Why does henna itch

Don't just rely on oil in your mix, just put it on your head before applying and put some in your mix too, might be great. Yes oiling your scalp may help although henna is very cleansing so will remove it, or should. I add glycerin and aloe gel to my henna to keep it moist, I also add some oil like avocado oil to the mix. Yes, ChloeDharma is just right about oil. Henna surely has a drying effect too and that's why it is always good to do a heavy oiling after a henna treatment.

I also find that mixing oil in the henna preparation helps a lot. So I make sure to add a good amount of oil in the henna preparation and the next day I do a heavy oiling to help the hair get back its moisture. But overall, I find henna a very good conditioner too. What did you mix your henna with?

I often get a little itch with water, but the first time I hennaed I used a large amount of lemon juice,and my scalp was irritated and itches for more than a week! Chamomile tea seems to be the most gentle thing I've used and actually results in a happy scalp for me. Mixing oil into my henna mud also makes a difference, but I've switched to the tea thing lately. Chamomile tea the first time and distilled water the 2nd time. It does seem less itchy today. I guess I will have to try more oil. This henna is yemeni from nightshade.

As much as I have been playing with henna and getting myself covered in henna of all different types with different things mixed in and doing my eyebrows for 2 months I have to think it is not an allergy.

Exactly how often have you done henna treatments? I have henna'ed only 2 times. Once a month ago and this is the 2nd time. I have been testing hair samples and doing the dye release tests all over my arms. Eyebrows every 2 weeks or so, they seem to shed fast. My roots show fast in the summertime. Hi Innerginger, if you have done the hair sample and skin tests and did not have any allergy, it might then be due to the mixture that you prepared. I believe the first time you did henna there was no reaction like itchy scalp and so on?

Did you change the preparation for the second time? As ChloeDharma also advised, you might try henna with oil in the mixture to see the difference. It was worse the first time but I went from tea to water in case it was the tea. I also did not clean my hair or lighten my roots to eliminate that.

I also shortened the processing time. It is less itchy but not gone. I will add oil next time. That's a normal amount, so that couldn't be the reason.

Always end up itchy though :. The best one I've found is from New Directions. But can still only have it on for a max of three hours with oil on my hair first. It darkens my hair but fades a fair bit by the a week and a half. If I only have it on for this short time, I don't get an itchy scalp.

And I realise this may not help you, other than to say, maybe like me, you're allergic. Hello Sallyanna, what exactly do you mix in the preparation of your paste? Henna Allergy: how to understand if we're having an allergic reaction to henna You must remember that, potentially, we can be allergic to everything, and that the fact that a product is natural, it doesn't mean it's harmless and it does not guarantee to be anallergic. How to do an allergy skin test to see if you're allergic to henna?

What causes itchy and sore scalp if it is not an allergy issue? The video tutorials are in Italian, but English subtitles are available! Possible causes that may provoke an itchy burning scalp, and NOT a proper allergic reaction to henna: 1.

The henna you're using is impure: It might have been cut with other herbs to which your skin is intolerant, or it may contain sand that has a too aggressive scrub-effect on the scalp. It contains sodium picramate to which many people are allergic. You add to your henna and herbal hair color mix, ingredients other than warm water: vinegar - it can easily irritate the scalp , especially if it's left for a long period on the scalp.

You let the herbal hair colors mix sit on your scalp for too long: from 6 to 9 - 12 hours. The itchy burning scalp is most of the times caused from the henna residues on the scalp.

What should you do to avoid a burning scalp and its sensitization? Be sure to buy first quality and pure henna and herbal hair colors : in the cosmetic ingredients list there must be written only the name of the plant. Please, avoid buying loose herbal hair dyes: you can't be sure neither of their origin nor of their purity. Leave the henna mix sit on your scalp for the minimum time possible.

If you don't need to cover gray hair, you can let the mix on your head just for 2 hours and still obtain great results. Avoid adding any other ingredient to your henna mix , whether they're acid ingredients or not. Do NOT use essential oils , because there's a high risk of burning your scalp , especially if you let the mix sit for a long time.

