Thread: henna recipes or brands you like/

I've been using rocky mountain henna for about 13 years but read on a forum somewhere the henna effects may not last as long as other types of henna

which one do you prefer and do you use a specific recipe?

anyone tried indigo?

Hair or skin?

I used Henna for Hair's henna (for my hair), and it is fading quite a bit after 4 weeks. I used Lush's henna - faded quicker. No-name henna I got at Pennsic - that was very disappointing.

i got henna recently from the henna souk and im happy with it.

I like the pre-measured Jamila Henna - with sucrose added, from Henna Caravan (Henna Caravan - Henna Artists for your event and Supplies). I use an essential oil blend I have a friend at Sobotanical (SoBotanical) make up for me and I use lemon juice as my acid.

I get a nice dark stain that lasts for a couple of weeks (even with occasional scrubbing over it).

For Hair, I like Henna Al Kaptain in deepest Red
For body I get this henna for body from Traveler's( a place in Seattle) it's only $7.50 for a large bag. ..g.:

no one so far has results that lasts a few months as indicated on the labels? i have a faint red glimmer after a few months but by no means the fire like i'm sporting today..bummer its messy to work with but i like the smell

i use coffee and a nip of lavender oil

I've never henna'd my hair before, but I'm interested. Where can I get good henna?

THTX i'm looking up new sources now..have to go get my kid tho, maybe later tonight :)

LOL, with a name like mine, you'd think I'd be the henna queen?

Is it good for covering gray? (Not that I have any ..g.:)

not sure about the gray thing but seems i've heard that women do use it for that

you da henna queen chickie..your hair is already reddish aint it? you'z purty

I've used this recipe Henna for Hair: Natural dyes for beautiful hair! and thought it worked rather well. It was incredibly dry to begin with but normalized after a week or so of slathering on the conditioner.

I bought Henna from Yemen from the same site.

But this was my first experience with henna so I have nothing to compare it with.

Originally Posted by jesennia

not sure about the gray thing but seems i've heard that women do use it for that

you da henna queen chickie..your hair is already reddish aint it? you'z purty

Aww, shucks! I do have a reddish cast to my hair, but it's naturally golden-brown (except for the gray streak I'm developing). I do tend towards the red-ish browns when I color.

I haven't colored my hair in almost a year, though, so I should be safe for henna-ing, right?

As long as you use mineral free henna, you should be fine. The box should say pure henna. 'All natural' henna boxes can still carry additives. Henna covers gray just wonderfully. I use it to cover the gray I've had since I was 17. It does not change my hair color. It only colors if your hair has been dyed recently. Dyeing hair opens pores.

Henna's a great moisturizer. I mix mine with lemon juice and yogurt. It feels soo soft after I rinse.

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

Aww, shucks! I do have a reddish cast to my hair, but it's naturally golden-brown (except for the gray streak I'm developing). I do tend towards the red-ish browns when I color.

I haven't colored my hair in almost a year, though, so I should be safe for henna-ing, right?

see i would think so too, it depends on who you ask, some say that good henna won't do anything others say your hair may turn pond green if there is any dye left in it

too risky to try, maybe you can try a test strand?

it's a committment tho..once you henna you have to stay with henna until you cut your hair (if you want to dye over it again)

i dont make sense at all (six hours of sleep)

am a proud wearer of henna for many years and even the haircut people remark on how healthy and strong my hair is probably due ni part to using henna all these years instead of dyes

(i did buy some long burgundy hair and in glam moments (cough) will pull my henna hair in a ponytail and wear the long burgundy hair for fun

What I learned from Henna for Hair: one can henna over commercial dyes just fine as long as it's pure henna.

My henna is permanent - I do not use any acid; experiments over at the Long Hair Community have demonstrated that acid is not always necessary and can actually inhibit dye release.

I use pure henna, bought from my local Indian store. I mix it with very strong chamomile tea that I've allowed to cool, along with some paprika.

