Is HENNA really worth it?

Is Henna Really Worth It?

  • Yes, I am natural and have seen many benefits for my hair.

    Votes: 117 15.5%
  • No, I am natural and it was too much work for minimal benefits.

    Votes: 16 2.1%
  • Yes, I am relaxed and have seen many benefits for my hair.

    Votes: 131 17.4%
  • No, I am relaxed and it was too much work for minimal benefits.

    Votes: 24 3.2%
  • I dont know. I have never used henna.

    Votes: 465 61.8%

  • Total voters
    753
MadisonK said:
Hi,

I have thick, black colored hair that's 2 inches above my waist. I want to henna for the strengthening effects and for the black coloring.

How much henna should i buy? and how much Indigo should i buy? Also, once I henna, how much Indigo should I use for a pretty, shiny black?

thanks!
Here's a guide
100g will dye short hair.
200g will dye collar length straight hair.
300g will dye shoulder length straight hair.
500g will dye waist length hair.
 
MadisonK, if you happen to have any leftovers of the henna paste just freeze it and use it the next time so you get your money's worth. It will keep for 6 months frozen.
Use the same amount of indigo, but you can't freeze this as it doesn't keep well.

For your hair I would recommend 300 grams of each. But you might have leftovers. Just make sure you evenly cover your hair and get at those roots.
 
Thanks for the guide! I just bought 3 1bs of henna from www.fromnaturewithlove.com I hope i like it!! I also bought 2oz of alma oil. My total cost with shipping was $37. Should I mix some of the alma oil in the henna?

They didn't sell indigo. I went to a indian grocery store and it was a little confusing. I didn't feel confident with the store clerks help. Where is a good place to buy the indigo?

When I get the henna I'll do like you suggested and use 300 grams. Should I just pour in some hot water and oil until it's a paste consistency? And do the same with the indigo after I've rinsed out the henna?

I know this isn't hard...but it's a lot to absorb. :look:

thanks!
 
MadisonK, no problem. It is a lot at first and then you just get into the swing of things after that.

You did get a great price on the henna but they don't list what country of origin it is or which crop year it is from. I didn't see 3 lbs but I saw 1 lb and 5 lbs.

For the amla oil they don't list amla extract as being their first ingredient, therefore keep in mine that there is more sesame seed oil in it then amla. Amla should be the first ingredient meaning that it has the highest concentration compared to the other ingredients. From our suppliers in India we didn't choose sesame oils to make our amla hair oil because they told us it would be too greasy. I would like to hear your personal thoughts on your products once you get them.
They have a lot of great variety.

If you are looking for indigo, you can PM me. I would be more then happy to help.

As for how to mix your henna paste make it like a paste that is the consistency of yoghurt (about) just a nice thick and smooth paste. Not too runny and not too thick. The indigo you have to watch because it is more runny then the henna, so add your liquid a bit at a time. You can add CMC to thicken it up and that helps some but isn't 100% necessary.

Hope this helps

Khadija
 
Henna Sooq said:
MadisonK, no problem. It is a lot at first and then you just get into the swing of things after that.

You did get a great price on the henna but they don't list what country of origin it is or which crop year it is from. I didn't see 3 lbs but I saw 1 lb and 5 lbs.

For the amla oil they don't list amla extract as being their first ingredient, therefore keep in mine that there is more sesame seed oil in it then amla. Amla should be the first ingredient meaning that it has the highest concentration compared to the other ingredients. From our suppliers in India we didn't choose sesame oils to make our amla hair oil because they told us it would be too greasy. I would like to hear your personal thoughts on your products once you get them.
They have a lot of great variety.

If you are looking for indigo, you can PM me. I would be more then happy to help.

As for how to mix your henna paste make it like a paste that is the consistency of yoghurt (about) just a nice thick and smooth paste. Not too runny and not too thick. The indigo you have to watch because it is more runny then the henna, so add your liquid a bit at a time. You can add CMC to thicken it up and that helps some but isn't 100% necessary.

Hope this helps

Khadija

Thanks, Khadija!
She sold me 1 lb X 3. You have to order at least $20 to avoid a $5 handling fee. And I'm trusting that I'm going to like it as much as all of you!

What is CMC?

I'll pm you about the indigo.

thanks!
 
Oh okay I thought you got a package of 3 lbs of henna. Sorry my mistake !

CMC is a natural thickening agent. It helps the indigo not be so runny.
 
Henna Sooq said:
You did get a great price on the henna but they don't list what country of origin it is or which crop year it is from. I didn't see 3 lbs but I saw 1 lb and 5 lbs.

I emailed them today and this is what I got so far:

"Our Henna Leaf Powder was received at the end of the summer, and has a stable shelf life of 1+ years. This ingredient is completely natural, hair and skin safe, and is imported from India."

So, India 2006?

