My First Henna Treatment

So last week I posted on The Kinky Khronicles Facebook page that I had mixed up a henna treatment that I was planning to apply that weekend. Well, I ended chickening out after doing further research. I was unable to find BAQ (body art quality) henna at my local health food store so I purchased box of red henna for hair. Although I read and watched several good reviews about the product something just was not sitting well with me so I decided against it. I located a small Indian grocery store less than a mile from my house and scored some BAQ henna.

Thursday evening I mixed my paste. I boiled 2 cups of distilled water and added 4 green tea bags. After allowing the tea bags to steep for about 30 minutes I added 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the tea. I then poured the package of henna into a plastic bowl. I slowly poured in 4 ounces of organic coconut milk, mixing the paste with a plastic spoon as I poured. Then I began adding the cooled green tea, again pouring a little at a time so the paste wouldn't become too watery. After adding about 1 cup of the tea my paste was the same consistency as a bowl of mashed potatoes which is exactly what I wanted. I covered the paste with plastic wrap, stuck in the fridge, and let it sit for 24 hours.

henna powder & green tea

henna paste all mixed up

The next day I added 3 tablespoons of honey and EVOO to the paste. I shampooed my hair using Reve' Essentials Hair & Body Wash. Some people choose to co-wash their hair but I read that henna takes better on freshly shampooed hair so I opted to go this route. I detangled and sectioned my hair by placing it into several medium sized twist. Starting in the back I unraveled one twist at a time and coated each section with the henna paste with gloved hands until my entire head was covered. Then I wrapped my hair in 3 sheets of plastic wrap and then covered it with a plastic conditioning cap and went to bed. Halfway through the night I felt it dripping so I used a dark colored towel to wrap around my head to catch the drips. 

after dye released

applied to hair

Today, I rinsed the paste out of my hair after letting it sit for a little over 12 hours. I filled my tub halfway with warm water and plunged my head into it allowing the paste to loosen up. Then I used the faucet to finish rinsing out the paste. I co-washed my hair 3 times using Herbal Essences' Hello Hydration making sure the henna was completely out of my hair. Finally, I applied a deep conditioner and let it sit for 5 hours, rinsed, and styled.

all rinsed out

Seem like a lengthy process?? Well it is but hopefully well worth it. It's said that the benefits of henna are not noticeable until after 2-3 treatments so obviously I can't speak to the benefits yet. However, the highlighted sections of my hair that were light brown are now a redish/orange color and it appears that my curls have loosened slightly. I plan to henna every other week and then eventually move to do the treatment once a month. I'm excited to experience the stronger, smoother, and shinier hair that henna treatments are said to produce!

Have you ever used henna? Share your experience below.