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One of the questions that I get asked a lot is how to use henna for hair.
I have a total fascination with henna. I absolutely love it.
I used to color treat my hair with those nasty commercial dyes. I am naturally a dark blond, but I have always preferred to be a redhead. Maybe because my mother is a redhead, as is my sister and one of my brothers. Maybe it’s a subconscious desire to fit in! 😉
It wasn’t until Thanksgiving 2010 that I gave henna a try. I had sworn off dyes about a year prior to that because I knew they weren’t good for me. Then, when my sister and I were hanging out over Thanksgiving, she decided she wanted to henna my hair.
So, she did. And I fell in love!
Since I’ve started using henna, my hair is much healthier, smoother, less breakage, etc. I know that diet plays a large role in the health of your hair as well, something that I have learned all too well since I started my journey to health in August 2012. Read my 5 Tips for Perfectly Healthy Hair here.
What is Henna?
Image Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons
Henna is a flowering plant that has been used for centuries as a dye, whether it be for the hair, skin, fingernails, fabric, silk, wool, or leather.
Henna refers specifically to the plant that provides the red color. The term itself is often used interchangeably for other skin and hair dyes such as black henna (Indigo) or neutral henna (Senna or Cassia), neither of which come from the henna plant.
The henna plant is a small tree that is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Southern Asia, and northern Australasia.
For commercial use, it is typically cultivated in Morocco, Algeria, Yemen, Tunisia, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Turkey, Somalia and Sudan. The largest cultivated area of India is the Pali district of Rajasthan. There are over 100 henna processors operating in Sojat City alone. Source.
Henna has been used since the Bronze age and is traditionally used in some regions for festivals and celebrations.
There is mention of henna as a hair dye in Indian court records around 400 CE, in Rome during the Roman Empire, and in Spain during Convivencia. It was listed in the medical texts of the Ebers Papyrus (16th c BCE Egypt) and by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (14th c CE (Syria and Egypt) as a medicinal herb. In Morocco, wool is dyed and ornamented with henna, as are drumheads and other leather goods. Source.
Recently, there has been a resurgence in henna use due to improved cultivation and processing methods, as well as people becoming more concerned about chemical exposure and looking for ways to reduce that.
For dying the skin, a paste is made with dried henna and then used to paint intricate designs on the skin. Depending on the quality of the henna and each person’s skin types, henna art can last up to a month.
Henna also has anti-fungal properties and is sometimes used as a preservative for leather and cloth.
Henna flowers were long used to create perfumes and this tradition is starting to become more popular as well. Henna also has been known to repel mildew and insects. Source.
The coloring properties of henna come from lawsone, which is a burgundy organic compound that likes to bond to protein (hair, skin, etc.).
Lawsone is most concentrated in the leaves of the plant. What’s fascinating is that henna will not stain the skin or hair until those lawsone molecules are released from the henna leaf. In order for this to happen, they must be “activated” with a mildly acidic liquid.
You will most commonly see the henna in powder form, which is create from grinding the dried leaves. There are a lot of different techniques that people use when mixing their henna to improve its staining ability, including mixing with lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, strong tea, etc. Once the henna is mixed with the liquid, it needs to sit for 12-24 hours to become fully “activated”. Source.
In some rare occasions, henna can have negative health effects. It is known to be dangerous for those who suffer from glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD deficiency).
Typically if you are using a high-quality henna that you mix yourself, it is rare to have any side effects. Some people may experience an allergic reaction to the henna touching their skin, so it is advised to do a skin test first. That said, in all of the people I know who use henna, I have never heard of anyone having a reaction.
Pre-mixed henna paste can be dangerous, so it is advised to avoid those. Many of these pre-mixed products include some toxic and unsavory ingredients. I’ve honestly never seen pre-mixed henna locally, but I know you can buy them online. I’d recommend steering clear of them, just for the fact that they are not going to be as high quality, but also for the fact that they do contain some unsavory, and sometimes toxic chemical and preservatives. If you do use a pre-mixed version, make sure you thoroughly investigate the ingredients. Source.
I have been using the high-quality henna from my affiliate partner, Morrocco Method International. I really like their products and have finally found a hair care routine that works for me. Read about my hair care routine, tips for healthy hair, and my own struggles with hair loss here.

How I Use Henna
First and foremost, the key with henna is to avoid those cheap boxed hennas at the grocery store and get body art quality henna. The best 10% of henna is reserved for this use.
