Pros and cons of using henna to dye your hair

Henna has a long history as a hair dye. Women from Asia and the Middle East have been using it for centuries to dye their hair everything from raven black to adding golden honey highlights. Here are the pros and cons of using henna on your hair.

Beautiful Woman with Long Blowing Hair

Pros:

  • Henna is all natural. This is obviously the greatest thing about it. You get to dye your hair with plants, rather than bleaches and harsh chemicals. Your hair and your scalp will thank you after a henna application. Just be sure the henna you are using is all natural, and not combined with artificial ingredients.
  • Henna strengthens and deep conditions your hair. This makes your hair super shiny and resistant to breakage. It can even help to repair split ends!
  • Henna provides a rich and unique color that will certainly help you stand out. Henna will work with your natural highlights and lowlights to create a dynamic look, often with a red tint, from the molecule “lawsone.“

Cons:

  • If you’re looking for consistent all-over color, henna may not be for you. Henna can accentuate the natural tones of your hair, for a unique effect, but possibly not the one you intended. Because of this, it’s hard to predict how the henna will look after your first application.
  • Preparing henna takes a LONG time. It has to be mixed to a perfect consistency and then must sit and cure for several hours. Then, after you coat your entire head (coverage is key), you have to wrap your head in saran wrap for up to 4 hours, depending on how dramatic you want your color to be.
  • You shouldn’t use chemical dyes on your hair after you’ve used henna, or before if you can help it. Henna works best on clean, undyed hair and has unexpected results when paired with chemical dyes. If you don’t like your henna color, you can wash it with a heavy detergent shampoo several times, and then attempt to dye over the top.

Knowing all this, many women choose to go for henna hair dye. Using henna, you can add rich purples, reds, browns, and blondes to your hair tone, without using chemicals on your hair. Would you use henna hair dye?