Henna + Hair w/ LOW Porosity = Disaster

[LMM]

I am pretty certain that I have hair with low porosity. Anyway, I decided to dye my hair w/ henna (w/ lemon juice) and now it's breaking all over the place and it's HARD. My hair rarely feels moisturized, even before using henna, but now it's even worse! I'm thinking about dying my hair w/ a semi-perm to open my cuticles up a bit and let moisture in. Is this a bad idea?




some things about my hair...

• hates protein
• NEVER feels properly moisturized even after baggying and dcing
• i co-wash daily with Aussie Moist or VO5 (non protein)
• seal w/ castor oil or jojoba
• transitioning from relaxed to texlax
• wash and dc w/ heat once per week w/ (aubrey org or mizani moisturefuse)
• use suave clarifying shampoo 1x per 30-60 days

 

[hothair]

Have you done the porosity test? Take a lil bit of hair (the broken off ones would do) drop it in water (glass/cup etc) and see how long it takes to sink, if it sinks immediately you have porous hair or this is another easy test, maybe try some Roux porosity control to balance it out

 

[Tiye]

I am pretty certain that I have hair with low porosity. Anyway, I decided to dye my hair w/ henna (w/ lemon juice) and now it's breaking all over the place and it's HARD. My hair rarely feels moisturized, even before using henna, but now it's even worse! I'm thinking about dying my hair w/ a semi-perm to open my cuticles up a bit and let moisture in. Is this a bad idea?




some things about my hair...

• hates protein
• NEVER feels properly moisturized even after baggying and dcing
• i co-wash daily with Aussie Moist or VO5 (non protein)
• seal w/ castor oil or jojoba
• transitioning from relaxed to texlax
• wash and dc w/ heat once per week w/ (aubrey org or mizani moisturefuse)
• use suave clarifying shampoo 1x per 30-60 days

It's possible that you may have a lot of build up from daily conditioner wash, plus oil, plus deep conditioning. You might try shampooing more frequently with a mild regular shampoo. Also consider changing your henna recipe. There are kinder acids such as vinegar or coffee, etc. that you can use. You can also add a little oil to your henna to make it feel less drying and follow up with a conditioning treatment.

 

[demlew]

Was this your first time using henna? What was your henna recipe and process? If your hair hates protein, it may be reacting to the henna's protein-like qualities. If your hair is hard, there may still be henna particles - try a few more co-washes. I wouldn't recommend adding anything (like color) until your hair is back in balance. Do more moisturizing DC treatments for the next week or two. I just did a henna treatment last night (Nupur henna with aloe vera juice) followed by a DC with SE Megasilk and a final rinse with Roux PC. This has been my process for the past year. (Relaxed SL)

Karishma henna is generally good for a red color and it has extra powders for moisture. Nupur 9 Blend is my fave for auburn tints and has even more ayurvedic powders than Karishma.

 

[leiah]

I have low porosity and henna was great for my hair. I actually did it like 3 weeks ago and I feel like it has worn off already so I'm getting ready to do it again. My hair also loves protein

Did you DC after the henna?

I agree that you should try something other than lemon juice. I mixed my henna (Nupur 9 herbs blend) with conditioner and oils, left it on overnight, and got great color.

 

[WyrdWay]

Maybe you just used too much lemon juice. To much acidity can be bad enough to eat through your hair

 

[Amoreofcurls]

Maybe you just used too much lemon juice. To much acidity can be bad enough to eat through your hair

this lemon juice tends to be drying period

try aloe vera juice