What is Henna?

Non Metallic Henna

Pure henna is one hundred percent plant !  Sadly, many hairdressers are misinformed and are under the false impression that pure henna means henna powder mixed with metallic salts . In fact, there is no metallic salt in pure henna and it is possible to dye over pure henna without having to cut it all out ! Beware :  metallic salts are added to products sold, misleadingly, as “henna”  and this creates a risk of your hair turning green when you dye it. Not so with pure henna ! And it’s probably far safer and healthier to colour your hair with pure henna than with any chemical hair dye ! Our henna and indigo are recommended by dermatologists to patients with hair dye allergy.

What is henna?

It’s just a plant and it grows ! Some humans add metallic salts to their henna to create  a fixed colour shade . We don’t. Because adding any harmful chemical product to your henna makes it into a chemical hair dye and renders it impure.

The henna plant grows up to six metres high in hot, arid, dry, conditions. It’s botanical name is lawsonia inermis. It’s a beautiful small shrub that produces small oval shaped green leaves and small white flowers. It survives in the harshest conditions. It gives pure and natural hair colour that is unique to you.  The henna flowers are fragrant and may be white, pink, red or yellow; they are used in perfumes.

 

Natural Hair Dyes for healthy hair, image of woman with beautiful, glossy, healthy hair
Henna on dark hair will be barely noticeable but will highlight any greys turning them red orange; the mild henna glow on dark hair may only be visible in strong sunlight
pure henna natural hair dye, red head girl with vibrant thick red wavy curly hair sitting on steps on a rainy day
Henna will enhance red hair colour and lighter hair colours giving a vibrant auburn hair colour
Natural Hair Dye. Beautiful Young Woman with Long Light Brown Hair Dyed with Henna Natural Hair Dye
Henna will add  golden red tones to dark brown hair colour; it blends well whatever your starting colour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The natural hair dye from the henna plant comes only from its leaves. The leaves of the mature henna plant contain a red orange dye molecule called lawsone. The dye is extracted from the leaves by drying and crushing them, before sieving the crushed, powdered, leaves. The resulting yellow green henna powder is then mixed with water into a mud paste which is applied to hair as a natural hair dye. It will slightly deepen all dark hair colours and add mild auburn tones. On lighter hair colour tones it will colour auburn red. On grey hair it will colour fiery orange red. Indigo applied after henna will turn your henna hair colour brown through to black, depending how long the indigo is left in for.

 

Henna Plant

henna plant, artist's sketch of henna shrub
henna plant
Natural beauty products, plant based, Renaissance Henna; picture of young woman with auburn hair, dace opartially obscured by green leaves and white flowers.
Natural beauty products, plant based,                                    Renaissance Henna

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not all hennas are equal. Renaissance Henna plant hair dyes are made by crushing and then finely sieving the dried leaves of  the henna plant multiple times to remove all traces of stalks and grit. The carefully harvested leaves and finely sieved powder ensures the strongest dye stain. Absolutely nothing is added to the finely powdered leaves and the pure, fresh, henna powder is packed immediately into a re-sealable poly bag before being factory sealed inside a strong foil pouch to protect it from light. And that’s it: – 100% plant hair dye, ammonia free, PPD free, additive free, chemical free hair dye ready to go. Simply add water, mix into paste and experience stunning natural herbal hair colour !

 

Hair Types

Pure henna hair dye can be used safely on all hair types including:

  • natural hair
  • dreadlocks

 

henna plant natural hair dye is organic, picture of back of woman with long straight dark hair wearing a sleeveless white dress
plant-based henna hair dye is naturally organic and conditions and cleanses hair

 

Pure henna hair dye can be used safely on most people including:

  • pregnant mums
  • PPD allergy patients

Some pregnant mothers like to get their bellies hennaed during pregnancy. A couple of words of caution here : if you’re a pregnant mother wanting to henna your hair, you’re probably sensitive to smells and plants, so we recommend you patch test first so you know what to expect. Unfortunately the powdered leaves which henna comes from don’t smell like flowers, they’re more musty, almost damp smelling. Secondly, you need to figure out if you’re comfortable using henna during pregnancy. We consider them safer than any chemical hair dye, but we can’t state conclusively that they are safe to use in pregnancy. The organisation Foresight seem to suggest that even vegetable hair dyes should be avoided in pregnancy.

• PPD allergy sufferers go to Hair Dye for PPD Allergy for feedback on Renaissance Henna products.
• Is Henna Safe if you Have Cancer?

 

henna plant natural hair dye
henna powder mixed with plain water makes henna paste, a natural hair dye

Want to buy Henna Plant Hair Dye ?

 

Hendigo Natural Hair Dye

Together, henna and indigo make an awesome hair dye combination and you can achieve a whole range of natural hair colours you probably wouldn’t have thought possible to achieve with pure botanical herbal hair colour. This goes  from funky red hair colour to the deepest chocolate brown hair colour, to the deepest jet black hair colour. It’s perfect for covering grey hair too.  David went from shocking white to dark brown. And don’t forget to take a look at our Natural Hair Colour Galleries. This is a world of herbal hair colour that is completely natural and gives stunning results. There isn’t a fixed hair colour chart in this herbal hair colour world. But you will be able to aim for a shade of : auburn, brown, or black. The end colour is going to be unique to you, just like your fingerprint.

The dye molecule in henna is called Lawsone. It’s a red orange pigment also known as hennotanic acid. Note that henna is acidic. This might sound disturbing, but so is skin, see:

http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2001/08/4930/skins-acid-coating-sfvamc-researchers-explain-its-origin-and-how-it-mai

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-2494.2006.00344.x/abstract

 

Henna  Plant Dye Release

When you apply henna to your scalp (the skin on your head), henna is boosting your skin’s natural defence systems.

Henna may vary in its dye content, depending on climate, soil, and moisture; so two batches – even from the same region – may never be quite the same. The finely crushed henna leaves- the henna powder – whilst acidic in nature, will chemically react with both water and acid ( such as lemon juice or cider vinegar). The addition of these liquids to henna powder will  prompt the chemical reaction which causes release of the dye. Water produces faster dye release. Acid liquids triggers a slower dye release. Hot water works faster than cool water. A long slow dye release time, with either water or acid juice, or a mixture of both, works well to get henna into overtime dye release mode. But straight hot water over pure henna is the most effective method if you’re in a hurry and want the fastest dye release. Henna is versatile. And therefore all the approaches to henna and theories about henna should be versatile too. There are no hard and fast fixed rules. The rule of the game is : when you’ve discovered the treasure, make up your own code. Go with what works for you. And keep an open mind, experiment, and enjoy the journey. You really can’t go wrong. It’s been around for centuries. It’s already stood the test of time. And it won’t be bound by rules. It’s for everyone.

The henna plant and its beautiful flowers – http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/lawsonia_inermis.htm.

Henna Red Hair
Auburn Hair with Henna –  medium brown starting colour.

 

www.renaissancehenna.com