Be sure to rinse and wash away every henna residue or every bit of herbal hair dye. In order to make this operation easier, just fill a bowl or the sink with water and immerse your hair in it. Use only a natural shampoo , silicone-free - find out why you have to detox your hair from silicones and how the silicones affect the release of the color - and dilute it just to be sure that the surfactants did their job removing each and every henna residue left on the scalp.

Subscribe our newsletter. Tags henna, natural hair care, natural hair color. Related Posts. How to mix henna to dye your grey hair brown without any hints of red! Let customers speak for us. Great product! Debra Briggs. Super Product! Siama Muhammad. My best Henna from Beautylicious.

Arn Nal. Organic Cassia Obovata Neutral Henna. Irina Chernova. It is the best alternative to harsh chemical. Best henna ever!! As usual, great communication and fantastic products! Sara T. Exceed my expectations! Beautifully confident. Lemon juice has a pH of 2. Consider diluting lemon juice with three or four parts distilled water. Milder juices like apple and cranberry work just as well without needing to be diluted.

Know that each fruit juice or acid powder may yield different effects on the resulting color. Click here for more information on henna and acidic mixes. H air may feel rough after henna because dye molecules are settling into place. A very acidic mixture, such as one with undiluted lemon juice, may make this feeling more noticeable.

Lemon juice is a popular way subtly bleach the hair. For those with lighter hair colors, spritzing the hair with lemon juice prior to going out into the sun can bring out highlights. One can also find endless DIY hair treatments involving lemon juice and claiming to lighten hair.

However, using lemon juice in a henna mix has the opposite effect. Lemon juice mixes result in vivid, fiery results at first, but the color is known to oxidize to darker and darker shades over time. The most common mistakes, often used in conjunction, were a using lemon juice; b reapplying henna to the entire length of the hair; c reapplying too often, and d using heated styling tools.

To learn about other causes of darkening and how to prevent it, read this article. H ighly acidic mixes will continue to oxidize after the initial couple of weeks, leading to increasingly dark results after several months or years.

As a rule of thumb, very low pH liquids will all do a similar thing with henna: Initial stains will be noticeably bright, and then the color will deepen continually over time.

The more acidic the mix, the greater the difference between first rinse and final oxidation. Many people who use lemon juice may only be aware of the first part, and then later become upset that their hair no longer has that vivid brightness that it once did when they just began using henna.

Additionally, the only effective way to lighten hennaed hair is to bleach it. It is high in antioxidants that keep darkening at bay. Some people including me , are fully aware that lemon juice causes darker results over time, and use it for that purpose.

But to be honest, there are much faster ways to push henna to a deep red without having to wait through the bright orange period. H enna does not fade over time. It darkens. Highly acidic mixes will darken more over time. Mixes that are high in antioxidants can prevent darkening. Citrus C an C ause P hoto-sensitivity. Citrus oils are phototoxic. They make the skin more sensitive to sunlight. This can result in sunburns in situations when one would not normally expect to be burned.

Especially in the case of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, you may inadvertently cause photo-sensitivity to your scalp by using a henna mix with lemon juice. This is definitely the case with lime juice. You may have heard of people suffering reactions after getting a bit of margarita on themselves while enjoying the sun.

This does happen. On the other hand, henna has some great natural UV protective qualities, and your hair will provide some barrier between your scalp and the sun. In any case, if you have particularly photosensitive skin, or are sensitive to citrus juices and oils, you may want to consider using a different fruit acid.

What T o U se I nstead. As I mentioned before, there are numerous other fruit juices and fruit acid powders which will work just as well, or better, than lemon juice.

Full-strength lemon juice is more acidic than what is necessary to dye-release henna. As long as the liquid tastes mildly tart, it will work. Diluting also makes your bottle of lemon juice last longer, or saves you from having to squeeze several pounds of lemons.

If you are experiencing an irritated scalp, try one of the Kristalovino fruit acids, or apple juice. Apple juice is mild, and will result in a tone that is neither too light nor dark, but can be sticky and make your mix smell boozy. Both are high in antioxidants that prevent the henna color from darkening over time. If you opt for cranberry juice, make sure to get the real thing—many are a mixture of other juices, water, sugar, and some cranberry juice.

Lemon juice is a great mixing liquid for some people; for others, it can cause issues.