Gray hair: how to hide it with henna

More and more women and men usually use a coloring product For the hair. In Spain it is neither more nor less than76% of the population!

However, the drawback of conventional dyes is that substances such as ammonia or lead salt alter the structure of the hair fiber and irritate the scalp. The hair weakens and becomes more porous. The alternative to these chemical dyes are vegetable dyes and, among them, henna is one of the most effective and popular. We tell you its advantages.

Why does white hair grow up?

The natural color of hair is due to melaninpigment synthesized by melanocytes. With age, its functioning slows down. and the hair loses color, turning whitish.

Today the cosmetics industry offers us a wide variety of hair dyes, either to change the tone or restore color to white hair.

How do chemical hair dyes work?

Within the chemical colorations, the permanent one has 80% of the market. Penetrates the hair fiber and causes an oxidation reaction that modifies the natural pigment of the hair.

“Tone on tone” coloring or color bath provides reflections and nuances, but does not change the base tone: chemical pigments overlap natural ones.

Does not contain ammonia, but oxidizers that do not penetrate deeply.

Advantages of vegetable dyes

With chemical dyes, substances such as toluenediamine and other amines, resorcinol, polyethylene glycols, formaldehyde compounds, silicones, paraffins or synthetic perfumes also make these dyes have detractors who link their continued use to health problems.

An alternative are the plant-based dyes. These do not penetrate the hair, but wrap it with a colored film.

They are made with natural raw materials such as henna (the well-known henna), indigo leaves, hibiscus flowers, coffee, turmeric, beetroot and other ingredients that permanently dye the hair.

Besides, usually include proteins and oils natural, such as wheat germ oil or jojoba oil, that care for and add shine to the hair.

How henna works to color hair

“Henna” is the Arabic name for bush lawsonia inermiswhose leaves are dried and crushed to make what is known as henna powder. The normatively accepted name in Spanish, although less used, is henna.

This dust, mixed with water and other natural substances such as lemon, sugar, green tea, eucalyptus oil or coffeeis applied to the skin or hair in order to dye it, since it contains a substance that oxidizes in contact with air.

In its pure state, henna gives an orange-brown tone to the hair, although the final tone depends on the base color: Gives black hair a dark auburn sheen, brown becomes light auburn, and blonde tends to orange.

Mixing henna with other dyes of plant origin other tones can be obtained. Today, a wide variety of henna preparations are marketed, including other natural pigments, such as walnut, chamomile or elderberrywith which different shades are achieved.

Advantages and disadvantages of henna

The henna, in addition to dyeing, reduces the level of fat, strengthens the hair and gives it volume. even exists neutral henna, without color, which only adds shine.

Their drawbacks are rather of a practical order. Pasta it is more difficult to prepare than conventional chemical dyes and need longer application time.

Also lasts lessbetween one and three months, because with washing the color gradually disappears.

And there are two precautions to take into account: henna should not be applied to hair treated with chemical dyes in the last six months Nor should hair previously treated with henna be dyed with chemical dyes..

Even if the color is no longer visible, traces of dye remain in the hair that can react and alter the colors.

In any case, it should not be forgotten that dyed hair needs special care and that it is convenient to apply a hair mask regularly to repair, nourish, hydrate and revitalize them.

Home color bathroom: what effect do you want to achieve?

In addition to henna hair can be colored with other natural coloring substances. Some products on the market, for example, include vinegar or chamomile to give golden reflections to light hair

With these infusions, recommended by Maripí Gadet, author of books such as Natural beauty secretsyou can add a touch of color to your hair.

To darken the hair.The infusion of a handful of walnut shellsboiled for ten minutes darkens hair and conceals gray hair. You can also boil a handful of sage leaves in half a liter of water, let it rest and apply it for twenty minutes on the hair after each wash.mahogany reflections. An infusion of tea and onion peel.brown reflections. with a handful of fresh elderberry leaves in infusion.golden reflections. prepares a concentrated infusion of chamomilelet it rest for ten minutes and let it act on the hair wrapped in a towel for another twenty minutes.Lemon also lightens hair and gives it shine.. The ratio is one third of strained lemon juice to two of water.