For now, I do the following:
-200g of Jamila Henna (but will probably start experimenting with Yemen)
-1.5 cups of warm (not hot) green tea
-2 tablespoons of honey
I mix them all together and apply immediately. I sleep in my henna and it stays on for a total of 12 hours. I get great results with this mix-- easy to apply, rinse, and leaves me with super shiny, smooth, elongated curls.
What's your favorite mix??
I recommend experimenting with Celebration. Its got the same fine sift as other products from Abid and Co, but the lawsone content is 3.4%, far more than the usual Jamila products which I've found usually range between 1.7% and 2.2% lawsone content.
The present shipment of Yemen is 2.4%. You'll get more color from Celebration at 3.4%.
I have dark brown hair with a few scattered grays. I alternate henna + amla treatments with indigo + henna + amla. I do the occasional hendigo gloss too. My color has developed into a cool-but-deep color that resembles a bar of dark chocolate…sort of a chestnut brown. The "henna warmth" comes out only in direct sunlight, when it glows deep burgundy.
Both my henna and hendigo recipes are very simple. The only "special" thing I do is add pectin gel because I like the pliability it gives my mixture. It really helps the paste grab my roots well and saturate every strand—no missed spots!
My henna mix:
The procedure is the same as below, with the exception of the indigo addition.
My hendigo mix
I mix the henna and juice and let dye-release overnight. Once it’s dye-released, I add the amla. I prepare the indigo with warm water and add it to the henna-amla paste. Finally, I add one tablespoon of pectin gel at a time, stirring after each, until I get a very soft, creamy mixture. I immediately apply, wrap, and let it sit for 4 hours. Rinsing is a very fast and easy because of the added pectin gel.
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I plan to try Celebration next...I want to see how dark I can get my grays!
I use 2006 Jamila crop still. I bought a bit of it because I liked it. I never actually measure anything. I mix it with lemon juice and wait till it feels right. When I like the constincy I let it sit overnight for dye release I terp it the next morning, Usually with Lavender, sometimes a Eucalyptus oil that my aunt makes. I had been trying tea tree oil lately but I am having reactions to it on my hands (I think its the chemicals I work with at work that aggitates the oil in the stain.) so back to Lavender and Eucalyptus. Sometmes I like to mix a little sugar in. Depends on how the mix feels to me.
Hi BreelaBlue,
Do you find terping changes the color you get on your hair? just curious, we don't hear from too many people anymore who terp their henna for hair use. :)
My favorite hennas are Yemen and DOTM. I haven't used Celebration on hair yet, just skin, but I'm sure it will top my list once of done it. Whatever the henna, I mix for hair like so:
I mix with lemon juice to a very thick, cement-y kinda texture, cover and let stand over night. Then I add water until the texture is right and let it stand another 2 or three hours. Works every time, and no fussing around with extras.
I get darker, deeper red to my hair the longer I am out in the sun, my boyfriend thinks it's interesting. I also will get a smell like fresh mixed henna, sometimes when it gets wet without shampoo, sometimes when I persperate. You have to be careful though! Terping henna for hair can give some people a MASSIVE headache. Eucalyptus will do this to me sometimes. My mom suggested the teatree oil in my henna for hair because it is said to soothe the scalp. I have psoriasis and a hormone imbalance so I have not only a very itchy head most of the time but a nice thin spot on the back of my head. It feels better for a while after using the henna/tea tree mix. But I would test your tollerance to the oil's smell first. Maybe try to keep a dab of it on you for a day.
"the longer I am out in the sun"
Light accelerates oxidation.
even weeks after having it done? After I wash my hair the color usually gets duller, but if I spend time out in the sun it darkens back up again.
when you say you add amle to your henna, do you only add amla powder, no water? That step Im not sure on!1
I definitely need to check out celebration!!
My current mix is:
Either 50/50 cassia/PP or 75/25 cassia/PP (will switch once I'm out of PP, probably to purity) depending on whether or not I lighten my roots to blond (50/50) or light brown (75/25).
I need about 100 - 150 grams for my hair. I tend to mix it too thick no matter what I do. And if I mix it thin enough, it pulls away from my roots. >.< I cant win, lol.
