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Using henna as a hair dye is an effective alternative to commercial hair products, especially when it comes to covering gray hair! Commercial hair dyes are one of the most toxic beauty products on the market, but henna provides a natural alternative with just as good (if not better!) results. This is why I decided to create a blonde henna hair recipe to cover my grays and white hair naturally, turning them blond!
I’ve been having gray and white hair since I was 20, inherited from my father’s genes who’s whole head turned white when he was 35!
When I was young (and foolish), I dyed my hair black, purple, red and blond all with chemical dyes. At that time, I did not know better and ended up with hair so dry I had to cut them very short.
In my late 20’s, I started to have white hair but never covered them with a chemical dye. There was no way I was going to use chemicals on my head every month or so just because have white or grey hair isn’t “socially” acceptable.
To be honest it never bothered me to have white hair as they blend with my natural color and my thinking is that it is what nature intended for me.
Plus is having grey and white hair a sign of wisdom? I’d like to think so!
Then I heard about blond henna and became intrigued, it looked like it would give blond highlights on grey hair and naturally blend with your color. So I decided to get a henna mix for hair and make my own blonde henna hair recipe this summer and was not disappointed.
I found that it turned out even better after the second application and the third….I also noticed my hair started to grow much longer and faster!
Before and after using blond henna
Here is a before and after photo of my hair, before I use the blond henna and after I use it. This is my real hair and I did not use photoshop.
You can see there is a clear difference and all my white hair have turned blond! I also noticed there was less frizz which is an added bonus of henna.
What is henna?
Henna is a natural alternative to synthetic hair dyes. Traditional henna is made from a plant called the Henna Tree, and has been used to dye both skin and hair for centuries. The earliest known use of it as a hair dye was in Ancient Egypt in 1574 BCE! It has commonly been used in Northern Africa, the Middle East and in India.
Today henna dyes are often mixed with other natural plant dyes, like Cassia Obovata for a blond henna hair recipe, to achieve a range of colors. These plant-based dyes, though a mixture, are typically still marketed as henna.
Benefits of henna for hair
Unlike synthetic dyes that contain harsh salts and chemicals that can damage hair, henna actually has beneficial properties. Henna helps to balance the scalp pH, which can boost hair growth and reduce hair loss. Henna has also been used to treat and prevent conditions like dandruff, and itchy scalp. Unlike conventional dyes that have a drying effect on the hair and scalp, henna is conditioning and helps control frizz.
Other benefits of henna include:
- Balancing oil production in oily hair
- Smoothing split ends
- Detoxification of skin
How to choose the right henna colors
Traditional henna is great for achieving a range of red and brown colors. You can find below a blonde henna hair recipe but if you are using red henna color, it is a similar process.
Red Henna
Red henna has long been used to achieve vibrant red color in hair, and can be blended with other types of henna to imbue red tones in brown hair.
Blonde Henna
My favorite is blonde henna with Cassia Obovata. Particularly when used over grey hair, this achieves a result that resembles blond highlights if you add chamomile to it.
Black Henna
Black henna is often derived from indigo, and can achieve a dark color ranging from deep brown to true black. Some black henna brands use a chemical called P-Phenylenediamine (PPD) that you should watch out for. Choose an indigo henna that does not use this chemical like this one.
Why you should watch out for PPD
PPD is added to darker henna dyes because it helps to stain the skin or hair more quickly to achieve deeper results. It is essentially a short cut additive – but you should avoid dyes that use it because many people are allergic to this chemical and it can cause scarring to the skin and scalp. Exposure to PPD can also cause a lifelong sensitivity to coal tar derivatives and other dyes. The worst part is that damages to the skin can take up to 72 hours to appear so be very careful to choose a quality henna.
