Henna Red Powder (Lawsonia inermis) - 100g

• Ultimate natural hair colourant - produces a warm natural red tone
• Can also be used as a natural colourant in many DIY cosmetics

The colour you get will depend on the natural colour of your hair. Because the red-orange dye molecule is binding to the keratin that surrounds the pigmented hair core, the resulting colour is different for every strand of hair, and for every person. The henna stain is translucent, and blends with your own colour. Hennaed hair looks like you grew it yourself.

Henna works wonders on African hair. It does not dye the hair red but it does give highlights relaxes the hair and makes it silky.

• Mix henna with enough lemon juice to make a paste as thick as mashed potatoes. Bottled lemon juice will work just as well as squeezing all those lemons. If your skin is sensitive to lemon and is itchy after using henna, use orange juice, grapefruit, or some liquid less acidic than lemon juice. Mildly acidic herbal teas with some lemon will do just fine.
• Don’t mix your henna with boiling water. The stain from henna mixed with boiling water will fade to a lame brassy orange. The stain from henna mixed with lemon juice will gradually darken into a rich, natural deep red color. Leave your henna mixture at room temperature for about 2 hours. When you are ready to use henna paste, stir in a little more lemon juice or a fragrant tea to make the paste about as thick as yoghurt consistency.




Remember
Don’t be stingy with the mix. Thicker, longer applications mean richer color. If you like, you can do the roots only a few times between full hair applications. Wear gloves because this will stain your hands. You can easily rinse hair if you lie down in a full bath and swish hair around. Then rinse the rest with shower or hand shower. This works on beards and moustaches, too!

100g will dye short hair
200g dye collar length straight hair.
300g will dye shoulder length straight hair.
500g will dye waist length hair.

• Apply the mix thick into the sections, like putting frosting on a cake. Make sure all your hair is thickly coated with the mix, clear down to the scalp. This technique is very different from chemical dye application. Don’t be afraid to get messy. Don’t be afraid to use plenty of henna. This process is relaxing, cooling; there is medical test evidence that henna is relaxing, and can soothe headaches.
• When all of your hair is full of mix, wrap your head, clean off your hairline and ears, and rest for 2-4 hours. If your hair is very resistant to dye, you can keep it on longer.
• Then wash the henna mix out of your hair. If you have very long hair, and have a hard time getting all the henna out, lie down in a bathtub full of water and soak for a while. Then it will rinse out easily. You can shampoo the last of the henna out. You don’t need to use any particular shampoo.
• If you want to get rid of the smell of henna in your hair: simmer a teaspoon of lavender buds or rosemary in water, strain out the plant residue and, rinse your hair with lavender or rosemary tea.
• Your hair will take 3 days to settle into the true color. If you like, you can do the roots a few times between full hair applications. You can henna your hair as often as you like. Henna is good for you and your hair.