Prepare Henna Hair Color

Henna plants have been used to color hair for at least 5,000 years. Henna leaves are dried and turned into powder to produce a red dye. The exact shade that hair becomes with henna dye depends on where the plant grew and on the starting hair color. You must mix henna powder with a mildly acidic liquid to prepare henna hair color.

Steps

1. Choose body art-quality henna. This is pure henna with no additives and will be of better quality than henna sold for hair dyes. Body art-quality henna, which contains more of the dye molecule called lawsone, produces a richer hair color and rinses out better.
2. Use warm liquid to mix the henna paste. Place powdered henna in a bowl and add water, tea brew, with or without fresh or bottled lemon juice, blending well with a spoon until you have a thick paste the consistency of mashed potatoes.
   • Substitute a gentler acidic liquid if your skin is irritated by lemon juice. You can use orange juice, grapefruit juice, or an acidic herbal tea containing lemon. Many henna hair recipes omit acidic liquids altogether as they can be very drying to the hair.
3. Add a spice to mask the henna smell. Ground cinnamon or ground cloves give the henna mix a better fragrance. Ground cloves will make the henna dye slightly darker. Ground cinnamon will not alter the dye. Alternatively, use essential oils to mask the henna smell.
   • For dandruff or an itchy scalp, add two or three drops of tea tree oil to the mixture.
4. Rest the henna paste overnight. Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature. This resting period is important for preparing henna hair color because it releases the dye.
   • You can shorten the resting period by placing the bowl of henna paste in a warm place. Place the bowl somewhere that will allow the henna to warm to approximately 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius) for 2 hours. Don't allow the henna paste to rest in a place where it will get warmer than this.
5. Thin the henna paste with more liquid. It should have the consistency of yogurt when you're ready to put it in your hair.
6. Run a test before using henna for the first time so you can see the shade your hair will become when you color it with henna. Mix a small amount of henna paste and dunk in some hair taken from your hairbrush. Let the hair stay in the henna paste for 2 to 4 hours, rinse it, then let it sit for 48 hours to oxidize and darken.

Black tea with henna

1. Make black tea and leave it to steep for a night.
2. In a bowl, add henna powder, lemon juice and the steeped black tea.
3. Run a test before using henna for the first time so you can see the shade your hair will become when you color it with henna. Mix a small amount of henna paste and dunk in some hair taken from your hairbrush. Let the hair stay in the henna paste for 2 to 4 hours, rinse it, then let it sit for 48 hours to oxidize and darken.
4. Apply the liquid mixture on your hair. Allow to sit until you achieve the desired color. It will give your hair shiny soft look, as well as dyeing it.
5. Finished.

Tips

• Henna can be paired with other plants such as indigo to dye hair in colors other than red.
• For burgundy dye, mix the henna into boiled beetroot juice.
• Check for dye release every 30 minutes after mixing by placing a small amount on your palm for a few minutes, then wiping away the paste. When your paste leaves a bright pumpkin orange stain, your henna paste is ready for subsequent steps.
• For blue hues, soak the henna in black plum (kala jamun or jamun) juice.

Warnings

• Henna produces only red hues. Henna hair color that promises other shades contains additives such as other plants, metallic salts, or man made dyes. Often these non-henna additives are not listed on the packaging due to the laws in the countries where they are manufactured.

Things You'll Need

• Henna powder
• Bowl
• Lemon juice, other fruit juices, tea brew, water
• Spoon
• Ground cloves or ground cinnamon (optional)
• Essential oils (optional)
• Plastic wrap

Related Articles

• Mix Henna for Hair
• Henna Your Hair Red
• Henna Your Hair Without It Going Patchy
• Use Henna on Gray Hair

Sources and Citations

• http://www.mehndiskinart.com/BAQ_Henna_Recipe.htm

See also

• Apply Henna to Hair
• Choose a Henna Powder
• Mix Henna for Hair
• Henna Your Hair Red
• Henna Your Hair Without It Going Patchy
• Remove Henna from Hair
• Darken Your Hair Using Henna
• Use Henna on Gray Hair

What links here

• Remove Black Hair Dye