How long does henna hang on your hair? How much to keep henna and how to use it?

For a long time women have been using henna as a quality natural hair dye. It is widely used in various countries located in the Middle East and North Africa. You can buy the product in beauty shops, pharmacies, supermarkets and even order online. The dye is in demand, because henna looks pretty effective on the hair. How much to keep it during painting? How to use correctly and how much will the eye rejoice? All this in more detail in our article.

What is Henna and what does she look like?

Henna is a powder that comes from the leaves of the Lavonia, which grows mainly in countries with hot and arid climate (Iran, Egypt, African countries, India). The leaves are collected during flowering plants, they are dried, and then ground into a powder. To create henna use only the bottom dark green, and the upper light often used to create a dye for painting the body, namely mehendi. The composition of henna includes only two natural dyes:

• Green chlorophyll;
• Lavson yellow-red (up to 4%).

Also in henna there are additional substances, such as organic acids, various resinous substances, polysaccharides, fatty compounds, essential oils, vitamin C, etc. It can be stained at home and in a professional salon.

Thanks to the natural dye, the hair gets a well-groomed appearance, is absorbed by vitamins and useful substances, becomes much stronger and thicker. Staining with henna can reduce the formation of dandruff and does not cause various allergic reactions that can occur on chemicals contained in household dyes. If the hair began to noticeably thin, lost its luster and lost its beautiful appearance, make a choice in favor of natural dyes that can restore curls and improve their quality.

So, you got henna for hair (red color). How much to keep? What does the end result depend on? We will now talk about this.

Factors that affect the result of staining with henna

How much to keep henna in your hair? Before answering this question, let's look at some details. Having decided to repaint hair, to impregnate them with useful vitamins and essential oils, pay attention to such factors that can significantly affect the final result:

• Before painting, be sure to consider your natural hair color, which can play on the shade that will result from staining.
• How much should I keep henna in my hair? First, analyze the structure of the hair, because thin curls are much easier to color, the more dense and thick.
• Be sure to pay attention to the quality of the natural dye (the expiration date of the paint). The more fresh the powder, the better the color will be.
• How long does it take to keep henna in my hair? When painting, it is necessary to adjust the temperature (the colder the dye, the slower it will color the hair, and vice versa).
• How much should I keep henna in my hair? The answer to this question you will receive later. In no case do not neglect the account of the duration of staining (the longer henna is on the hair, the more intense the color will be).
• If the dye is to be mixed with other substances (basma or lemon juice), you must necessarily control the proportions.

If all these factors are taken into account, then it is simply amazing to look henna on the hair. How much to keep the dye? It is difficult to answer, since this is all individually, but there is still some "golden mean", which will be discussed later.

Before you dye your hair ...

Initially, it is necessary to conduct a small test for the appearance of an allergic reaction. To do this, it is necessary to smear the skin area (preferably on the inside of the hand, above the wrist) with henna and wait a little. If through the time of an allergic reaction did not arise, then you can safely dye your hair.

How to prepare the paint?

In order to prepare a natural color of henna, it is necessary to mix the powder with a moderately acidic liquid. Why is the dye not diluted with cold water? The fact is that the red-orange pigment can be released only by the action of acidic liquids, soluble cellulose, and hot water. In the role of acid liquids can act:

• vinegar;
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice;
• wine;
• A freshly squeezed grapefruit juice or an orange juice.

If necessary, auxiliary substances are added to the paint, namely:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil if the hair is dry;
• Cloves for color enhancement;
• Ginger (or cardamom) to give the colored hair a pleasant smell.

After henna has been diluted, the dye container is tightly closed and left overnight at room temperature. To get a faster version of the preparation of the paint, the solution can be left in a warm (not hot) place for literally 2 hours. The paint on the basis of henna must necessarily take a little time to get rid of the dye, and the hair received all the necessary useful substances and, of course, evenly colored.

