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...
no subject
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!!!