The problem with commercial hair dyes
Choosing a high-quality natural henna is far superior to conventional hair dyes that contain numerous chemicals:
- PPD, which is carcinogenic and can give severe allergic reaction and scaring
- Ammonia, which may cause burns and is harmful to the lungs
- Parabens, which negatively affect the endocrine system, and may be carcinogenic
- Resorcinol, which also affects the endocrine system and may cause skin irritation
These are just a few of the major chemicals that commercial hair dyes may contain. In addition to the deleterious health effects of these chemicals, commercial dyes work by opening the hair cuticle, which damages the hair shaft. This makes hair weak and porous, susceptible to damage, and strips it of its shine.
You end up in a vicious cycle, having to redo commercial hair dyes every month or so and damaging your hair again and again.
Which ingredients can you add to your blond henna hair recipe?
You can make your own henna hair dye recipe with additional ingredients to benefit your hair:
Chamomile
Chamomile flower tea or chammomile powder gives the blond color in this henna recipe and can be used to create highlights in darker hair. On its own, chamomile brightens blonde shades and has a clarifying effect on the scalp.
Amla powder
Amla powder mixed with henna can help to further condition hair as you color it. It can also improve hair texture and boost volume.
Lemon juice
Lemon juice boosts the lightening effect of henna and also helps to alkalize the scalp’s pH. Adding lemon juice to your henna mix recipe can also be used on its own as a natural dandruff remedy. Don’t add too much as it can dry the hair.
Honey
Honey can be added to henna to smooth the hair shaft and repair damaged hair. Honey is also great for moisturizing the scalp and is a natural antibacterial agent.
Coffee brew
Coffee brew mixed with henna helps to deepen dark hair colors and can achieve a great richness. This henna color is also stated to help boost hair growth.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT USING HENNA
Do not use henna if you have colored your hair with chemical dye within 6 months. It can turn your hair green. To be safe, if you have colored your hair with chemical or commercial dye, do a hair strand test before applying to your whole head.
DIY blonde henna hair recipe and instructions
To get you started, this is my favorite blonde henna hair recipe that can help you to achieve a beautiful blonde shade and to cover grays and white hair naturally:
LIGHT BLONDE HENNA INSTRUCTIONS
Ingredients
- Wooden or Glass Mixing Bowl
- Wooden Mixing Spoon
- Vinyl and rubber gloves
- Plastic Shower Cap
- 100 gram 1 bag Blonde Henna powder Cassia obovata
- 50 g of chamomile tea essential to bring blond highlights
- 3 cups Filtered Water or enough to form a thick paste
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice 1 tablespoons. Make sure you don’t use too much lemon juice as it can dry your hair. Using lemon will help to give blond highlights to your hair.
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon of organic honey
- OPTIONAL: 1 teaspoon of Amla
Instructions
- Boil the water and add the chamomile flower tea.
- Do a decoction, boil it for 5-10 minutes
- Let steep overnight for best results.
- Strain out flowers.
- Put the Blonde Henna powder, honey, turmeric and alma powder if used into a mixing bowl and mix in lemon juice.
- Add the brewed chamomile spoon by spoon while mixing, until it is the consistency of thick yogurt.
- The mixture should not drip from the spoon but look like a thick paste that can be easily spreadable.
- Cover with a plastic wrap, and let sit for 4 hours at a min or better overnight.
- Using gloved hands, apply henna to clean, dry hair.
- Put a shower cap on and let sit the henna mix recipe on your hair for 4 hours.
- Make sure there no henna on your face or hair line as it will stain your skin. Remove with a wet cotton pad if needed.
- After 4 hours remove the henna in the shower by running lukewarm on your hair until the henna is completely gone.
- Do not wash your hair for 24h to 48h to allow the color to settle.
Please let me know what you think of this blonde henna hair recipe and instructions in the comments below. Let me know if you have ever dyed your hair with henna naturally!
I hope you have enjoyed my recipe, please share the love and rate ***** in the comments below!
I’m Eve, a DIY organic skincare recipe creator since 2010 that loves to make a big mess in the kitchen!
I’ve embarked on a journey to empower women to ditch all the chemical-filled commercial beauty products and to share how to make your own organic beauty recipes at home towards a healthier lifestyle.
Homemade face & body creams, body butter, lips balms, face masks, shampoos, and all-natural perfume will have no more secret for you!
