What is your henna recipe (bright red)?

[aforestfae]

I don't know what to mix my henna with, I want to get the strongest colour I can on my medium(might be bordering on dark I'm not sure) brown hair, I get a lovely dark red on my hair but I wondered what I could mix my henna with and how it would effect the colour I get.
I'm not sure if the henna is making my hair a bit darker(not to where it is noticeable to others) , is it normal for henna to darken the hair even after just one application? My roots also look lighter to me but that could just be the golden/light brown strands standing out more
I currently use bottled lemon juice, paprika and cinnamon. I've also used a red fruit tea, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and paprika/cinnamon.
So what do you use and how does it effect the colour on your hair?

[Anje]

I just do rajasthani henna, sunflower oil, and fresh-brewed chamomile tea. I used to do water, but my scalp likes the tea more. Using lemon juice in the past made my hair super-dry and my scalp irritated and rashy. Gives me a deep, dense red on my medium auburn hair.

[SleepyTangles]

To achieve a bright red I'd use plain water or chamomile . Lemon juice makes the red more muted, both darker and more golden IME.
I always put some honey and yogurt inside because washing pure henna paste from long hair is more difficult, but this is up to you.

My recipe main feature is that I use a runny flaxseed gel instead of water, to make it creamy and easier to rinse. I make a hot chamomile, throw in two spoonfuls of flaxseeds, wait two hour or so, then filter. I think it doesn't affect the colour much, but sure makes everything easier: lot less friction and mechanical stress :P.

[aforestfae]

To achieve a bright red I'd use plain water or chamomile . Lemon juice makes the red more muted, both darker and more golden IME.
I always put some honey and yogurt inside because washing pure henna paste from long hair is more difficult, but this is up to you.

My recipe main feature is that I use a runny flaxseed gel instead of water, to make it creamy and easier to rinse. I make a hot chamomile, throw in two spoonfuls of flaxseeds, wait two hour or so, then filter. I think it doesn't affect the colour much, but sure makes everything easier: lot less friction and mechanical stress :P.

Thank you I think I will try chamomile on my next henna.

When using hot water how does it effect the dye release?

[Anje]

When using hot water how does it effect the dye release?

Dye release will still depend somewhat on the origin of your henna. That said, it's really quite quick, in my experience. I easily have well-released rajasthani henna within half an hour.

Do make sure your water is more on the order of tea-warm than boiling hot. There's some concern that too much boiling temperature might affect the dye.