rjones, Author at Ancient Sunrise

Five Cassia Benefits for Hair – Ancient Sunrise Clarity Cassia

Ancient Sunrise Clarity Cassia (cassia auriculata) is a powdered organic plant leaf that is 100% natural and pure. It is a natural plant based hair conditioner and can be used to condition all hair types. (Yes, even chemically dyed hair and 4c natural hair.) Clarity cassia is super easy to rinse, too! Keep reading to learn more about cassia benefits for hair.

I have been dyeing my hair with Ancient Sunrise plant dyes for more than ten years. Henna for Hair is a site dedicated for the use of henna for hair color and can answer your questions about using plant based hair color. I consistently achieve beautiful results when I use henna and indigo on my graying hair. Two years ago I started adding cassia for conditioning as well.

The Beginning of my Cassia Obsession

Our staff Cosmetologist incorporated the Cassia into my henna mix for the first time to dilute the paste’s stain. We were trying to avoid darkening the original color. The cassia diluted the mix enough to safely apply over ten years of henna and indigo applications.

See this previous blog for the full story and tips for maintaining graying brown hair with henna and indigo.

Adding the cassia to my henna mix gave my ten year hennaed hair more shine and brightness. It also conditioned my hair and gave me lots of volume. It even tamed those pesky grays at the temples, smoothing out the frizz!

Henna also conditions the hair but adding the cassia takes it up a notch. My hennaed hair is primarily gray now and has gone from poker straight to having a nice wave. The cassia lifts and defines curls and enhances wavy hair.

I applied heat to create a beachy wave after using cassia and the results were great. The waves lasted for three days with a little touch up! The waves fell naturally with minimal styling effort.

The treatment can be applied all over your hair to condition. 4c natural hair types can use the baggie method if the conditioning is only needed on dry ends, too. It’s a great, natural, home conditioning treatment. Damaris and I are working on a blog to show you how to use the baggie method. Check back soon or add us to your RSS feed so you’re notified when it’s live.

Cassia Conditioning on 4c hair — Sneak peek of the Cassia baggie conditioning method. Come back to see the process in our next blog.

Cassia Benefits for Hair

Conditioning. Cassia makes dry hair soft and manageable. You can use it all over or as a spot treatment for dry ends.
Volumizing.
Lifts and defines curls and waves.
Helps hold hair style for up to 3 days.
Adding Cassia into your henna mix makes it a two in one conditioning mask and all-natural hair dye application.

Closing Thoughts

Our Clarity Cassia is a pure, organic, fine sift, all natural, plant based hair conditioner. It can be used on all hair types including natural hair, 4c natural hair and chemically treated or damaged hair. Remember to clarify your hair before the application. You can do it the day of or the day before, and Rainwash works great for this. For best results, cassia needs to be dye released 8 -12 hours before application. Instructions here.

Evie’s mix is 1 Cup Clarity Cassia to 2 Tablespoons of henna. The mix was dye released and applied over dishwater blonde creating a brighter medium blonde.

Cassia will not change the color of your hair unless other plant powders are added to the mix. Cassia is used in the Ancient Sunrise kits that allow you to achieve golden blondes, bright reds, and medium blonde shades. Our Blonde, Fire, Sunshine, and Chai hair kits contain cassia and other plant powders. (Psst! You can save 10% on all of our cassia products until 4/15/23.)

Ancient Sunrise Blonde Kit on gray hair.

Contact our customer service team at 1-855-634-2634 if you have any questions or need help placing your order.

A small farewell

I started my journey at Mehandi in May 2014. While I knew I was going to be learning about something new, I had no idea that I would learn more than just all things henna.

I started off by asking tons of questions to co-workers. I was “that co-worker” *blush*. I wanted to know about everything. I was working in a salon and was still new to the world of hair. I started to talk to Dr. Catherine Cartwright-Jones. She let me pick her brain throughout my shifts and answer any questions I had. She also encouraged me to think. Customers brought me more questions to ask, which only allowed me to learn more. Finally, I found myself being capable of answering just about anything related to henna.