I am self-taught, read many books, and spend many hours in the kitchen creating brand new homemade beauty recipes. All my recipes are unique and are tested on humans!
In 2016, I studied Aromatherapy and became certified by the School of Natural Health Sciences.
Hullo;
Originally my hair was a dark brown. I started going gray early with it showing up by the time I was 18. After that I dyed my hair constantly. I’ve been brown, black, green, red, orange, blue, blond, and any other color imaginable ever since. However, I let it all grow out a few years back because it was so tedious to keep up.
At 56, I’m as gray as in your first photo shows. However, my hair on the sides is very short to scalp but it is white. I would like to try blonde thinking it would be far easier to keep up when the shorter white hair begins growing in, and thus will not appear so obvious like a darker shade does.
However, if after doing this I should decide that I would rather it be dark again, could I redye it with a darker henna? Or would I have to wait for the previous henna dye to grow out entirely?
Thank you kindly,
Anthony
I have been using a cassia obovata for 6 years. I have light/medium brown, and every day I am happier for more grays. I started with a few strands of gray, and now I have maybe 15%-20% gray, most in front. I tried of all of the ingredients the author suggested. Now, my recipe is cassia obovato, distilled water….and just this morning a little bit of lemon. 4 hours sitting and 3 hours on the head. It looks gorgeous. At first, my hair didn’t get healthier because I had a bad dye job. It took awhile, but I used the cassia anyway. It was better than that dye! My hair is pretty healthy now on the ends, and very healthy on the rest. Tomorrow is my 70th birthday. People think I am 50. I teach yoga, eat mostly well, and have a happy life. Everything is natural. Of course my hair is a big part of the package. Thanks to cassia obovato, and blogs like this.
Ahh I really wanted to love it. I tried it twice without success. I don’t want to give up. I think I want to try couple more time before I call it quits. I didn’t use turmeric but are you still using this? What’s your results and how you feel after a long time?
I tried it while following all the steps, ingredients, and setting timing and it did not do a thing to my white hair.
The only difference I see is that I used Cassia Auriculata instead of Cassia Obovata. Meanwhile waiting for the mix to work, I’ve read more about henne and cassia and I discovered that Cassia Obovata do in fact color white hair in pale wheat if you let it sit more than 30 min (and so 4 hours for pale blond color). SO that would explain why it did not work with my Cassia Auriculata, since this type of cassia is really neutral.
Knowing this, I now know that the chamomile tea will not help you at all (I did 50g of full flowers chamomile decoction for an entire night and the tea was very dark, it did nothing).
I also learned that honey is not helpful for any dye to set well in your hair. Do your honey/yogourt/coffee/pizza’s sauce mask AFTER your cassia or henna, if you really want to use them in your hair instead of eating them. Any other ingredient than cassia, henna and amla will just work against your main goal (which to color your hair).
The amla is not optional if you want to color your hair with cassia OBOVOTA or lawsonia (red henna) because this acid is actually what will activate the dying effect from the plant. It is why you have to wait after blending your ingredients before putting it in your hair. The lemon juice could replace the amla, but it can make your color oxidize with time and turn darker over weeks (and maybe it would be your goal).
The tumeric in this recipe is just not helpful. My hair are still bright white and at best I’ve got one yellow Tumeric’s spotting on my scalp (the white hair around it are still white). It looks ridiculous and anyway Tumeric goes away for our skin with wash so it is really not necessary or helpful to use it.
So, I am skeptical this blogger really got to dye her hair blond with this recipe, but I will give the benefit of the doubt since I did not have Cassia Obovata, and I would recommend you be sure to have the right cassia (not auriculata) since you would really loose your time as I did.
Now that I have learned more about cassia, lawsonia and indigo, I also know that the best way to achieve a light blond on withe haire is to mix 4 part cassia, 1 part lawsonia and 1 part indigo + 1 part amla powder. That mix will not fade over time and you don’t need yogurt or honey or mayonnaise in it (keep them for your lunch). Be sure to mix the indigo powder only last minute before you put the entire mix on your head since the indigo will lose power with extend contact with oxygen+water. (you let the cassia+lawsonia+alma sit for 4 hours than you add indigo and you are ready to apply).
