Anyone know how to mix henna??

[~girlsmum~]

I've got a package of henna that I'm ready to crack open and it doesn't give the mixing instructions as to how much water to add to the powder. I don't know if it should be a thick paste like pancake batter, more runny, less runny. Has anyone used henna on their hair and how thick was the mixture?? All it says is to leave it mixed overnight, different ways to make your hair darker shades but no liquid amounts.

Thanks!

[zinemama]

When I lived in Morocco we would (per Moroccan women) mix it with enough water to make it just a bit thinner than pancake batter. Not watery, but not pasty. Some women would also mix a bit of olive oil in. We didn't leave it overnight though, just made it up when we were going to use it.

You definitely want to be careful with the amount of time you leave it in, though. You might test one strand first for 5 or 10 minutes and see how it turns out.

[~girlsmum~]

Thanks for the mix............some of our moms locally leave their henna in for up to 3 hours saying that the longer it's left in, the more it will take and depending on the ingredients you put in, the darker it will be. It says you can add beet juice/lemon juice etc to create different shades. I have some lovely grays : to cover too so I gotta make sure it takes to them too. At least if it's in a bit longer it shouldn't be toxic like salon mixtures?? I hope. I'm definately going to take before and after shots to show the difference.

[loon13]

I mix with water and a bit of lemon juice. The lemon juice is acidic to release the dye. I mix until it's like yogurt. Not too runny, not too thick.

I keep it in at least 2 hours minimum but sometimes try to stretch it out as long as I can until 3 hours. You want to cover the mix with saran wrap so it doesn't dry out. Put a towel on top of the saran wrap and the heat will help it set faster.

Here's a great place for henna info. www.hennaforhair.com

I believe there is an ebook there that you can download.

[jocelyndale]

I put the henna powder in a bowl. Squeeze in a lemon. I add a couple splashes of red wine. I boil some cloves and the lemon peels in some water, strain, and use that to stir the henna to an unset pudding consistency. I might add a few drops of cypress oil. I let it sit until the dye is released--sometimes 20min, sometimes overnight. It usually thickens somewhat, so I thin it (boiling water) to spreadable goop consistency. Then I put it on my head, wrap it all up in saran wrap, and wait three hours before washing it out.

The henna for hair site is great. Everyone tends to have zir own mix.

[texmati]

Originally Posted by jocelyndale

I put the henna powder in a bowl. Squeeze in a lemon. I add a couple splashes of red wine. I boil some cloves and the lemon peels in some water, strain, and use that to stir the henna to an unset pudding consistency. I might add a few drops of cypress oil. I let it sit until the dye is released--sometimes 20min, sometimes overnight. It usually thickens somewhat, so I thin it (boiling water) to spreadable goop consistency. Then I put it on my head, wrap it all up in saran wrap, and wait three hours before washing it out.

The henna for hair site is great. Everyone tends to have zir own mix.

we are indian. I've seen my aunts boil tea in water, and use that to mix the powder with. Then let it soak. It's normally yougurt consistancy if you want to put it on your hands, a little thinner (think smoothie) for your hair.

[Chamomile Girl]

I've been henna-ing my hair for, well, about 10 years and this has been my experience:

I always use black tea as the liquid base instead of water. The darkness of the tea helps the henna not look too striking before it oxidises and the tannins in the tea really help out my itchy scalp.

What you add to your henna mix really should depend on the color of hair you are starting out with. For darker hair red wine works great to really bring out the red of the henna, for lighter hair (I'm blond naturally) red wine makes it too red but the tea looks just right.

I've personally found that adding olive oil to the mix makes the henna not, er, stick properly, if that makes sense. The color doesn't last as long.

The hennaforhair website really is great.

[ian'smommaya]

here is what i do and i've been using henna awhile and this is generally my color
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mayamade/3077842179/">hair</a>
just for an idea of what color i go for so here is the dealio
i put the powdered henna into a ceramic bowl pretty big for extra space to add liquid and stir...

add tea i use tea made of hibiscus, chamomile, cinnamon, paprika a couple of other herbs and lemon juice or vinegar. i stir it until its pretty well mixed in and its unset pudding and i mush it all over my hair. i use an entire box of henna or about 4 ounces. i have REALLY THICK hair... i put a plastic bag covering all my hair, then put a thick towel on it for the heat, then i let it sit. either over night or several hours.

[~girlsmum~]

Originally Posted by texmati

we are indian. I've seen my aunts boil tea in water, and use that to mix the powder with. Then let it soak. It's normally yougurt consistancy if you want to put it on your hands, a little thinner (think smoothie) for your hair.

I did my henna today and it was a package that was from India. I wound up asking a local natural mama for which liquid to mix and she said to use some kind of acid to release the henna and leave it for 12-24 hours. I used a mix of water and apple cider vinegar and let it sit for about 15 hours. It worked really well. I think next time though I 'd like to boil tea and use it for mixing. My favorite part of it is that ALL of my grays are gone and I posted a pic and everyone loved it, said it made my skin tone look really nice!

Thanks everyone for your advice.........so many options!!LOL!

[yarngoddess]

I mix mine with lemon juice, let it sit for 12 hrs, then add some drops of lavender oil for "terp" (to enhance the staining properties) and allow to sit another 12 hrs.

http://www.thehennapage.com has a WEALTH of infromation!!! Please go there and learn....the have many free ebooks that have patterns and ideas and suggestions!

The above suggestion was for henna on your skin, however to do your hair do not put the "terp" oil- lavender or mehandi oil into the henna, avoid things like yogurt, tea and coffee because they can actually irritate the scalp and may make you naucous. Just use caution when adding your "brew" to mix the henna
http://www.hennaforhair.com/freebooks/hennaforhair.pdf is the free ebook about henna.

[mk12]

Originally Posted by ~girlsmum~

I did my henna today and it was a package that was from India. I wound up asking a local natural mama for which liquid to mix and she said to use some kind of acid to release the henna and leave it for 12-24 hours. I used a mix of water and apple cider vinegar and let it sit for about 15 hours. It worked really well. I think next time though I 'd like to boil tea and use it for mixing. My favorite part of it is that ALL of my grays are gone and I posted a pic and everyone loved it, said it made my skin tone look really nice!

Thanks everyone for your advice.........so many options!!LOL!

I'm so glad it turned out so well! I've never been brave enough to try it. I use Cassia instead.

Do you have any before and after pictures to post? What was your starting color? Did you henna over commercial hair dye?