Now that I've successfully completed my first henna treatment and gotten a relaxer after the whole process I thought I'd share my final thoughts on henna.
Color - You guys know I was scared to death about the final color. Well, henna has a mind of it's own when it comes to color because you really can't predict what the final color will look like with certainty. It's not like going to the drugstore and comparing boxed colors, but now that it's done and my color has set I love it. It made my naturally ashy/sandy/brown a rich brown with auburn hints. My girl friends noticed the color difference immediately, asking if I had dyed my hair, while my boyfriend just said it looked "brighter".
Strength - I have noticed way less shed and broken hairs after I henna'd. Immediately after I didn't really notice too much of a difference, but after a week or so I really picked up on the difference. My hair post henna is definietly stronger and that's just after 1 application so imagine if I continue to use henna.
Hardness - Post henna I have noticed that my hair seems 'harder' than before. My hair used to feel super soft regardless of the state, but now I've noticed that when it's wet it's feels hard to the touch instead of soft like it used to. Once it's all dried and styled it's back to it's usually softness, but when wet? Forget it. To combat the hard feeling I've been deep conditioning overnight like crazy and it's finally getting better. Plus, my strands feel denser. My hair doesn't look any thicker than it did pre-henna but post-henna when I grab my hair in my hands (especially when it's airdrying) it feels denser than before.
Final Verdict: I will be continuing to henna! Even though my stylist is dead set against it. (more on that another day) **the photos are post relaxer - so like 3 weeks after the henna treatment**