Henna is a new product that a lot of people have heard about but not quite sure what it is or how it works. We are hoping to go over what exactly henna is and how it is used. We are then going to look at the different henna’s that you can choose for your hair. Finally, we will look at some of the reasons people have changed from conventional hair dyes to henna.

Henna is a flowering plant that when the leaves are dried and crushed to powder form then mixed will acidic acids will create a dye. Once the mixture is complete it creates a paste like substance that can be used for body dye, fingernail dye, or a hair dye. The hair dye is what we are going to focus on mainly in this article. Briefly let us discuss the body dye aspect of henna. In the U.S.A. henna is not allowed for body dyes. The FDA has yet to approve the product for general use on the body. However, in other cultures henna is used to tattoo in a sense the skin. Fingernail dye is another use for henna; once again this is not approved in the U.S.A. The only thing that henna has been approved for is a hair dye in the U.S.A.

When henna is used as a dye it is designed to darken the hair it can not lighten the hair. This means that you can not go from brown to blonde hair. You can however go from brown to red or brown to black. Blonde hair can go to almost any shade. Henna is used to cover grey hair in a more natural way. Red henna is used most widely and mixing different henna colors can create other colors. Henna is a natural product so it is safer for children and even pets. Also remember before using henna make sure you do not have other chemicals in your hair this may cause a bad reaction. When chemicals such as hair dyes and relaxers are in your hair it is recommended to wait at least three weeks before applying the henna product for the best results. Also with the henna product it may take up to 48 hours to be able to see the true color that henna has to offer your hair; so if it is not as dark as you had originally wanted please give it time to be able to show what the true color will be. Henna generally only last in the hair about six to eight week thus making choosing the henna you want a little less time consuming.

The benefits of using henna are you can use it on all ages and small animals. Henna can be used on those individuals with cancer or sensitive skin. Henna is an all-natural product making safer for people that would not normally be bale to die their hair due to unsafe chemicals. Next time you decide to dye your hair and want a more natural look that will also leave it shinier and stronger ask your hair stylist about henna.