Body quality art henna is going to be much higher quality than the stuff you can buy in the store (which is the other 90% of henna). The color will be so much better and the color will stay true until you either touch up your roots or let it grow out. It never fades, plus you will know it is pure henna and not adulterated with other, potentially toxic, ingredients.
These are the things you should look at to ensure you are getting the highest quality henna:
- Has very high natural dye content
- Is carefully cleaned, ground, and sifted for utmost quality
- Is pure and only comes from dried, powdered lawsonia inermis leaves
You want to only use henna that has been been tested and certified as pure by independent labs. Henna can easily be adulterated with additional (harmful) chemicals, even if they are not listed on the label. This includes the henna that you will find in some salons, as well as the pre-packaged and pre-mixed types that I mentioned above.
There’s a lot of info about henna around the Web, but here are a few “don’ts” from Catherine of Mehandi.com on how to get the best results when you color. Catherine is a henna guru — she even wrote her dissertation on henna, so I trust her research.
Some brands will state the following items as being OK, but I personally choose to stick with the instructions that Catherine laid out:
- Don’t mix your henna with coffee. This won’t change the color and will also smell horrible, potentially leading to a massive headache. Clove powder may sometimes intensify the color, but can irritate the skin, so use caution.
- Don’t forget to use an acidic activator like lemon juice or vinegar.
- Don’t use yogurt as your acidic liquid. The protein will interfere with the releasing of the dye and also affect the hair’s uptake capability. Same with eggs. The protein will interfere with the dye, so don’t add eggs to your henna.
- Don’t use boiling water. The boiling water will alter the color and will result in a faded, brassy color.
- Don’t be stingy with the henna paste. Use lots. Thick application means better coverage and color.
- Don’t forget to cover your clothes, sink, etc., with old towels or old clothes. This is messy and it will stain permanently.
I typically henna my hair every two months. My roots are pretty noticeable by the time I get around to doing it, but it is a bit pricey, so I like to extend it out as much as I can. I wish I could do a batch of henna in my hair each week, because it is the most amazing conditioner. It leaves my hair feeling wonderful – full, soft, and lots of body. If you want, you can do smaller batches to touch up just the roots, but I personally just do my whole head at once.
I purchase my body art quality henna from my affiliate partner, Morrocco Method. I personally love their light brown henna, which is a blend of henna and indigo. It gives me a really rich auburn without the brassy look that fresh henna sometimes leaves on your hair. I also use their regular red henna, which has no indigo added. I like both — it just depends on the mood I’m in! 🙂
Since I love henna so much, I am very cautious about where I buy it. I love the henna from Morrocco Method (as well as other products of theirs) and I discuss that in this video:
My Henna Process
Here is my process. If you decide to give henna a try, you will quickly learn what works for your own personal needs. I recommend checking out this FAQs page before you start your first batch of henna, just to make sure you know everything you need to know!
1. The day before I want to henna, I mix up 1/2 packet of the henna with a scant tablespoon of lemon juice and about 1/2 – 3/4 cup of water.
You want the henna to be mashed potatoes consistency or a tad thinner. Start off with 1/4 cup of water and add a little at a time until you get the right consistency.
I cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave it out for 16-24 hours.
This is what the dry henna looks like. I should have taken a picture of the paste once it’s mixed. I’ll do that next time and add it in.
2. On the day that I am going to henna, I don’t wash my hair, though it doesn’t really matter.
3. I brush my hair to get any tangles out and then proceed to the messy stuff.
4. I place a towel (that I don’t mind staining) over my sink, to protect the counter in case I spill any. I also either wear an old shirt that I don’t care about, or I wrap an old towel around my shoulders to protect my clothes. ALWAYS wear gloves, your else your hands will not match your body when you’re done.
5. I unwrap the henna mixture and then start massaging it into my hair. Most experts will say to portion off your hair and do it in little chunks (like the do at salons when doing color). But, my hair is relatively short, and honestly, I am not that patient to portion my hair into sections.
So, I just start at the top and work my way down. I use a little bit at a time and massage all the way down to the roots. Make sure you really work it in there. If you have longer hair, you will need to portion it off for sure. Don’t be afraid of using too much — you want it to be thick on your hair, like your generously frosting a cake.
6. I work the henna into my hair, making sure it is all that way down to the scalp and every inch of my hair is covered, including the fine little hairs around your ears and the base of your neck. If you get any globs of henna on your skin, just wipe off with a damp towel. They may stain your skin a light orange, but it fades very quickly due to the natural oils on your skin.
