Henna Basics

If you want to become a newbie at using henna then you will need some pretty basic supplies:

-- plastic gloves
-- bowl
--spoon
-- 1 pkg of henna
-- One of the following liquids: warm water, coconut milk, herbal tea, or citrus (usually lemon) juice (citrus juice can be drying to some hair types).
-- old clothes i.e. T-shirt, shorts
-- newspaper
--towels
-- favorite oil (s)  (jojoba, avocado, grapeseed, etc.)
-- rinse out conditioner
-- deep conditioner

Basic Recipe--The most basic henna mix recipe includes a package of henna and a liquid (choose one of the above). You can opt to add a cheap conditioner to make more of a gloss. A henna gloss contains about a cup and a 1/2 of conditioner and henna powder. You will get some color, but often times the conditioner weakens the effect of the color.

Rinsing-- Most henna heads agree that using a rinse out conditioner with good slip is very helpful. Keep in mind that henna can be very drying, so select a conditioner that rinses well, but provides good moisture.

Deep Conditioning-- Recently, I've begun doing an overnight deep conditioner. I apply the deep conditioner in sections then I wrap my hair up and go to bed. In the morning I rinse the conditioner out REALLY well then detangle. After detangling I proceed to style.