One of the things my customers love about henna (particularly Fire Genasi) is the natural ginger color it gives their hair. Hennaing your eyebrows is an easy way to complete the transition to red, and for natural redheads, who may have either very light copper eyebrows, or blondish-white eyebrows that can appear nearly invisible, a way to amp up the color and definition while still looking natural. I’m often asked both how to henna eyebrows, and if it is safe to do (as coloring eyebrows with chemical colors is illegal in many states as it’s considered too dangerous.) Hennaing eyebrows is both safe and easy!
How Long Will It Last?
Eyebrows and other facial hair tends to fade fastest for a variety of reasons: facial hair grows faster and thicker than normal hair, and refreshes (falls out) at a faster rate. Plus, the face tends to be one of the oiliest parts of the skin, so weaker dyes might not take and may fade faster. I find that I henna the roots of my hair every 4 weeks or so, but my brows need refreshing every 2 weeks.
Which henna?
Any good-quality, pure henna is acceptable for eyebrows. Personally, I have found that using a diluted mix fades faster and would recommend pure henna for brows. Jamila henna is my personal favorite for natural, coppery brows. Always exercise great caution when doing anything near your eyes, and never use any essential oils or strong acids in any herbal mud you plan to use on your face.
How to Henna Eyebrows
If your eyebrows are very dark, or are very resistant to staining, lightly brush them with over the counter peroxide a few times and allow them to dry prior to dyeing them. This will slightly lighten the hair by opening up the hair cuticle to allow for better staining. Then wash the eyebrows with a cleaning facial soap and pat dry.
Using either a fine-tipped applicator bottle or a cotton swab with the cotton removed, apply the mud to the hair, staying within the bounds of the eyebrow. Be sure to work the herbal mud down to the skin.
Dampen your fingers with water and rub them on the skin around the brows. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for several hours. Obviously facial hair like beards and moustaches are more challenging to wrap. Never wrap or cover your herbal dye in any way that may impede your ability to breathe. If it is too hard to keep the mud well-wrapped, you can lightly mist with water every so often to keep it from drying out.
After 2-3 hours, rinse the mud away, taking care not to get any in your eyes. If mud does get in your eyes, flush with water and contact a doctor if irritation persists. You may end up with an orange halo on the skin around your brows. Because of the high rate that your facial skin replenishes itself, this should fade within 24 hours, faster with a little gentle exfoliation. Never scrub at a halo as it can damage your skin. Because of the halo-effect, I like to henna my eyebrows on a Saturday night, and by Sunday morning the halo comes off with a little coaxing from a wash cloth.
Read more in Coloring Hair Naturally with Henna & Other Herbs
How to Henna Eyebrows is excerpted from Coloring Hair Naturally with Henna & Other Herbs, which has tons of information if you’re hungry for more! More than 300 pages of text, pictures, charts, diagrams, and recipes make Coloring Hair Naturally with Henna & Other Herbs the definitive resource for natural hair coloring. With it, you’ll be able to give yourself the hair you’ve always wanted, naturally.
