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Natural Henna Hair Color

Hair stains offer a different coloring option.  They aren’t as long-lasting or as consistent, but they are safer for the skin and don’t require the use of toxic petrochemicals. Henna, a plant chosen by the ancient Egyptians, Persians and Indians for its redorange color and deep-staining properties, is still the most popular ingredient in natural hair coloring products. In its pure, unadulterated form, henna leaves are dried and ground up into a greenish-gray powder that makes a paste when mixed with hot water (100 g henna/300 ml water). Compound henna though, may contain henna with undesirable ingredients such as lead acetate, silver nitrate, copper, nickel, cobalt, bismuth and iron salts. Dyes with lead acetate gradually deposit a mixture of lead sulfide and lead oxide on the hair shaft. Lead is a neurotoxin and should be avoided.

Of all the natural hair colors, henna color is probably the most commonly used. It is a natural red-toned dye that comes from the leave of the medicinal plant Lawsonia. Henna color does not permanently change the natural color of the hair, but rather stains the outer cuticle.

Henna Powder

Henna usually come in powder form, and is mixed with warm water until it has a paste like consistency. This paste is applied to the leaves and the texture and color of your own hair. The result of henna color on all shades of brown hair is excellent, and a marvelous rich red glow can be achieved. Black hair, too, becomes warmer and richer. Henna should not be used on blonde, bleached or grey hair.

It is best to have a professional do the job since it is difficult to judge the development rate of henna. And a trained colorist might add something to the mixture-lemon juice, a walnut infusion or black coffee, for example – to make the final tones richer or deeper.

There are other natural products that can be used to give the hair a lift. A final rinse of lemon juice will bring out really pale highlights on naturally blonde hair, as will a rinse of chamomile tea bag or flower heads and infuse in boiling water. When the mixture is cool, use it as a rinse after shampooing. Also good for blonds is a marigold infusion, made by adding boiling water to crushed flower heads. This will introduce golden honey tones to fair hair. Do not expect dramatic results from herbal rinses, but enjoy the natural shine and glow they give to the hair.

Note that henna always colors the hair red or reddish orange. When mixed with other plants, called rangs, it is possible to get a variety of natural shades. Brown can be achieved by adding woad (a flowering plant or the blue dye it produces), walnut, amla (Indian gooseberry) or indigo (blue or purple dye from the indigo plant). Yellow or blond effects result from the addition of chamomile, saffron, Cassia obovata and rhubarb root. Normally, henna paste is left on the hair from 15 minutes to two hours. If the hair fibers are covered with waxy or oily substances (such as silicone-based or paraffin-containing styling products, olive oil, etc.), the process takes longer and has much more variable results because the stains may not stick to the hair fibers. Conversely, dry or previously processed hair is more porous and will allow color   molecules to penetrate the cuticle. People with allergies to any of the plant extracts should be aware of these added components to henna packaging.

For example those with nut allergies should not use ground walnut hulls with henna.