Let's talk about what colors you can get using Henna. 

Tonight I got a great question regarding Henna colors.  Here is some information to help you decide on the right color choice for you. 

With 100% all natural Henna, the color you get will always be red. You can mix other natural ingredients into the mix to get other variations, but it won't be purple, blue or anything crazy. 

Henna makes Red. You can get Brown by mixing other ingredients, and black is also possible by using Indigo but Henna is not going to give you an unnatural color!

HENNA FACT: Henna is a plant, not a chemical, or ink. Henna is a natural plant, and it grows in very hot climates. As a natural plant it makes only one color: orange-reddish tones. Typically blueberries stain blue, just as henna stains red. Henna powder is mixed into a henna paste, which can be used to dye your hair 'permanent until it grows out', or to create henna body art designs 'temporary' on the skin.  People also use Henna to dye fabrics, or do nail designs. Some Henna hair dyes contain other things, and are not actually all natural. Look for the plant based ingredients such as Indigo to make the color darker. You can also somewhat alter the color of your Henna by adding other things when mixing. Such as lemon juice (the acid makes it more orange), Red Wine, or Red wine vinegar (this will make a darker red), and tea or coffee to get a more auburn or brown look.

The great thing about Henna dye is that it's a way to have natural looking hair without really being a natural red head. You can have light hair, and dye your hair black or brown using Henna with Indigo, and no one would know it was not your real color. The only give away would be the roots. I've noticed because Henna sticks to the follicles of your hair, the roots are very subtle, and you can't really tell right away. 

Another good thing to note, is that Henna will NOT lighten your hair. Henna is chemical free, and it's all natural, so it contains no bleaching quality's.  However, if you have bleached your hair, and it's starting to grow out, you can get a beautiful strawberry blonde color by using Henna over the bleached hair.  

I've used a lot of different Henna's, but my top favorite is Henna King. If you look at the ingredients on their website, it shows all that's in the colors. Depending on the color you choose, you will see other plant based ingredients, with no added metals, or preservatives, and it's completely hypoallergenic, not to mention organic. . Natural Red is the one I've been using and that is just 100% Henna with nothing added.  http://www.hennaking.com/

So if you are wanting a vibrant RED RED, like fire engine red, then I am going to say Henna won't work for that look. Because it's a plant, it's going to give you a natural looking red... However with that being said, that does not mean you can't dye your hair fire engine red, wait a few weeks and then dye with Henna. If you do this, the intensity will not be as bright, but Henna will keep the red from fading, and have a much easier upkeep with no bleeding out like chemical dyes.  Remember though once you dye hair with Henna, you can't get rid of the Henna, so make sure it's what you really want before you make that long term commitment!. 

 Got questions? I got answers! Comment below and follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

I got an excellent question today and wanted to address it. The question was "Can you use chemical dye over Henna?".. 

Here is my personal experience..  I've been dying my hair red for a very long time. When I first found Henna, I still had a box of chemical dye that I had not used yet. Being the frugal person I am I didn't want  to waste it, so I decided to use it. 

Here is your disclaimer! Henna is permanent , and really can't be taken out of your hair.  If you dyed your hair with Henna, and it's darker than your natural color, you CAN NOT try to lighten it. You'll only end up with a mess, and probably damage your hair.  Because Henna is all natural, your hair soaks it up like a sponge and the color sticks to the follicles of your hair.  Putting bleach in your hair will cause a reaction and make your hair turn green. If you do not like the color Henna gave you, I would suggest trying another Henna product  that will give you another color. Henna King is where I buy all mine, and they have a variety of different colors to choose from.  Also if you dye over it with the same color,  it will be darker the 2nd time around. Best thing about Henna is you can dye it as many times as you want, because it's natural and won't harm your hair! Once Henna has oxidized and reaches its final shade the color will be ingrained into the strand of hair.  Henna will not get brassy like many other hair dyes do, and it has very little upkeep.  The color will remain the same until it's redyed. The only real way to get rid of the Henna in your hair is to grow it out or cut it off. 

However in my experience, once your Henna hair has settled, and has started to reach its final color shade, then you can use a chemical dye over it (darker only). In my case I had a box of Scarlet red chemical dye that I hated to not use.  So after my hair started to grow out, I did use the bright red dye, and it came out very nice.  My hair did begin to fall out again, and I could feel the difference because my hair did not have the body or the fluff that you get with Henna, but it was the last time I ever used chemical dye on my hair, and the only dye that will ever touch my hair again will be Henna!  

