HELP! My henna is way dark!!

[queenofheartz44]

So I'm trying to henna my hair and I got some ordered from a local herbal shop. The brand is Starwest Botanicals in Henna Red. I've gotten so confused with all of the different 'recipes' for mixing it and concluded that roughly 1/2 cup lemon juice & 1/2 cup water should be alright. I did a cup of the henna & the second the lemon juice hit it turned a very dark brown. :bigeyes: I ended up mixing in some more water as it was a very thick paste & I got it down to a creamy like consistency. I've looked at other pictures of henna & there are only a couple that seem to be this dark.

http://i61.tinypic.com/xnaih0.jpg



http://i57.tinypic.com/5b5gj.jpg

I read that this brand is fairly good without being too pricy.

http://i60.tinypic.com/2dwenf7.jpg


It looks like this throughout the whole bowl

http://i59.tinypic.com/90w1o8.jpg

[Ceridwen Iris]

I can only speak to my experience, but that looks like the colour of the henna I had applied to my hair. You can see it (sort of) in the thread I posted recently in the Henna Forum.

[queenofheartz44]

Do I still let it set overnight? I'm so confused now its crazy!

[Bagginslover]

looks just like freshly mixed, green henna to me, when the dye releases, its'll turn chocolate brown, and there will be red puddles on the surface ;)

[red-again]

I use jamilla now and it colours up like that. My red raj didn't. On the letting it sit Q, try a bit on your wrist, leaving it on for a minute or so before wiping off. When you get an orange stain, you are good to apply to your head.
I also see you have used lemon juice. Current thinking is lj is very drying and water alone gives as good if not better results. I used to use a lj mix but now just water and can't tell any difference. So I'd recommend next time, just preparing with water. ( dye release seems much faster with just water too so start wrist testing earlier!

Good luck!

[CrystalStar]

I've been henna'ing my hair close to 5 years and it pretty much always looks like that! It tends to get more brown like you've described when the dye is released. As red-again said, check a little on your wrist and if it's staining then it's good to go. :)

[browneyedsusan]

looks just like freshly mixed, green henna to me, when the dye releases, its'll turn chocolate brown, and there will be red puddles on the surface ;)

^I agree.^

It looks fine to me. You're going to get some gorgeous hair out of that! :)

[lapushka]

I agree. Looks like it's supposed to look to me!

[queenofheartz44]

Oh thank goodness, I just saw the color & my jaw about hit the floor! I'm going to start some laundry, get some coffee (just woke up) & do the strand test. Wish me luck, I'll post before & after pictures.:o

[Anje]

Looks good to me. Slap that stuff on!

[queenofheartz44]

So this is a picture at 3 hours for the strand test. There is some cloud cover out around us right now so it's hard to get a picture with better lighting. It's redder than it looks in the picture although I'm going to let the rest of the strand set for another hour before rinsing. Once that is done I'll do my head for four hours or so.


http://i58.tinypic.com/33dbi4j.jpg

[SkyChild]

How exciting!
Good luck.

[queenofheartz44]

Oh my lord, well, it's in! I started out no problem on towel dried hair. Thought, "hey this is easy, not too much of a mess either!" HA! Shortly after that thought it proceeded to get in my bra, on the toilet, on the shower wall ACROSS the bathroom, on the walls, on the ceiling, on the mirrors, in my nose and...in my panties...So glad I laid down towels! :laugh:

[lapushka]

Oh my lord, well, it's in! I started out no problem on towel dried hair. Thought, "hey this is easy, not too much of a mess either!" HA! Shortly after that thought it proceeded to get in my bra, on the toilet, on the shower wall ACROSS the bathroom, on the walls, on the ceiling, on the mirrors, in my nose and...in my panties...So glad I laid down towels! :laugh:

Next time cut open a few large garbage bags and lay them down. Easier to get rid of afterwards!

[queenofheartz44]

Genius! Will definitely do that next time.

[Anje]

For the record, I tend to apply henna in the buff, sometimes while standing in the bathtub. Once it's in the hair and my hair's wrapped up, I just shower off the slops. :D

[browneyedsusan]

Oh my lord, well, it's in! I started out no problem on towel dried hair. Thought, "hey this is easy, not too much of a mess either!" HA! Shortly after that thought it proceeded to get in my bra, on the toilet, on the shower wall ACROSS the bathroom, on the walls, on the ceiling, on the mirrors, in my nose and...in my panties...So glad I laid down towels! :laugh:

ha ha ha! You poor thing! Don't let the mess put you off, because you'll get WAY better at it.
The first few times, the bathroom will look like a henna bomb went off, though!

:popcorn: waits for hair pics....

[queenofheartz44]

Going to rinse now! I was watching Little House on the Prairies season 4, but I ended up nodding off after covering the pillow with a trash bag. Fingers crossed!