I started to play around with mixes. I tested formulas on hair swatches that I was not too sure would work. I started to get comfortable with formulating complex mixes. Our team went from being able to offer basic formulations, to advance troubleshooting.

Throughout my years in customer service, I established relationships with our regular customers and new customers. A simple “Hello” turned into a warm meaningful greeting. Familiar voices brought a smile to my face. I worked alongside many of you to help get your recipe just right, or to help you figure out where to start. I stayed on the phone while you mixed up your products, I reassured you when you doubted yourself. I even helped some of you cope with becoming deathly allergic to traditional hair color. I heard you tell me about how your partner really looked at you for the first time in a long time, or how you no longer were mistaken as a grandmother to your own children. You allowed me, a perfect stranger, to help you, whether you were in Ohio or on the other side of the world, regardless of each other’s cultures, native languages, or personal beliefs.

All of these years later, I find myself tearing up when I am telling a few of you that I am leaving Mehandi to partake in a new journey, a new field. You won’t hear my voice or see my signature on emails, but you have the best team there to help you with whatever you need. All of the good vibes you’ve passed on to me, I hope you get it back times 100.

You may see a blog from me here and there in the future, but otherwise, I bid you all a sweet farewell.

Maria

Maintaining graying brown hair with henna and indigo

Close up of henna, indigo, and cassia powder.

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.

Henna, cassia, and indigo paste on hair.

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.

After photo of henna and indigo on gray hair.

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

5 Tips to Avoid a Henna Mishap

Hennaing your hair for the first time is exciting, but may also feel overwhelming because there is so much conflicting information on the internet. If you’re using Ancient Sunrise® henna, then you can follow this short guide to be more successful at coloring your hair. Here are 5 tips to avoid a henna mishap.

1. Don’t skip the dye release.

Henna leaves contain a dye molecule called lawsone. When the leaves are dried and crushed, they can be mixed with an acidic liquid (or acidic powder and distilled water) to allow this dye to be released (hence the name “dye release”). While using a hot liquid can do this, the benefit of dye releasing with an acid is what helps bind the henna to keratin in the hair, thus making it permanent whereas hot water leaves a brassy color that fades.
In short: skipping dye release can also prevent you from reaching your hair goals.

2. Avoid spring, tap, or filtered water.

If you are using a fruit acid powder, such as citric acid or Amla, you’re going to need water. Distilled is best because it is free of minerals. Minerals can cause the dye molecules to shift to undesirable shades or be inconsistent. RO or reverse osmosis water may work in a pinch, but can still contain minerals especially if the proper upkeep is being neglected. If pipes have rust or other buildup in them, this can impact the water, too.
Distilled water helps with consistency.

3. Leave out the oils.

No oil — Oil is not meant for henna for hair.

Oils can have a pleasant smell. They are wonderful in lotions, hair perfumes, and more, but do they have any benefit to henna? Nope. While oils high in monoterpene alcohol can help a henna stain be darker on the skin, it can do the opposite on the hair. Too many additives in general can prevent a good uptake, but oil is a major culprit. If you want something to mask the smell, ginger root powder or cardamom seed powder works great in henna.
Basically, adding oils to your mix will cause you to waste your time and money.

4. Apply to clean hair

Shampooing hair — Clean hair allows the henna to stick a lot better.

Not only do you want to leave out oils and minerals out of your henna mix, you also want to remove them from your hair before your application. Using a clarifying shampoo or Rainwash treatment will help remove build up. While clarifying shampoo will remove oils (as long as it’s not “hydrating” or “moisturizing”), Rainwash will not. You can use Dawn dish soap to remove excess oils after Rainwashing.
For best results, get rid of all speed bumps that slow you down from getting your desired color.

5. Avoid caffeine in your henna.

Skip the coffee and caffeinated teas in your paste. There is no added benefit from these ingredients and the caffeine can give you a headache. This is because the caffeine is able to get into the bloodstream through the scalp. Plus, the smell of henna and coffee is kind of gross.
Caffeine in your henna is a great way to get some extra jitters, but nothing else.

