Make henna 'creamier'?

**little_cherry** · August 28th, 2010, 06:47 PM

Originally Posted by Heidi_234

Thanks everybody for the input!

btw, I tried mixing the grainy henna with conditioner. I had to add too much conditioner to make it easy to apply, so it turned out more like a gloss. It was okay to apply, but noting like that dreamy creamy Yemeni henna.

I love the stringiness of Yemeni. It's such a forgiving henna powder..sometimes I thought I added too much water, but with a quick stir, the henna gets thicker.

I've added a couple of tablespoons of thick coconut milk to a grainy paste and it was smoother to apply.

Tapioca · August 29th, 2010, 09:01 AM

I just did another gloss with Light Mountain henna, and I tried the sugar technique. Two tablespoons of henna, mixed with chamomile tea and a dash of lemon juice, and I let it sit for an hour or two. Then I stirred in six tablespoons of regular granulated sugar, and it worked! Made it very creamy and smooth. Of course, then I added a mess of aloe and conditioner, since it was a gloss, but it went into my hair easier than usual and washed out *much* easier. This is my new favorite recipe.

**Heidi_234** · August 30th, 2010, 09:52 AM

Tapioca, glad to hear it worked! I really want to try this out already, maybe I'll do my roots in the weekend and see how it goes. I plan to try the sugar again, and keep adding until the texture seems right.

**Misso** · September 2nd, 2010, 08:21 AM

I have been using honey in my henna mix for more than six months now and did not notice any bad effect on the dye uptake. And it makes the past creamier and helps with the rinsing afterwards as well.

**misstwist** · September 2nd, 2010, 08:37 AM

I've only used the BAQ2 henna from Henna for Hair so I don't have the experience of the creamy Yemeni henna you are trying to replicate.

But, why can't you just sift the locally bought henna or blitz it in a spice grinder to reduce the graininess or both? That would be the first thing I would do.

ETA: I've used Fia's gelled recipe and found it to be lots of work for only marginal benefit. It's way easier to add conditioner after color release.

**dianehair** · September 2nd, 2010, 08:56 AM

Aside from a little coconut oil added in to the paste, a few spoons of thick plain yoghurt makes a really nice, creamy and easy to apply mix.

**Heidi_234** · September 3rd, 2010, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by misstwist

But, why can't you just sift the locally bought henna or blitz it in a spice grinder to reduce the graininess or both? That would be the first thing I would do.

ETA: I've used Fia's gelled recipe and found it to be lots of work for only marginal benefit. It's way easier to add conditioner after color release.

The sift of my henna is rather good. I don't have a spice grinder or any other tool that can serve this purpose. I assume that to get that super fine sift like BAQ hennas one would need some professional tools. My henna feel just slightly grainy, which I don't mind. It just harder to apply. Henna Sooq's yemeni it literally like a cream when I mix it, mine is grainy paste. I suspect it's not just the sift, but the natural content of saccharides which make it behave this way.

btw, that's what I thought of the gelled recipe as well.

I still didn't manage to find fructose yet, and I probably won't be doing my roots this weekend after all, so nothing new on my part. I'll report back when I'll try mixing in regular sugar.

**misstwist** · September 3rd, 2010, 10:56 AM

http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Food...3532854&sr=8-7

**Heidi_234** · September 3rd, 2010, 02:34 PM

I don't live in the US, the shipping fee would kill it.

**Heidi_234** · September 10th, 2010, 08:48 AM

Okay - update:

Just hennaed my "roots" (all the way down to my nape, but that's not the point

), and tried to add sugar to my henna. I didn't measure how much henna I mixed, but I'd probably need twice as much for a full length application. When I mixed the henna into the right consistency, I added 5 teaspoons of sugar and it worked like a magic!

The texture of the mix changed noticeably and was so much more pleasant to work with. I had ZERO amount of henna falling off in chucks, and I made so little mess on the floor I surprised myself! It spread nicely over my hair and I think I got a better coverage this time than usually.

The Yemeni henna still better texture-wise, but I think it's due to the much finer sift. So I suppose it's as good as it gets, but it made TONS of difference in terms of application. This was one of the most enjoyable hennas I had in a long while, so I heartily recommend to anyone who experience the hard to stick and falling off henna. Thanks everyone for the input - couldn't done it without you!

Also, just wanted to note, it actually turned out better than henna mixed with conditioner I tried a while ago.