Photos: Effective Ways To Apply And Maintain Dye On Natural Or Relaxed Hair

If you love hair colors that are harmless then this post is for you!

Henna: Henna leaf is popular among the Indians and Hausas from Northern Nigeria. It's used to paint nails or draw beautiful Laali designs on legs and arms.

 It can also serve as dye for hair, YES you heard right. Henna can be used as hair dye and it is good for people who don't want any kind of chemical on their hair for fear of hair loss. It's benefits are numerous; it removes dandruffs, serves as conditioner, strengthens and prevents breakage, boosts hair growth etc. When blended it is just like the greenish powder image attached and can be bought from the market where you get your blended herbal produce like alligator pepper etc

How to apply Henna to dye hair

1.Get already blended henna(powder) and mix in warm water alone or include boiled green tea, honey or coconut milk for better result.

2. Leave mixture in covered bowl to develop for as long as 10 hours or leave overnight, it should have turned a clayish colored thick paste by morning.

3.Ensure to stir properly to avoid lumpiness then apply to hair.

4. Wear cloths you can easily dispose of if it gets stained, apply edges with Vaseline to avoid color from running to your skin.

5. Spread henna paste on areas you want color and wrap hair in plastic (nylon, silk scarf or anything that you can easily discard) for up to 2 hours to get it to evenly penetrate hair before washing with shampoo.

6. You'd need lots of water because it gets kind of flaky but with honey added just before application on hair it helps it wash off with ease, I remember when I used henna and I almost died from broken arms and waist LOL. I always do these things myself because most stylists are ignorant. You won't notice color immediately, it takes about a week depending on hair type but you'd get a reddish glow in the sun and light. 

If you want to dye hair in color order than red then henna isn't for you because red/black is the only color it produces. But just before you use that permanent dye then first test hair with semi-permanent dyes to see how your hair will fair before you apply the permanent. It's important to always keep hair moisturized and leave in conditioners are your best bet. Cantu is great but I use dark and lovely. 

Permanent dye: Go to a professional if you're not patient like I am or enjoy the entire process of nurturing like I do. I applied my current dye myself and if you read up the process manual attached to the pack, you should it just right.
To do after application

1. Deep condition after a week of applying dye to avoid split ends.

2. Chemically dyed hair is susceptible to split ends. Trim tip of hair by no more than 1/16-1/8th of an inch every 3 months or less so they don't break to the root of hair.

3.  I would advise that you only dye tip of hair like I always do. That way you're sure that your edges are protected, when I had relaxed hair I used to apply dye In all sections of my hair but that didn't work out very well for me but then I knew nothing about hair care.

4. To retain hair color, you may need to reapply every 6months or once you notice color starts to fade. I did mine again last week and picture was taken next day. I used clairol textures and tones(cost N1800 a pack) after so many years of using Creme of Nature.

5. If you don't want to dye your hair, please use henna as a wash and set conditioner. Only thing is you won't need to leave it overnight or for hours as long as you would when you want to use as dye. Your hair would thank you for it and results are bouncy, thick, and dandruff free hair.

Anyway, find what works for your hair and stick to it. Natural hair isn't for everyone and you can have a healthy relaxed hair once you know what works.