Good luck.
ps: My hair are natural light brown, with light blond highlights and I’ve got 2 inches of 10% white hair on my roots.
Hello all, after 1 month of testing I have finally been able to achieve the goal of dying my grey hair without changing my natural color (I am light brown). The mix I was suggesting in my previous message is actually the right one for me. I now have beautiful brown hair with golden-caramel highlights. Depending of your hair color, you’ll have to change the proportion but testing really worth it. This morning I have the most beautiful natural hair, without any gray, and it will last (until it grows, of course)! No weird orange tone. If you want to learn more about all the techniques, search for Ancient Sunrise Henna website, they have all the articles that explain to you well what is best with henna and how to do it properly.
I have read extensively on Cassia Obovata and in itself, is supposed to deposit golden color to light colored hair. Chamomile does also, but not required to achieve golden effects. Chamomile powder leaves bits of stuff in hair that’s really hard to remove. Not worth the extra aggravation in my opinion! And making chamomile tea is one more step to an already time consuming project. Covering grey hair is a challenge and I recommend only relying on (cassia) herbal treatments to build shine, not cover grey. Henna only makes hair orange, cassia is not henna. Don’t know why it’s marketed as such! Everyone, do extensive research by reading lots of blogs from people with lots of actual hands on experience. You can always do henna on colored hair, no adverse effects. But you can’t color over henna with other chemical products, so consider henna your last resort. And lastly, if henna yields too dark result, (hair) peroxide can lighten hair so henna appears lighter. But not much!
You can totally cover grey hair with henna and have a golden color, no orange, if you mix your red henna with indigo… all this with a lot of Cassia Obovata.
I did it this morning and it’s gorgeous.
I actually used commercial chemical hair color over my hennaed hair. It turned out fine, no greenish effect.
I have been using regular henna for quite a while, in the beginning I used Light Mountain Color the Grey. I chose dark brown and it came out okay. Not the best but covered up my greys which was about 60%. But the dark tint came out faster so my grey tend to look for orangey. That’s why I used the chemical hair color, just to cover up the end of my hair.
Turned out great! I am naturally blond but have been dyeing my hair for 20 years. I waited 8 weeks after last touching up my roots, (not the recommended 6 months) but hair didn’t turn green at all. I did a 4 hour strand test first to make sure. My hair looks very much like the picture you provided, blond on top with darker underneath but no gray! I followed the recipe to a T, even purchasing the same ingredients that are featured, and I let the tea sit all day and the henna mixture all night so a total of 24 hours of prep time. I do have a question though… I used 50gr of chamomile tea flowers which is about 2 1/2 cups. I boiled it in 3 cups of filtered water for 10 minutes and let it sit covered in a glass bowl for 12 hours. The flowers soaked up all the water and after “forcing” the liquid out through a strainer (this took about a half hour), I only could get about a cup of tea. I had to use about a cup of additional water to make up the henna paste. For next time… should I start with more water, or maybe use less chamomile? Thanks!
I just made a 50gr of chamomile tea flowers (full flowers) with 3 cups of filtered water. Before pouring the water, I crushed all the flowers so they were more like powder at the end (no full flower anymore). I ended up having enough tea water to do a perfect mix with the cassia powder. I even kept some leftover to do a chamomile rinse on my hair for after I finish the process. I did not have to work much to get the water out, just waiting around an hour to let the water come out of the strainer.
I think the fact that I crushed the flowers first helped the water not get stuck inside them when straining.
Hope that helps.
I am now waiting 4 hours for the mixture to set before I apply it to my hair. I hope this will work.
Update: I now just finish trying this and since I had the wrong cassia, it did not work at all. The chamomile flower infusion is totally unnecessary since it did not work out. If it worked out for you, it’s probably because of the Cassia Obovata only (this type of Cassia is known for dying white hair blond if you let it sit long enough). So next time I suggest you skip the chamomile ingredient (and also the Tumeric and honey), you probably won’t see a difference.
