Henna Treatment: A Natural Alternative to Stronger Hair

As you ladies know I use henna on a monthly basis to aid in hair retention as I trudge through my hair journey. It is a great all natural product that is often used for body art, but it is also quite commonly used as a natural hair conditioner.

Henna (lawsonia inermis) is a plant, which has be used for hundreds of years as a hair dye in various parts of North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and South Asia. The leaves have red-orange dye molecule, known as lawsone, which penetrates the hair and bonds to the keratin found in hair. Lawsone blocks UV rays so your hair doesn’t become sun damaged. It strengthens the hair so it won’t get split ends, makes the hair glossy and shiny, eliminates dandruff and other scalp aliments.

Body art quality henna is absolutely safe* to put on the hair, even hair that has been synthetic dyed. You can also bleach or dye over body art quality henna without damaging the hair. In contrast, the commercially available henna hair dyes that come in “colors”, such as black, brunette, chestnut, blonde, etc are compound hennas. They are lower quality henna and add toxic metal salts, chemical dyes, other ingredient, even para-phenylenediamine, to create their colors.  This type of hennas is often termed “natural henna”, however this is very misleading, as these products are full of chemicals, which can seriously damage the hair when combined with synthetic hair dye, or sodium hydroxide (lye).

While allergic reactions to henna are extremely rare, I have (finally) noticed a few issues with my scalp as a result of using henna (e.g. inflamed, itchy). I write the word "finally", because I just did not know what was going on with my scalp until a few months ago. However, rather than give up on my beloved henna completely I will be experimenting with a few things to see if I can continue to use it simply because I love the results: fuller, stronger, soft hair ( I have henna in my hair as I type this post). The problem is my scalp is just too sensitive, but if I gave up this easily when I first began using JBCO I would have never seen the changes I have seen in my hair. I have my limits however. I will not continue to use an item at the detriment of my scalp because at the end of the day a healthy scalp leads to healthy hair.

But back to the henna! I decided to do this post because I noticed that there are several women that would like to use henna or have heard about the benefits of henna, but they are worried about potential side effects. I must say, prior to using henna myself I did A LOT of research on the product and I strongly recommend you do the same. In my quest for information I browsed a few hair sites with women that have a similar hair type such as myself (e.g. relaxed, dark brown, fine) and are currently using the product. I also visit  Catherine Cartwright-Jones website where you will be able to find tons of information on henna and how to apply this product to the hair. She also sells henna (in a addition to other products), but I have never purchased this product from her or any online provider. A local health food store I usually visit in Toronto sells it, so I buy the henna I use locally.

It goes without saying that the hours spent researching a product will save you weeks or even months of damage you will have to undo because you rushed into using a products without adequate knowledge about the product or how to use it. As well, like any other product, be mindful of your hair needs. Some women can use a product weekly or even daily, while other can only use it once a month. Some people assume that just because something is "natural" they can use it all the time, or any way that they want. Not so. Natural products, like synthetic products need to be respected. "Less is more" and "prevention is better than a cure", so use with caution. With any product always ask yourself, what am I trying to achieve with this product, and this can go for any product you are using on your hair (shampoo, conditioner, leave ins). If is not giving you the desire effect, feel or look, then assess how you are using it. If the issue is not a matter of how you are using the product, but the product itself then it's time to chuck it . I have just begun to follow this advise--a pack rat-product junkie is not a good combination LOL. If you have any other question regarding henna just throw them my way. I will either try to answer your questions, send you some literature on the subject or re-direct you to a place where can get your questions answered. I will no longer be posting articles to my blog as I have received some flak for some info I posted a while back ("Shea Butter: Liquid Gold for the Hair"), which has since been removed from my blog. As a result, I am much more cautious about what type of information I will be posting on my site. Just remember the "search" engine can be your best friend; I know it's mine.

* Disclaimer: please complete adequate research and a patch test before using any product, natural or otherwise. Stylista and Diva! is not responsible for any negative outcomes resulting from products suggested on this site.