[TiaKitty]

I've always thought each order should come with a complimentary drop cloth! :D

[queenofheartz44]

Here are some pictures of my henna experiment, lots of pictures! I'm hoping it will be redder tomorrow.

http://i60.tinypic.com/6xz3nb.jpg
Big ol' mess!

http://i58.tinypic.com/sku88y.jpg
Wrapped & ready to go.

http://i60.tinypic.com/5b9w2g.jpg
Sitting with flash.

http://i62.tinypic.com/261omsk.jpg
Can't really see the color

http://i62.tinypic.com/se3skj.jpg http://i59.tinypic.com/34yv6ue.jpg http://i57.tinypic.com/fuu97b.jpg
You can see the color a little bit here. Outside today before applying the henna. Another before picture.

http://i62.tinypic.com/2qx2vz5.jpg
Before fully dry & straightened

http://i61.tinypic.com/2ecexc4.jpg
Strand comparison outside with some sunlight.

[Dovetail]

It looks lovely! I can't wait to see it in full sun. I wish I was brave enough to go red :3 I'm going to do my first cassia soon though!

[TiaKitty]

How do you straighten your hair? If you're using heat, it can change the color of the henna, making it darker...

It looks like you got some good staining there! Very pretty!

[queenofheartz44]

I use my flat iron on the lowest setting I can get away with. I've hardly used it this semester with the swimming twice a week. It ends up wet and messy so I haven't bothered.

[queenofheartz44]

Doesn't look any different
http://i59.tinypic.com/fvws40.jpg
Was hoping for redder tones
http://i59.tinypic.com/v5dgrl.jpg
Kinda bummed out
http://i60.tinypic.com/o8t1tg.jpg

[browneyedsusan]

Henna doesn't show up good on dark hair, or you may need to leave it on longer--4+ hours?
Does it feel different? More conditioned and shinier, healthier? You can always slap some more on! :D

FWIW: I like your results. Subtle,, but shiny!

[queenofheartz44]

Thank you browneyedsusan, it does feel smoother & better which is a plus. I was just really looking forward to having redder hair again, I do miss having deep red hair. I will try leaving it on longer, should I add anything to it to help it I don't know show up more?

[queenofheartz44]

How do you straighten your hair? If you're using heat, it can change the color of the henna, making it darker...

It looks like you got some good staining there! Very pretty!

Oh dear, does that mean I can't ever use my flat iron? I usually use it once a week, but with the swimming going on on Mondays & Wednesdays I haven't bothered.

[TiaKitty]

Nah, you can, but just be aware you may not get that same henna color but more of a plum like color?

[queenofheartz44]

Should I mix it up again & reapply? I still have half a bag, so some 250 g. I noticed in the strand test that it was brighter compared to the other strand than the color on my head now. I'm 3-4 days out so I think this is the final color for that round.

[browneyedsusan]

Henna can only make your hair darker and redder. You could try a strand test? If you'd like it darker and redder, slap more on and leave it on a long while. It won't hurt anything. At the very worst, it will lean purple or burgundy. :)

[Funkyfish]

You might consider leaving it in all night while sleeping. That way you will get the maximum result. I also noticed you used half lemon juice half water as a liquid. Lemon slows down dye release. I figure you have left it about two hours before applying it? You could either let it sit longer for better dye release or use very little lemon juice. Less lemon will also get you a brighter colour as lemon tends to darken the henna.

[queenofheartz44]

Next time I henna I'll lessen the lemon juice or eliminate it, I did the second batch and it looks like it came out a little better.

Today in full sun
http://i62.tinypic.com/1822vk.jpg

Left image is before henna, right is after two applications
http://i59.tinypic.com/2i101n7.jpg

Yesterday (Friday the 7th)
http://i57.tinypic.com/2gvps3q.jpg
http://i59.tinypic.com/2s18wbc.jpg

[Nightshade]

Oh that turned out pretty :)

[queenofheartz44]

Thank you Nightshade!!

[queenofheartz44]

You might consider leaving it in all night while sleeping. That way you will get the maximum result. I also noticed you used half lemon juice half water as a liquid. Lemon slows down dye release. I figure you have left it about two hours before applying it? You could either let it sit longer for better dye release or use very little lemon juice. Less lemon will also get you a brighter colour as lemon tends to darken the henna.

I let it sit for 2 1/2 hours and left it on for 6. I'll get rid of the lemon, I want it as bright as it'll go on my hair.:bounce:

[Funkyfish]

It's beautiful! I get the brigthest result with a chamomille tea mix. I add just a little lemon juice to be on the safe side, but I might leave it out all together the next time.

[Isilme]

Looks good! I have an idea though. Your first mix looks quite thick, sometimes I get the feeling that if the mud is thick and the hair is dry it doesn't saturate the hair enough. Next time try to make it a bit on the thinner side, like batter for American pancakes and maybe use an electric whisk (wash it when you are done! :D ) to beat out the clumps. If you want to you can add a bit of conditioner or honey to make it go on more smoothly.
Bend over at the waist and apply it in the shower or over the bathtub to reduce mess! :)

[browneyedsusan]

Very nice results! :thumbsup:

I'm loving the color and shine! (FWIW, I mix mine with water or cooled tea. Lemon juice didn't do anything except irritate my scalp. In the last few months, I've switched to roots-only-glosses to keep the color lighter.)

[bunnylake]

Very pretty!