I did this verbatim with the exception of Washing it out and using a conditioner. I used paba free products. It’s not completely dry yet, but my roots are not grey/white. I will update when my hair drys.
Hi Eve, do you think its absolutely necessary to leave the mixture overnight before applying it? I tried your recipe, with 6 camomile tea bags (that’s all i had at home) and everything else in the recipe, but I didn’t let it sit. It didn’t work at all and I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t let it sit overnight, or because there wasn’t enough camomile flowers.
I usually dye my hair with a mix of Lawsonia, Indigo and Cassia into a brown, without letting it sit at all, just adding warm water, and it covers all my white hair growth. The mixture I did from this recipe, without letting it sit didn’t cover anything, unfortunately.
I’d love to know if the overnight time is important?
Thank you
Author
hi valentina, it could be that the flower in the tea bags are too grounded and not whole, the tea needs to be a strong decoction and very yellow. That whats give the blogn highlights. I find that using chamomile flower powder works better than the tea and adding 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric. But this will only work on white or gray hair and not on brown hair to be clear. The overnight part helps with the tea blending with the henna, if you use the powder no need for it.
So how is this recipe different if you use the chamomile powder instead of tea? How much do you add?
ThankYou for your recipe! I was blond for years and have been using henna to color my hair red for last 4 years. I want to goBack to blond and start to use your process to coloring my roots blond to grow out my hair blond. Any helpful hints or ideas how the blond henna will look over the red henna? I’m excited to try and am hoping for the best! Thanks for your help and post!!
Author
Hi Jennifer, I would advise doing a hair strand test first before doing your whole head. If you are doing blond henna over red henna it may turn orange, hard to say, and predict the results as hair behaves so differently!
Thank you for the recommendation. Appreciate the feedback and will do a strand test.
Trust me, you are NOT going to get blonde highlights, or anything else w/cassia. And it should not take a set up time period of 12 hours. That is absurd. Henna sets up in 20 minutes.
My guess is that the comparative photos above: gray before/gorgeous, perfect blonde after are the same shot with a filter to create a blonde appearance.
How do I know? I tried for YEARS to achieve blonde following different instructions to the “T” and nada. And I don’t have stubborn grays. I have soft, white hair that immediately takes to darker henna colors w/no problem. If there really was a yellow dye molecule in cassia, my hair should take to it easily.
Author
I did not change the photo before and after and this is my real hair. The key is to use chammomile tea which gives a yellow color and then color your white hair blond.
Lets be clear, It will NOT bleach your hair if you have brown hair. it only works on greys/white hair.
If you use henna only for 20 minutes, it will not set if you are using the natural herb, need at least 2hours and I prefer to leave it for 3 / 4 hours personally.
Rather stupid question…but…knowing the henna is like mud when you are rinsing it out of your hair and wondered if this is a problem going down your shower drain!? Have been staying with friends during Covid 19 in their mobile home and do not want to make enemies if I clog up their drain.
Author
I have not had any issues, just keep the water running for a while to be on the safe side!
My hair is light brown with left over highlights and I’m 50 % gray and my quarantine roots are about 2 inches now, I tried cassia a few days ago but is not really overing the grays,the hairs in between are really yellow though, do you think I should replace the chamomile with coffee?
So my natural hair color is a light to medium brown . I have been getting blonde highlights for years (just at the roots as they come in) to cover the gray so as a result my entire head is a Mixture of blonde, light brown, etc.. as my roots grow in the darker brown which recipe would I use? It seems like trying to henna my medium brown roots to blonde may be asking a lot of the henna!!
I really wanted this recipe to work, but after carefully following the directions my grey/white hair wasn’t colored. I added the amla and honey, too. Hope this works better for others!
Didn’t work for my greys either 🙁
Blondes never add lemon, much less amla, which is only for dark hair. Cassia does not dye hair because it does not have lawsones, like pure henna. To achieve a blond tone, you must leave the vegetable coloring on for 30-45 minutes, no more (in chestnut or black it is up to 2 hours). Cheers!
