About three years ago, while on one of the many hair sites and forums I’m a member of, I came across a henna thread. As I read it, I noticed how many wonderful things women were saying about the results of henna, such as stronger, more manageable, and generally healthier hair. Of course, he just had to try it. I clicked on one of the links and was directed to one of the most comprehensive henna sites out there. The site showcased the chemical composition of henna, offered the different types of henna from different corners of the world, pictures of henna-dyed hair, a ton of henna-related definitions, and much more. I sat on that website for hours researching before buying a ton!
The henna was delivered super fast and of course I was very excited to try it out. Even though I had memorized the recipe verbatim, I opened the site to be 100% sure I was doing it exactly the way the site instructed me. I poured the henna into a plastic container and then slowly added lemon juice to the mixture, stirring constantly. Finally, once the mixture had reached a yogurt-like consistency, I covered the bowl with Saran Wrap and placed it in a warm area for 24 hours.
The next day, I noticed that the mix had a slight orange tint to it as stated, and smelled very earthy. I loved the smell as it made me feel like I was getting ready to do something so wonderful and healthy for my hair. As the site instructed me, I added a little more lemon juice to the mix and started applying it to my freshly washed hair. My hair was already sectioned into 6-8 puffs, so I only took one puff at a time and applied the mixture section by section. It was easy, but very complicated. I then covered my hair with Saran Wrap and planned to keep it on for the full 4 hours recommended on the site.
At the second hour, I had to use the restaurant. I went through my usual “rituals” and then when I woke up I realized my urine was bright green! I had read a lot of things on that site, but nothing warned me that my urine could turn green. Of course I was scared. I hurriedly removed the henna from my hair and googled “green pee/henna”. I saw that this was actually a common and not harmful side effect that some people experience due to the way their body processes henna. I was so relieved when I read this on various sites, but I was completely horrified when I felt my hair!
To say that my hair felt like a Shine Pad was an understatement; it felt more like barbed wire. Where in the world were all these benefits that I was supposed to experience? Where are the women on the forums plotting to ruin my beautiful natural hair? I followed the instructions so perfectly that I was looking forward to a full head of new, soft, more manageable, shiny hair. I deep conditioned and moistened it to death; still dry as a bone! Was I going to have to cut my hair that I had finally grown to love and struggled for almost two years to grow? Over the next several months, my hair slowly returned to its normal state. I was grateful and promised never to touch henna again.
Then about two years later I was sucked into another thread of henna and again these women were talking over and over about how they loved henna and the wonderful results they were getting. I went into the “henna challenge” forum and there were pictures of such beautiful hair. Well, what was going on? I wanted to have that hair so much that I posted my experience on the forum to see if I could get any feedback. I was quickly informed that I had made a BIG mistake; the prescription was not for African-American hair. I had used a recipe with too much acid and didn’t add any wetting properties to balance the drying effect of the acid. Was he going to be brave enough to try again? The pictures on the forum left me no choice!
This time I used apple cider vinegar because the acid level was much lower than lemon juice and acv is wonderful for conditioning the scalp. I also learned that I was using too much acid, so this time I used just enough to moisten the henna and then poured in spring water and aloe vera juice to saturate it to a yogurt-like consistency. After letting it sit for 24 hours, I added plain yogurt, raw honey, and a very moisturizing blend of oils, along with a couple more tablespoons of acv. This time I made sure to use a sulfate-free shampoo and a deep conditioner that was super moisturizing. All other steps remained the same. After 3 hours of processing, I rinsed my hair and was finally able to experience what all the fuss was about. My locks were actually looser, my hair felt stronger and it was as soft as a big old cloud! I joined the challenge and got a henna treatment every two weeks. It was a lot of work, but my hair thanked me every time I combed it.
Eventually my urine stopped turning green and I started doing a treatment every six weeks and then completely stopped for a period of time. It was difficult to find 4 hours to dedicate to it, not counting the 5 hours it took me to do my hair. I am now back to normal every six weeks with the henna and have even given my 7 year old daughter a couple of treatments, which she loves.