I mix it with tea - usually chamomile, but this time I used mango passionfruit. Worked fine. I cool the tea with a frozen water bottle and I still get solid dye release in an hour.
I apply on damp hair, cover with a shower cap and a beanie, and let sit for 2 to 2.5 hours.
The color I shoot for is copper to very light auburn.
I love your recipe idea and instructions. Does teh cool tea make the dye release happen so fast or what is it??? And is that amount of henna, 100-150 for your hair, for your whole head or roots only?? Also, how often do you redo your whole head/versus roots??? I massage my scalp with coconut oil daily and I'm afraid that it will fade my henna faster
I usually use your recipe but with the cheapie Dulhan..I just got some Jamila but its from a local store and not date stamped :(
Once I order some fresh Jamila I plan to use:
-1 box 100g of Jamila
-1/2 box of Hesh Amla Powder
- warm water
- a few squirts of honey
....I am curious about trying celebration and other brands with the higher lawsome counts. I am looking for more conditioning effects than color since my hair is dark....I also hope the amla helps my curls to not loosen as much. The back of my hair is tighther than the front. I like the elongating properties but not was much on my hair thats hard to hold a curl....
I have been using DOTM but I just ordered 100 grams of Celebration to check it out.
I usually take a container of full fat yogurt a coffee filter a stainer and a bowl. I put the filter in a strainer put the yogurt in the filter and set it over a bowl over night. This allows for the excess liquid to drain out of the yogurt making it thicker.
I then brew some strong tea, usually about 3 bags for a cup of water and allow that to cool. I mix with about 100 grams of henna until it is thick and has just enough tea to have good moisture.
I allow it to sit for a few hours until i have dye release. In the winter I put it in an oven that has been turned on for about 10 seconds then turned off. Keeps it warm enough for dye release.
I then mix my thickened yogurt with the henna until its workable but not goopy. Apply this to the hair, wrap with suran wrap and sit for anywhere from 3-5 hours.
I fthen rinse and condition.
The yogurt allows for a very easy rinse.
HTH
Precious
I love this recipe, it's simple, nutritious and basic. What type of tea do you use and have you ever added honey or oils to this mix, if so how did it turn out?
I love this recipe, it's basic and nutritious. What type of tea do you use? What size container of yogurt do you use? Have you ever added honey or oils to this recipe, if so what were your results???
Hello, everyone.
My mix consists of 200g of Henna (currently using Dark of the Moon), about 2 T of cloves, and a weak lemon/water mix that I leave to mix for 12 hours. I then loosen the mixture with water or weak tea and add about 2 T honey to get the desired pudding like consistency. Then, I apply to damp hair sleep with the mixture on my hair overnight.
I have used the Dark of the Moon, Yemen and the Henna for African Hair Henna over the last couple of years. Colorwise, I prefer the Yemen, but, it is so tough to rinse out. The Dark of the Moon and the Henna for African Hair rinses a lot more easily and quickly. I bought a ton of the Dark of the Moon product last year when it was on sale, so, it should last me until the end of the year. Once that runs out, I will probably use the Henna for African Hair product or try the new Celebration.
I've been using henna from this site for near 2 years now, and I've found my favorite is the Yemen crop, with the Raj as a close second. I like my hair to be bright, vibrant, and VERY red. I never blow dry, curl, or use products in my hair, save the few natural products I've used here and there, placenta, swiss mud, mayo and onion (Smells horrid, but makes hair super soft) But I have used chemical dyes. Alot. When I first started using Henna from this site, I had, at that time, badly destroyed over processed blonde streaks/chunks in my natural dark red hair. I've also been roughly 50% grey since I was a teenager. (The highlights made the grey look 'on purpose')
temperant,
thanks for the detail info! I do have 2 questions.
regards, jackie
It's fine to use a stainless steel bowl with henna. If you use something made of iron, it will turn the paste black but it will still dye your hair red, as always.
got it. Science Rocks!
Jackie,
Ok, I should check messages more often.
Orris root I don't think enhances the color, only the scent, however, clove I believe enhances the color quite nicely.