We here at Mehandi want you to get the most out of your henna. These 5 tips to avoid a henna mishap are a great way to help you get a long lasting color. For more detailed assistance, our customer service team will be happy to help!

Maria • Ancient Sunrise® Specialist • Licensed Cosmetologist

Eyebrow Henna

“Okay Google…search ‘eyebrow henna.'”
A robotic voice replies, “Here are the results from the search.”

My thumb swipes upwards in a circular motion as I scroll through hundreds of results and several services offering “henna” for eyebrows. The biggest disappointment is that none of the results show pure henna. This poses a problem because what is being advertised to the world are adulterated cosmetics. What makes eyebrow and lash tint adulterated are ingredients such as paraphenylenediamine (PPD) and other coal tar derivatives. Furthermore, the FDA has not approved any products that color or tint the eyebrows and/or eyelashes “permanently”.

To learn more about what adulterated cosmetics are, visit:
https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/key-legal-concepts-cosmetics-industry-interstate-commerce-adulterated-and-misbranded#Adulterated

Pure Henna on Eyebrow Hair and the Skin Underneath

Pure henna can stain light eyebrow hair, but it tends to take on a weak orange color that is gone within a few weeks to a month. When pure henna is applied to darker eyebrow hair, there is not a noticeable difference. A lot of the products that are being marketed for eyebrows aren’t meant to be used for the eyebrow hair itself, but are for staining the skin under the hair. With pure henna, the skin will not stain dark because the eyebrow area has thin skin. It should also be noted that henna doesn’t stain thin skin for long. The products that we see marketed to stain the skin under the eyebrows tend to be a darker color in which henna itself is not able to achieve in this particular area. Henna does not dye skin black.

Note: The FDA does not recognize the use of henna on any part of the body except for hair on the head, unless it is for cultural purposes.

To learn more about pure henna and the skin, visit:
htt p://www.hennapage.com/henna/encyclopedia/skin/

You probably have seen articles about black henna and PPD. You may have seen photos of people on vacation with scars after being exposed to a black “henna” tattoo. These reactions that we see to PPD are the same reactions we see to “eyebrow henna” and eyelash tints. Why are companies still allowed to offer products that are incredibly toxic? How are they getting away with overlooking these horrible reactions?

Reactions to Eyebrow and Eyelash Tints

“Okay Google…search ‘eyebrow henna reaction.'”

The images are not for those who are easily squeamish. Photos of people with swollen foreheads, crusty, seeping eyebrows, and pus filled eyes all fill my screen. Reactions are identical to reactions from hair color that contain PPD.

I came across a blog that was discussing allergic reactions to eyebrow and eyelash tints. It suggested a product to use for those who have allergies. I clicked on the link of the product advertised, scrolled down to the ingredients list, and the first thing that was listed was “Paraphenylenediamine.” The last ingredient listed was “henna,” but it does not make sense from a scientific standpoint. Henna has specific instructions to allow it to stain, and even then, it does not have a shelf life once made, unless it is frozen after dye release. I have come across enough products in my career to know that “henna” in an ingredients list does not always mean lawsonia inermis.

The the author could have used their platform to promote real education on allergies to products, but instead they suggested a product that can cause complications because the first ingredient, PPD, causes strong allergic reactions. Unfortunately, the blog was not the only piece of material available to the public that was offering misinformation.

Reporting Reactions

If you have had a reaction to a tint for the eyebrows or eyelashes, visit your doctor immediately. Go to the ER if reactions are severe. Please report any adverse reactions here: https://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch-fda-safety-information-and-adverse-event-reporting-program. Reporting severe reactions can help others who may have a similar or worse reaction to the same or similar product. Document your situation and help spread awareness of the dangers of PPD in cosmetics.

Salons and Brow Tinting Places

The FDA states that eyebrow and eyelash tinting is not allowed if the products contain coal tar derivatives or are considered “permanent”. Regardless of what the FDA does allow, your state laws may not allow eyebrow or eyelash tinting. State Boards of Cosmetology are required to follow both federal and state regulations. Ohio’s State Board of Cosmetology did not have much comment on this issue except that salons and parlors must follow the FDA regulations, as mentioned above. Shops containing illegal tinting services should be reported to prevent serious injuries. To make a report, visit your local State Board of Cosmetology website. (Your state’s board of cosmetology can be found by a quick Google search.)