7. Once I have used all of the henna mixture, I wrap my hair in plastic wrap. You could also use a shower cap, but I find that the plastic wrap works better, stays snugly around your head, and keeps the humidity in. Here I am right before putting on the plastic wrap, all gooped up!
8. I leave the henna in my hair for a minimum of 4 hours. Depending on my schedule, I may leave it in overnight if I end up doing it late in the evening.
I would recommend at least 2-3 hours minimum for the full color to develop. Henna is a great conditioner, so leaving it on for longer won’t hurt at all.
9. When it’s time to wash it out, I hop in the shower and carefully remove the plastic wrap. Fold it up so that the henna is all contained on it, that way it doesn’t accidentally stain anything in the shower. Rinse with warm water until the water runs mostly clear and all of the paste is out. This may take a little while. You can also shampoo your hair if you need to as well. Make sure you scrub your scalp, as there will be some residue lingering on your skin.
10. Keep in mind that your henna may look brighter and a little brassy at first. Give it 2-3 days and it tones down. Here are photos, the first one is right after I washed the henna out and dried my hair. The second one was taken a week or so later. You can see how much to color tones down.
I really love henna and its versatility, plus the fact that it’s a non-toxic way for me to continue dying my hair. Have you used henna? I’d love to hear from you!

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Use caution with perms and henna its hard to perm hair if it has henna on it . And perms strip off the color and you get a funky color . Also a lot of heat from flat Irons that are extremely hot . I am a Hair dresser and have use Henna for years .
Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Great article! I frequently get questions about how to use henna and send folks to mehandi.com, but there is a LOT of information there, so it’s overwhelming. Now, I can send my friends here instead for an easy read and how-to. I love your color! It looks so natural.
Hi Sis – Thanks for the recommendation and for sharing my post!! Without you, I would have never started henna-ing! 🙂
I have used Mehandi’s henna for about six years now. Because I have graying hair I mix it with indigo and I get more of an auburn color. My hair is shinny and very soft and healthy. My gray roots are very noticeable, so I have to touch up my roots frequently. Hate the toxic hair dye, but not quite ready to let my hair go gray either…well mostly my husband is not ready for me to 🙂
Hi Jeannette – Thanks fro stopping by and commenting! Now that I have been using henna for so long, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back to my real hair color! I get lazy on the roots. I really should touch up way more often than I do! 🙂
I actually live about 10 mins from the Mehandi store location which is in downtown Kent Ohio, Empirekent.com. I love this place and Catherine is an awesome person. I have been dying my hair with henna for ages from Empire. I tend to go for the highest dye content and if you think its expencive for you I need 2 whole boxes to die my hair :D. I have never tried using ACV for dye release thought going to have to try that. Lemon juice does a number on my hair. I dye my hair on a friday night before bed then put on a shower cap followed by a towel or scarf. Heat helps get henna dye release and a scarf will hold in the heat from your head and keep the henna working all night. If you get sections of henna that have gone a bit crusty try a steamy bath before you go to war with the mud. Lastly dont Panic if your hair is orange day 1 if you have ever henna’ed your skin it works the same way, bright orange when the paste comes off it gradually deepens to red in a day or 3. Hence starting on friday 😉
Ooo one last thing that is so amazing about henna over box dyes is Henna will always look natural. Box dyes just never look right or natural but henna dosnt strip your hair color then dye it. Henna dyes over your natural haircolor letting your natural color shape your henna color. No matter what your skin tone your red will look like a gift from nature (which it is!) Oh and be really sure you want to be a red head because if you try to bleach henna you get a pretty epic ORANGE! which might be cool… or a disaster!I know cause I tried to highlight my hair once when just the tips where henna’d, my hairdresser was petrified, I was exstatic 😉
HAHA! “Pretty epic orange.” <-- This is my favorite quote of the day! How funny! I can honestly say I've never tried that, but it sounds neat! 😉
Yeah the hair dresser wanted to dye it to a normal colour and I made her leave it orange is my fav colour
Love it! 🙂
How awesome that Mehandi is local for you! I’d love to Meet Catherine – so happy to hear that she is an awesome person in real life too! 🙂 Thanks for sharing more of your tips!! 🙂
For those looming to get started on henna and are not sure which henna to purchased you can call empire for advice on which henna to buy to get the color you are looking for
I did a keratin treatment a month ago. Will the henna be a good idea with this treatment in my hair or what are its flaws if any?
