Women wearing their natural hair often times find themselves stressing over finding the safest ways to spice up their looks. Coloring, one of the most common, and yet trickiest ways to upgrade your do’, seems to have more naturalistas feeling over the edge. From chemicals trapped in major coloring systems, to fear of low pigmentation in natural coloring brands, the struggle to find a technique that really works can sometimes feel endless.

This is probably why trendy hair coloring option, Henna dye has become the all-natural alternative to commercial hair dying systems. Popular in the natural hair community, we want to support the new hair dying phenomena, while offering a few tips you should know before getting the coloring party started on your strands.

Editors Note: You should NOT use henna dye if you have relaxed hair, bleached your hair within the past year, or any other chemically strong treatments.

Tip #1: Dye a strand of hair before full-head commitment

The results of henna hair dying vary from person to person. Results can range anywhere from copper to a deep burgundy depending on your natural hair color. The darker your natural hair color, the darker the henna will show up, if at all in some cases. Henna is also equivalent to a chemical based semi-permanent coloring treatment. You cannot lighten your hair after using henna and the only way to return to your natural hair color is to wait until the henna grows out. Dying a strand or a section of your hair will help you determine if you actually like your results enough to proceed to a full-head treatment.

Tip #2: Weigh the pros & cons

As with any decision you make. It is really critical to weigh the pros and cons of using henna. The pros include the absence of chemicals, silkier texture, and thicker strands. Cons include reduction in curl pattern, dryness, and depending on how often you treat your hair, henna can become quite costly. Also, remember that any changes made to your hair, will affect it's natural state, no matter if it's all natural or not. 

Tip 3: Reserve a full day for Application

If you’re applying the henna yourself, it can become quite the task. Applying evenly throughout your hair can become tiring and not to mention messy. Henna has a tendency to stain so you’ll definitely want to use gloves when applying. The set time for henna is rather lengthy and can range anywhere from 4-12 hours.  Grab some good movies or house activities because you’ll definitely be in the house for most of the day.

Editor's Pick: Lush Cosmetics (lushusa.com) has the best 100% Henna Hair dyes for purchase. Again, henna results vary from person to person and we suggest consulting your hair stylist before making a final decision.  

Have you naturalistas ever used Henna dye to color your hair? Let us know on Instagram