HTH
 
Depending on which region it comes from the Indian crop is harvested only in Fall time like Oct/Nov, so the henna that she got at the end of the summer must be from Fall 2005. The best henna comes from the rajasthani region of India. You can see a very through walk through the henna process here at www.bodyarts.com
They have been doing henna for about close to 20 yrs I believe. The pictures and information is very reliable and I have spoken with them personally.
 
I voted yes BUT
I can only Henna 2-3 times per year
I took away my natural curl pattern.
It took two months to see my curl come back
So yes ...but it depends

I mix egyption henna
with coffee
oilve oil
AMLA
conditioner


I actually found a better way to strengthen my hair.
Irish Moss:D
just as much if not more proteen
 
Henna Sooq said:
Depending on which region it comes from the Indian crop is harvested only in Fall time like Oct/Nov, so the henna that she got at the end of the summer must be from Fall 2005. The best henna comes from the rajasthani region of India. You can see a very through walk through the henna process here at www.bodyarts.com
They have been doing henna for about close to 20 yrs I believe. The pictures and information is very reliable and I have spoken with them personally.

See, I didn't think that was a thorough enough explanation. So I told her to email me when they found out what region it came from. :)
 
Another great henna thread! How did I miss this one?

I'm off to have another go and hope this time it will cover the grays.
 
Last edited:
Miss*Tress said:
Another great henna thread! How did I miss this one?

I'm off to have another go and hope this time it will cover the grays.

I had to do it twice before my grays where covered now they look like copper highlights!!
 
mrsjones1 said:
I had to do it twice before my grays where covered now they look like copper highlights!!
That is how mine look today after a second attempt to cover them. However I want them black or at the very least brown. I'll keep trying, maybe even buy some pure indigo rather than rely on the henna/indigo pre-mix.
 
Miss*Tress said:
That is how mine look today after a second attempt to cover them. However I want them black or at the very least brown. I'll keep trying, maybe even buy some pure indigo rather than rely on the henna/indigo pre-mix.

I am with you. I want my grays totally covered so when I get the chance next I am going to use only the Indigo and not a mixture of both products.
 
Hi there, i've already used henna (one time) but I want to re-try. Last time, it wasn't the "good" henna, it was chemical (black actually). Hopefully, my hair was not damaged after this.
This time, I want a flawless henna on my head. I have purchased some "Jamila Henna". I've got indigo too, but I only want to use henna. Were do I start ?
 
Now that I've had a day to deal with my hair, it feels like the volume has increased by at least 50%! It's not as silky as the last time though, but still nice.
 
I'm finally going to relax in a couple of weeks and can't wait to Henna and Indigo afterwards. I spoke with Catherine Cartwright-Jones, a henna expert from Henna For Hair, www.hennaforhair.com, and she told me that her daughter henna's before and after a relaxer. To play it safe, I will do a strand test using unrelaxed and relaxed hair to see if there is a difference.

I'm a bit disappointed in this site, however...Indian-Herbs-Exporters.Com. I ordered henna, indigo, and other products nearly two months ago and have yet to receive my shipment. Of course this is an international order, so I understand that it takes awhile. When I inquired, the only response I got was an insufficient "your order has shipped." That's hit. No indication of when it was shipped or how long ago. So, I'm trying to be patient, but from now on, I'll order from one of Catherine's recommended sites.

Check out hennaforhair.com and peruse the forum there. I learned so much and got a wealth of useful information there.

I'm a fine-haired sister, and my hair has improved tremendously from henna. It has thickened up, but I'll know for sure after I've finally relaxed in a couple of weeks.

GOD luck everyone!!!!;)
 
Serenity_Peace said:
I'm a bit disappointed in this site, however...Indian-Herbs-Exporters.Com. I ordered henna, indigo, and other products nearly two months ago and have yet to receive my shipment. Of course this is an international order, so I understand that it takes awhile. When I inquired, the only response I got was an insufficient "your order has shipped." That's hit. No indication of when it was shipped or how long ago. So, I'm trying to be patient, but from now on, I'll order from one of Catherine's recommended sites.

You know I am disappointed in them, as well. I ordered Cassia and the package that came says: Neutral Henna Lawsonia Inermis. I emailed them and asked why they put that label on there because it is misleading. It should not say Lawsonia Inermis if it is Cassia. They never gave me a straight forward answer saying that they sent me Cassia. I replied that they should not put that on the label because it is dishonest and misleading for people that want Cassia or Henna. They never replied. I will never order again, except to get some of those free samples they offer. They have a few powders other than Henna, Cassia and Indigo that I would love to try.

I love their prices, but I guess we are getting what we pay for. :confused:

Edited to add:

This is the email they sent me:

From: Indian-Herbs-Exporters.Com [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 12:57 AM
To: 'Honeydew'
Subject: RE: Notification : Form Submitted : Common Support Form ( CSF)

Dear Valuable Customer !