So to answer this question due to my own experience, as long as the chemical dye is similar in color, it should be okay to dye over. I think if you had used red henna, and wanted to go brown you'd probably end up with a more auburn look just because the Henna will shine through. Since my hair was red with Henna, going a darker red did not really make a difference when the red highlighs showed through. 

This is not to say it's okay to try Henna, then go out and dye over with chemical dyes. You have to be very careful when using Henna, and know you are ready for the serious permanent color you're getting. Always do a strand test just so you can be sure you like the color first. 

Hope this answers your question on if you can dye over your Henna. It's not recommended, but it can be done and is possible if done correctly.

Hello everyone, my name is Sheena, better known as 'Sheena The Henna Queen'.  I've been using Henna on my hair for over a year now, and I have to tell you, I love it! I will never go back to chemical dyes again.. The all natural benefits are amazing, and believe me, you're going to love all the body Henna gives your hair. Here are some questions I get when telling people about Henna. I will do a video on these questions soon, but for those of you who like the book better then the movie, here it is!

What exactly is Henna?   

Why do you use Henna on your hair?

Isn't Henna supposed to be for your body?

What products do you like the best, and why?

1. What is Henna?  Henna (Lawsonia Inermis) is a woody shrub that thrives in hot and arid climates. The henna plant produces extremely fragrant and delicate flowers, which have been used in perfumes since ancient times. The leaves of the henna plant are harvested, dried, and then ground into a fine powder. This lovely silken green powder is made into a paste and can be used as body art, or to dye hair, and nails.

If you are interested in learning the history of Henna, and seeing how far back people have been using it, click on this link. http://www.hennabysienna.com/henna-in-the-ancient-world.html

2. Why do I use Henna on my hair? Let's start off with saying I have natural dark blonde hair. However I've  always loved red hair, so I started dying it red with chemical dyes for many many years. If any of you have ever dyed your hair red with chemical dyes, you know how hard it is to maintain. I was spending a lot of money to keep my red hair looking nice. One day while in the shower after dying my hair with the chemical dye, chunks of hair started coming out of my head. Every time I ran my hands through my hair, I'd have a hand full of hair! Needless to say I was a bit freaked out. So after that experience, I started to do my research on more natural hair dyes. That is when I found Henna. Because I wanted red hair Henna was a perfect match for me because 100% Henna always dyes red. It has all natural benefits. Keeps my hair looking natural, and has very little upkeep because Henna sticks to the follicles of your hair. It will fade over time, but not like chemical dyes. Henna gives my hair more body, and keeps it looking it's best. I love all that comes along with using Henna! There are no negatives really, except for the mess it makes when applying :).

3. Isn't Henna used for body art? The answer is yes. Henna is used widely around the world as body art. It gives you a tattoo without the pain of a needle, and after a few weeks the tattoo will actually go away. I am not a Henna art expert, but I do hope to do some videos for you all on me giving myself a henna tattoo. Because Henna is a plant with the ability to dye skin, it can also be used to dye hair, or nails. There are different things you can add to Henna to change the color.  Red is just 100% all natural henna with nothing added. You can make the color more vibrant by adding things like lemon juice, or red wine vinegar, but even without that, you'll still get a beautiful red color.  You can add indigo to make it darker, and salt to hold in the brown colors. There is a lot of combinations you can add to get your desired look. Which brings me to the last question.

4. What products do I like best and why? Well being that I have been using Henna for a long time, I've tried many different brands 'all body art quality henna'.  Instead of going through all the ones I did not like, I'd rather tell you about the winner and the only Henna product I use on my hair now. The reason is because this brand mixes all the colors for you. So if I want a darker red, I don't have to play around and experiment with different ingredients to get the right combo. They have already done it for me.  The winner of my Henna challenge is Henna King.  By far the best Henna products on the market. Their products are easy to mix, go on hair so much smoother than other brands, and the Henna is very fresh. You can see and smell the difference. Their Henna comes out looking good every time I've used it, and I won't use any other Henna product on my hair.  I currently use Henna Maiden Natural Red by Henna King. After using so many others, Henna Maiden made my hair brighter, and I loved how much easier it was to mix and apply.

If you have any Henna question or want to know more about where to get your Henna King products message me.

Stay tuned for the video response to these questions, and watch for more updates!