Are you ever curious how long you should be letting your henna sit for dye release? Is it one hour? Is it 12 hours? What about 24 hours? Well, spoiler! All of those are incorrect. Some people think that by letting henna sit for longer, the dye becomes more and more potent. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. Khadija, Founder of Henna Sooq (and Henna and Ayurvedic Hair Care expert) dives deeper into this concept in this week’s Ask Henna Sooq. Keep scrolling to receive your weekly dose of Ayurvedic Hair Care knowledge!
So what questions were we asked this week?
Question 1:
- I am a man and I am experiencing thinning and a receding hairline. My hair and scalp are also very dry, itchy, and flaky. What would be your best recommendation for treating this?
Khadija’s Answer:
- The most important thing you need to be focusing on is moisturizing and rebalancing the scalp. Start by cleansing your scalp with our Cassia and Neem Hair Wash. Neem is great at soothing the scalp and healing dandruff! After cleansing with this hair wash, use our Ayurvedic Scalp and Root Mask. This mask helps to heal the scalp and promote hair growth! Once you wash the mask out, I recommend using our Moroccan Rose Water to hydrate the hair and follow it up with our Argan Oil Serum. You can massage a very small amount of this oil into your scalp and this will help seal in all of that moisture and hydration. I have personally witnessed this Argan Oil completely healing dandruff and eczema on the scalp, so I know if you follow this regimen, you should see massive changes to the health of your scalp!
Question 2:
- I did henna twice on my full head with two different henna brands, but they only worked on my roots. Would you happen to know why?
Khadija’s Answer:
- Without knowing what your hair looks like, I would have to assume that the answer is that you most likely have roots that are a different color than your lengths. If your roots are gray or even blonde, the way you approach henna hair dye will have to be a little bit different. You will have to apply the henna and follow it up with either another henna treatment or 2 step indigo treatment to get hair to match the length. It’s hard to say for sure without knowing what color your hair is, but it’s important to remember that when dyeing your hair with natural herbs, it might take a few tries to get the results you are looking for.
Question 3:
- I’m scared I soak my henna for too long at times. Sometimes I go over 24 hours - is that overkill? Also, to use tea or not to use tea?
Khadija’s Answer:
- Tea is a great option to use as your liquid when mixing henna. Different herbs in tea have different benefits for your scalp, so it’s worth finding an herbal tea that will be benefiting your hair. Chamomile is a great tea for soothing the scalp and Chamomile helps to boost copper tones in henna. Just take note that any caffeinated teas will be a bit more drying due to their acidity. While tea is a great option, warm to hot distilled water is perfect on its own. As far as letting your henna sit for dye release for 24 hours, that is definitely overkill! Henna has a peak time and after this peak, henna loses its potency and will not color your hair as well. Letting your henna sit for 3-4 hours is perfect and then apply it to your hair. Remember, high quality henna stains quickly- there is no need to let henna sit longer than 3-4 hours.
Thank you to those who asked questions this week for our Ask Henna Sooq! If you want to watch this week’s Ask HennaSooq, check it out on YouTube!