Question for henna maestros...

[fair isle]

I have been contemplating Henna for several months and am still a little unsure if I want to take the plunge .

Here is a link to a photo of a model with the color I am after
http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v870...hp?page_id=174

...sort of a dark strawberry blond.

I wouldn't mind if it was slightly darker or redder, but that is the general color I would like. I realize henna is very unpredictable and imprecise. I would just appreciate any opinions/ advice/ ratios if this is achievable with my hair color (see album for my color.)

I am currently thinking of doing a swatch with 50% henna 50% cassia. Maybe I should try a gloss first, or do a mix with a higher percentage of cassia. Thoughts, advice, or ?

[Isilme]

What's your natural haircolour? If you are blond I think a cassia treatment with a tablespoon or two of henna would be good to start with.

[fair isle]

What's your natural haircolour? If you are blond I think a cassia treatment with a tablespoon or two of henna would be good to start with.

My natural color is very light brown, or some here call it hair colored hair. You can see a photo of it in my album.

So you think two table spoons of henna would be enough to see some red? I do like the idea of slowly building up to the right shade...

Thanks for your input Isilme

[spidermom]

I'd definitely mix it with cassia if I were you. I tried henna on my mid-range blonde hair and got bozo the clown orange in the sun, brick out of the sun. It was hideous!

[Islandgrrl]

I use a 20% Henna 80% cassia mix. It seems to be the best in terms of getting my gray to blend in reasonably well with the rest of the hair on my head (which is red). It's always kind of bozo for the first 24 hours but it settles down into something more coppery looking.

2 tablespoons of henna can be a HUGE amount, depending on how much cassia you are mixing it with, so definitely think in terms of the ratio of henna to cassia when you decide on your mix.

[melikai]

I'm not a henna maestro, but judging by your hair colour, I would start with just a gloss, and do more cassia than henna. But first - strand test!

[fair isle]

Thanks for all of the advice everyone!

I think the gloss is a good place to start, that's what I have been thinking anyway... now to choose the type of henna

[CrisDee]

I would go with the Jamila, and as someone else said, only a couple tbsp. mixed with mostly cassia. You can always add more henna if it doesn't come out as red as you'd like - if it comes out too red or too dark, you can't take it back out!