My henna doesn't budge. I only use full strength on the roots now, because I don't want my colour to darken up (henna "builds up" on the hair, which can shift the colour to burgundy, which I don't want).

One can henna over commercial dyes if the henna is free from mineral salts - but dying over henna is very difficult and often unsuccessful.

I got my henna blend today from Mehandi.com. Wish me luck!

I used Light Mountain Color the Gray henna in Dark Brown for a year but it doesn't stay on my hair very well, I have to apply it at least once a month, if not more often. I tried it with yogurt, with eggs, with coffee, with olive oil, but unfortunately it doesn't work for me...maybe because I have a lot of gray hair and my hair grows really fast...I don't know, but I'm giving up on it. I would love to try indigo, just a little afraid the color will be too dark and it will look like a wig...Has anyone tried indigo?

Originally Posted by hxangl

I used Light Mountain Color the Gray henna in Dark Brown for a year but it doesn't stay on my hair very well, I have to apply it at least once a month, if not more often. I tried it with yogurt, with eggs, with coffee, with olive oil, but unfortunately it doesn't work for me...maybe because I have a lot of gray hair and my hair grows really fast...I don't know, but I'm giving up on it. I would love to try indigo, just a little afraid the color will be too dark and it will look like a wig...Has anyone tried indigo?

I got a Chai Bundle from Mehandi.com for myself - henna, cassius, and buxus (cassius to lighten the henna and buxus to give it a cool brown color without lightening it further) - and a medium brown bundle for my husband, which has henna, amla, and indigo (the amla cools the reddish henna tint, and the indigo makes it darker). I'll let you know how the indigo works out.

From my research, you don't want to mix henna with yoghurt or eggs, or even olive oil - mostly lemon juice or tea, as it needs an acid to help it release the dye. I mixed my henna with cardamom tea and lemon juice. It's sitting out waiting on dye release right now.

I use" Jamila "henna from Pakistan,(for me after trying alot of brands this gave me the best results) My mix is: hot black tea and a bit of lemon ,lime and grapefruit(1/8 tsp)each.
You want the consistancy of watered down toothpaste. For me it gives a nice dark stain on the skin. It also works on hair.
Lucky I have a Indian grocery 3 blocks from my house.

Alrana

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I haven't colored my hair in almost a year, though, so I should be safe for henna-ing, right?

Yes, but only if the henna you use is 100% henna. There are products out there sold in beauty supplies and ethnic shops that have chemicals in them, that on chemically treated hair can cause severe damage.

Also, please, everyone, be aware that henna is a long-term commitment. You can't use it one month and then switch back to regular hair colors when you don't quite like the shade. Henna can't be removed or stripped from your hair the way conventional colors can.

And it is very, very permanent. Yes, it covers grey completely. Not that I have any either, that is just what I have read in reliable sources .,r:;

Jes, if you were using a pure henna mix, the fading you are seeing is not fading but the normal oxidation that all henna will do. It starts out glowing firey orange but the pigment oxidizes to a auburn color. All henna will do this. Also, the color will build up over time, so if you keep re-hennaing your entire head (as opposed to just the roots), you can eventually end up with a burgundy-auburn.

Disclaimer: Of course I'm a 100% natural redhead and I'm just sharing this information with everyone because I'm a walking encylopedia of useful trivia.

Originally Posted by ssipes

Disclaimer: Of course I'm a 100% natural redhead and I'm just sharing this information with everyone because I'm a walking encylopedia of useful trivia.

hehe! ..g.:

anyone know if Light Mountain henna is pure henna? I don't have a box handy. So what if it's not..and I use pure henna over it? It should be ok huh?

Oooooh I'd love a burgundy auburn. The intensity that I love about the first few days is usually washed out in about a week, still have really nice highlights in the sun but the intensity is not there. Hopefully using a pure henna will change this?