In no case is it recommended to dilute henna with steep boiling water or very hot water, because the hair can get a copper shade and change its structure not for the better. For the dye using hot water, comfortable temperature. A container for paint should be used enameled or plastic with heat-resistant properties. Do not neglect the use of gloves when staining, because the skin of the hands can soak up the solution and take a carrot shade.

What are the proportions of a natural colorant?

In order for hair to paint completely, it is necessary to correctly calculate the proportion of henna. So, for short hair (length up to 15 cm) you need to use 50-100 grams, for hair length of 20 cm - 200 grams, for hair length up to 30 cm - 300 grams, hair length to the waist (up to 50 cm) - 500 grams .

How to dye your hair?

The procedure for staining begins with the application of pre-prepared gruel to the occipital part of the head. The strands of hair are gradually separated and well colored. For more convenience, paint is advised to apply a flat brush or sponge. After the hair is colored, the rest of the henna needs to be diluted with warm water and applied to the ends of the hair.

Already dyed hair must be gathered in a bundle and covered well with a polyethylene film to create better staining conditions. Over the film hair can be wrapped with a towel or a warm kerchief.

So, you already have henna in your hair. How much to keep this mixture? Now we will find out.

Duration of staining

How much to keep henna in your hair? A single answer to this question will not be. In order to get a lighter shade, the paint should be kept from 30 to 60 minutes. For obtaining darker hair, the dye is aged from 60 to 80 minutes.

Many women can withstand natural paint and all night, but still the recommended duration of dyeing for dark hair is 1.5-2 hours. And how much to keep henna on red hair? It will be 30-40 minutes.

Of course, these figures are exemplary, because everything depends on the temperature at which the coloring will take place. If you provide a warm environment in the process of painting, the hair will be much faster saturated with the molecules of the drug than when the head is not wrapped in a warm scarf or shawl.

The final stage of painting henna

After the necessary time has been maintained, the coloring mixture from the hair must be washed off with clean and warm running water. Do not be afraid that the paint is not washed out so quickly and easily, as after a household dye. It is not recommended to wash off henna from hair with shampoo, but it is allowed to use balm or conditioner.

Extra ingredients for different shades of hair

In order to give the hair an attractive shade, together with a natural coloring agent, it is possible to use various additives, namely:

• Replacing water with wine, you can get a cherry tint;
• Flowers of chamomile will give the hair a bright golden hue;
• A couple of spoons of cocoa, mixed with henna will give a shade of mahogany;
• The addition of basma will provide a chestnut tint on the hair;
• Beet juice will help to give the locks a purple hue;
• For chestnut color use natural brewed coffee, with fine grinding;
• With the addition of hard-boiled tea, the hair will turn a light yellow tint.

How long does the color of hair persist after staining with henna?

Henna as a natural dye has the property to lose its color on the hair, that is, to fade. Despite this, dyeing hair with henna should not be done often, because the curls can be pretty dry, because of what they lose their brilliance and beauty. Staining with this type of paint is recommended to be conducted no more than once in 2-3 months.

If the hair began to fade, lose its natural beauty, it is recommended to rinse them with this solution: 50 grams of henna, diluted in warm boiled water (1 or 1.5 liters).

Henna for dark hair

How much to keep henna on dark hair? The principle of using natural dye for them is the same as for any other shades. If you give the color of dark hair, which has already been dyed with a household dye, then the locks will only acquire a golden or slightly reddish hue, which will play in the sunlight. To repaint dark (earlier painted) hair in a red color it is impossible. Henna well stains discolored hair or natural.

Helpful Tips

On the photo in the article you can see how amazingly henna looks on the hair. How much to keep - you already know. The only thing I would like to note is that we should not expect a dizzying result from the first hair coloring of henna. The desired color can not be obtained immediately. If suddenly the final shade does not satisfy, it can be weakened with the help of oils and masks. The great advantage of henna is that with the help of various additional components you can give the hair the desired glare and shades, without changing the structure of the hair.