Pantry of nature: henna for coloring and strengthening hair

Historians say that henna was first used as a hair dye for the first time almost 7,000 years ago. Its homeland are considered the countries of North Africa and the Central East. It is there that the 2-meter flowering shrub of lavsoniya, which has a peculiar smell, is found in the wild form, and a natural dye of green color is obtained from the leaves of this plant.

What is henna, its composition

Henna is not as harmful as chemical dyes, since it is a natural dye. It is made from dried leaves of lawsonium shrubs. Preparation of raw materials occurs during the flowering period of the plant, after drying the sheet is ground to powder. Unlike chemical paints, it works differently. It does not damage and does not absorb into the structure of the hair, but gives a visible result, coloring the strands for a long time.

Vegetable dye is obtained from the lower leaves of the plant. The upper leaves are also dried and ground into powder, but it is used for other purposes (dyeing fabrics, applying temporary tattoos on the skin).

Henna contains many oils and tannins that cover the scaly upper surface of the hair and make it shiny. Vegetable dye is useful because in addition to strengthening and healing the hair, it treats the scalp affected by improper care, protects from direct sunlight, stops hair loss, eliminates dandruff.

Gorgeous Five

1. Recognized as an antioxidant, chlorophyll, it can improve the condition of the scalp.
2. Thanks to a complex of vitamins, blood circulation is improved, skin tone is increased.
3. Polysaccharides and pectins work on the surface of the hair, reducing fat content, enveloping the roots, make the hair visually thicker, normalize the work of the sebaceous glands, absorb toxins, moisturize the scalp.
4. Resins restore damage, make hair shine, give softness and silkiness.
5. One of the valuable elements of henna - henotaninic acid, which has antibacterial properties, can not only relieve inflammation, remove dandruff, strengthen the roots, but also make the hair color more profound.

To spoil the hair with henna is extremely difficult, but in this matter there is still one important nuance. Henna contains tannins, from oversaturation with which the hair can become hard and coarse. Sometimes it is not so bad, because it helps to strengthen. And yet there is a downside: increased fragility.

Different types of henna for hair

All types of henna are the same powder from Lawsonia. They may differ in texture, composition, region of growth of the plant, the purpose and speed of staining, but this does not change the essence of the matter.

Hue does not necessarily turn red, you can pick up a golden, brown or reddish tone. The combination of this dye with other natural ingredients will help to diversify the henna tint palette.

Colorless (transparent) henna

Colorless (transparent) henna is made from dried stems of lawsonia. By texture, it is very similar to the usual henna, but the hair does not color. This type of henna successfully fights against excessive fat, dandruff, activates their growth, adds shine and volume to hair. Therefore, colorless henna is used only to heal the scalp and restore hair.

Any coloring can disrupt the structure of the hair. Using a natural remedy, this can be avoided, so modern women often practice henna staining, because it heals, restores, moisturizes and gives the desired color.

Important: for dry hair it is necessary to apply vegetable paint no more than once a month, colorless henna - once every two weeks.

Iranian henna

This type of henna is produced in Iran. It is considered the best of all kinds, so it gives the opportunity to experiment with color. The powder is recommended to supplement the various components. For example, for a dark color, it is recommended to add natural coffee or kefir, a red shade is obtained, if you add ginger, wine is recommended for a copper shade.

Iranian henna will help give your hair a deep ginger tint. It is perfectly combined with other plant substances to obtain different shades: from caramel to dark chocolate. To this end, combine the dye with natural coffee, herbal decoction, turmeric, essential oils and chicory. Representatives of Iran combine dye with ethers. After applying the product, the hair is shiny, moisturized and smooth.

Black henna look

This natural dye contains a mixture of leaves of lavsonia (classical henna) and indigo plants (from it produce the famous dye basma). In addition to vegetable powder, black henna contains well-proven ingredients: cocoa butter and cloves. This composition helps to get a rich dark color. To keep the dark color on the hair for a long time, a chemical component is added to the dye.

It is interesting to know that black and any other colored henna is a synthesis of chemicals, and not natural ingredients. It is well to study the composition on the box, so as not to buy henna, vaguely reminiscent of vegetable dye.

How to cook vegetable dye

Mix the henna with any of the recommended components, gently grind until a homogeneous mass. Add required fluid. It can be water, natural coffee, tea leaves, black tea, or hibiscus tea, heated to 80ºC. The result is a thick mass that resembles sour cream. Leave it to cool to 45-50ºC. After about 3-4 minutes, you can proceed to staining.

Application rules and tips

To please the result of staining, it is not enough just to choose the type of henna, you need to properly use it.

The classic coloring scheme looks like this:

1. Before painting, do not wash your hair with shampoo. Of course, it is possible to make an exception if the hair is very dirty or covered with a thick layer of varnish. In this case, it is better to wash them, but apply detergent only to the strands, without touching the skin. Balm-conditioner does not apply.
2. To the skin next to the hair is not painted, they need to lubricate with cream or petroleum jelly. Wear gloves so as not to stain the skin of the hands.
3. Using a brush, apply the mixture to the strands, try to do it evenly, covering the individual strands from hair roots to the tips with gruel, and then comb them. We must act quickly to the mixture is not cooled.
4. When dyeing long hair, put a bowl of paint in a large bowl by volume and pour boiling water into it.
5. To paint the ends of the hair, dilute the mixture with warm water and soak the tips with this solution.
6. Lift the treated curls and fasten to the crown, using a barrette. Put on a plastic cap or just wrap the head with a film and wrap a towel over the top to keep it warm.
7. The procedure will take 1 hour and 40 minutes for blond hair, dark ones should be dyed for 2 hours, gray ones - 3 hours.

Another important detail - after dyeing hair with henna, it is impossible to use the usual chemical dyes until the colored curls have grown, the same applies to perms.

How to wash off the hair

To wash off the natural dye will take more time. It is necessary to divide the hair into strands and rinse them with warm water in turn. Then use a shampoo that fits the type of hair.

Professional Tricks and Secrets

Everything seemed to be done according to the instructions: they divorced the henna, as indicated, held as much as it should be. But all the same, it was not possible to avoid unpleasant surprises with home dyeing.

There is a solution, you need to use professional secrets. The following guarantees not only complete coloring in the selected color, but also allows you to achieve the desired shades (and the range is quite wide - from light chestnut to black).

Secrets of hairdressers

Professionals often experiment by mixing shades of natural dyes. First, the master will find out what color you want to get as a result of staining. When the issue is resolved, two vegetable dyes are selected, the dosage is determined, and a mixture of these dyes is applied to the hair.

In contrast to the usual colors, the presented herbal composition has a natural composition that does not harm the hair, strengthens, heals, activates their growth.

Coloring with vegetable dye lasts for a couple of months, but gradually acquires a red tint, therefore, to preserve the desired color, you need to tint the hair in a timely manner.

Watch the video: Capelli Secchi e Crespi: Colpa dell'Henné? L'henné secca i capelli? (May 2024).