As for the metal bowl. I do use stainless steel, and the paste does take on a darker color as the dye release happens, but once it's mixed up again and put in the bag for application (I got smart and stopped using a ladle) it's back to poop green.
How large of a container of yoghurt?
I mix using the KISS recipe but no sugar, and divide the oil in 1/2 using coconut oil for the other 1/2 and then I keep for the 24 hours before applying to my hair.
THis gives me a wonderful smelling henna because I use lavender oil . I use a 2 step process, and after rinsing out the henna I do a 50/50 mix of the same henna and indigo . This on my really grey hair gives me the perfect reddish brown color I used to get by using chemical dyes .
all you girls who use honey/yogurt, and have tried straight lemon previously-do u find it affects your color at all? Do either of these ingredients work better for easy rinses and less dryness? i ask because my hair is curly and after henna with juice or even tea this past time, i find it hard to rinse (even using conditioner mult. times), and my hair goes thru a week of shock after each treatment so that everytime i wash(or even co wash) it gets very dry and hard to detangle while wet. i love the color, so i refuse to give up!
I've used honey, and it helps a little for rinsing and moisture. Something you may want to try is after you get dye release is to throw in conditioner in place of your liquid to thin it out, and then follow it up with a conditioner soak once you've rinsed the henna out (saturate your hair with conditioner, braid it if you can then bind it up on the top of your head and let it sit for a while). I've found that this really helps with the rinsing and keeps my hair from getting too dry.
Basically what you want to do is mix your henna with enough liquid to make a thick, lumpy mud. Cover it for dye release and once you have dye release, add a little liquid and a little conditioner until its smooth. I dont have any problems with it diluting my color because I'm basically just replacing the liquid I normally use for conditioner. It also helps make it easy to squeeze out of a bottle for root application.
If you have dye resistant hair, this probably isnt a method you want to use as the oils in the conditioner may cause problems, but since I dont have that problem.. thats how I do it now.
Hi! I was wondering what is your hair color without dye or henna and also what color your hair is with this mix? I am thinking about hennaing my hair. I have black hair and it is natural. I would like for my hair to be as close to brown as possible. I know the henna won't lighten it, but maybe the honey will (I don't know how much honey is required to lighten hair). I had been getting it pressed since about the 3rd grade but I stopped about maybe 4 months ago. I am 20 and I wanted a new look. Thanks :D
Honey in henna will not lighten. You have to do a honey lightening method where you dilute honey in distilled water, let sit for an hour and apply for an hour (wrapped tightly to keep wet). This method is very gradual and kindve hit or miss depending on honey and other variables. You would have to do many, many applications before your hair becomes light enough to be called brown or to be dyed brown with plant dyes.
I use tea with my henna, either green or black, for acidic reasons only (not for color). I hit upon the idea a couple of years ago of using Lipton instant tea, with no sweetner or flavoring agents added (they do make just the plain tea powder). This simplifies my henna mixing a lot: Just dump some powdered tea into the henna and add warm H2O.
curlynikki, I find that so interesting, because I just got smoe jamila henna and I didnt know how long to do dye release and freaked out when everywhere I saw said it takes up to 12 hours of dye release. However, I did half tea and half water and within two hours, \i saw it get nice and brown on top but not green below so I waited. After six hours, I tried with hair from my brush, and it did work. So I guess it didn't have to be brown on top and green below to be ready. What should jamila look like when it's ready.
More acidity makes dye release take longer - with lemon juice, it can take 12 hours. With water, dye release can be pretty immediate. Don't rely on the color of the paste to tell you for sure that it's ready though. If you think it might be ready, put a dab on your palm for a minute then wash it off. If you get a good orange stain, it's ready.
Ok gotcha there. But why do people like to use teas and stuff like that then??? does it make the stain stronger or what??? Also, when I do put a dab on my palm for a minute, and wash it off, it just washes off, it jturns orangey, but dosen't stick to the hand, washes off. When you say wash it off, you do mean completely scrub at it and wash it off, right?? Even something as simple as a dab test I'm not having luck with. Sorry, but Im' kind of stupid!! And if with pure warm water, dye release is instant, why do some says that lemon juice gives darker and faster stain. and why do sites that sell jamila, say that it requires 12 hours for dye release. Is it really instant, I know it should be!!
