My hair has been natural for a little over three years now. When I say natural I mean I haven’t put any harmful chemicals in my hair, such as dyes or relaxers.

I actually haven’t dyed my hair in over eight years (until recently when I started using natural henna hair dye). Yeah, that is a long time!

I started dying my hair when I was in junior high and I always kept color in it. When I decided to stop dying my hair I kept trimming it to get the dye out, so I could start fresh.

I dyed my hair so much that I literally forgot what my real hair color looked like until my mom told me that I was cutting out my naturally colored hair.

Since my hair is natural, I’m always looking for natural, healthy ways to take care of my hair. Coconut oil has been my best friend. I wanted to try something different as a conditioner.

That’s when I came across henna!

When researching henna, I found out not only does it condition and naturally thicken hair, it can also be used as a diy natural hair dye.

I wanted to try it for all three aspects and since henna is a plant I wasn’t worried about it being harmful to my hair. Now I know how to dye hair with henna as a natural alternative to chemicals.

Here are the steps for using henna for hair dye. It’s a long process, but it’s well worth it. Enjoy!

(*As with any hair application, consult your physician for any possible allergies or side effects before application.)

What You Need For Henna Hair Dye

• Pure Henna
• Cocoa Powder, Unsweetened
• Water
• Plastic Cosmetic Gloves
• Hair Dye Brush
• Vaseline
• Old Towel
• Plastic Cling Wrap

*Make sure that your hair has no oils or other products in it. If it does, give it a quick shampoo. Henna can be applied to wet hair.*

How To Dye Hair With Henna

Mix the henna. Henna has to be mixed with something acidic, such as lemon or lime juice.

I read somewhere that cocoa powder is also acidic, so I mixed 100 grams of henna, with 2 tbsp. cocoa powder, and added ½ cup of water and ¼ cup after that until the mixture was a thick creamy consistency with minimal lumps.

I mixed for at least 5 minutes.

Next, the mixture needs to sit for 4 hours. Yes, you read that correctly! Four hours!

You’ll know that it’s ready when you use a dye brush to scrape off the top. The top will be a dark brown and underneath will be a lighter brown.

This is my hair color before I applied the henna. I applied Vaseline around my hairline, so my skin wouldn’t stain. Too bad I bought cheap gloves because my fingertips stained slightly.

Also, I made sure I used an old towel around my shoulders to protect my clothes.

Start applying the henna at the top of the head. Use small pieces and use the dye brush to start at the roots and work your way down to the ends.

You should continue this process and stack the sections of the hair on top of your head until you are finished.

Wrap your head with plastic cling wrap, making sure that all of your hair is tucked in. I kept the henna in for 4 hours.

I’ve read that people left it in longer and some who left it in for only 3 hours. This is my hair after taking the plastic off and unstacking my hair.

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This is my hair after shampooing it and applying a deep conditioner for 20 minutes. I wasn’t prepared for how long it would take to shampoo.

It came out pretty easily, but it was a huge mess. Luckily, I have a closed in shower and was able to wash down the walls while I was in there.

I let my hair air dry after applying a little coconut oil to it. This is the color that I immediately saw.

It didn’t stain my hair all one color, but it added some really pretty red-tone highlights.

I also noticed that my hair did feel a little thicker and looked healthier after my second henna application.

It was a really long process, but I think I’ll continue to use henna every couple of months.

Now that you know how to use henna as hair dye, will you give it a go?