How to dye your hair red with henna
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Want to learn about the chemistry behind henna? Check out “The chemistry of henna.”
For 99 cents, one would expect to get an awful dye job. Yet after over a year of dying my hair with henna, I can give nothing but compliments: I don’t wind up with an ear-splitting, chemical-induced headache the next day; the conditioning effect actually lasts more than a week or two; my hair maintains its red color longer; henna is dead cheap.
The only downside is that you will have to prepare the dye a day in advance. You’ll also need to let the dye set for several hours (typically around five) before washing it out.
Every couple of months, I spend $1.98 on two boxes of henna plus the price of a paltry bottle of lemon juice. My hair is naturally dirty blond in color, though I suppose you wouldn’t guess it; I’ve been dying it since I was around the age of 13.
Despite how spiffy henna is, there are surprisingly few English tutorials available online, so I’ve decided to present you with my tried and true methods. Please comment if you have any questions.
Step One: Gather Your Ingredients
The amount of henna you need will depend on the length of your hair. My hair currently lies four to six inches past my shoulders and I have been using two 100-gram boxes (200 grams total) of henna powder, which always results in leftovers. For chin-length hair, 100 grams should suffice.
Don’t buy “henna dye” — you just want simple henna powder, which is usually marketed as a skin decorator. In most cases, the box will be marked with “can also be used on hair.” Aside from henna, you will need:
Lemon juice
Tupperware container with lid
Spoon for mixing
Disposable gloves
Shower cap or plastic bags
Step Two: Mix Henna and Lemon Juice
Empty henna powder into your container. Mix lemon juice into the henna powder until a yogurt-like mixture is achieved. Don’t worry if there are small lumps.
Step Three: Cover Overnight
After yogurt-like mixture is achieved, cover your container and leave it overnight.
Step Four: Rehydrate Henna
By the next day, the henna powder will be slightly less hydrated. Add more lemon juice to achieve the yogurt-like texture yet again.
Step Five: Look Funny
This step is by far my favorite, as I happen to consider myself quite skilled at looking funny.
Put on your gloves. Spread the henna mixture all throughout your hair, making sure to get between every crevice. Wipe henna off of your skin, as it dyes with indelible ferocity.
Step Six: You Gotta Bag Up
Once you’ve finished, place a shower cap or plastic bags over your hair. Be sure to look particularly silly.
Now sit back and relax. I typically wait about five hours for the henna to work its magic, but have waited as little as three and as much as seven with fine results. Once finished, hop in the shower and rinse it all out. You can use shampoo if you don’t appreciate the earthy smell of the henna, but I usually wait until the next day to do so.
Your hair will be bright red for the first couple of days after dying it, but it will deepen in color afterwords.
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Thank you for this. You are right, the ressources available for this process are rare. Thank you for taking the time for the step by step WITH pictures, it helped tremendously. Great work!!
Glad you like it, Natalie! Let me know how it works out for you.
im a black woman,and i want to dye my hair red.the only problem, im very afraid my hair will fall out.is this product safe for black women to use?and how long would i have to wait untill i could perm my hair after i used the henna product?
Mehndi (henna) hair dying is one of the best process for any one to dye their hair. My friend is african american and have been dying her hair with mehndi for little more than a year now. Here hair is stronger, thicker, shine more.. and she actually use to trouble with hair loss. Now her hair is awesome. summer time she goes with the red look and winter she uses indigo. Its all on your preference,It contains pure indigo with herbs like amla and other ayurvedic herbs to help nourish your hairs and give them the natural look and color. People who wash their hair every other day and with 100 percent herbal shampoo and conditioner tend to hold on to the color for a longer period of time. Color should start fading within 4 weeks under these conditions.It is 100% natural and herbal and free from any chemical interventions. Being natural there is no side effect and safe. More over addition of other herbs in this henna mixture makes it more potent for hairs. The henna powder is completely natural and also does not contain any chemicals nor dye. so if your hair falls out, I would have to say its not because of the henna hair job, but because you dont take care of you hair. being that your african american i would also recommend using coconut oil and jojoba oil as a hot oil treatment to sitimulate growth and shine in your hair. Hope u try it!!
Hi, I had a question in regards to the henna dying process.
The henna I buy the directions say not to let it sit more than 15 minutes after it’s mixed, but after I dye my hair with it and wash it for the next couple of months.. color washes out.. The color in my hair doesn’t go away.. but bleeding color.. is really irritating especially when it gets on towels..
Would this happen if I let it sit?
Ellie.
Pure 100% natural henna powder needs to be sit more than 15 min for colour release.
Also do not ever mix your pure henna powder with hot water!! It results too quick die release and after you have let the mixture sit in your hair and wash it off you rarely get lasting colour.
I have died my hair with henna now 3+ years i guess. At first using many nonpure henna powders. Now i use only BBQ henna, cause itś the best what you can get.
I either use Jamila henna or henna powder from Rajastan
and sources of my info are from three pages: hennapage, hennaforhair and one in my native language.
If you google you can find the info.
About 3-4 months ago, I had bleached my hair. Instantly deciding that blond wasn’t for me, I dyed the top back into a dark brown color.(with a cvs box dye, not so great, I know) That’s now faded, and about 3 inches of roots have started to come in. My question is, would using henna on top of the box dye be a bad idea? Also, would the color of the blond change to a more vibrant red? Lastly, what brand and where can I get a dark red/wine colored henna? Anything is much appreciated, I’ll be doing more research. Thank you so much!