Your message received. Please allow me your attention for a while.

***
(-1-) Natural Henna is Lawsonia inermis botanically. It colors and conditions. Nuetral Henna is Cassia Auriculeta botanically. It only conditions and does not colors. Since it looks like henna and have the condtioning properties of henna but does not colors hair and have therefore a nuetral effect on hair it is commonly called as neutral henna. It is also called as cassia powder. (-2-) At IHE we never belive or follow any misleading practices. However, if you feel that the label has mislead you, we appologise in this regard.
***

Should you feel something has been left out or if something need further clarification or if you need any assistance of any sort any time please never hesitate to contact me. I shall be always 'glad' assisting you.

'Awaiting' your further directions.

Have A Nice Day !
Jp


And it looks like the Cassia they sell is Cassia Auriculeta not Cassia Obovata. I am okay with that, but still - something just ain't right. No more staple orders from them!
 
Last edited:
hhhhmm wow two months. I order from India A LOT so it has never taken two months to receive anything not even a sample. I believe they must be sending it by sea and perhaps that is why it takes so long. I even get books by courier from India and it comes much quicker even with the delays they say I will have because sometimes there is henna in the pack too.

In my opinion, I would tell Ms. Catherine about the website/company (Indian herbs exporter) because she has them listed in her suppliers list right? If she has it listed and sees that they are not doing a good job then she would take them down most likely. Because she really believes in having only good and reliable suppliers listed on her site. Since there are a few of you then that is a good enough reason.
 
HoneyDew said:
You know I am disappointed in them, as well. I ordered Cassia and the package that came says: Neutral Henna Lawsonia Inermis. I emailed them and asked why they put that label on there because it is misleading. It should not say Lawsonia Inermis if it is Cassia. They never gave me a straight forward answer saying that they sent me Cassia. I replied that they should not put that on the label because it is dishonest and misleading for people that want Cassia or Henna. They never replied. I will never order again, except to get some of those free samples they offer. They have a few powders other than Henna, Cassia and Indigo that I would love to try.

I love their prices, but I guess we are getting what we pay for. :confused:

Edited to add:

This is the email they sent me:

From: Indian-Herbs-Exporters.Com [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 12:57 AM
To: 'Honeydew'
Subject: RE: Notification : Form Submitted : Common Support Form ( CSF)

Dear Valuable Customer !

Your message received. Please allow me your attention for a while.

***
(-1-) Natural Henna is Lawsonia inermis botanically. It colors and conditions. Nuetral Henna is Cassia Auriculeta botanically. It only conditions and does not colors. Since it looks like henna and have the condtioning properties of henna but does not colors hair and have therefore a nuetral effect on hair it is commonly called as neutral henna. It is also called as cassia powder. (-2-) At IHE we never belive or follow any misleading practices. However, if you feel that the label has mislead you, we appologise in this regard.
***

Should you feel something has been left out or if something need further clarification or if you need any assistance of any sort any time please never hesitate to contact me. I shall be always 'glad' assisting you.

'Awaiting' your further directions.

Have A Nice Day !
Jp


And it looks like the Cassia they sell is Cassia Auriculeta not Cassia Obovata. I am okay with that, but still - something just ain't right. No more staple orders from them!

Thanks. I'd better check my samples to make sure they've sent me the right thing as well. It saddens me. I finally did receive my samples, but still haven't gotten the order that I paid for. I will share with you the samples that were sent when I get home from work. It's been so long that I'd forgotten what I ordered. Again, I just don't think it's worth it. Thank God I was stretching my relaxer anyway. If I had already done a touch up waiting for them, I'd be more furious. Catherine's recommended sites may be a bit more expensive, but I've not heard anyone complain about the quality or the customer service. It's hard to find cassia and indigo elsewhere so I'd rather stick with a reliable source from now on.

GOD luck!
 
Serenity_Peace said:
Thanks. I'd better check my samples to make sure they've sent me the right thing as well. It saddens me. I finally did receive my samples, but still haven't gotten the order that I paid for. I will share with you the samples that were sent when I get home from work. It's been so long that I'd forgotten what I ordered. Again, I just don't think it's worth it. Thank God I was stretching my relaxer anyway. If I had already done a touch up waiting for them, I'd be more furious. Catherine's recommended sites may be a bit more expensive, but I've not heard anyone complain about the quality or the customer service. It's hard to find cassia and indigo elsewhere so I'd rather stick with a reliable source from now on.

GOD luck!

They are on the list of Catherine's recommended sites.
 
yes, but maybe she doesn't realize that they are acting up. It takes our help, customers, to let people know when someone is not doing a good job. If she doesn't order from them she might not know how their process is at this time, and if customers don't complain how would she know?
Management might have changed and things change so maybe they are getting slack when they used to do a really good job. Personally I tried to get samples some time last year, and I didn't have good communication with them, so I dropped them.
 
Back
Top