And honey (with cinnamon) is used to drag pigment out of vegetable dyes, not to fix it.
Author
Did you leave the henna in your hair for 4 hours as indicated?
You do need the chamomile infusion, otherwise, it will not colors you white/grey hair yellow/blond.
Hi, Thank you for your blog 🙂 I have just dyed my hair with golden blonde henna mixed with chamomile. I have naturally blonde hair which is waist length and a mix of dark and light blonde but with a few gray/white hairs especially on my temples. I actually left the henna mix on for 4 days having let it dry and then brushed it out twice and reapplied more. I have washed it now and it feels lovely and soft. The golden blonde is too dark for my hair so I will try the blonde henna that your recommend next time. The only thing is that unlike yours it hasn’t covered any of the grays at all and that was the main reason for me doing it. I don’t understand why not? Is there any way I can get it to dye the gray/white hairs that I have?
Thank you
Author
did you leave it on for 4 days? 4 hours is all you need here. You need to ensure the paste is thick enough to cover your hair. Temples are tricky…but works for me. Alo, make sure there are no residues, wax, gel, oil or conditioners coating your hair, that would prevent the henna mix from coloring your hair.
Hello – can I use blond henna to cover grey in my blonde hair? I have honey blond hair and I am growing grey at the temples (It makes me look bald…)
Thanks for your help.
Do you have a cassia/coffee recipe?
I have previously used red henna on my dark brown hair (with a lot of grey too).
I want to move away from red/indigo, to more golden brown highlights on the grey. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Your hair turned out lovely! Does this blond henna fade out or does it stain your hair and you get a line of demarcation (like with chemical dye)? How often do you apply the treatments? I have so much gray hair and stopped dying and I am salt and pepper at this point and with my warm skin tone it just looks harsh to me and blonde “highlights”may be just what I need to warm it up.
Why does the blond henna look green when mixed?
Eve, forgot to ask this question. I have hard water so I use distilled water in my mix. When you boil water for chamomile tea can I use that water out of tap since it’s boiled? when ups you still suggest the distilled water? Thanks.
Hi Eve, the blonde henna powder for this recipe is cassia obovata? I just want to be positive that this is what I should be using. I’ve used it many times but I’ve never had it stain my skin hands or sink. This is why I’m a little confused. If it is the cassia, I can’t wait to try your recipe. Your hair looks great. Thank you
Hi Eve, I color my hair regularly and have been for many years, but would like to switch to henna. It seems I need to wait 6 months before I color my hair – that will look terrible. Do you have any suggestions on what to use in the meantime to lessen the the uncomplimentary look?
Author
that’s a tough one, I am not sure there is a solution to this Alex!
Hi! I’m hoping to try this to dye my gray hairs blonde but I’m allergic to lemons. Do you think it will work with just the chamomile? Or could I add apple cider vinegar instead, if it’s the acid that helps the dye release? I also read somewhere else that if you mix a tiny bit of red henna in with the cassia it will make more of a strawberry blonde? Do you know if this works with the chamomile or how much I should add? Thanks!
Author
you can skip the lemon. I would be very careful about adding red henna because it will also add a red tint to your brown hair.
I recommend you to first try just with chamomile on your hair, skip the lemon juice.
If you want to do a hair strand test with another composition, then feel free but always do a small hair strand test first.
Hi Eve,
How can I tone down the yellowness in my henna blonde dyed hair.
Author
Are you trying to darken your hair instead of having them blond? then you need to use black henna, not blond henna. Always do a test strand to try it out. I am not exactly sure of what you are looking for here because blond henna will give blond/yellow highlight to your hair as it is intended to.
Black Henna
Black henna is often derived from indigo, and can achieve a dark color ranging from deep brown to true black. Some black henna brands use a chemical called P-Phenylenediamine (PPD) that you should watch out for. Choose an indigo henna that does not use this chemical like this one. https://www.organic-beauty-recipes.com/black-henna
Hi Eve i was so exited To leave my chemical products for the henna but i have just read dat it doesnt work if my hair are already colored by chemical ???i m blond but with Grey haïr so i ve colored its from years.i heard some people were applicating a mask with green argile before usine the henna To remove all previous produit.what do you think of this?is there a solution?