Microblading and Cosmetic Tattoos

Microblading and cosmetic tattoos, while are considered cosmetics, do not fall under eyebrow or eyelash tinting. For more information on this, visit: https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-products/tattoos-permanent-makeup-fact-sheet.

Alternative to Eyebrow Dye and Tints

If you are feeling down about your eyebrows, try a product that contains fibers. Most fibers are all natural, keratin fibers. These tend to fill out the eyebrow making them appear fuller, naturally. There are also many eyebrow pencils, liners, and pens available that might work better for you, too. Another benefit to using makeup to shaping and filling in your eyebrows is you can wash it off right away if there are any mistakes. Stay safe and practice safe beauty techniques!

Maria • Ancient Sunrise Specialist • Licensed Cosmetologist

Is henna bad for hair?

Is henna bad for hair? So many people ask this question, but here it will be answered in a few different parts, because pure henna, is great for the hair, but adulterated henna is bad all around.

What is henna?

Henna is a desert plant in which the leaves are dried and powdered to be used for the hair and body. The petiole (center vain in a leaf) is where most of the lawsone from a henna leaf comes from. Lawsone is the name for the natural orange-red dye molecule from henna. The red-orange dye molecule is what stains the stain and what colors the hair.

Using a mildly acidic liquid or powder-distilled water combo, lawsone can be “released” from the henna powder.

What is compound henna?

Compound henna doesn’t always include henna. It contains adulterants and metallic salts that caused the “henna” to bind much faster and creates different colors such as brown or black. Compound henna is very common and can be dangerous because the ingredients lists are often doctored to reflect a more appealing “natural” list.

You can read more about both compound and pure henna here: http://www.hennaforhair.com/science/index.html

Is there a difference between henna for body art and henna for hair?

No; pure henna is henna. You may see “henna” offered for body art that is black. This is adulterated henna and is not safe because it contains either PPD (paraphenylinediamine) or a component very similar. You can read more about the science of henna and the skin here: http://www.hennapage.com/henna/encyclopedia/skin/.

Is henna bad for hair?

Pure henna is actually great for the hair! You can find the benefits of using henna here. Henna not only colors hair, but it can protect the hair from UV rays, chlorine, and more because of the tannins naturally found in the lawsone.

How can I get other colors besides red?

Henna gives a red color on hair, but you can use other natural plant dyes such as cassia and indigo. If you’re not sure where to start, you can contact Mehandi’s customer support team: helpdesk@mehandi.com, 1-855-MEHANDI, or chat at Mehandi.com.

Maria • Ancient Sunrise® Specialist • Licensed Cosmetologist

Henna and Bleach Trials (Stylists Edition)

Many people ask if they should bleach their hair before they henna. I decided to set up henna and bleach trials to see what differences I might get for different situations.

As we all know, lightening your hair is not always the ideal option, as this is a chemical hair process, but it can help achieve lighter colors that you may not be able to get by only hennaing. You can find more information in chapter 10 lightening your hennaed hair in our e-book.

Hair and Mix Prep

My test began with harvested hair from my brush. My natural hair color is black with no gray. When I use henna, my hair has a red shine in the sun with great conditioning benefits.

Each of the hair samples have different variables, however, they all were washed with Dawn dish soap before each henna application. I mixed Rarity henna with lemon juice and dye released at room temperature for 9 hours. All the samples had the same processing time of 4 hours, as well as controlled lightening times. I used equal parts 20 volume developer with lightening powder.

Trials

Test 1: This particular sample hair was hennaed two times, then bleached for 30 minutes. I redid this test because I left the bleach on the first sample longer than intended. The bleach was meant to sit for 30 minutes and I left it on for an hour.

Test 2: The hair sample in this test was hennaed, bleached for 30 minutes, and hennaed again.

