How To Henna Your Natural Hair without being messy

Hello everyone!

The other day, I read a post about a certain blogger’s travails with henna and how she was gonna stop using it because of the mess it creates. And I'm like, are you serious? because I'm trying to make sense of that post.

Anyways, that reaction triggered this post and I thought I should talk about henna-ing safely because I can't believe you'd want to deprive your hair of that much goodness simply because you cannot deal with the mess.

I've been using henna and hibiscus for a little over a year now and my hair has been better for it. Along the way, I've learnt how to safely apply and rinse out henna without staining the whole place. Really, except you're extremely clumsy, I don't understand why you cannot contain the stains.

First of all, get all your materials ready;
i. plastic bowl and spoon for mixing
ii. cling film
iii. gloves
iv. hair clamps.
v. old t-shirt.
vi. the products.

If you regularly use henna like me, you know that all of these henna materials are kept in a safe place after every use. In fact, I make sure I get 6 months supply of gloves so I don't run out. The others can be easily arranged. The point is, get all your supplies ready. That way, you won't have problems during application. By the way, I've never really found any use for old newspapers. The t-shirt usually gets the job done. Other times, I even avoid it altogether. I make sure I'm as steady as I can possibly be. Then again, different strokes.

Secondly, assemble your materials and your mixed henna which you should have done the previous night in front of a mirror. You might decide to use your dressing table or your bathroom mirror. Either way, make sure you're comfortable enough and try and isolate yourself. Get rid of clothing items that might be susceptible to the henna stains - which washes off eventually - and any other thing around you.

Next, begin application. Don't forget to wear your gloves first and the old t-shirt either fully or around your neck. Also, again your cling film, plastic bag, shower cap and whatever you're gonna use for covering should be close-by. It's also advisable to work in sections. That way, you can properly cover your whole head.

After about 4 hours, get ready to rinse out - now, this is where it gets dicey. Henna requires a minimum of four hours for proper penetration. You can decide to rinse out in different ways - the traditional bowl and bucket way, in the shower, by dunking your head in a bucket of way. Whichever way, just make sure all of the henna is out. But before that, don't forget to wear your gloves. Yep, at least until you've gotten all of the henna out. This helps to prevent the organic stains on your fingernails. When you're done rinsing, grab your shampoo and wash all of your hair thoroughly. You might need to go two or three rounds and then finish up with your conditioner. Personally, I prefer using black soap. All this shampoo/conditioner business just extends the time spent in the bathroom. Black soap helps cut down time.

Finally, after rinsing and washing, you might notice that your hair is rather hard. This is perfectly normal. The only thing you need to do right now is to finish up with a moisturizing deep conditioner for about two hours and then your hair is back to normal, stronger than ever!

Side note: It looks like this is an all day event but really it takes roughly six hours. Even shorter when done overnight (this, i'm not particularly sure of because I haven't tried it before). That's why it should be done on a monthly basis or whenever it suits you. The best thing about it is that practice makes perfect. After a number of application, it becomes a cakewalk. That way, you're not so fidgety but rather cautious.

So, over to you, my fellow henna-lovers!

What are some of your henna hacks during application?

Love, kinks and knots
eBunite.