5 Tips for Maximizing Your Blonde Henna Hair Color

Blonde henna is the ideal dye for creating a natural sun streaking effect. However, personally mixing and applying the dye can be a very intimidating process. There is a lot of literature surrounding blonde henna--whole pages of tips and tricks--and you often don't know where to start. We make it easy in our guide: 5 tips for maximizing your blonde henna hair color.

1. Clarify your hair beforehand with an apple cider vinegar rinse

Simply put: cassia obovata (blonde henna) sticks better to clean hair, rather than hair that's dense with chemicals or residue. One of the best ways to clarify hair is with an apple cider vinegar rinse. Apple cider vinegar is a naturally occurring  antibiotic and antiseptic. It works by increasing the activity of your scalp's sebaceous glands, thereby flushing out debris, oil buildup and unhealthy bacteria. We recommend rinsing with apple cider vinegar 3 days prior to your henna treatment. After rinsing, you'll find that your hair is incredibly softer and easier to manage. For extra cleansing power, you can followup with a Zen Detox clay mask treatment.

2. Sit in the sun for warmth to help bring out the color

Cassia obovata's dye releasing abilities are affected by the environment, with particular sensitivities to temperature. More dye will be released by blonde henna in warm temperatures, with the inverse happening in cold environments. To get the most out of your blonde henna, while the mixed paste is soaking on your hair, spend some time in the sun, making sure your hair gets enough direct light. The lemon in your henna mixture will also benefit from the light, creating a more pronounced sunstreak effect.

3. Use Euro Oil to combat dryness

The lemon that we recommend adding to your blonde henna mixture can be very drying for your hair. To combat this, add no more than 3 teaspoons of Euro Oil to the mixture. This will result in your hair being measurably softer. Be sure not to add more than 3 teaspoons, as this may diminish the cassia obovata's dye release.

4. For the tea, start off with more water than you think you'll need

Many people start off making the Blonde Tea with 2 cups of water. But that water will sometimes evaporate or be absorbed into the plant material, leaving you with less than 2 cups when it comes time to mix it. To ensure a potent tea mixture, you only need to check the color, which should always be a rich golden color, indicating that it is potent enough.

5. For sticking power, start with neutral henna

Cassia obovata does not always stick to hair the first time around. However, it does very well at sticking to itself, that is other layers of cassia obovata. The dye works like glosses of paint, each layer building upon itself. That's why, if your blonde henna isn't sticking as well as you would like, trying doing a neutral henna treatment. This will provide a nice base layer of Cassia obovata for your blonde henna dye to stick to.

That's it! What Other Tips Have You Found for Maximizing Your Blonde Henna?

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