Henna Gloss Treatment @ 5 Weeks Post: 28.04.13

“I think after at least two years of henna treatments I have reached the holy grail of henna gloss mixtures for my hair and also found a rinsing process which works for me!”

­1 x 100g box of henna powder ­
2 x large tablespoons of amla powder
­1 x tablespoon of EVOO ­
2 x tablespoons of EVCO (melted into the EVOO)
­1 x mug of warm strong black tea (made with 2 x bags and steeped for 30mins+) ­
2 x teaspoons of honey (melted in the warm tea) ­
Coconut milk solids from a 400ml can (approx. 3 x heaped tablespoons) ­
1 x tablespoon of coconut milk water (from the same 400ml can)
1 x tabledpoon of AVJ


I'm really loving this combination! A long time ago I used to coat my hair in oil before applying the henna gloss. Nowadays there is no need as I add all the oil I need to counteract the drying effect of henna and amla, directly into the mixture.

Not only is it simple to make but it’s also 100% natural which has gotta be a good thing!!! Also, as I don’t particularly care for the smell of henna this mixture, without the addition of a store brought conditioner, doesn’t bother me half as much. I also think the addition of coconut milk solids really soften and almost straighten my new growth so it’s a win win!

These are the steps I followed:

Before starting my henna gloss my hair was still straight after flat ironing last week.

I have been maintaining my hair by moisturising daily with prodominetly these products.  I have been surprised how well Infusium 23 has been moisturising my hair and not causing it to revert seeing as it is a liquid (consistency is like water) which I just pour into my hands and then rub into my hair before sealing with one of my many sealents of choice, mainly Organix Coconut Milk Serum.

I made up the mixture in the morning and left it for about 4 hours for the dye to release. When I make the mixture I don’t add the coconut milk and aloe vera juice until a few minutes before I am ready to start apply it to my hair. One thing I will change next time is I will leave it in the airing cupboard for the dye to release so it’s nice and warm because the mixture was so cold when applied it to my hair and this resulted in me feeling cold for about an hour afterwards, despite wearing two jumpers and covering myself with a warm blanket!

1. Made my henna gloss using the ingredients listed above and left the dye to release for 5+ hours. 

The henna at the top is freshly made using the ingredients above, minus the coconut milk and the aloe vera juice.  I leave it for the dye to relase before adding the final two elements as it gives me the best consistency to work with this way.  The bottom two photos show the henna after it has released the dye, you can see that it is slightly darker, more brown toned than greenish.

Mixing in the coconut milk and aloe vera juice makes the mixture super creamy and even more moisturising.  A lovely lady commented on my Facebook page that this looked like cake frosting.  I wouldn't want to eat this but with the exception of the henna and amla it's all perfectly edible and everything in this mix is 100% natural.  Note to self: get a new wooden spoon for mixing henna because the yellow plastic one is not up to the job!!!

 
2. Lightly finger detangled my hair and 2 strand twisted it in four sections.

3. Starting with a section at the back (right hand side as his was the final section last time so this time around it got treated first - just to be fair!) I split that section in four horizontally and applied the henna starting at the top section and then ending at my nape. I apply the henna in much the same way as I do when applying relaxer, just a lot less precise with my technique! I apply the henna to the top and underneath side of each section, then the ends and then the length before moving on to the next quadrant of my hair.

I sectioned my hair and then applied the hennal.  I don't use towels on my shoulders or on the floor anymore as I apply the henna over the sink.  I tend not to make much mess at all (apart from this time around I tried to dye my collar bone!)

4. It took just under 30 mins to apply the henna. I covered the front and back of my ears with cotton wool and then placed a plastic carrier bag over my hair (I have found that this is way too messy for a regular plastic conditioning cap!). I then gave the plastic bag a 1 minute blast with the hair dryer and then covered the bag with a headscarf to keep it in place and to keep my head warm I followed up with my trusty ‘Henna Hat’, which is just a black beanie from Primark which I will never wear again. I then sat with the mixture on my head for just under 3½ hours.

