If you’ve been exploring natural hair color options, you may have heard of henna glosses. These chemical-free hair treatments are perfect for anyone who wants to avoid the ingredients in conventional hair color products. If you’ve always wanted to try henna hair dye, the henna gloss is an excellent way to dip your toes in the water. While finding the right recipe can be a challenge, it’s probably the hardest step in the process. But many henna users enjoy experimenting with ingredients to find the right recipe for their individual hair needs.
What Is Henna?
Henna hair dyes come from the flowering lawsonia inermis plant. Henna contains lawsone, the molecule behind the orange-red tones associated with henna. While The Henna Guys store offers our own blends of henna, indigo and herbs, pure henna can be used alone or with indigo for customized, natural hair color. We offer 100% pure, body art-quality henna for the best results. Our henna hair colors are also vegan, gluten-free, cruelty-free, and ethically sourced and manufactured. We produce henna in small batches for the ultimate in freshness and triple-sift it for the highest quality and smoothest results when mixed into a paste. Our henna is free of PPD, metallic salts and other harsh ingredients.
What Is a Henna Gloss?
Henna hair gloss treatments combine henna hair dye with additional conditioning ingredients for an all-natural, temporary hair color. Some fans of the hair gloss use it as a color booster, while others have replaced their usual henna hair dye routine with this alternative. Whether you opt for a gloss or a full application depends on how much time you have available and what you want from your henna hair color.
What Do I Need to Make a Henna Gloss?
The main ingredient is, of course, henna. Indigo powder reduces red tones and darkens color. You’ll also need a paraben- and sulfate-free conditioner; some people use an egg or yogurt as a glossing agent instead. Boost the nourishing and conditioning power of your gloss by adding herbs targeted to your hair concerns. Amla is great for retaining curls and slightly darkens color; fenugreek helps with dandruff and hair loss, and cassia obovata brightens blonde hair and helps improve manageability, silkiness and shine. Henna hair bundles combine dye and natural conditioners to make your henna gloss experience easier.
Henna Gloss Application
Henna powder from The Henna Guys comes with a shower cap and gloves, which you’ll need to prevent staining. Wear old clothes, and protect your hairline from stains with petroleum jelly or a thick cream. Cover surfaces with newspaper or plastic to prevent stained floors, tables and countertops. Divide clean, damp hair into four sections for thorough application. Your henna paste should have a yogurt-like consistency.
Henna Gloss Benefits
Applying a gloss is a good way to try out a henna color before doing a full application. However, color from henna glosses is not temporary. If you’ve never used henna, it’s best to start out with the lightest shade in the color family of your choice; you can always go darker later. For those who are already using henna, glosses can help your supply last longer. Henna glosses also require less of a time commitment.
Henna Gloss Drawbacks
The color you’ll get from a henna gloss is less vivid because the color doesn’t “cure” for long periods of time. You’ll also get less gray coverage from a gloss. Although a gloss will definitely stain your locks and is longer-lasting than most temporary hair color shampoos, it doesn’t last as long as a full application of henna hair dye.
Whether you try a gloss or opt for a full application, henna hair dye makes an excellent alternative to boxed hair dyes. Glosses require some research and experimentation, but the results are worth it. We offer all the henna hair color supplies you’ll need, from dyes and individual deep conditioners to color-and-treatment bundles.