Henna & Herbal Hair Colors: 20 F.A.Q. (frequently asked questions)!

By popular demand, here you are the most frequently asked questions (F.A.Q.) and facts you should know about henna and herbal hair colors before dyeing your hair.

I warmly advise you to first read my previous article on how to dye your white hair naturally in order to get a bit more familiar with the herbal hair colors. 

Afterwards, once you've learnt the basics of the herbal hair colors, you may enhance your knowledge of henna & herbal hair powders reading the below FAQ.

1. What is Blond Henna ? Brown Henna? Mahogany Henna?

There is no Blond Henna or Brown Henna! The mix of different herbal hair colors that will help you get that color are improperly called like this.

Discover more in this blog post: Does Brown Henna EXIST? How to mix henna to dye your grey hair brown without any hints of red!

katam_indigo_powder_lawsonia_natural_herbal_hair_colors

Feel free to share the pic with your friends if you have found it useful.
Click on the picture to zoom it out

2. Do we have to oxidize the herbal hair colors prior to the application?

There are various schools of thought about this, but according to my own experience it is even better if we apply the herbs on our hair as soon as we add the warm water. It's better if the plant performs its oxidation and releases the color directly on our hair. 

The video tutorials are in Italian, but English subtitles are available!

Read more in this article:  Henna Application & Preparation: Oxidation - Acidification - YES or NO?

3. Should we add other ingredients like: lemon juice, yogurt or oils, butters to our mix of herbal hair colors?

I advise you to avoid adding anything else apart from warm water. Any other ingredient you may add it will interfere and prevent the color from releasing on your hair.

4. Shall we apply the herbal hair colors on clean hair or on dirty hair ?

Henna Herbal Hair Colors: 19 F.A.Q frequently asked questions

Always go for clean, freshly washed hair. The dust, the smog, the sebum will prevent the transfer of the color on your hair. Learn more from the HENNA GUIDE.

5. Do herbal hair colors and henna stain the skin?

If the herbal hair colors you are using are pure and do NOT contain any chemical additives, they won't stain the skin on your body or face, except for your hands and nails. That is why it is recommended to use gloves during the application and also during the rinsing process. 

6. Is there any tip/ trick we should know to get the best coloring results possible?

It is important to carefully apply the plastic wrap or the shower cap all over your head to maintain a high humidity level. Plus make sure that you cover your head with a wool hat to keep your head warm. The herbal hair dye releases at its best under high humidity & warm conditions.

In the below video tutorial you may see an updated version of how to prepare & apply henna in order to cover your grey hair naturally & successfully!

You will find helpful the article: How to use Henna: The Ultimate Guide to Herbal Hair Dyes!

7. How much grams of herbal hair colors am I supposed to use ? 

It all depends on how thick, long and voluminous your hair is. To cover only my grey roots, I use around 60-70g. If I henna the whole head I'd use 120-140g. 

  • For a short - medium length consider 70-80g.
  • For a long length consider 140 -150g or more, depending on all the above variables

8. Can we cover grey hair with herbal hair colors?

Only the Lawsonia inermis or the so called red henna covers gray hair. Lawsonia gives light blonde or grey hair a bright natural reddish shade with hints of orange and natural gorgeous red tones on dark hair.

Red henna Lawsonia Inermis

This is the quality of henna you may find on our online shop: seasonally harvested and triple sifted, it has the baby powder consistency. Once you add the water it becomes creamy and easy to apply.

I remind you that if you'd like to go in depth into this subject, you may check out the detailed blog post on how to Dye your Gray Hair Chocolate Brown using Henna! Henna BEFORE & AFTER Pics.

If you wish to obtain a light, medium or dark brown, you'll need to mix the lawsonia with cassia, katam or indigo.

In order to obtain a black color on your hair whether you have grey hair or not, you will need to use a 2 step process. You may find everything explained in detail in this blog post: Dark Purple Hair, Blue Black Hair or Jet Black Hair using Katam or Indigo powder?