Using henna over a box dye job should be fine, especially if your roots are showing now. I initially dyed my hair with henna several weeks after using box dye with no negative results. The darker parts of my hair from the dye job were simply a darker shade of red.
To get a dark red or wine color you can mix henna with indigo to darken it. The more indigo you use, the darker your color will be. As its name suggests, indigo results in a black-blue color when applied to hair. Be sure to still use at least 60% henna when mixing so your hair maintains the red henna tint.
Hello… I have been using pure Henna over natural dark blonde hair for over 25 years. I first started applying it when I visited Morrocco and was told to mix the henna powder with two raw eggs and warm water. I have been doing it this way for all my adult life. I love it!!! I don’t wait any time at all after mixing it up, I just apply and use the plastic bag over my head and leave for three hours… it makes me feel so alive… The raw eggs are excellent to keep the mixture from running and adds lustre to your hair. I have never heard of using the lemon juice. I wonder what that is for?
Emily
Great question! So great, in fact, you inspired a blog post. Check it out and let me know your thoughts.
will it be more of a bright true red if i leave it on for a shorter ammount of time? also i heard adding paprika will make it more of a red-red.
I’m not sure. It’s pretty potent stuff, and will dye hair and skin an orange shade on contact. Even after leaving henna on for a long period of time, your hair will immediately be more orange than red, but it will deepen in color afterwards (a few days later) to form a richer red. I leave my henna in for hours because, in theory, the henna-juice paste is so thick that I want it to shift and spread out underneath the shower cap. The more time it has to do so, the more even the dye coverage. Why don’t you try two different timed strand tests?
I haven’t heard about the paprika addition, but if you have luck with it, let me know.
I want dark brown, almost black hair with reddish tints. Which types of henna can I use to achieve that? I’m not totally clear on which types of henna do what. I already have dark brown hair. I would love some help because this is new and I don’t want to waste a whole day doing it wrong.
canyou just highlight your hair with henna or do you have to do the whole thing ?? x
I don’t see why not. Since the henna is sort of thick and sticky, use foil and a tint brush to separate it from the rest of your hair.
Thanks so much for this article! But before I try it I have a quick question. How “bright red”, exactly, is the hair the first few days after dying?
Glad you like it, Dee! The exact shade of red varies from person to person, but the general rule of thumb is that, at first, there will be a more orange tint to your hair, making it appear brighter than the final dye color. This is because orange henna remnants will still coat the outside of your hair strands until this coating is fully washed out to reveal the internal hair dye (i.e. dye within the hair strand itself). For me, the initial shade is similar to this: http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/Christina%20Hendricks%20mrDC_302236_250h.jpg
I have naturally dirty blond hair, but have been dying it for what seems like thousands of years.
I love your hair! I was just wondering for first time use exactly how long do you leave it in/ does that change after the second use. And also what brand and color henna are the two boxes in the picture?
Thanks, Amanda! For the first time, I’d recommend leaving it in at least three hours. After three, it shouldn’t matter terribly much since most of the dye has bound — just make sure to mix it a day ahead. Same goes for the second use. For this tutorial, I used Dulhan henna/mehendi powder, but I often use Godrej Nupur henna/mehendi powder. I would recommend checking your neighborhood Indian grocer instead of buying henna online, since it is much more cost effective (and easy!) to buy locally.
Thank you! one last question. Did you mix two different colors of henna together? If so can you tell me what the are please?
Nope, I only use straight-up henna. You can mix it with other similar ground-up plant material (such as indigo), but I’ve never done that.
Just letting you know a secret from my (too many) hennaings- if you stick your mixed up henna in the freezer (before letting it set over night), something “snaps” in it (I’m soooo technical!), and creates MAJOR dye release. Like in the morning when it has that sheen of red across the top- yep, happens in 30 minutes or so. Love your blog!
This is such a wonderful tutorial, thank you! I was just curious as to what tones generally are produced from this process? Is it a very vibrant red, or more orange-y? I see there are pictures but am not sure if these are the results of your process or others. Thanks so much!
ALSO- Do you notice any bleeding of the color onto clothing or sheets/pillows, etc?
So would this make me a ginger?
I have use the henna but the color I desire is unsuccessful. I have dark brown hair and want a warm red color, I use henna on the skin too but the red I get on the skin isn’t the red I’m getting on my hair and I really don’t want to use chemical dyes.
Thanks
Where do you get henna?
Indian grocers and grocery supply stores.
Great. Your directiins are crystal clear. Thanks. And we have an India neighborhood a short bus ride away.
This will be much more economical than the wonderful site hennaforhair.com and I can shop for spices too.
Hi!
I have just put a link to this page on my blog pensiericolorpastello.blogspot.it.
I am talking about red hair and natural products… do you want to have a look?
Thank you so much for your tutorial!
Manuela
No problem, Manuela! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks very much for the link!
Cool Beans…..
I didn't lnow you had to put lemon juice in the mix. thank you!
You dont have to use lemon juice you can use Tea (Orange Pekoe) just boil water and add the tea bags dont add any sugar or milk just add the tea the powdered henna it should gives you a darker red when applied
this gives me an idea
, i should try this, maybe do an ombre style?