IMPORTANT: A COUPLE OF THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:

• Pure natural henna DOES NOT come in a variety of colors.
• Henna is derived from a  flower plant Lawsonia genus and ONLY dyes the hair with an Orange-ish/red tint. There are a number of products in the market that claim to be “black henna”, “blond henna”, “chocolate brown henna” etc. These ‘colored henna’ are sometimes laced with toxic ingredients and heavy metals such as Para-Phenylenediamine (PPD).
• Reactions to PPD can range from an itchy scalp/body, swelling to an intensely burning/itching sensation spreading across the skin. Serious reactions to PPD can be urticaria and anaphylaxis, which are both severe types of rashes. An allergic reaction has been known to put individuals into a coma; on rare occasions it has proven fatal! Please make sure you are buying from a reliable source and that you do patch tests before you apply it all over your head! 
• Henna and Amla can make the hair feel dry right after using it so it is ALWAYS important to do a Moisturizing DC afterwards. 
• Do not brush your hair while you have Henna or Amla in your hair. That is just screaming for breakage as the mixture is thick and heavy.
• Due to the natural orange/red tint of Henna it is used as a natural hair dye and can give dark /black hair can a reddish tint under light (usually after frequent use).
• If you have light/grey/white hair the dye from henna is much stronger and it will give your hair an yellow/orange/coppery/red tint (even after just one application).
• Amla has been said to darken hair with frequent use. (I have never noticed this but I believe those with light hair e.g. blond, light browns etc might notice it a little more than those with darker hair). 
• Apart from it being important to do a patch test on your skin it is also important to do strand test before applying Henna or Amla to your hair to determine the amounts of Ayurvedic powders you want to use and the color outcome. (You can use shed hair in your comb to do tests). 
• It has been said that Henna can cause curl loosening (I have not had this happen to me).
• Amla has been said to restore curls (I do not want to miss out on the benefits of Henna and while I have not experienced curl loosening I do not want to risk it, so I use Amla as well). 

Please Note – This is my oldest henna recipe, I no longer use the conditioner feature above*

Ingredients/Tools Used:

• 1/2 cup of Henna
• 1/4 cup of Amla
• 2 bags Green Tea – (I make 1 cup but do not use all of it)
• 2 – 3 tablespoons of Conditioner 
• 1 teaspoon Grape Seed Oil
• Gloves
• Cling Film
• Bowl
• Plastic Spoon 

Mixing Instructions:

1. In a bowl I combine the powders together and slowly add the tea a little at a time to the powders till it has a thick ‘mashed potato’ consistency. (I let the tea cool down to room temperature before it is used).
2. I let it rest for at least 4 hours. It is the dye release of the henna that gives your hair all that nourishing goodness and with my batch of Henna the dye starts to release after 4 – 6 hours. (You will need to do tests to determine the optimal time for your henna. There are a lot of factors that can trigger the optimum dye release time: strength of the henna, room temperature and pH of your mixing liquid)
3. Right before I apply to damp and detangled hair I add 2 – 3 tablespoons of Conditioner & 1 teaspoon of Oil. 

Application:

• I have my hair in about 10 – 12 twists or Bantu Knots after Cleansing & Detangling. I normally  leave my Cleanser and Conditioner in my hair and proceed with my DC, but with my Henna & Amla DC I rinse it out first. (I like having clean and detangled hair with no “barrier” between my hair and the mixture).
• I unravel each twists or Bantu Knot and apply from roots to ends.
• I cover my hair with a shower cap and/or Clingfilm, add a plastic bag and then use a scarf to make sure my scalp is nice and warm.
• After it has been sitting in my hair for no less than 3 – 4 hours (or more..occasionally overnight) I proceed to rinse.
• I first use water to loosen up the mixture. Then I use A LOT and I mean A LOT of cheap conditioner to make sure my hair is clear from Henna and Amla. (I usually do the conditioner routine 2 sometimes!)
• Then I proceed with my a 2 hour Deep Condition session. 

What does your simple henna treatments consist of? I would love  to hear from you! 

Thanks