Blue black hair INDIGO Indigofera Tinctoria Natural Hair Color

This is the quality of indigo-black henna you may find on our online shop: seasonally harvested and triple sifted, it has the baby powder consistency. Once you add the water it becomes creamy and easy to apply.

Remember that it takes henna around three days to really show the final color on your hair as soon as the oxidation process finishes.

If you're having difficulties in covering your grey hair, make sure you're not making any of these 7 errors that definetely may lead to poor results on dyeing your white regrowth

9. Which are the percentages needed to cover gray hair in order to obtain different shades of brown?

As told before, there are no strict rules with henna &herbal hair colors. You can't foresee the result if you don't first make a test application on a hidden strand of hair. The best results are obtained after making several applications to understand which is the herbal ix that best fits you. I recommend you to always start with a lighter shade and then darken it if you find it too light for you. Go from light to darker it is feasible, the other way around, not so much.

Remember that in order to cover gray hair naturally you need a good percentage of Red HennaLawsonia in your mix. The greater the percentage of Lawsonia, the easier it is to cover your gray hair. The higher the percentage of Katam, the more dark the final color.

The video tutorials are in Italian, but English subtitles are available!

Check out the video tutorial linked above to see BEFORE & AFTER HENNA pictures using various percentages of henna and herbal hair colors

  • For a light brown, you may use 50% cassia - 25% lawsonia - 25% Katam or indigo. 
  • To get a medium brown, you can use 25% cassia - lawsonia 25% - 50% Katam or indigo .
  • To get a dark brown or if your gray hair is resistant to the herbal hair color - remove the cassia from the mix and apply a mix of 50% lawsonia – 50% Katam or indigo.

These percentages have to be varied according to your own hair as every single one of us will obtain a different color using the same identical percentages. Why? Because we all have a different hair structure & every hair reacts differently to the herbal hair colors.

Don't know how to calculate the percentages in your henna mix? The video down below will help you:

The video tutorials are in Italian, but English subtitles are available!

There may be cases in which the resistance of the hair to the color is particularly strong especially thick / curly hair and you will have to find the percentages which best fit your hair. Remember that it takes henna around three days to really show itself on your head.

10. Do herbal hair colors wash out in time?

Only katam and indigo wash out in time whereas henna does not. Lawsonia - Red Henna colors the hair permanently and it does not go away. Yet, I assure you, both katam & indigo do not wash away up to the point that you'll find yourself redheaded.

If this were be true, my lengths on which I hardly apply a coloring herbal mix containing katam or indigo (as I do not want them to get darker & darker) would be red..instead they are as dark brown as they can be! 

dark brown hair using henna katam buxus dioica

Should you be worried that going to the seaside might be a problem while using henna & herbal hair colors, then you should take a look at my video-tutorial down below in which I share with you my tips:

The video tutorials are in Italian, but English subtitles are available!

11. Does Red Henna / Lawsonia darkens hair in time?

Yes, application after application, hennalawsonia inermis tends to darken the hair. One trick to avoid this is to make the applications of henna on your lengths once every 2 - 3 months or whenever you see the color fades away while the regrowth can be dyed every month or even every 15 days.

Another trick I use is adding cassia obovata (or the so-called neutral henna) to the herbal hair colors mix in order to dilute the final color and to obtain on my hair a slightly lighter  color.

The video tutorials are in Italian, but English subtitles are available!

12. Can we lighten our hair with herbal hair colors ?

No, it is not possible. The herbal hair colors do NOT contain any bleaching agent. All you may obtain on your natural dark color are some gorgeous and unique shades.

13. How can we take advantage of the healing properties of these herbs without dyeing our hair?

You may make use neutral henna treatments using only cassia obovata, which is incredible not only for your hair, but it is also curative for your scalp.

The video tutorials are in Italian, but English subtitles are available!

READ ALSO: Strengthening and Volumizing Hair Mask for Damaged and Thin Hair

Neutral Henna Cassia Obovata Natural Hair Treatment for Damaged Hair

This is the quality of cassia - neutral henna you may find on our online shop: seasonally harvested and triple sifted, it has the baby powder consistency. Once you add the water it becomes creamy and easy to apply.

