Is Henna a Natural Relaxer

Let's get things straight: no natural treatment can achieve what a chemical relaxer does. Henna, as well as any other natural relaxer, will not completely change the shape of your curl pattern. However, henna relaxes curly hair by increasing the thickness of every single hair with plant deposits, meaning hair becomes heavier.

We can consider henna as a natural relaxer, and you can use henna instead of a relaxer, or have a henna treatment after using a relaxer, depending on how you want your hair to look and how much of the health of your hair you are willing to sacrifice. It should be noted that while henna offers a relaxing effect, it doesn't provide the dramatic transformation of chemical relaxers.

The answer to the question is henna a natural relaxer is therefore yes, and no. Henna relaxes curls to a certain degree.

Let's see what a henna treatment can really do for your curly hair:

• henna will elongate your curls
• henna cuts down the frizzes of your hair
• henna makes curly hair stronger and thicker
• hair becomes more fluffy
• henna makes curls weigh down loosely
• henna conditions the hair
• henna treatment makes curly hair more easily manageable
• in synthesis, henna relaxes curl pattern, it does not straighten hair

One thing you need to bear in mind is that, while some people love using henna as a natural relaxer, others do not appreciate the way henna relaxes hair. You might want to try the treatment on a hair lock first to see if you like the relaxing effect. Additionally, there are other methods of loosening your curls permanently, which might be worth exploring.

If you are considering using a henna treatment after a relaxer, check the following section for more details.

If you want to boost the effects of your chemical relaxer, you can consider using both a relaxer and henna on the same day. Henna treatment after a relaxer can significantly help in strengthening hair damaged by the relaxing effect and make it less prone to breakage. The tannins present in henna will minimize the damage caused by the hair relaxer.

Some people wonder whether it is safe to use a relaxer and henna on the same day. It is! Henna does not have adverse interactions with relaxers. However, you need to make sure what you've got is 100% natural henna, otherwise you do not know what kind of chemicals you are mixing, which can be really dangerous for your hair and trigger allergic reactions.

You can use a henna treatment after the relaxer, or before. What we suggest, however, is that you use henna in alternation with the relaxer, let's say you use henna one month, and the relaxer the following month. This practice can help maintain hair health while still enjoying the benefits of relaxed curls.

What usually happens if you use henna regularly on your curly hair is that, after 1 or 2 years, you will not need to use a relaxer anymore, and you can use henna instead of a relaxer as your only hair treatment.

Now that you know that henna is a natural relaxer, you can start learning how to use henna to relax curl pattern. We have a wonderful henna relaxer recipe for you:

What you need

• 1 pack henna powder, make sure it is natural henna (lawsonia) from a reliable brand. Use more if you have lots of hair
• 1/4 cup lemon juice from lemons
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3 tablespoons avocado oil
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• water at room temperature as needed

Equipment

• glass or plastic bowl, not metal
• hair dye applicator spatula
• cling film
• microwave or oven

Instructions

• mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, adding a little bit of room temperature water at a time until you reach the consistency of a thick paste; it should be thick, not loose
• put a lid over the bowl and let it sit in a warm place overnight
• the following morning, put the mixture in a microwave for a few seconds
• apply the henna relaxer mixture hot on your hair. You should apply lots of henna to form a thick layer. If you want henna to relax curl patterns, pull your hair continuously while applying henna
• Wrap your hair firmly with cling film. That will help keep the heat, thus relaxing your curls
• Let the henna relaxer mixture sit on your hair for at least 3 hours, and up to 8 hours for best results
• Wash henna out with water only

This henna natural hair relaxer recipe will work immediately. However, if you want to stop using a chemical relaxer altogether, you can apply henna to your hair weekly for a month, then every 2 weeks for 3 months, and finally once a month.

Over time, you will observe how effectively henna works as a natural relaxer, providing a healthier alternative for managing your curls.

If you want to read similar articles to Is Henna a Natural Relaxer, we recommend you visit our Beauty & Personal Care category.