I almost lost ALLL my curl!

[Ms_CoCo37]

People have been looking for YEARS for an All Natural, Safe, CHEAP, Gentle Hair Straighter - and nothing to date has been found....

Well, guess what?

I stumbled over it a couple of weeks ago.

Wanna know what it is?

Henna - mixed with coconut milk & lime juice. Someone (and I hunted, and HUNTED for the thread, but couldn't find it) was asking about this combination - thinking that since henna is known to loosen curls, and the C/L mix is known to loosen curls - what would happen if you mixed the two?

I used 1/2 cup of henna (from FNWL), 8 oz warm water, about 1/2 cup coconut milk, and the juice from half a lime. Mixed it together, added some conditioner to make it easier to put in and rinse out, and left it on for 24 hours. I don't know if the amount of time makes a difference - I doubt that it does, I'm just lazy and was busy working around the house.

I rinsed my hair out and I was SHOCKED by how - flat - it was. Even my hubby was like - what did you do to your hair???!? because the normal puff almighty was NOT in evidence.

My hair came out (other than the straightness) normally like it does after a good henna treatment - shinier, stronger, smoother.

I don't plan on using this frequently (maybe once every 3-4 months - and I henna every month) because I don't WANT to loose all of my curl - and I really do think that doing this repeatedly would give me ALMOST straight hair.

Another woman (3b) on THLC used a similar mix, and also saw a DISTINCT straightening of her hair - enough that she said that she doubts she would use it again, because she doesn't have all that much curl to START with.

I thought this might be useful for the hennaheads who stretch, or for naturals who wouldn't mind a little 'temp' curl loosening - esp. if you press your hair, and transitioners might LOVE it to allow them to slowly get used to their natural texture - as it will wear off if you only do it once (I hope - I've only washed my hair once since then, and it was still much straighter)

I'd LOVE to hear if anyone else tries it, and if so - what your results are. My dilly tail didn't take before & after pictures (because I REALLY didn't expect that much to happen) - so it would be nice if someone else did.....

I would love to try this recipe. I just did my first henna last Sunday. Would this weekend be too soon to do another one?

 

[JustKiya]

I would love to try this recipe. I just did my first henna last Sunday. Would this weekend be too soon to do another one?

Have you done a DC inbetween (in addition to the post-henna DC)? If so, maybe not. If not, I'd definitely squeeze in a good DC session before trying it again.

 

[vkb247]

Bumping for results

 

[Opalsunset]

Okay. Lastnight I did the henna + lime juice + coconut milk. The results were astounding!!!!!

My hair was not 'straight' but it looked as if it was blown out! It was soft, supple, manageable and the curl pattern was indeed looser! My hair is fine and very dry most of the time, and when i felt my hair after i washed the concoction out, I couldn't stop touching it! My curls were DEFINED. As a 4A, my curls are usually not defined, but for the first time ever I could see my curl pattern, and it was certainly very pretty. I left it in for 6 hours and used a ready made henna from LUSH. I believe the henna i used made a tremendous difference as well because it is mixed with indigo already and is made with high quality coco butter, which was also a plus. I am going to do this again perhaps in a few weeks, I am keeping this in my regimen for sure. Not to mention, my breakage has stopped, and my hair feels stronger! Thanks so much OP for this! I will keep everyone posted on my results.

 

[JustKiya]

Okay. Lastnight I did the henna + lime juice + coconut milk. The results were astounding!!!!!

My hair was not 'straight' but it looked as if it was blown out! It was soft, supple, manageable and the curl pattern was indeed looser! My hair is fine and very dry most of the time, and when i felt my hair after i washed the concoction out, I couldn't stop touching it! My curls were DEFINED. As a 4A, my curls are usually not defined, but for the first time ever I could see my curl pattern, and it was certainly very pretty. I left it in for 6 hours and used a ready made henna from LUSH. I believe the henna i used made a tremendous difference as well because it is mixed with indigo already and is made with high quality coco butter, which was also a plus. I am going to do this again perhaps in a few weeks, I am keeping this in my regimen for sure. Not to mention, my breakage has stopped, and my hair feels stronger! Thanks so much OP for this! I will keep everyone posted on my results.

Yes!! That's a perfect description for the results! Do let us know if it lasts through a wash, and I'm thrilled that it worked so well for you!!

 

[mstar]

I let the mixture sit on my head overnight last night, and rinsed it out a few hours ago--12 hours total. I used Lush henna (Caca Rouge), which is pre-mixed with cocoa butter and lemon juice. I let my coconut milk & lime mix sit in the refrigerator for about 8 hours before I mixed it into the henna.

I didn't notice a huge difference in my texture right away, but henna usually takes a few days to work on my hair. I wish I had done this earlier, because I'm getting braids put in tomorrow, so I won't really be able to see the results of the henna until next month.

Henna has already DRAMATICALLY changed my texture...I honestly didn't have a curl pattern before (I'm a true C-Napp head), and after my first henna, my hair was a 4a/4b mix...the 4a curls are blowing my mind because I've never had curls before. The attached photos are a comparison of my natural hair before and after henna.

So I will unbraid a section in 2 weeks to see if the JustKiya's mixture has smoothed my hair, and helped take away some of the frizz.

 

[Ms_CoCo37]

Have you done a DC inbetween (in addition to the post-henna DC)? If so, maybe not. If not, I'd definitely squeeze in a good DC session before trying it again.

I did a full head baggy the other night with condish and vatika oil. Does that count as a DC?

 

[mstar]

Ok, now that I've rinsed my DC and my hair is mostly dry, I can see that it does indeed have the blow-dry texture! Thank you so much, Kiya...this is exactly what I was looking for to make my braids look neater and make the parting easier.

ETA: Sorry I don't have any pictures. My photography skills suck.

 

[JustKiya]

I did a full head baggy the other night with condish and vatika oil. Does that count as a DC?

Perhaps. What kind of condish?

 

[music-bnatural-smile]

im scared i need 2 see results from someone... like over time not just once

 

[GoingBack]

Interesting. How long do the results last?

 

[first2grace]

So....I did this lime and cocnut henna treatment onmy daughter's 4b/c hair and it did nothing. I'm so sad because I was really hoping to loosen up her texture a bit for school. I really want to stay away from "texlaxing" her hair since she's only 6, but her hair is getting to be really unmanageable, the longer and thicker it gets.

 

[Fhrizzball]

I know a friend who tried it and it took a couple applications for it to take effect. She's very heavy handed when she applies it as well. So many for your daughter one application may not be enough.

 

[Sapphire_chic]

i'm going to try this tonight. i'm abit skeptical as henna didn't really loosen my texture. i'll post pics if there is a difference

 

[Mahalialee4]

I will post some old news about henna and curl reduction

1. http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=92&highlight=herbal+tame

2. straighten hair the natural way: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=4567&highlight=mahalialee+henna+coconut+milk+lime from info I posted back in 2003.

 

[JerriBlank]

Where are you ladies getting the Lush Henna from?
Is their website the only place to get it from?

 

[Ms_CoCo37]

Perhaps. What kind of condish?

I used the Tresemme Moisture Rich Conditioner

 

[Ms_CoCo37]

I've just mixed my concoction up. Do I leave it out, or put it in the fridge (because of the coconut milk)? erplexed I'm not planning on using it until tomorrow evening.

 

[Ms_CoCo37]

Bumping for a response...

 

[Phoenix14]

you might want to put it in the fridge Ms Coco

And Lush products can be found at Lush stores. Check the website for store locations