I use henna to color my hair and have gotten quite involved with it. I also play with mehndi, or temporary tattoos using henna. I want to share more in-depth knowledge with you about how henna works on your hair, and how you can get fantastic results for yourself using henna. This guide is written for people with brown hair using pure, natural henna.

Henna is a plant that grows in arid regions of Asia and North Africa, with Pakistan, India, and Yemen being the principle growing areas for the best dye qualities. I recommend you buy henna sold for mehndi, or temporary tattoing, as it is better quality than that sold for hair use. It is sifted and finer, compared to the twigs and chunks of leaves I've seen in more expensive henna for marketed for use on hair. I also buy my henna in bulk direct from India now, on Ebay, to get the best price and quality. I buy a kilo, or 2.2 pounds at a time, but you can also buy it in 400 and 500 gram quantities; 500 grams is 1.1 pounds. If you aren't yet committed to henna in your hair, try buying a small packet to start with.

 Natural, pure henna renders a deep red color to your hair. There are also (slightly different botanically) hennas for blonde hair that do not impart color, only conditioning. If you don't like the red color of pure henna, you can also add indigo powder to the mix and it will make the resulting color more black-brown. Indigo is a natural, blue dye from the Indigofera bush, like what is used on blue jeans. I have long, dark brown hair that is damaged from chemically coloring to cover gray hair. I am growing out undamaged hair while using henna to cover the gray and the faded ends where the chemical color used to be.

First off, your hair shaft is made of two parts. The outside layer is clear and reflects light. Your hair color, the melanin, is pigment in the center core of your hair shaft. The melanin core shows through the clear outer layer.  A gray hair is really a pure white hair, or clear the whole way through. The dye molecules of the henna powder dye the outside, clear layer of the hair shaft, so you see your natural color through the red of the henna. The henna does not change your natural hair color in any way, unlike chemical dyes. When the henna washes out over time, your natural color remains and returns. So henna on brown hair will render it red-brown, and on gray hair it is a much brighter red. In fact, Lucille Ball used henna to keep her hair that bright red color, not chemical dyes!

Before you put henna on your hair, it is wise to do a color test on some hair from your hairbrush. That way you can see how it will look before you commit to it. I didn't bother, because I refuse to have gray hair and henna was my only natural choice. I enjoy the red it imparts to my hair, and the conditioning effect is wonderful. While many people use henna only once a month on their hair, I use it every week, to keep my color bright and the gray covered. That's why I buy it in bulk, so I can use it more often without having to be frugal about it.

First off, you have to start ahead of time.  I leave the wet henna on my hair for 3 hours, so I do it in the evenings when the day is done. Some people only leave it on for an hour, but if you have a lot of gray hair you need to really let the dye penetrate for longer to get good coverage.

Start 24-48 hours in advance. Plan back from the time you are going to use the henna. I'll tell you later why you need to do this.  If you're going to use the dye at 6pm on Wednesday, You want to start at 6pm on Monday or Tuesday.

But to start, how much henna do you use and how do you mix it? I measure the henna using a Chinese soup spoon. 2 really heaping spoonfuls in a pint canning jar will cover my shoulder-length hair. If your hair is longer, use more powdered henna. Like I said, by buying in bulk I don't have to be cheap about using it. You could use a similar large spoon measure, whatever you have that works.

Okay, so the evening before, I measure out the henna into the jar. The dye molecule is released under acidic conditions, so just adding water to the henna won't give you real good results. You want to use lemon juice and very dark, tannin-laden tea for your liquids. I don't use coffee, but some people do. You can also use vinegar, or anything acidic. You want to add enough acidic liquid to make the henna powder into the consistency of pancake batter. Stir it up good. It doesn't matter whether the liquid is hot or cold when you add it. I used to add hot tea, now with cold lemon juice I still get great results.

Cover the jar and let it sit in a warm place for 12 hours. Room temperature or above is best. It takes time for the dye molecules to be released, which is why you have to start so far in advance. The warmer it is, the faster the dye is released and available for your hair.

Now, after 12 hours, open the jar, and add some regular white sugar to it. About a tablespoonful. Stir it in good until you see the henna turn stringy in consistency. Adding sugar to the henna makes it get stringy and increases how well it sticks to your hair. It keeps it wet longer, too. The dye won't penetrate if the henna dries out on your hair. Let the henna sit in the jar another 12 hours. The dye will be at it's peak for another day, 24-48 hours after you mix it up, so you have plenty of time to use it.

Now it's time to dye your hair. It's 24 hours or more since you mixed the henna. Wet your hair thoroughly and wrap it in a towel to blot it damp. You want it wet but not dripping. Put an old shirt on that you don't care if you ruin it, if the henna drips on your shirt the stains won't come out. And make sure the towel you will be using is a dark color and one you don't care about.

Now you apply it to your hair. I start at the front, parting it in the center where I want the most coverage, and using gloved hands, I apply the henna with my fingers and rub it into the hair, making sure it goes down to my scalp. Put plenty of it on all over, making sure to get lots of it on your gray hairs, if that's your concern. Cover all your hair with the henna. Glop it on and rub it around to get it mixed into your hair well. Get it all the way to your roots and ends. It won't stick nearly as well if you skip the sugar. Pile your covered hair on top of your head and put on an old shower cap to cover it and keep it wet and warm. Heat also helps activate the dye in it.

Now find something to do for a while while the henna does it's magic.

When the time is up, rinse your hair thoroughly, until no color or powdered henna comes out of it. Using shampoo, lather and wash your hair twice. Apply your favorite conditioner as usual, and dry or style as usual. The henna color will continue to deepen as it oxidizes for the next 12 hours or so.

If you're doing a color test on hair from your brush, make up the henna and apply etc as above, and see what the results are. Then proceed with your hair.

You can use the henna as often as you like, it won't hurt your hair. Once a week to once a month will do. You have to go by how your hair responds to the henna, and how often you wash your hair. The more often you wash it, the faster the henna color washes out.

For more in-depth information about henna, I recommend you visit the website www.hennaforhair.com. It is not my site, and I have nothing to do with it in any way. It is just a thoroughly good site for all information about henna, mehndi, and adding indigo with the henna for your hair.

Have fun and enjoy!