clevermanka (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
clevermanka) wrote2009-10-07 09:18 am
clevermanka) wrote2009-10-07 09:18 am
Tips
I had a long email exchange with a customer support person from the place I purchased my henna and indigo. She thought perhaps my biggest problem was the shampoo bar I purchased from them. Since I wash my hair so rarely, the emollients in the bar might be too much for a pre-henna treatment for me. She suggested dish washing liquid or a baking soda scrub right before henna. Like right before, so the scalp oils have no time to recondition my hair. I spent some time browsing their help forum, too, and I learned several things. I'm not going to try them all the next time I henna/indigo, but I'm definitely going to try several.
Wash hair with dishwashing liquid or a baking soda scrub right before henna application.
Use wine or apple cider vinegar for acid in henna instead of lemon juice.
Use amla with henna as the acidic ingredient* instead of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Add amla to indigo after the indigo dye has already released. Suggested ratios are anywhere from 1:4 to 1:2, indigo:amla.
Boil a cornstarch or pectin/water mixture to make a thickener for either henna or indigo.
Xanthan gum powder (mixed with indigo powder) is worth a try as a thickener, too. Use 1 tsp xanthan gum to 6 oz of tap water and beat that with a mixer until it dissolves into a gel consistency. Add the dye-released henna, amla paste, and indigo paste, along with 1 tsp of clove powder for the smell. Put this in an application bottle and immediately apply it to hair.
Vanilla extract for covering the henna scent.
Tea tree oil to help the dye absorb.
Use 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of indigo for dye cling.
Indigo dye release takes only 8-10 minutes—any longer and the dye degrades. Get it into your hair immediately**! Also, use warm, not hot, water. Don't stir or shake the indigo mixture more than you need to. That makes it oxidize faster and you won't get good dye uptake.
Indigo works better if it’s runnier. Instead of trying to apply it, just fill a bowl, dunk head, and rub in. Then wrap it up. Work indigo into damp, not dry hair.
Carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) to help hold the indigo and ease application: Add 1 part CMC per 100 parts indigo and stir powder to powder. Don't stir CMC powder into wet indigo.
Mix some indigo into the dye-released henna and vice versa. This will make the henna more brown than red and add a smoother paste consistency to the henna. Don’t mix all the indigo at one time, though! You’ll lose the dye in the indigo before the henna has had a chance to release its own dye.
Use a water/vinegar rinse after processing, as well as a regular rinse. Use 2 tsp of ACV in 2 cups of room temperature water.
Using an iron pot for mixing to get dark brown: Unseasoned/old rusty pans (so that the henna can react strongly with the iron) seem to work well. Stir your henna periodically during the dye release process, and the paste will turn black through and through. In order to have it uniform, you need to keep stirring in the blackness. This thoroughly mixed black paste produces a darker brown color with less orange***.
* I ordered some amla with my henna and indigo. Because I had a bad experience and the company is awesome, they are express mailing me my order. It should arrive tomorrow. I do not want to dance on Sunday with Bozo Orange roots.
** Big mistake on my part, although it didn't cause a problem last time.
*** Anyone got an old, rusty cast iron skillet or pot?![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
roya_spirit? =D
Not hair-color related: I have another head cold. Great. I'm downing the zinc and Emergen-C.
Tonight is my acupuncture appointment. Great!
I finished the gold choli and will cut out the black one tonight. Thank you toroya_spirit for finding me some black panne velvet in her stash. And continued thanks to solan_t for use of the serger. You have no idea how much you've helped my life with the extended loan. Especially since I'm making last minute dance costume stuff because of this wretched and unexpectedly cold weather. A high of 50 degrees and chance of showers on Sunday? Really? Really? I'm considering walking home today at lunchtime just to get thirty minutes of sewing-related stuff done. That's what it's coming to, people. Ugh.
Fifty? Showers?
Update: WTF. Hives? SRSLY? What now...
Wash hair with dishwashing liquid or a baking soda scrub right before henna application.
Use wine or apple cider vinegar for acid in henna instead of lemon juice.
Use amla with henna as the acidic ingredient* instead of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Add amla to indigo after the indigo dye has already released. Suggested ratios are anywhere from 1:4 to 1:2, indigo:amla.
Boil a cornstarch or pectin/water mixture to make a thickener for either henna or indigo.
Xanthan gum powder (mixed with indigo powder) is worth a try as a thickener, too. Use 1 tsp xanthan gum to 6 oz of tap water and beat that with a mixer until it dissolves into a gel consistency. Add the dye-released henna, amla paste, and indigo paste, along with 1 tsp of clove powder for the smell. Put this in an application bottle and immediately apply it to hair.
Vanilla extract for covering the henna scent.
Tea tree oil to help the dye absorb.
Use 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of indigo for dye cling.
Indigo dye release takes only 8-10 minutes—any longer and the dye degrades. Get it into your hair immediately**! Also, use warm, not hot, water. Don't stir or shake the indigo mixture more than you need to. That makes it oxidize faster and you won't get good dye uptake.
Indigo works better if it’s runnier. Instead of trying to apply it, just fill a bowl, dunk head, and rub in. Then wrap it up. Work indigo into damp, not dry hair.
Carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) to help hold the indigo and ease application: Add 1 part CMC per 100 parts indigo and stir powder to powder. Don't stir CMC powder into wet indigo.
Mix some indigo into the dye-released henna and vice versa. This will make the henna more brown than red and add a smoother paste consistency to the henna. Don’t mix all the indigo at one time, though! You’ll lose the dye in the indigo before the henna has had a chance to release its own dye.
Use a water/vinegar rinse after processing, as well as a regular rinse. Use 2 tsp of ACV in 2 cups of room temperature water.
Using an iron pot for mixing to get dark brown: Unseasoned/old rusty pans (so that the henna can react strongly with the iron) seem to work well. Stir your henna periodically during the dye release process, and the paste will turn black through and through. In order to have it uniform, you need to keep stirring in the blackness. This thoroughly mixed black paste produces a darker brown color with less orange***.
* I ordered some amla with my henna and indigo. Because I had a bad experience and the company is awesome, they are express mailing me my order. It should arrive tomorrow. I do not want to dance on Sunday with Bozo Orange roots.
** Big mistake on my part, although it didn't cause a problem last time.
*** Anyone got an old, rusty cast iron skillet or pot?
roya_spirit? =DNot hair-color related: I have another head cold. Great. I'm downing the zinc and Emergen-C.
Tonight is my acupuncture appointment. Great!
I finished the gold choli and will cut out the black one tonight. Thank you to
roya_spirit for finding me some black panne velvet in her stash. And continued thanks to solan_t for use of the serger. You have no idea how much you've helped my life with the extended loan. Especially since I'm making last minute dance costume stuff because of this wretched and unexpectedly cold weather. A high of 50 degrees and chance of showers on Sunday? Really? Really? I'm considering walking home today at lunchtime just to get thirty minutes of sewing-related stuff done. That's what it's coming to, people. Ugh.Fifty? Showers?
Update: WTF. Hives? SRSLY? What now...
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Here. Try some lemon juice. And salt.
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And W O W on the henna info. I've never messed with a lot of this. I do wash my hair first, usually with baby shampoo, but then just mix and apply. My favorite brand is Hennaluscent. Smells like fresh horse manure :) :) :).
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Your hair would look uh-may-zing with real henna. There's enough other stuff in Hennalucent that the color doesn't really take--and I've heard mixed reviews on if the extra chemicals inhibit the benefits of the henna itself. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to get complete coverage on your hair with regular henna, though. It would take days!!!
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No kidding. I'm mystified that it worked at all the first time!
I'm gonna do both the henna and indigo on Saturday when I get home from Wichita. So you'll see the results on Sunday!
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Luckily, I have no ego investment in if my hair comes out looking weird. As long as I don't damage it, I don't care. The only reason I'm pushing to get it done this weekend is I have a performance on Sunday and I like to look good for an audience. Otherwise, this would definitely wait until
If you ever want to try henna on your hair, let me know! I'm happy to help mix and apply.
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Awesomesauce! Thank you!
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Um No
I am sorry to hear about the head cold. Frowns.
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Dude, I thought camping was like a money-back guarantee for rain in these parts.
And the head cold is so unfair. I just got over the last one! This sucks. Exact same symptoms, too. Boo, hiss.
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The head cold is terribly unfair and I am so sorry you have it :(
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I just heard Monday is going to be a HIGH of 40, after a low of 26!! Can you say bundle up? Ack.
Let me know if you can't get the other skillet, and I'll run one of these over. I can just dump it by the house til you get back if I miss you leaving.
And I'm glad to see no yogurt in any of the henna tips. I just read the yogurt in the mix releases hydrogen peroxide, and you and I know how badly you react to anything like that! I'd try anything but lemon juice, that would seem to strip the color back out just as fast as you put it in?
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Hmm. something with a protein for release and to infuse the dye into the hair, since henna loves to fuse with protein, would a protein filler on the hair beforehand help it to grab? I used it when my hair quit "holding" color from being too damaged (protein-stripped). A little bitty bottle is only 2.29 at Sallys. (http://www.sallybeauty.com/Neutral-Protein-Filler/CLRFUL1,default,pd.html)
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well, neutral protein filler has no color and no sulfates, but the colored fillers do.
Good thing you don't react like that to fabric dyes!
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*cough*
Yet.
=b
*clunk, clunk*
:knocks on wood:
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As far as acid goes, I use citric acid crystals, and it is used like vinegar--it's just stronger. But in crystal form it's safe. But it sounds like that type of acid won't work?
P.S. I remembered last night that I think we had tentative plans for some evening right when I got back. Uh, I'm back and totally spaced it off with all of the vehicle shopping stuff.
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There's no way I can do anything until after KCRF. Did I say I was available? I must've been high. Or drunk. For real. Ugh. Let's talk November!
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We had talked about going out for a drink, and I think it was supposed to be Monday or yesterday.
Also, I meant to comment earlier about this: when you said you were going home at lunch to sew, I was going to suggest taking your machine with you! Think how much sewing you could get done at work! Just close the door and put the nap sign on.
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I'm going to be cutting, not sewing and there's no way I'm taking stuff to the office. It's enough to just walk up the hill without lugging it all. It's all good, though.
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:)