Test 3: This sample was colored, bleached for 30 minutes twice, hennaed, and hennaed again.

Test 4: Hair sample number 4 was bleached to damage by bleaching three times at 30 minutes, hennaed, then hennaed again.

Test 5: This hair sample was bleached for 30 minutes, hennaed, and hennaed again.

These tests mimic what we see often in customer service and potential clients. We understand that everyone who is new to henna likely has hair that has been chemically treated previously.

Henna and Bleach Trials in Photos

**1 hour before application**
I prepared my hair for the first henna application. Here we have the hair at different levels of lightening to see how the results may vary. Number 3 and 5 are very similar in color.

**8 hour after application**
Number 3 and 5 continue to be very similar.

**1 week oxidized**
The samples have darkened after oxidation. Number 2 is ready to get lightened.

**1 day after bleach (after henna application)**
Number 2 is very light compared to the others. It appears brighter than the hair when it is lightened before henna.

**2 weeks oxidized/1 week after henna**
Number 4 is still lighter than number 3 and 5, as they stay very similar.

**After application 2**
Henna application has helped to darken all samples.

**1 week oxidized after bleach**
The samples are darker with oxidation and we prepare to lighten number 1

**Right after damage**
Slight fail as I let the sample sit too long

**2 & 4**
Number 2 and 4 are similar in color. Number 2 does appear to be lighter.

**3 & 5**
Number 3 and 5 are still very similar.

**New 1**
I recreated number 1 to get a more accurate result.

**All samples**
Here are all samples done to see the difference.

**All natural light**
Here are the samples in natural light to see the difference from the concentrated indoor lighting.

In conclusion, the results were a little surprising to me. I knew that number 3 would come out darker because it was colored first. Numbers 1 and 2 are lighter than expected, as they both started with henna. Numbers 4 and 5 are exactly how I thought they would come out. Overall all of the samples are a lovely color.

To read about how henna can help damaged hair, check out this blog: https://www.ancientsunrise.blog/highlights-the-benefits-of-henna/

Damaris • Licensed Cosmetologist • Ancient Sunrise Specialist

Toning Henna – Part 2 (Stylists Editions)

In Toning Henna – Part 1 (Stylists Edition), five recipes were tested on hennaed hair, post oxidation, while one recipe was testing on hennaed hair prior to oxidation. I noticed that the hair was different between each recipe, but I didn’t expect to see such a difference between the hair that was toned before and after oxidation, even with similar recipes.

Welcome to Toning Henna – Part 2, where we explore the same mixes, same time frames but all of the hair had the toning mixes applied before the henna had time to oxidize.

Hair Prep

All of the mohair used was prepped by using a clarifying shampoo and the Twilight henna paste sat on the hair for 24 hours due to lack of body heat. Body heat allows us to keep the paste on for less time to get optimal results, so when testing on samples using henna, 24 hours is a good time frame).

Toning Mixes

All mixes are based on weight

A 90% cassia; 10% indigo (30 minutes ,60 minutes)
B 75% cassia; 25% indigo (30 minutes, 60 minutes)
C 50% cassia; 50% indigo (15 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes)
D 25% cassia; 75% indigo (15 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes)
E 10% cassia; 90% indigo (15 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes)

Mixing Prep

Ancient Sunrise® Clarity Cassia and Sudina Indigo were used (Zekhara indigo can be used for toning as well). Both cassia and indigo powders were mixed together with distilled water right away. The paste should be a thick consistency, only slowly dripping off of the mixing utensil. The paste was applied right away after mixing.

Results

Toning Henna (Part 2) • Comparing Mixes

First Test vs Second Test

After observing the samples over a weeks time, I noticed that these samples looked much different than the first series of tests I ran. It’s important to note that the only difference between the first and second tests was that the first test was done after the hennaed hair had settled into it’s final color, while the second test took place before the hennaed hair had settled into its final color.

Hair from the first test is on top in each photo; hair from the second test is on the bottom in each photo.

