Coloring hair black with henna/ indigo?

Question

My hair is dark brownish red, and is damaged from all the permanent dying and highlighting i've done to it. I have a few questions about henna hair dye: Where can I get it? Can I dye my hair black with it? Is it very damaging to my hair? How long does it last? And maybe some tips on dyeing it. And how much would it cost?

Answer 1

Hi! Im from Kashmir, where we henna our hair frequently, so i do know quite a bit about it.

Here are your answers:

Where can I get it?

You can buy it from you local Halal Meat Market, or your local desi/indian/pakistani/persian store.

Or you can buy them online or from the mall from LUSH:

http://usa.lush.com/cgi-bin/lushdb/catzo...

Can I dye my hair black with it?

No, henna gives your hair a red tint.

Is it very damaging to my hair?

Not at ALL. Henna is MAINLY used to condition your hair! It makes it silky, VERY shiny (thats the main thing), and smell nice.

How long does it last?

Around 6 months+

Instructions (My grandma taught me):

Mix the powder into water to create something that looks like lumpy mud, but smells amazing, drop in egg yolk for conditioning and leave it in a bowl overnight to sit. Wash your hair the night before and make sure it is dry before you apply it the next day.

Day 2: Get someone else to apply it all over your hair, from the roots to the tips and put a plastic bag over your head. Make sure you puncture the bag in 2/3 places so your hair breathes.

Let it soak in your hair for at least 4 hours.

Wash it out completely and use an old towel.

Its almost impossible to wash out all the henna in one go, so you might have to shampoo 3 to 4 times.

I suggest henna'ing your hair as often as you can- maybe once every month to get shinier and better conditioned hair.

Another easier remedy is using olive oil. Massage in pure olive oil and lit it sit for about an hour, and was out completely. This should be done  weekly, or in your case (since you hair sounds pretty damaged- bi weekly.)

If you have nay questions, feel free to email me!

Answer 2

I get great henna here. I only mix with orange juice and it turns out soft and shiny.http://www.hennacaravan.com/shop/hair.ht...