What do you do with your hibiscus?

[Natalia]

This is one of those on a whim kind of threads so sorry if its boring. Im having fun experimenting with this rather large bag of powdered hibiscus i have and thought it could be fun to see how many ways we can come up with :).

A few days ago i mixed up about a cup of my "black water" (what i call my boiled black sesame water) and put in a tablespoon of hibiscus today i added 1 1/2 teaspoons methi let it gell up and slathered it on for an hour or so. Once i rinsed and did my other showerly stuff it dried and i ended up with very nicely enhanced color :). Might be good for other brunetts out there to try :). I like some purple sheen in my dark hair and this made a perfect glase :).

I havent had much luck with hibiscus in cleansing mixes so i think i will try it just as a conditioner. Next time as a tea rinse after that in something kind of like today but more concentrated :).

How do you all use it?

[Aisha25]

I use the whole flowers. I either make to tea of it and use in henna or dry them and use as powder for conditioner, It works best with shikakai!

[mira-chan]

I either use whole flowers to make a tea, like Aisha does, or powder. When I use the powder, I leave the mix on my hair longer (15 to 30 minutes) and sometimes use just Hibiscus on it's own. Kind of like a herbal Conditioner Only wash. Leave it on for a while then rinse well. It does cleanse even oiled hair but it's not as strong as shikakai.

The article linked in my signature has some recipes with it.

[melikai]

I was using it as a hair rinse. It makes my hair wonderfully soft and shiny. However, it seemed like it was starting to slightly tint it, so I have to stop :(

I just make a steeped tea out of it and pour it over my head as a final rinse, after CWC-ing.

[mira-chan]

I was using it as a hair rinse. It makes my hair wonderfully soft and shiny. However, it seemed like it was starting to slightly tint it, so I have to stop :(

I just make a steeped tea out of it and pour it over my head as a final rinse, after CWC-ing.
If you don't want a tint, try fenugreek seeds instead. They give a similar effect, actually more conditioning, but without the color. They are more mucilaginous so actually have the consistency of conditioner.

[tooqute2nv]

I've actually used hibiscus powder WITH fenugreek seeds mixed with coconut milk for a hair conditioning treatment....Also with my henna, and I have yet to try making my own tea from it! Can I just use the powder form, or does it really work only/better with the whole flower?? :blossom: :blossom: :blossom:

[mira-chan]

I've actually used hibiscus powder WITH fenugreek seeds mixed with coconut milk for a hair conditioning treatment....Also with my henna, and I have yet to try making my own tea from it! Can I just use the powder form, or does it really work only/better with the whole flower?? :blossom: :blossom: :blossom:
I use the powder too so I don't think that would be a problem. There isn't much difference other than the consistency (liquid vs. slush).

I get problems if I mix hibiscus and fenugreek. I'm not sure why but I get instant buildup from the combination.

[Flynn]

I haven't yet tried it.

When I make a tea from it, I find it to be kind of sticky... How does this go when used in hair?

[tooqute2nv]

I get problems if I mix hibiscus and fenugreek. I'm not sure why but I get instant buildup from the combination.

I don't use a lot of hibiscus. Otherwise yeah, I could imagine if you added a lot of both there would is build up very quickly! I primarily use just a small amount of hibiscus for the smell, and for maaaaaybe any hint of a tint (because I'm aiming for a cool-redish-brown colour w/ my henndigos!), when mixing with fenugreek. But a adore it as a conditioner too!!

[melikai]

If you don't want a tint, try fenugreek seeds instead. They give a similar effect, actually more conditioning, but without the color. They are more mucilaginous so actually have the consistency of conditioner.

Thanks for the recommendation! :eek:

[Flynn]

It works! It works good! It works nice!

I steeped the broken-up (not powdered) flowers in water for about twenty hours. To this I added about a teaspoon of glucose syrup (I had the idea it might help thicken it, I don't know why...) and then filled the rest of the jar up with conditioner (about 5:1 conditioner:hibiscus/glucose mix). I then just used this as a conditioner.

My hair is just a little sticky-feeling, so I think I must not have rinsed thoroughly enough to shift all the glucose. I won't bother with it next time, I think... I don't know quite why I did this time.

It is, however, VERY shiny, and the colour looks much richer than usual.

[Natalia]

Wow thanks for the replies all :). And congrats flynn on your good results!