Henna and it's Benefits

Benefits of Henna as a Conditioning Treatment

As a conditioner, henna strengthens hair and adds shine while making it soft and manageable. If you have really curly hair, you may also find that using henna can loosen curls slightly and may even help to battle frizz. Henna also works as an anti-fungal treatment, and this can be especially helpful if you suffer from things such as dandruff or other scalp-related issues. Henna is also known for leaving a natural-looking red color behind, but if you prefer to not have this happen you could purchase neutralized henna powder. Using a neutralized henna paste will give you all the conditioning benefits, without the red color.

Preparing the Hair for a Henna Treatment

Most experts will recommend not washing your hair before you apply the henna. This is because the henna seals in the natural oils. If you choose to oil your hair in preparation for the henna treatment, you should do this the day before. You can use oils you find the home or essential oils. If your hair is excessively oily or if your oil treatment has left too much residue behind, you may want to consider washing the hair before applying the henna. Excessive oil might hinder the henna from working properly.

Applying the Henna Paste

If you purchased henna powder, you'll need to mix it at home to make the paste. Experts recommend using water and honey to mix with the powder to form a paste. Once you're ready, you should pin up your hair and work in layers. The henna paste can be tricky to apply, but thinner layers will make the application a little easier. The henna can be left on overnight, but it's best to check because some pastes can work in as little as 30 minutes. Others need to be left on longer to really work.

Handy Tips

Henna works best with a little humidity and heat, so heating the hair slightly with a hair dryer and covering it with a towel can help the henna penetrate the hair. Be sure to rinse the hair thoroughly and take your time to ensure that all the paste has been rinsed out. Traditional henna also stains, so it's best to use gloves to protect your hands and applying a little petroleum jelly to the hair line to avoid staining the skin.

This might sound weird but it really works:

-Put peanut butter on your hair as if you were perming it-Put a plastic bag over it-Sit under a dryer or sleep in it over night-Wash it out

Your hair will feel very strong and have LESS shedding

 As Hair Moisturizer

 All you have to do is mix equal parts of mayonnaise and peanut butter and apply it to your damp hair. Once done, let it set for 30 minutes and then rinse with water.