5. Then came the job of rinsing out the henna – this is the bit I like the least! This time around I rinsed out in the shower which was quicker but boy was it messy!!!! Starting with the front left hand section, I rinsed out the thick mixture. Once the majority was dispersed, I made sure to agitate my scalp well in order to remove any remaining mixture before moving onto the next section and repeating the procedure. My hair felt strong but a bit dry.

6. In the past I used to cowash the henna out of my hair, which took F-O-R-E-V-E-R!!! Now I incorporate a moisturising shampoo, Elasta QP Crème Conditioning Shampoo for dry damaged hair. After rinsing out the henna I applied the Crème Conditioning Shampoo to each section and lightly massaged in before moving on to the next section. I then went over each section and massaged my scalp well before rinsing out the sections individually.

7. Next, I follow up the moisturising shampoo with a cleansing conditioner to cowash out the remaining particles of henna. I use Hair One Cleansing Conditioner with Olive Oil. I love this product, it always makes my hair feel so soft – I didn’t realise I was running low on this as I would have added this to my recent hair haul. I’ll have to get another one next month. I followed the same process with the Hair One as I did with the Elasta Crème Conditioning Shampoo working through section by section.

8. At this stage I could have done a black/green tea rinse but as I added the strong black tea to my henna I don’t think it was necessary. So, next I applied Roux Porosity Control to close my cuticles and help regulate the porosity of my strands before applying my moisturising deep conditioner, KeraCare Humecto Crème Conditioner which I applied to each section before pinning the twists to the top of my head so they were out of the way whilst I finished up in the shower. I rinsed out the conditioner after 10 minutes and covered my hair with a towel for 20 minutes to soak up the excess water.

9. I then applied leave ins, sealants and detangler in this order; Elasta QP HTwo, Infusium 23, Bee Mine Deja’s Hair Milk, Hairveda Cocasta Shikakai Oil, Organix Coconut Milk Serum (to the ends and hairline only), Taliah Waajid The Great Detangler and a spritz of Mane ‘n Tail Detangler to any really stubborn tangles. I then detangled gently using my HS Jumbo Rake comb and put my hair into two low pony tails and two strand twisted the ends. I lay the twists flat against my nape before covering with a scarf and jumping into bed for a well earned sleep!

During this henna gloss wash day, I lost less hair than expected. Although I really like the combination of The Great Detanlger and Mane ‘n Tail detangler (I think they compliment each other very well) I still lost the majority of hair lost, actually during the detangling process. I think the reduction in overall hair loss is because my hair was straight for a week. I rarely ever wear my hair loose for that length of time but I was determined to make the most of the blasting of heat my hair received the previous weekend so I kept it down and straight for a full 7 days – only bunning on day 8!

TOP LEFT:  The amount of hair lost during finger detangling and applying henna.  TOP RIGHT:  Amount of henna left over - this is now in the freezer being saved for next time.  BOTTOM LEFT:  The amount of hair which shed the following morning and the ends I dusted off.  BOTTOM RIGHT:  Total amount of hair lost which is less than last week.

During the first day of having my hair down I noticed a lot of shedding hairs, but after that it slowed right down. As usual, I didn’t comb my hair all week. By the end of the week there were just the odd 2 or 3 strands of hair coming out. This resulted in hair that was super easy to finger detangle prior to adding the henna and also meant I had way less tangles to contend with after I’d washed and conditioned my hair. On reflection, I may have to incorporate wearing my hair straight more often – which will be music to my boyfriend’s ears as he loves it when my hair is straight and down!!!!

Bunning is great but as a serial shedder, when this is combined with not combing and applying spritzes and oils I get so many tangles and it is always alarming to see a weeks worth of hair come out all on the same day! One thing I know for sure is that if I do so I will opt for more straight styles for roller sets rather than flat ironing as I don’t want to be counter-productive and end up with heat damage instead of shedding and tangles!

Lastly, my observations over the past few weeks/months I that hair at my current length is far easier to work with,not only is it easier to detangle it in the shower these days but it is also easier to style and trim.  Maybe it's just decided to play nicely - finally!

I plan on doing my crochet braid install this weekend and of course I am looking forward to it.  I need to remember to vinegar soak the extension hair sometime in the next few days!

Ciao 4 Now