The leaf of the henna plant contains a natural dye and has been used for this purpose for many years. If you wish to dye your hair a special color while also nourishing it as well as the scalp, then henna for hair is the most effective solution. Along with working as a natural hair dye, henna has numerous other types of advantages that can help us a lot.
Now, you must be wondering whether what is the ideal time to leave the henna on the hair is. This is discussed below.
As mentioned above, henna is a substance without any harmful side effects as it’s 100% natural, it also gives amazing results. The color that henna gives is a beautiful reddish-brown, depending on the lightness of your hair, the more vibrant or darker the color is displayed.
You can also combine other types of herbs and natural products as per your requirement with henna for added benefits.
How can Henna color your hair?
As there is the presence of a colorant, henna has been used as a dye for the hair and to make temporary tattoos traditionally called “Mehendi”. For the hair, this natural pigment works by reacting with the keratin protein, leaving a strong pigmentation on the hair.
Also to be noted, the color does not fade away for a while, so there is no need to constantly re-dye your hair, the pigment stays vibrant unless you want to touch up on your roots.
How long you should leave henna?
The perfect time to let the henna sit on your hair usually varies as per the final result that you are wishing for. If you want highlights, you need to keep henna for about 1- 3 hours on your hair, depending on how much darker the color you want.
If you wish to cover your grey hair or want a deep color, then it is ideal to leave the henna on for 3 to 4 hours.
In some cases, the time it takes to properly dye the hair depends on the strength of the mixture and how it is prepared. However, it is recommended that you do not keep henna on your hair for more than 5 hours.
What may happen if you keep henna for a long time on your hair?
The longer you leave the henna on your hair, the more those color molecules will reach deep into the keratin of your hair and produce a saturated and rich color. Usually, 5 hours are enough to color your hair in this way.
However, this natural dye rehydrates the hair by taking moisture from your hair. Hence, if you keep the henna paste for a longer period of time on hair, it may cause dryness to the scalp and hair, causing irritation.
How frequently can you re-apply henna for hair?
You can apply henna on your hair every 3 to 4 weeks for complete coverage. You can reapply henna every 3-4 weeks for full coverage. The stains of henna usually last until your hair grows out or those older strands fall off.
Therefore, the frequency of applying this paste depends on the growth of your hair, especially if you are applying henna to color your grey hair. However, you can apply henna two times repeatedly to cover your grey hairs.
Thus, it can be concluded that henna for hair is the perfect solution to color and nourish your hair, that is, if you are careful to not leave the henna paste for a vast amount of time that is, as it can be counterproductive.