Author
Hi Severine, I don’t recommend using henna on chemically dyed hair as its been reported to turn your hair green. I’ve never tried myself since I don’t use chemical dyes.
That being said, if you want to test on ONE hair strand to see how your hair handles it, then it’s your call. I don’t thin argile would completely remove the previous chemical dyes, but again never tried so don’t take my word for it.
Hi Eve,
Could I use chamomile tea instead of flowers? I used Cassia Powder a few months ago but it did not cover my grey hairs. It did condition the mess out of it and it still feels fabulous! This time I would like to cover my greys. The last time I think I mixed the powder with water and a super conditioner and added lemon juice and let it sit for a few hours. I read somewhere that the acid (lemon juice) shouldn’t be used until the end (after the Henna sits over night) because the dye release only lasts for a bit and will not bond to the hair. I’m thinking this is what happened. This time I would like to use the chamomile tea and Henna and let it sit for a few hours then about an hour before applying to my hair adding the lemon juice. Do you think this will work?
Author
Hi Kimberly, Its better to make a tea directly from the flowers as it is more potent.
If that’s not available to you, you can make a strong decoction from the chamomile tea bag, make sure its 100% chamomile with no additives.
I mix the lemon, chamomile tea, and cassia powder altogether and it does give blond highlights to my whites.
The cassia powder by itself is neutral/transparent and you need the chamomile tea and lemon to give the blond highlights.
Hi Eve,
How long will I have to wait if I decide to get highlights at the salon after using the Cassia henna and Alma in my hair?
thanks!
Maria
Trying this now… it looks green. Is that right? Thanks
Author
Yes 🙂 henna is green.
When you warn about not using this if you have previously used chemical or commercial hair dye does that include chemical bleach for high lights that is not adding color but removing it?
Author
yes, that includes any chemicals used on hair.
I have been going back and forth between dyeing my hair with a mixture of indigo, cassia, and henna but after taking a picture of my hair and realizing it’s a lot lighter than I’d thought like a dirty blond when i’d been thinking it’s a dark brown so i’m not really sure where to go with but do know i don’t want an orange color in my hair at all. Well I looked up “dye dirty blond hair with cassia” and your page popped up, i love your hair color and it’s a bit darker than mine but i can see the pretty highlights in your hair and decided to just go with your recipe. I’m thinking that if it does anything for me and I keep up with it every two months or so like you mentioned that in the summer when dandelions are out they might be a great substitute for the chamomile. I grow a bit of chamomile but there never seems to be enough to store away for more than a few cups of tea, dandelions are really good for your hair so i’m wondering if they also lighten it the same way the chamomile can? also is lemon juice drying, my scalp is so sensitive i’m only able to use castile soap and then rinse with vinegar how will that affect the cassia in my hair? thanks for sharing your recipe, excited to try it out once everything arrives.
Author
Hi Ophelia, this recipe will give a blond highlight to your hair but will not darken it. Its the chamomile and lemon juice that gives it the blond highlight with the cassia. If you want your hair darker, that recipe will probably not help.
Before and after pictures would be a great addition!
Author
thanks, I will do that 🙂
I have blonde highlights in my hair from lemon juice mostly and Aveda organic hair highlights 8 months ago. Got a peering of whites coming through at the roots. Will this henna make my highlights darker? I noticed in the picture your hair looks basically light brown. I wouldn’t say your hair is even remotely blonde. So I guess this is for turning your dispersed pale grays an ungray kind of colour whilst leaving your natural hair as is right?
Author
Be careful not to use henna if you have colored your hair permanently in the past or it may turn green. I would do a hair strand test if you are unsure of the results.
Hi! Anyone get good results? Any testimonials?
Im a brunette with medium dark brown hair getting my first greys …
thanks!