Every hair swatch of the second batch of samples appear to be lighter and cooler. Warmer tones show lighter to the human eye because of how we see color, therefore if they were the same level of hair color, all of the bottom swatches would be darker.

It’s probably safe to assume that if one were to do a mix that didn’t come out as warm as straight henna, that toning, either immediately or after a week of letting the hair sit, the results would be cooler in general. It will be important to conduct these tests over different swatches of hair and different mixes. For now, an accurate assessment would be that if you want your hair darker and not as red, then doing a toning mix with cassia and indigo would be good.

Final Notes

If you have a client who is panicking because their hair is brighter than what they’re comfortable with immediately after washing their paste out, keep in mind what results their looking for in the end. Always test any toning mix before applying all over as to prevent further complications. Sometimes just doing a toning shampoo can help calm the hair down during the oxidation if you don’t think that doing a toning mix is right for your client.

Always test to find out what mix and time will work best for you and your hair. Contact our customer service team for assistance: helpdesk@mehandi.com or call 1-855-MEHANDI or 330-673-0600. Visit http://www.Mehandi.com and HennaforHair.com for more information.

Maria • Ancient Sunrise® Specialist • Licensed Cosmetologist

Henna and Bleach Trials

Many people ask if they should bleach their hair before they henna. I decided to set up henna and bleach trials to see what differences I might get for different situations.

Note: We recommend seeing a professional stylist to help you when lightening your hair.

Hair and Mix Prep

My test began with harvested hair from my brush. My natural hair color is black with no gray. When I use henna, my hair has a red shine in the sun with great conditioning benefits.

Trials

Test 1:
This particular sample hair was hennaed two times, then bleached. I redid this test because I left the bleach on the first sample longer than intended.

Test 2:
The hair sample in this test was hennaed, bleached, and hennaed again.

Test 3:
This sample was colored, bleached, hennaed, and hennaed again.

Test 4:
Hair sample number 4 was bleached to damage, hennaed, then hennaed again.

Test 5:
This hair sample was bleached, hennaed, and hennaed again.

These tests mimic what we see often in customer service. We understand that everyone who is new to henna likely has hair that has been chemically treated.

Henna and Bleach Trials in Photos

To read about how henna can help damaged hair, check out this blog: https://www.ancientsunrise.blog/highlights-the-benefits-of-henna/

Damaris • Licensed Cosmetologist • Ancient Sunrise Specialist

Toning Henna – Part 2

In Toning Henna – Part 1, five recipes were tested on hennaed hair, post oxidation, while one recipe was testing on hennaed hair prior to oxidation. I noticed that the hair was different between each recipe, but I didn’t expect to see such a difference between the hair that was toned before and after oxidation, even with similar recipes.

Welcome to Toning Henna – Part 2, where we explore the same mixes, same time frames but all of the hair had the toning mixes applied before the henna had time to oxidize.

What is toning?
If you’re familiar with “henna gloss” or “indigo gloss,” then you’re already familiar with the idea of toning. Toning is a way to alter your hair color from the current color. It’s called “toning” because you’re fine tuning your hair color by adding the missing pigment that will help you get the color that you’re looking for. People tone or do glosses for many reasons, but the biggest reason is because their hair may have come out brighter and/or lighter than expected.
Toning can also be beneficial if you’ve made a mistake in your mix, such as using too much henna, accidentally leaving indigo out your mix, or even correcting a mix where the indigo had demised.
Maria – Toning Henna Part 1

Hair Prep

Toning Mixes

All measurements are based on gram weights. A and B samples were left on the hair for 30 minutes and 60 minutes, where as C, D, and E were left out for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 60 minutes).

Mixing Prep

Results

Toning Henna (Part 2) • Comparing Mixes

First Test vs Second Test

Hair from the first test is on top in each photo; hair from the second test is on the bottom in each photo.

Every hair swatch of the second batch of samples appear to be lighter and had less red tones. Warmer/red tones show lighter to the human eye because of how we see color, therefore if they were the same level of hair color, all of the bottom swatches would be darker.

Maria • Ancient Sunrise® Specialist • Licensed Cosmetologist