14. How many hours of application are required to obtain satisfactory results?

The range of hours in which the herbal hair colors release the dye are from a minimum of 4 hours (or less, it all depends on your hair) to a maximum of 9 hours. I personally advise you to only keep the mix on to a maximum of 4hours.

Otherwise you risk to irritate your scalp. In case you experiment itchiness & a burning scalp please make sure to read this article: Allergic to Henna Hair Dye? Henna Itchy, Sore & Burning Scalp? Here's what you can do!

15. How do I know if my herbal hair colors are pure?

First of all, check the ingredients list which should only list the herbal hair color name indicated on the labels. Some herbs sold as pure, may contain sand. You may understand if they are pure or not when you apply the mixture on your hair. If it is pure, once you add the water, the mix will be creamy, easy to apply and it should not fall into pieces all around your bathroom. 

16. Can I use henna on chemical dyed hair? Is there any risk that I may get green hair or strange hair colors?

If the herbal hair colors you intend to use are pure and do NOT contain metallic salts or other chemical additives, you should not have any surprises with the final color. 

Yet, my advise is to always apply the mixture on a hidden strand of hair or on some hair you collected from your brush to be certain you won't have unpleasant surprises. 

Often, some of the herbal hair colors available on the market contain sodium picramate, a synthetic substance that enriches the color and intensifies the shades of red. In this case stay sure that it might interact with your chemically died hair & lead to some strange hues on your hair. 

henna herbal hair colors

click on the picture to learn more about / buy our Beautilicious Delights herbal hair colors

17. How should we store our herbal hair colors?

Remember to always close the bag tightly after use. I advise you to store your herbal hair colors away from air, heat, light and moisture.

18. Shall I use shampoo to rinse away the herbal hair colors?

The ideal would be not to use shampoo in order to avoid washing away the herbal hair colors because the surfactants tend to wash out the color that is not yet fixed on the hair, especially Katam or Indigo's color.

You may just rinse the hair with plain water since we made the application on clean hair. Use a small amount of conditioner, if necessary. Remember to do a last hair rinse using cold water & vinegar for shiny & soft hair

I personally use a small amount of shampoo diluted with water in order to make sure there are no impurities from the henna mix left on my scalp & I often use this natural & delicate alternative to wash my hair: Wash Your Hair Naturally with Flours: chickpea flour and...

The video tutorials are in Italian, but English subtitles are available!

 

19. How do I know which will be the final color of the henna mix I prepared?

Every color you obtain is subject

  • to everyone's hair,
  • to the natural hair color,
  • to how much color the hair is able to absorb and
  • it also depends a lot whether the hair has been chemically dyed or not. 

Again, my advise is to always apply the henna mix on a hidden strand of hair or on some hair you collected from your brush to be certain you won't have unpleasant surprises.

20. Can herbal hair colors be used during pregnancy?

As far as it is known, there are no contraindications and if we are to choose between chemical dyes and the herbal hair colors, the answer is quite obvious.

Anyway, get your doctor's permission before using henna and herbal hair colors. Persons whom suffer from favism (G6PD deficiency) should not use henna and herbal hair colors.

    henna Beautilicious Delights

    100% Natural beauty treatments for your hair, the herbal hair colors are the natural alternative to the chemical hair dyes! 

    Suitable for all hair types but particularly indicated for thin, flat hair which in time, application after application will become vigorous, glossy, voluminous and with gorgeous, unique shades.

    If you're still undecided whether to leave behind the chemical dyes or not, another good news is that the color you'll obtain using henna and herbal hair colors will vary according to the light: under the sun and in the shade you will have 2 different colors, always naturally looking and with unique hues. 

    If you have any doubts or if there are questions that have not yet been answered, leave a comment in the area down below or write me an email. 

     ©Beautilicious Delights 

    Take care of your skin and hair consciously. You'll find everything you need (even herbal hair colors) on our online shop. Click HERE to visit it!

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