Maria
Eve,
You mentioned you use the recipe every 2 months. I was wondering if you would recommend using a smaller batch of the henna mixture to use for roots only? And how safe would this be using it every 2 to 3 weeks?
Thanks!
Author
its pretty safe to use as often as you want, its natural. It may dry your hair a bit if you use every week tho.
Hello. Do you use the optional amla? Why or why not?
Thank you
Author
I use amla sometimes. It gives your hair’s volume and helps bring back waves and curls if you have any.
Hi Eve,
Your hair in this picture looks great! I love how its not at all brassy….
Was this picture taken after using the recipe above?
thanks!!
Maria
Author
Hi Maria, yes it was taken after the recipe. I will, however, do a before and after photo close up 🙂
Stay tuned 🙂
Hi Eve,
I have been dying my hair with a natural henna, but do not like the red tone that appears. I would like to try this over the brown/chestnut color that I have been using to tone down the red. Do you think that would help? Also, does this recipe have a yellowing effect in the hue? Thanks so much for your help
Author
Hi Dawn, I don’t think this will tone down the red hue as this will bring yellow shine. I know indigo is good to tone down red hue but always do a hair strand test before applying on all your head!
I’m African American, and I have been using henna for years on and off, I’m getting gray salt and pepper but the last color I used was a redish tone no harsh dye or chemicals on my hair I am wearing my hair natural I thought maybe a blonde will blend in with my own gray hair when all of the great Comes in! so what do you think ?I’m not sure what to do any advice?
Author
Hi Brenda, I don’t see why this would not work! My hair is pretty coarse and thick, my hairdresser always complains about it lol.
So try it out!
I just weighed out 50 grams of chamomile flowers for the brew, and it was a large mass of flowers for the 3 cups of water. Is that normal?
Author
yes, it needs to be a strong brew to have an effect.
This recipe worked like a charm. I followed it exactly, and my husband is very pleased with the resulting grey coverage. THANK YOU!
L, Lori
Author
so pleased to hear that Lori! take care
Hi I was thinking of trying this but i wanted very dark brown or black which is my original color. So I just use the same recipe but use the henna for dark hair?
Author
Hi Rita, no, chamomile is for blond hair. You need to use indigo henna. If you want moka highlights you can use coffee brew.
What is ” coffee brew”? Brewed coffee grounds? How much would I add to your recipe to enhance my dark brown hair?
Author
Hi Heather, Brewed coffee is made by pouring hot water onto ground coffee beans, then allowing to brew. Like you would do for tea! You can replace the chamomile tea by the coffee brew for brown hair.
Hi, would this work for a brunette? I am trying to cover the first gray hairs and there are not that many (yet). I wouldn’t mind them turned a lighter brown or blonde…
How long will the color last with the henna?
thanks so much! I Always enjoy your recipes 🙂
Author
Hi Lavinia,
I am a brunette and basically it turns my whites into blond highlights. It it is discreet but can notice the difference!
The color last about 2 months or so, fades naturally.
That is perfect then! i will definitely give it a try and report back 🙂
For the chamomile tea, do you use an entire 2oz bag? (the tea you recommend comes in several sizes)
Same for the Henna, the entire 100g bag?
Just want to make sure i am getting the right amounts.
thank you!
Author
Hi Lavinia, I updated the recipe, 100g of henna powder and 50 g of chamomile flowers for the tea. Hope this helps! Do not use henna if you have colored your hair with chemical dye within 6 months. It can turn your hair green. To be safe, if you have colored your hair with chemical or commercial dye, do a hair strand test before applying to your whole head.
i couldn’t help but laugh 🙂 i am sure it wouldn’t be that funny if my hair turned green but…still 🙂 Thank you for the heads up! i really appreciate it! I have never colored my hair so i should be safe. Thank you for updating the recipe!
Author
welcome 🙂
Is henna mixture supposed to be warm or cold when you apply it to the hair? I use henna a lot for my hair and usually the mixture is warm.
Author
Hi Angela, the henna mixture is cold for my recipe.