By Francine Holmes

The henna plant is native to northern Africa and some parts of Asia, it has been used for as long as 6,000 years for cosmetic purposes. Henna has been used to dye skin, hair and fabrics.

Traditionally, it is used to adorn intricate designs on a bride for the wedding ceremony.

In order to get the different colors the henna powder is usually mixed with other natural powders such as Turmeric, Indigo or in this case Hibiscus powder.

 I have been using henna to color my hair for almost 2 years now and I love it. Prior to henna I used store bought permanent hair color or  Cellophane.  I have been dyeing my hair  jet black for a while now and I find that the darker my hair, it has a more vibrant appearance and most of all sheen.

I would mix the henna with indigo for that deep dark color.  I’ve never done the red on myself,  only on a couple of clients, and the results are just as astonishing as with the indigo.  The process is essentially the same, the only substitution is the hibiscus powder instead of the indigo.

Working with hibiscus is MESSY!!

Overall it takes about 11 or 12 hours for the entire process (not including the clean up)

Please account for that prior to starting this project.

What you’ll need:

*Henna powder (I usually purchase the Saba Botanical brand – it’s only $2.99 plus shipping)

*Lemon juice (The directions on the Henna packaging don’t mention using lemon juice, however from my own trial and error and subsequent advice from others – I find it imperative to use it, the acidity in the lemon activates the henna)

* Water (Used simply to rinse)

*Shower cap or disposable plastic cap (It can get quite messy)

*Hibiscus powder (MySpiceSage is a great vendor)

*Olive oil (Optional- to keep your hair moisturized during the process)

*Plastic bowl and plastic spatula

Application:

Start out by mixing your dry ingredients, pour the Henna and hibiscus powder into your plastic bowl (adjust the amount based on your hair length-longer hair may require more than a pack).

Then add  the lemon juice and olive oil to your dry mix and stir well with spatula until you achieve a pasty or mashed potato-like consistency.  Cover your paste with plastic wrap and leave it for about 4 to 8 hours.

Divide your hair in sections (4 quadrants is the easiest to work with ) then apply  a generous amount of the mixture to each quadrant.  Cover your hair with a shower cap or disposable plastic cap for about 2-3 hours.

Finally rinse your hair with warm water until the paste is thoroughly rinsed out of your hair. You can shampoo, it’s optional but I usually don’t, in order to prevent my color from bleeding too much.