Hi Blanca – I am not sure about that. I have never had a keratin treatment done, so I wouldn’t know how it would affect your hair. Sorry I can’t be of more help! 🙁
I started using Henna 2 or 3 years ago now, and I LOVE it! I never chemically died my hair yet, but I do know Henna is SO much better.. When I first dyed my hair ALL my hair was a different color, but now after the third year I noticed that only the outside of my hair would dye bright red, (I’m naturally dark brown) and the underneath part would stay the same dark brown with maybe just a hint of red… I read some were that Henna dyes hair that has no color left… Do you know anything about that? Or why my hair is no longer dying? I have used a flattening iron, but that shouldn’t be the cause because I used it on the outside just as much as the underside..
I love Henna though no matter what, the color it makes is just beautiful!
You have such a great post, wonderful job! Thank you! 🙂
Hi Kristen – Thanks for commenting! I am glad you enjoyed the post. I am not sure why your hair would take the color differently now. I have not experienced that problem and have been using the same henna for years. Are you familiar with the Mehandi.com site? They have some awesome forums and are super helpful. Perhaps someone in there would know for sure.
Hi Jessica, thanks for a great post. I haven’t started using my newly purchased henna yet. I thought I read somewhere that it shouldn’t use a shampoo that is made from Castile soap when using henna. Do you know if that is right? Or do does it matter which type of shampoo to use afterwards, to prolong the color? Thanks Michelle
Hi Michelle – I’ve never read that, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. The only shampoo I use is Aubrey Organics and I have never noticed any issues. Henna does not fade like chemical colors do. Have fun!
I found this post to be VERY helpful! I have wanted to be as natural as possible with all of my bath and beauty products. Hair color has been difficult for me. I have for the last two years used a “natural” hair color from my local health food store but realized that it is still filled with things that I don’t want. I even tried a boxed henna from the health-food store and it turned out terrible! This post along with the information from the other website I had great success! I mixed 200g of henna with 200g of indigo. I have long hair to mid-back so that is what worked for me. I applied wrapped and did chores around the house for about 3 1/2 hours and then rinsed and washed. BEAUTIFUL color and my hair is so shiny. Thanks, Jessica!
Hi Beth – Thank you SO much for stopping by and sharing! I am so happy you had a good experience. The store-bought stuff never seems to work out right. Once I discovered the body art quality henna, I never went back to the other stuff. I love the henna, as it leaves my hair so super soft and shiny. If I could afford it, I’d do it every week, but that would break the bank! 🙂
I am 5 months post chemo. I used a permanent hair color. I would like to change to henna. How long do I have to wait??
Hi Angele – I’m sorry, but I have no idea! 🙁
You don’t have to wait. Henna works over chemical hair dyes just fine. Over the years I have occasionally used chemical dyes, and henna’d over them (I wouldn’t try this over the brilliant punk colours … re-dye the hair with a chemical dye to the colour you want, then start with the henna the next time). Love henna … thickens the hair, wonderful shine and body. My hair is totally grey, so I had to do some experimenting with colour to get the shade I wanted. Henna does not adhere to grey hair easily. If you have lots of grey you have to leave it on for a long time. For me, it is a minimum of 5 hours. Worth the wait. Get the best grade of henna possible.
Awesome! Thank you for sharing! I have had some people ask about that and I will make sure to point them to your comment. 🙂
Regarding covering gray, I had to add a base of red, and then add my brown color, making sure the henna got heat. Our house is so cold, my first try didn’t get rid of my green roots, but it did calm down and shrink some green crown area. I used pretty warm (almost hot) water for the initial rinses. Next time, I do red henna, then a dark brown and see how it goes. Henna is temperature sensitive. Who knew!
Thanks for sharing Gail! 🙂
Which henna color did you use for your photos?
It is amazing how much it toned down.
Thanks!
Hi Andrea – Those photos were taken using the “Henna for Hair Red” from Mehandi. Since then, I’ve switched over to the Light Brown henna from Morrocco Method and like it A LOT better. It has some indigo with it and it totally skips the brassy orange color and washes out in a gorgeous auburn color. It’s great! 🙂
I just found your webpage while searching online to find out if brewed coffee in henna mix can cause headache. Now I find that here it’s advised not to do that because of the horrible smell, no difference in color and causes massive headache. Well now I’m dealing with this bad headache cause by me mixing brewed coffee into my henna mix yesterday and its true that also it causes the henna dye to have a bad smell. I knew that it was unusual that why this time after I put henna dye to sit on my hair cause me this headache that I don’t know how long it will last. I got idea of trying it because it was mentioned on the packaging that it helps to have a deeper brown. I obviously didn’t notice a difference in my hair color this time from other times I dye with this henna with water mixed only. Also because I read before that caffeine stimulates hair growth made me curious to add this into the mix 🙁 I should’ve searched about it first before trying it. lesson learned. btw I have dark brown hair naturally and I mostly get my henna at Indian stores or Middle eastern stores ’cause there sold cheap. Also I tried powder ones from either Whole Foods or Sprout. Henna shouldn’t be sold too high in my opinion even though they’re best natural hair dyes out there.
