Will Henna damage your hair?

Dear Jen,Hi there! I too have used Henna in the past (when I was going through my auburn stage)and have had OK results with it. However, I would just like to provide you with a little info. that I found on henna in Paula Begoun's book "Don't Go Shopping for Haircare Products Without Me," and in "Andre Talks Hair" Oprah's stylist.Paula states that, "...henna can eventually turn more orange than red," and "... it tends to leave a sticky film over the hair, which can dry out the hair shaft." Paula warns, "Be careful, because henna buildup can cause hair to be heavy and hard to manage. For the most part it should probably be avoided."Andre Walker has this to say, "I don't reccomend it....it jams the cuticle with herbs that don't wash away-- they have to be cut out." He goes on to say, "It does make the hair extremely shiny, but it gives your locks a false sense of security; henna treated hair actually looses elasticity, and when stressed, can snap right off."After learning all of this about henna, I won't use it again. I hope that you will take this into consideration too.SherryI have long hair that's naturally reddish brown in> color. I've been getting it done with semi-permanent> copper color for a while now, but am getting sick of> getting it done in a salon. Last night, I used natural> henna mixed with brewed coffee and olive oil to touch> up my roots and blend them with the rest of my hair.> The result was a nice, coppery sheen. I'm really happy> with it, but wonder if it's at all bad for my hair? I> suppose it couldn't be any worse than using> semi-permanent color. Does anyone have any opinions?> TIA!> Jen

> I have long hair that's naturally reddish brown in> color. I've been getting it done with semi-permanent> copper color for a while now, but am getting sick of> getting it done in a salon. Last night, I used natural> henna mixed with brewed coffee and olive oil to touch> up my roots and blend them with the rest of my hair.> The result was a nice, coppery sheen. I'm really happy> with it, but wonder if it's at all bad for my hair? I> suppose it couldn't be any worse than using> semi-permanent color. Does anyone have any opinions?> TIA!> JenI have used henna before and I really didn't like it. I have never used red henna on my hair, but have used black and neutral colors. I'm writing this assuming that you are using red henna.The reason I don't like it is that I found it quite drying quite soon after using it. Henna is also a permanent dye. It is just like any of the permanent/devolper dyes in that respect. Henna tends to fade the longer it's been on and that looks very bad (orange). If you choose to refresh it after it begans, the new growth will look good but the old color will look dull and filmy.What you said you were doing w/ henna may not be so bad, but I would not recommend you putting it on raw (you said you mix it w/ other stuff)throughout your entire head. Hopefully your henna experience will not give you the results above.Anita

> Before my grandmother came to this country she used> pure henna on a regular basis. She tells me she used> it almost evry week with no problem.> She bought some Egyptian (brand name) henna powder in> a chain drug store. Her hair became very dry after> about two months of usage. She stopped using it.> I personally have never used either. But I wonder if> some "natural henna" has some additives that> are causing the harmful reactionsYou have a good point...I know many women that are into mehndi/henning hair and they say that henna comes in grades. IOW, some is of better quality than others. I came across a website of a woman claiming to have the good stuff from the Middle East/Indian subcontient. If anyone wants the URL, please post request. I would stay from that store stuff because there is a possiblity of some dye additives. (BTW, I have used "Egyptian henna" brand before. It had the same effect you mentioned above. I told some of my friends about it and they informed me that some cheap hennas are known to have dye additives. When I say dye, I mean that stuff that's not from the henna plant itself- stuff that's maybe in Clairol or something). If you want that URL, please request it and I'll post it.chEErs....Anita

> Hi Anita! Could you please post the henna site. Thankshttp://www.angelfire.com/biz/IslamicClothing/Henna.htmlBe sure to check out the tips on this page. Also look at the homepage and there is another henna link. Hope this helps.Anita