Whether your hair is long, short, porous, or curly, there are many benefits of henna for hair that you will love.
Keep reading to discover how henna is going to improve your hair and the henna method designed to suit your lifestyle perfectly.
Henna is made from the leaves of the Henna tree plant, and has been used for centuries as a natural hair colorant. Henna will add moisture to your hair whilst also improving the hair’s texture. Henna is also credited with improving scalp health, reducing dandruff, and aiding hair growth.
This article looks in depth at how using henna can benefit your hair and scalp.
Read on to find out the best method for you and your hair type.
18 Benefits Of Henna For Hair
Henna is a long-used natural hair colorant made from the dried leaves of the Henna tree or Lawsonia inermis, to give it its official name.
It is used on hair not only for the coloring effect but for the positive impact it has on the health of your hair and scalp.
Not only does it have many beneficial properties as listed below, but it also gives your hair a lustrous color and sheen.
The benefits of henna hair pack products are undeniable!
Simply the ease with which you can buy them, and the multiple types and therefore colors you can achieve make henna exceptionally desirable.
The fact henna also helps to improve the condition and health of your hair and scalp is almost just a bonus (sources 1,2,3,4,5,6).
Below are 18 amazing benefits of henna for hair:
1. Antifungal Properties
Henna contains antifungal and antimicrobial properties.
This simply means that it is safe, and indeed beneficial to use on your scalp if you are suffering from a skin infection on your scalp.
Its antifungal properties help to remove fungal growths, whereas its antimicrobial properties fight against bacteria on your scalp that may be causing distress and discomfort.
2. Helps Hair Grow
There is anecdotal evidence of the benefits of henna for hair regrowth.
It is thought that henna aids hair growth through its beneficial effects on the scalp, which in turn help the hair follicles grow.
Henna also protects the hair from breaking in the first place, which makes it look like more hair is growing than previously.
3. Soft And Manageable Hair
Henna is renowned for helping to improve the texture of your hair, making it softer and more pleasant to the touch.
Henna contains vitamin E which improves the condition of your hair. You may find that your hair is more manageable as a result.
4. Pre-Mixed Packs
You do not have to start drying and crushing leaves yourself to make use of the benefits of henna for your hair.
You can purchase pre-mixed packs of henna from all good health stores and online vendors.
This is ideal since it enables more people to benefit from the amazing results when using henna.
5. Reduces Hair Loss
With its ability to improve the health of your scalp and the protective layer, it provides for each individual hair, the benefits of henna for hair loss cannot be underestimated.
Whilst it encourages growth, it also protects hair from breakage, thereby reducing the appearance of hair loss in many people.
6. A Natural Method Of Hair Coloring
Many people wish to alter their hair color for a vast number of reasons, whether it be to cover grays, or simply to add a different hue for a bit of a change.
Regardless of the reason for coloring your hair, using henna is a natural method that does not contain synthetic chemicals and colorants and is, therefore, kinder to your hair.
Provided you are selective in your choice of henna supplier.
Henna is also kinder to the environment than when using commercially available chemical color packs.
7. No Parabens
When going No Poo, most people try to avoid using parabens on their hair.
This is because parabens have been linked to a whole host of negative effects on your body, notably a link to paraben use and the onset of cancer.
Henna does not contain parabens, so you can color your hair without worrying that you are harming your body in the process.
8. Henna For Hair Growth And Thickness
We have already discovered that henna is beneficial for hair growth due to its positive effects on the scalp. However, did you also realize that henna can aid the appearance of hair thickness?
This works for two reasons:
- Henna aids hair growth, so it appears you have more hair.
- Henna coats the shaft sitting on top of the hair and allows your hair to be more manageable.
Being able to style your hair as you wish means that you can add volume and therefore thickness through clever styling.
9. Controls Dandruff
The antifungal and antimicrobial action of henna has long been said to reduce dandruff.
Henna removes build-up and excess oil which means that your scalp is able to resist the growth of dandruff-causing fungus more easily.
10. Reduces Scalp Itching
By balancing the scalp’s pH and soothing and cooling the scalp, henna can reduce the itchiness of your scalp.
As it can also moisturize your scalp it further aids the reduction of scalp itching as a nourished scalp is far less likely to itch.
11. Contains Nutrients
Henna contains various nutrients, including the following:
- Vitamin E
- Antioxidants
- Proteins
Minerals are also considered to be contained within henna that are beneficial to the health and looks of your hair.
12. Range Of Colors
There are different types of henna that give subtly different colors to your hair.
One of the best things about using henna is that it can have other ingredients successfully added to it to further change the color imparted by henna.
If you are keen to darken the color that henna gives, consider adding indigo, tea, or coffee to the hair dye mixture.
Indigo adds a blue tone to the dark color of henna.
When you add acid to henna, it can lighten the color; lemon juice and vinegar are just two of the acids regularly used.
Oddly, brandy has been found to bring a brighter red color when mixed with henna.
Always be careful when mixing new ingredients together though, and use a patch test before applying anything to your hair.
13. Easy To Use
Due to henna’s increasing popularity, it is now available in pre-mixed packs which means no more mixing, simply apply it to your hair and wait!
This makes the ease of using Henna on the hair on par with commercially available synthetic chemical dyes.
14. Blends With Regrowth
When you use a commercial dye and your hair grows, there is always a clear division between where your hair was when you applied the dye, and the new regrowth.
This does not have to be the case, or so obviously so, when using henna because henna blends in better when washed, whilst the new growth is coming through.
15. Reduces Frizz
Henna helps hair retain moisture within each strand, and therefore the hair is generally fully saturated and so it reacts less to environmental change and moisture.
It is this environmental moisture entering dry and porous hair that leads to the hair frizz that many of us try in vain to control.
Dying your hair with henna may very well be the way you find to control your frizz over the rest of your hair journey.
16. Controls Sebum
Henna is well known for being able to remove build-up and excess oil on your scalp. It is also said to be able to improve the scalp’s ability to regulate oil production with regular use.
Controlling sebum is all important as excess oil reduces the volume in your hair, weighing it down.
It also means that you need to wash your hair more frequently with one of these No Poo Washes, to remove unwanted oils.
Excess oil can provide the perfect habitat for dandruff-causing fungus, and as such, controlling the sebum in your hair is important for scalp health.
17. Delays Graying
Although not scientifically proven, using henna has been said to delay the onset of the graying process.
Sometimes, if the gray in your hair is widespread there is too much red after using a henna dye.
In this instance, adding tea or coffee can tone down the red and make the gray coverage much more even.
18. Availability
You no longer have to seek out a health food shop, or Asian supplier.
As popularity increases so does the availability of henna in all forms!
Pre-mixed, different types, and multi-packs, all are easily available online.
Conclusion
The benefits of henna for hair are wide-ranging, from the control of dandruff and itching to beautifully colored hair with no grays, or added growth, and reduced loss and breakage.
There are however things to know before using henna hair dye.
Always do a patch test to check sensitivity, and always check that you are using pure henna with no unnecessary additives.
When you buy Henna, do not opt for black henna or henna root as neither are henna and both could be harmful to your health.
Remember that you can change the shade of your henna hair by adding indigo, coffee, or even brandy to your next batch.