Progress & First-Time Henna Questions
Hello, all! I have been watching this community for almost two and a half years now--since I "officially" decided to grow out my hair. You all have really helped in my growing out process! I currently wash every other day with shampoo/conditioner sans silicones,SLS, and harsh chemicals in general, and I've never really used heat.
This picture is more than a year old, but this is the natural texture and color of my hair.
This is a picture I took two days ago. I slept with it braided the night before which is why it's wavy, and I was standing in the sunlight so the coloring looks a bit off. My color is more accurately reflected in the other two photos--it's about the color of dirt, maybe a medium brown to light brown? I don't know what to correctly call it.
I'm a bit worried that I've reached terminal length. As you can see, my hair is not that much longer this year than it was last year. So this week I've kicked up my routine to try and encourage some growth, including cutting out conditioner in favor of an ACV rinse and coconut oiling post shower. I'm also switching to shampoo bars from Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve and planning to use baking soda to clarify every once in a while.
I'm also seriously considering hennaing my hair (never hennaed or dyed before!), and that's my main question here. My hair is actually pretty thin, especially by the end of the day, and I'm intrigued about all of the healthy benefits of using henna. If I go for it, I'm planning to buy 300-400g of henna from Mehandi, but I'm concerned about what color my hair would probably be. I'd like something in the carroty-auburn to to brick red range, but nothing darker, if that's even possible with my hair color. For anyone who uses Mehandi henna, or for experienced henna-ers, what color should I realistically expect with just henna without any additions, and how much of a difference to the different lawsone contents available have? Is it worth it to order a sample and test my hair first?
This picture is more than a year old, but this is the natural texture and color of my hair.
This is a picture I took two days ago. I slept with it braided the night before which is why it's wavy, and I was standing in the sunlight so the coloring looks a bit off. My color is more accurately reflected in the other two photos--it's about the color of dirt, maybe a medium brown to light brown? I don't know what to correctly call it.
I'm a bit worried that I've reached terminal length. As you can see, my hair is not that much longer this year than it was last year. So this week I've kicked up my routine to try and encourage some growth, including cutting out conditioner in favor of an ACV rinse and coconut oiling post shower. I'm also switching to shampoo bars from Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve and planning to use baking soda to clarify every once in a while.
I'm also seriously considering hennaing my hair (never hennaed or dyed before!), and that's my main question here. My hair is actually pretty thin, especially by the end of the day, and I'm intrigued about all of the healthy benefits of using henna. If I go for it, I'm planning to buy 300-400g of henna from Mehandi, but I'm concerned about what color my hair would probably be. I'd like something in the carroty-auburn to to brick red range, but nothing darker, if that's even possible with my hair color. For anyone who uses Mehandi henna, or for experienced henna-ers, what color should I realistically expect with just henna without any additions, and how much of a difference to the different lawsone contents available have? Is it worth it to order a sample and test my hair first?