People use tea if they want it fast, or if lemon juice dries their hair, or if their skin is sensitive to citrus.
For your skin test, just gently rinse the paste off with water after a minute or two, or five. Observe the color so you can determine if the paste is ready. You want to see a definite orange color on your skin, not a pale almost-stain. If you want to scrub it off after that you can try.
Lemon juice most assuredly does NOT give faster stain. Its acidity slows down the dye release and prolongs the lifespan of the paste. If some website says lemon juice is faster than water, what can I tell ya ... it's a big bad internet out there, lol. What you MAY see is a seller who KNOWS (because they have tested it) that their CURRENT crop of Jamila takes 12 hours, yada yada, and that's another story. But a blanket statement that Jamila always takes 12 hours no matter what year, no matter what you mix it with ... that is not an accurate statement.
You can't accurately say that "Jamila (always) requires 12 hours" because a) it depends on what you mix it with, and b) every crop of Jamila brand henna is different. Celebration was a particular crop of Jamila and it released a lot faster than 12 hours even with pure lemon juice - more like 6 hours. Jamila is a brand name on an agricultural crop that varies from harvest to harvest. You can count on their henna being finely sifted and having no other dyes in it except henna ... but the strength of its dye and how fast it releases will change from crop to crop.
I followed curlynickki's recipe and did my henna for gray hair with about 2 cups of green tea, 2 tablespoons of honey, applied it in the evening, wrapped my hair in two plastic bags and scarf, went to bed, kept in hair until the next morning. About 12-13hrs in my hair. Got up in the am and washed it out and conditioned my hair and washed that out and put the indigo in right after for 1.5hrs. My hair came out beautiful, application was much easier when I put the honey in my henna mix. I can't believe how soft my hair is and all the gray is completely gone. I never had this kind of deep rich black hair especially after a day or two. Hair seemed less dry as I followed up the indigo with a deep conditioner for a good 1to 1.5hrs. That deep condtioning is important as my hair tended to be dry after my henna/indigo treatment. Washed out the deep conditioner sealed with castor oil and jojoba oil and 2 strand twist. Voila...hair was shiny, soft, real dark and had a heavy quaility to it as if my hair much thicker like I remember as a child in my pre relaxed days. I'm 48 now so I'm loving it.
I've done henna/indigo on dry hair, for my two cents, damp hair is much easier to apply the henna and indigo. It just "marinates" better in the hair, draw back with the Indigo is that it runs, and had to carry tissue around to catch the drips from the side of my head from the Indigo. But, I least I knew the Indigo was reaching down to the root and didn't miss any spots like before.
I have recently started adding ACV to my henna mix...which was great for grey hair but disgusting smell for days afterwards (especially if I sweat.) love the color...hate the smell.
Tried adding Cinnamon and my scalp would sting...didn't know why until I read here a few minutes ago that it is a skin irritant....
Tried to add a special red paste called in arabic Deer's Blood... it made the paste sticky and hard to remove and the stain bled everytime I washed.
I finally picked up somewhere a suggestion to add clover/nutmeg...so when I brew my tea, I add clover and nutmeg..and voila...no more nasty smell...but I don't like the color : /
I am moving a warm sunny climate to cold weather with limited sunshine! Any recipe suggestions for such a different climate?
For your liquid, try using apple juice. That is acidic enough but will smell better.
I have added 1 tsp cloves per 100 gm powders for scent and not noticed a change in the color. You can add vanilla extract as well. These things should not affect color in any permanent way.
I'm not sure how a cooler climate will impact your recipe, can you explain? I would just continue to use any recipe that worked before.
You may need more standing time if your room temperature is lower. That's all I can think of as far as a change of climate.
In response to the above question as to why some like to use tea in their hena mix: I personally use it b/c that is the way I was taught to mix by a Persian woman. This was later corroborated by some Indian friends. I figured they knew what they were talking about, being long-time users of henna in their hair.
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