Just over a year ago, I managed to get my hands on Henna and being the experimental natural that I am (a politer word for product junkie) I tried it on my hair after watching a few videos on You Tube of course. I had heard, read so much about henna and the many benefits it has for the scalp and hair besides dying it. What got me more interested or rather tempted to try henna and indigo was my flacky scalp and my thinning hair. You know, Henna helps with dandruff and also makes hair thicker. Today I’m not about the benefits of henna though because they are many and would rather dedicate a whole post to that.
I knew henna was going to dye my grays orange to red colour but as planned, I was going to do an indigo treatment soon after to make sure my hair dyes jet black. I was not after dying my grays though. The benefits on the scalp and making hair thicker was what I was in for. After completing all the steps recommended for jet black hair, lo and behold my grays were no where close to black. They were rather a light brown after the first treatment which was rather a source of ridicule and embarrassment. My gray hair is very close to my forehead and I did the treatment in August when it’s relatively windy in South Africa. So I got many well meaning people picking my now light brown hair from my head thinking some dry grass or something happened to rest in my hair. I had to quickly object and mention that it was my hennaed hair.
Did some more research in that same week and when I found out that I can do another henna-indigo treatment as soon as I liked, I went on and did another treatment. That made my grays darker but not black. I followed with a few more indigo treatments but I came to realise that my hair could be just one of those types that doesn’t dye easily or I was doing something wrong with the whole process so I gave up. That was in 2014.
Now in 2015, I came across Cassia Obovata. Oh wow. That’s just heaven sent. You see, cassia obovata, commonly known as neutral henna does not stain the hair, clothes or hands but is a great hair conditioner and also helps with a healthy scalp just like henna. You can imagine my relief. Now I could have the best of both worlds. Conditioning my scalp and hair without changing the colour of my hair. Now that’s what I call amazing!
Cassia obovata, source:hennablogspot.com
So, I have been applying cassia to my hair for the past three months now and I love it. My hair felt very soft from the first application. I was hoping it’s a bit easier to rinse out than henna though but eish, it just takes as long. But I’m sold. I love cassia obovata. Do your research though. But as for me and my hair, we are enjoying cassia.
To read more about the benefits of cassia read here.
My natural hair after a cassia treatment. Used flax seed gel to set my twists for the twist out.
I may still try henna though when I get a recipe that is dummy proof and can colour my grays black. I can deal with gray hair but streaks of brown hair on black hair, umm no. I can’t deal. As much as cassia is like henna, the effects are not as lasting as those for henna. Help a sister out. Do you colour your grays black with henna-indigo + whatever else? please let me know in the comments. Do you use cassia for strength and the many other benefits it has, also let me know your thoughts. I will post a proper review on it soon and the steps I follow to treat my hair.
Lot’s of blessings and enjoy your holidays
R
15 comments
Its good to know that cassia does not dye ones hair. I am currently using henna which I bought last year, I had to endure the redish stain because it made my fine hair stronger.
Last week I bought indigo from your company and I will be trying them out.
Yah hey. it was quite a relief for me. I could not deal with the red stain. I also want to try Henna and Indigo again but I need a recipe that will surely dye my grays black otherwise I will stay with cassia
I’ve read on this powder before and it helps keep you hair naturally soft. So happy to read about someone else using it. If your aren’t trying to color your hair, cassia is a perfect choice for regular application.
Hi ruth. please let me know where you purchased your henna. I stay in joburg and I searched high and low at the oriental plaza with no luck instead I found the dreaded black henna. I was looking for the jamila brand or any other body art quality brand. PLEASE HELP
Hi Kgomotso. We have Henna at Natural Moisture
ladies plwase help. I’m 33 years I have a natura hair, l have problem gray hair and its not growing
Specialists say hair is growing all the time. The reason why you may not see any change in length is because it is breaking as fast as it grows. So, combating breakage may be what you need to look at. Have a look at my regimen so you can pick where to start from to take care of your natural hair. As for the graying, if it’s hereditary, then there is not much you can do. Or maybe there is an underlying problem, a deficiency of some sort causing the pre-mature graying. If you’re bothered by it, please have your doctor check it out otherwise join the club.
Thanks ruth. i will be placing my order soon
Good morning,
Ive also transitioned to natural hair and are trying out diferent products. Currently using aunty jackie, which is not always in stock . my hair is sometimes very dry and I don’t like the feel of it. what can I do or use to combat the dryness. I also need something for my greys, especially in front.
Where do I get the cassia from and please advise about daily moisture products
Hey Sharon. Thanks for coming by my blog. Have you tried the Kimmaytube leave-in conditioner and then Shea butter for sealing the moisture? Normally works very well for me. You can get cassia obovata at http://www.natmoisture.co.za and for grays, I have only used Henna and Indigo which dyes the hair more like dark brown and not black for me.
I’ve been doing this for quite some time- mix your natural dye for e.g. henna in a small iron bowl. Let it stand for an hour or so before application and the henna becomes dark brown to black! Just keep scraping the insides of the bowl with a spoon or your brush and mix well before use. Also adding a spoon or 2 of amla to the mix gives a darker results and it is nourishing for hair! I never wash my bowl with soap / detergents nor dry it- just rinse out and store as is. Apparently the rust that forms naturally in the bowl is what aids henna in getting darker!
Indigo releases blue dye when a teaspoon of salt is added to the paste. Heena paste should be made in iron container. My heena and indigo treatment make my hair jet black.
Okay. Interesting. Will try that out.
Where can I buy cassia obavata powder please.I stay in the muizenberg area,cape town
Unfortunately, I don’t know. Natural Moisture used to stock it but it was discontinued.
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