My first-time using henna for hair color was due to a sensitivity reaction I started having with chemical hair dye. I wanted to go back to my natural medium brown after many years of blonde highlights. Fortunately, I had a friend who was using all-natural Ancient Sunrise henna and indigo to achieve beautiful brown hair. I learned when indigo is mixed with henna you can achieve shades of auburn, browns and even black! I wanted a medium brown so I used a color mix of 40% Sudina indigo and 60% Ancient Sunrise® Twilight henna to achieve this over my graying, chemically lightened hair. The result was a beautiful, shiny, medium brown with highlights of different shades of auburn. The highlights showed where my hair had been lightened and where I had started graying. I was about 40% gray at this point.
After I used this mix for about two years my hair was all dyed using henna and indigo and I was 50% gray. I was a medium brown with highlights where I was gray, and the highlights blended FABULOUSLY after each root touch up. My highlights were now a rosier auburn and showed fiery, copper tones in the sun.
As my grays increased to over 60%, my hair was leaning towards reddish tones with highlights. My grays were showing as red more than auburn. I talked to an Ancient Sunrise customer service rep about wanting my results to be less red. The rep suggested adding table salt to my indigo. Salt opens the hair shafts to slightly ruffle them and allow the hair to process the indigo-henna mix better. I also was advised I could do an indigo gloss over my entire head to tone down the red. After only one indigo gloss I was able to achieve the browns and auburns I loved. My hair is very healthy and shiny due to the use of henna.
My brown hair has since grayed to about 70%. I changed my mix to 50% indigo and 50% henna to maintain the results I have grown to love. I have only done root touch ups for many years. My color has stayed consistent with a few tweaks here and there. I love all the beautiful highlights that cover my grays. You must embrace getting older and see the gray hair changes as a natural gift that creates amazing highlights. My hair is very healthy, full and shiny with great natural dimension.
While using this 50/50 mix for several years, my brown hair color was consistent. My hair became wavy from the 70% gray. I enjoyed the change in texture and felt more fashionable since beachy waves have become such a trend. While using the new Ancient Sunrise® salon for a photo shoot, I had my whole head hennaed BUT the colorist used two different mixes: 50/50 on the roots and then used a mix of 50% of cassia, 25% indigo, and 25% henna over all my previously henna and indigo dyed hair.
Cassia is a natural colorless plant powder that diluted the mix to prevent my previously dyed hair from darkening. Cassia is also a conditioning treatment that lifted my hair to have more volume and more consistent waves. If I use heat to enhance the waves in my hair, the waves hold for three days from the cassia treatment.
I have been more than pleased with my hair since starting my henna and indigo journey. It is also environmentally friendly and contains no chemicals at all. I encourage you to start on your henna journey with nothing but natural Ancient Sunrise products.
Ancient Sunrise’s live customer service team will help you with all your questions about the color you want to achieve.
Michele • Ancient Sunrise® Inventory and SEO specialist