Henna for dying hair

[Teaspoon]

I'm getting a bit wary of keep using the chemical hair dyes, especially after a story where a lady suffered a fatal reaction. I'm not ready for the grey to come through yet, though. I started going grey at 23 and I'm probably almost completely grey now

I'm very tempted with the henna dyes https://www.lush.co.uk/search/results/?term=henna but they do look very messy. Has anyone used them?

[Diflower]

Teaspoon I used the stuff from Lush after chemo, you're not supposed to use dye for quite a long time and I had these horrid dark, dark poodle curls
Messy is the word, but it did make it look as nice as it could under the circumstances

[Gal]

Oh goodness I haven't a clue how to use henna....never used it before.

Sorry Teaspoon xx

[Fugitive]

If henna products are the same as when I used them Just The Once in my salon then they are horrendously messy and I'd only use Henna if I really had no choice!

[Kaz]

I have a funny feeling that henna can't be used on grey for some reason - think I read it somewhere. It either doesn't take or turns a funny colour. Will google in a bit and see if I can find what I mean...........

In my twenties I used henna on my darkish mouse hair and it was wonderful - gorgeous shiny auburn red and full of body! Very messy to use though, as when mixed it's like a gritty greenish/brown mud, and I wrapped it in foil and old towels to take

There have been warnings about the parabens in hair dye for many years which is why I would never ever dye my hair without doing a skin test! I dye mine blonde these days as I have such a lot of grey that blonde takes better, and the risk is less with the blonde dyes than dark ones, but I still do the test and insist Becky does too when she dyes hers. When she had hers dyed back to her natural brown at Supercuts recently they insisted she went into the shop two days prior to her appt for a skin test, which was excellent I though.

Off to google about the henna>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Kaz]

Ok well the Lush webite are saying that their special henna product here can be used on greys and in fact give a more vibrant result...........

Other sites say that henna will turn your hair yellow which is what I had read in the past I think.........

So th advice is conflicting it seems.............

TBPH teaspoon as long as you do a skin test behind your ear with a tiny bit of the hair dye, two days before using the dye you are safe...............believe me if you are allergic you will know about it. I tried a new Nice & Easy product last year, a stronger blonde dye than normal, and had a massive weepy boil come up on the skin test, so thank goodness I did it!

[Fugitive]

Good research on Henna Kaz and even though Lush says you can use it on hair with grey in it hawk-spit I'm a bit doubtful and can only think the Lush Henna isn't as you and I know from the past and is mixed with other ingredients. I'm not about to try it! White/Grey hair always went a translucent pink and not a good look!

I always use Clairol Nice 'n' Easy but tried the ten minute one a while back and I didn't like the sensation on my scalp at all so stick with the normal one.

[Kaz]

Now that's really funny as I love the Perfect 10 which never bothers my scalp at all but the normal Nice & Easy gave me that awful blstering on the skin test! Just goes to show we are all different, and how important skin testing is.............

I'd imagine you are right about the Lush stuff, that must have something added - I rmeember mixing henna powder from a drum into a paste with warm water OMG it was jsut like mixing mud pies - and omg the mess it made! But in those days it gave me a fabulous resut! My hair was so shiny it almost looked wet under lighting

Wouldn't dare now as I'd fear going yellow or, even worse, pink

[Gal]

I use whatever's on offer at the time - usually Nice n Easy but I have bought Nutrisse and Superdrug's own on many an occasion with no bad effects whatsoever - just as well as I have to reapply it about once every four weeks

Should just add that I only ever do the roots and then sort of wash it out with the rest of my hair, so the lengths don't get much dye at all, and I have tried the foam and 10 minute versions but far prefer the normal ones!!

[Teaspoon]

Thanks for all your replies.

Kaz, your link was what I'd read, that's why I thought it would be OK on the grey. Maybe I'll give it a miss, I make enough mess with the ordinary dye, and walking round with a head wrapped in cling film for several hours and ending up with yellow roots would be a bit disappointing.

I think you can buy some more natural dyes in Boots, I'll have to have a look as I rarely go into town. The supermarkets only seem to have the usual dyes.

I only do the allergy test if I change brand or colour, which I haven't for several months now. I colour all my hair and I've been using the foam.