I have heard a lot of people say that coffee helps with the henna, but I personally don’t do it. The woman I get my info from is one of the leading experts in henna (she’s devoted her whole life to this topic) and I trust what she has to say when it comes to proper application, what to do, and what not to do. When it comes to henna, it’s important to make sure you buy from a company that regularly tests their henna for contamination, especially heavy metals. Not all store brands do this, which is why I am super selective as to where I purchase mine. Hope you’re feeling better!
Mehandi.com recommends that you do Henna and Indigo in a 2 part step, Does Moroccan Method brand combine it’s henna and Indigo for light brown or black toned kits? I have done so much research that you won’t get the darkest results if you mix the 2 but they should be done consecutively .
Tanya – No, they recommend a 2 part step as well. To be completely honest though, I have accidentally combined the indigo and henna together at the start and it worked just fine. I can’t tell much of a difference between combining them together at first, or waiting and adding the indigo later.
I heard on a website to NOT USE coffee butt I’ve used it for the five times that I’ve hennad my hair. Anyone know if coffee is bad?
Hi Ashley – Catherine Cartwright-Jones (the henna guru) talks about this on one of her sites, but now I can’t find where. I remember reading why she didn’t recommend using coffee many years ago. I’ll keep looking and see if I can track down that info again. 🙂
Wow, just checked Morrocco Method’s website because my daughter would like to try henna. $106 Australian for one box ($93.00 of that is shipping). Any ideas on where I can buy good quality henna in Australia?
Hi Mary – I am not sure as I’ve never looked for brands out there. You could also try Mehandi.com. That is another great brand, but I am not sure if they ship internationally. Hope that helps!
HI 🙂
I’ve been using henna for almost eight years now. My hair became chemical resistant so dyes no longer worked (washed out). I mix my henna with cans of coconut cream (here in nz that’s about 40% water I think) and leave it in over night. Being almost white, my hair is a stunning stop-sign red. Only downside is I have to do it every 3/4 weeks! But I find the remains freeze well 🙂 I use this brand http://www.back2nature.co.nz/products-page/henna-powder/ in NZ, and the pricing is very modest (for NZ)
Hi Nicole! Thanks for stopping by! Interesting tip regarding the coconut milk. I have never heard of that! Thanks also for the recommendation for the NZ brand. I sometimes have people asking about where to find it in different parts of the world, so I’ll make a note of this. 🙂
I have just used Henna for the second time and I do love it, noticed I get really bad headache after I looked at the ingredients and in this one there is coffee and indigo, clove which may cause headaches I’m guessing as I’m not a coffee drinker either, I do think this is an ok brand using quite natural ingredients Lush.com so I think I may change to just the Henna and make it up like you do, or take pain killers which defeats the object of going natural really !.
Hi Jadie! Thanks for stopping by and welcome to the henna world! I have not tried the brand you mentioned, but I personally steer clear of any brand that is not pure henna. You don’t need anything else in it except the actual henna plant. Or the indigo plant. The brand I use is a blend of henna and indigo (or, I buy them individually and blend them myself), but nothing else. Some people say adding coffee helps with the color, but I was always told not to do that. You do need acid to help the color develop but I was told to just use apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Hope that helps and that you don’t get headaches moving forward! 🙂
I have SD, and it’s been about 9 months since I dyed my hair with commercial dye. Would henna cause issues with scalp health?
Hi Elizabeth! Thanks for stopping by. As with all things, it’s impossible to know if something would affect you in a certain way. We’re all so unique. I will say that I’ve never heard of anyone having scalp health issues by using henna. For me personally, I found it helped with my scalp and hair health. My scalp and hair actually feel healthier when I use the henna regularly. If I come across anything about this in the future, I’ll make sure to update the post. 🙂
This is a really helpful guide.
Hi! Thank you so much! I am so glad it was helpful!