Thank for the info, Tamrahennatx. I'll try it with tea and lemon.
Jessenia, I read somewhere that one of the ways to test if henna has any chemicals added, is to bleached henna colored hair with peroxide. If the color of the bleached hair is greenish or blueish, then the henna had chemicals in it. Light Mountain Color the grey dark brown passed the test-the bleached hair was blond. However the regular Light Mountain (don't remember the color) that I used a couple of years ago definitely had something in it. You should have seen my hairdresser's face when she tried to do highlights and they came out tealish :-)

Originally Posted by jesennia

The intensity that I love about the first few days is usually washed out in about a week, still have really nice highlights in the sun but the intensity is not there. Hopefully using a pure henna will change this?

Henna oxidizes like Bananas or Apples once cut. It takes henna about 4 days to oxidize (form what I've read).

Unfortunately, I don't think there is any way to keep that red red intensity of the first couple days with henna. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

I did find this:

I thought I would post some results… not sure how they would apply to others, but I found them interesting on my own hair test samples.

I cut my hair a few days ago and saved a dozen small bundles of hair to try various mixes and times and their result on the final color. One thing I did find interesting is that when I used 9 parts water to 1 part lemon juice the oxidation of the hair after 2 ½ days was less then the hair treated with 100% lemon juice. So at least on my hair … the amount of acidity in the liquid did play a small role in the final color outcome. The less acidic liquid seemed to make for a more copper tint whereas the 100% lemon juice gave me a color closer to auburn. Both mixes sat on the samples for the same amount of time the only difference in the samples were the acid level in the liquid mix. Again ... may mean nothing but I found it interesting.

I just rinsed the henna out of my hair, after sleeping in it last night. It's definitely redder than I expected, but I think the Cassia and the Bruxus toned it down. It's still wet, so I'm curious to see how it looks after it's dried and after a couple of days.

I used Punjabi Prime henna from Mehandi.com in my mix - they sent us Pakistani and Punjabi with our mixes, and I switched out the hennas -gave my husband the Pakistani, since it gives a browner red and he has dark brown hair, and I took the Punjabi, since it supposedly has one of the best reds around right now I was looking for a bit more oomph. I bet if I had kept the Pakistani the color would have been a bit tamer in my hair.

Hubby hasn't got up and rinsed out yet - I'll update on his color in a bit. Unfortunately we don't have a working camera at the moment, so I can't take pics :(

For those trying for a deeper color, try mixing you henna with dried lime juice instead of water. To dry the limes, slice thin and lay them on a baking sheet for about a week, in a non moist environment. You can also dry them out quickly in your oven at low temp. After the limes are completely dried out, boil them in about 1-2 cups of water.

The liquid will turn deepest red. Use this liquid to mix your pure henna. Unused lime liquid can be frozen in ice cube trays for later use.
It gives a really rich color ..g.:

ohhh THTX i can't wait to see!!! was your husband the guinea? lol my hub never does anything fun like that :) maybe i'll get Zackie

Originally Posted by jesennia

ohhh THTX i can't wait to see!!! was your husband the guinea? lol my hub never does anything fun like that :) maybe i'll get Zackie

LOL, he was an excellent guinea pig - and we did both our hair - both turned out great! I'm a total convert, and Jes, I really recommend Mehandi.com shop - Henna, Indigo and Harquus .... body art and hair care supplies that are hard to find! - very fast shipping, and excellent quality products.

Hub's hair had NO reddish tint to it - it's a great med-dark brown, with only a hint of reddishness over the grays (but they blend in really nicely)

Mine is a really nice tone - redder than my natural hair color, but not any darker. Mixing the henna with the cassia and the bruxus really helped to tone it down. It was pretty easy to do, and I even slept okay with it on my head. I have enough left over to do both of our hair again - we'll see if the hubby will go for it a second time, LOL

i bet you (two ) look gorgeous:) am gonna try that brand can't hurt:)

did you sleep with a bag on your head? did it itch?