fill an applicator bottle with castor oil. Apply it over the hair that has been saturated with the alcohol. If you don't have an applicator bottle use a bowl and apply it section by section, making parts. Put on a shower cap and sit under a hot dryer or heating cap for 30 minutes.
 
Step 3: Shampoo your hair twice and rinse well. Towel dry and apply rubbing alcohol again. Wait 10 minutes. Shampoo and rinse well and apply a conditioner.
 
This method is not damaging to your hair. Neither the alcohol nor the castor oil is capable of lifting the cuticle (outer layer of your hair) which would be damaging. Because this method removes the moisture and natural oil from your hair, you will need to apply a conditioner afterwards.
 

How to avoid picking the wrong henna color
A few tips on how to choose the correct henna color
 

1. Determine the level of your hair color. Is it light blonde, platinum blonde, medium brown or black? Compare your hair color to swatches of a color chart in the drug store to find the correct level.
 
2. Now, choose a henna tone that is close to your own hair color. If your own hair color is a very light blonde and you use a mahogany or red sunset henna color, your hair will become carrot red. Henna will then give you that strong carrot red tone that doesn't really look good.
 
If you choose a henna tone that is close to your own hair color you will never go wrong. Using this method will save you a lot of time and heartache.
 
3. Remember that you cannot make your own hair color lighter with henna. For example if your hair is dark brown and you put a "red sunset" color on it, it will not make any difference, other than perhaps giving you a slight warm tone. (If you want that color use a permanent color). This is another reason why the best method is to match henna to your own hair color.
 

A tip to make your henna color more effective
 
Mixing henna
 

• Empty the henna into a heavy glass or porcelain bowl (a heavy bowl prevents it from sliding). Add hot coffee to the powder and stir it into a creamy paste with your tint brush. Add an egg yolk and lemon juice (or vinegar) and mix it all together.

• Apply the henna on your clean, towel dried hair section by section. Put a shower cap (prevents it from drying out) over your hair and leave it on your hair for 30 to 45 minutes.
   

Perming over henna in your hair, can you?
 
Yes, you can, if the henna you have used is a genuine henna hair color.
Because henna is considered an organic hair color and the coloring ingredient that stains your hair (Lawsania Inermis) is very different from the coloring agent of a regular semi permanent hair color, many people think that this may interfere with a permanent wave lotion. However, it does not. Therefore you can perm over natural henna color. What it will do though is remove some of the henna coloring from your hair.
 

When not to perm over henna :
  

When you buy your henna hair color you have to make sure that you buy genuine henna and not a compound henna dye. Compared to natural henna, this type of henna has metallic salts added which will have an adverse reaction when they come into contact with perm lotion. Some of the metallic salts remain on the hair shaft after coloring. The metallic salt is added to make the color last longer.
 
Compound henna is also not compatible with hair bleach and permanent hair color.
 
How can you tell if you have metallic salts such as copper, nickel silver nitrate on your hair? Well, depending on the metal, your hair will turn either pink, purple or green when coming into contact with perm lotion, bleach or permanent hair color. The chemical reaction will also make it very hot and steamy.
 
Here is a test you can use on your hair (either cut off a few strands of hair or collect hair from your brush or comb) to see if the henna you used contains any metallic salts:
 
Make a mixture of peroxide and ammonia by mixing one ounce (30ml) of 20 volume peroxide and 20 drops of 28% ammonia and put the strands of hair into it.
 
If your henna color contains any metallic salts it will change color or get very hot. For example if it contained silver nitrate it will leave a green cast, copper will cause a bad smell and damage the hair extensively.