Henna gel..not mud..really possible?

[Aqua Gal]

Hello! I am looking for some high-level henna wisdom.

I hennaed religiously for years with wonderful results. While in the middle of a huge, devastating shed, I found that I was losing mounds of hair when rinsing out my mud. I tried every rinse method in the book, but shed in huge clumps every time. So, brilliant me, I switched to box dye (long, long story) in an attempt to lose as little hair as possible.

Well, it really helped the immediate problem, but I'm sorry to say box dye just isn't the same. I get a lot of fading.

I really want to experiment with steeping the henna, draining it and making a mud-free gel with pectin, gelatin or some other thickener. I have seen a few untried recipes, but I wonder...
Has anyone ever successfully made a henna gel?

Please tell me what you have learned before I embark on this experimental journey.

Any thoughts/ideas are greatly appreciated. Many hennaheads are better than one!

[Anje]

I haven't tried it, but I know people have done it before with pecitin. There's a recipe on this page, about half way down. (http://www.hennaforhair.com/mixes/annsophie/) I generally dye release with just water though, while these recipes (and most recipes on hennaforhair) call for acid.

[Aqua Gal]

Anje, thanks so much for the reply. That is one of the recipes I've been eyeing.

[Nae]

I would have no idea if it would work but if someone challenged me to do it I think I would get some cheese cloth. Let the dye release, put the mud in the cheese cloth and then squeeze it untill I got as much of the dye off as possible.

Then I think I would mix it with Aloe Vera gel and maybe a bit of quick set gelatin (or cornstarch and water) to help it gel up to my satisfaction. I would have to play with it. I would think that the liquid off the henna would make any sort of hair gel to liquidy, but it might not. (This is just me coming up with stuff off the top of my head.)

Hmmmm, it is an interesting puzzle for sure.

[Aqua Gal]

Nae, thanks for your ideas. I'm going on vacation next week and I think I'm just going to have to play around with this. I was hoping someone actually does it this way. Hopefully, there isn't a really good reason why it won't work.

[Seishin]

I think there's a recipe for the henna gel on henna for hair.com or mehandi.com. I think they add pectin gel to the mix

[kdaniels8811]

Can you just thin the henna out until it is drippy? I have no problem at all rinsing mine but I make it about the consistency of yogurt and use a color applicator bottle to squirt on the roots. Then a cheap hairband to keep the drips off my face, cover with a shower cap, then a towel and hang out for several hours. I do not even need conditioner to rinse it. Maybe it has to do with the kind of henna you are using? I have some from Henna for Hair and it is a fine sift and mixes up into a creamy batter. Good luck!

[Aqua Gal]

Seishin, thanks for the ideas.

kdaniels8811, thanks for your thoughts. Strange, rinsing was NEVER an issue for me over the zillion years that I did henna. That is, of course, until my hair loss. Every time I would henna after that it was pitiful how much hair came out. I'm not a slave to any one type of henna anymore. To be honest, they all pretty much come up the same on me. (Sorry to you brand loyal folks)

I'm going to fool with the gel and see where I get. (crosses fingers)

[Seishin]

Let us know how you get on. I use Jamilla 2011crop henna, and its the most lightweight super doopa sifted henna iv'e ever seen, but my curly hair sheds with me just touching my hair. I love this henna but I think a gel would be kinder on my hair too

[Seishin]

Here we go: from henna for hair: FIA's gel mixes

Fia's Gelled Henna, fast and basic version
- 100 grams henna powder
- 500 ml liquid (about 17 fl. oz.) - has to have an acidic component to it both for dye release and for the pectin to gel, I usually use half lemon juice, half water
- 25 grams powdered pectin (about 0.8 oz.)

Dump henna powder in a bowl. Bring liquid to a boil and whisk the powdered pectin into the liquid when it's boiling. Let boil for one full minute - this is necessary to activate the pectin and start the gelling process (you'll see that it's starting to turn slightly thick the minute you take it off the heat). Wait a few seconds to let it cool off some.

Pour the liquid/pectin mix into the henna powder and stir well. It will be very hot and very liquid at this stage - don't be alarmed by this. Let it stand for about 20-30 minutes to cool off - by then it's warm enough to handle and put in your hair. It will look like a thick gel by then - not unlike hair gel - and you should see dye releasing from the henna.

Use this gel as you'd use regular henna paste - applied either to dry or damp hair whatever your preference is. I find the gel easier to work with than regular paste - almost like a regular hair color in consistency. There are virtually no drips when applying and no dribbles down the neck or forehead.

You may see or feel small, squishy, semi-transparent clumps in the henna gel - that's pectin that has gelled before it mixed with the henna. I’ve never seen these gel clumps cause any problems when applying or rinsing out - they just feel a little funny when you encounter them.

The amount of gel from this recipe is more than enough to do my almost bra strap length hair, there's always leftovers. I'd estimate I could do up to almost waist length on my hair with this amount. I find it isn't a drawback that the gel stretches 100 grams henna far beyond what it would cover if used as a straight paste.

There is a slight risk that you cook the henna when you prepare it this way and get a lighter stain than you would have gotten from a paste done by the basic recipe. Some henna powders are also slower to release dye and will not like this fast procedure for doing gelled henna. They can still be used as a gel, but requires a slightly different treatment.

[Seishin]

And also from the site:

Fia's Gelled henna, somewhat slower version for powders with slow dye release
- 100 grams henna powder
- 500 ml liquid (about 17 fl. oz.) - has to have an acidic component to it both for dye release and for the pectin to gel, I usually use half lemon juice, half water
- 25 grams powdered pectin (about 0.8 oz.)

Dump henna powder in a bowl and mix with half of the liquid. Let this one stand on top of something warm until you see dye release – these are basically the same steps as if you were preparing a regular henna paste.

After you've seen dye releasing from the henna, boil the remaining half of the liquid and add pectin as per the basic and fast recipe above. Pour the liquid/pectin mix into the henna paste in the bowl and mix well. Let this stand until it's gelled - usually about 20 minutes and use like you'd use the other gelled henna.

Smooth gelled henna, tedious preparation but very smooth and easily applied gel
- 100 grams henna powder
- 750-1000 ml liquid (about 25-34 f l. oz.) - has to have an acidic component to it both for dye release and for the pectin to gel, I usually use half lemon juice, half water
- 25 grams powdered pectin (about 0.8 oz.)

Boil about two thirds of the liquid and let cool off a little so it's warm but not boiling. Mix in the henna powder with the liquid (it will not be anything like a paste, more like a green/brown soup) and let stand until you see dye release. Strain the liquid through cheese cloth/muslin/stocking to remove the fixed particles. What you'll have left is a brownish liquid with the released dye. To be honest - the straining part is a messy "pain in the a**" job and I'd highly recommend wearing gloves and clothes you're not afraid to get henna stains on, also to do this over a surface where it won't matter if you get some henna liquid on it - it will splatter. Consider yourself warned and don't blame me if you have henna stains on your wooden kitchen countertop because of this... :-)

Boil the remaining part of the liquid and add pectin as per the basic and fast recipe. Pour the liquid/pectin mix into the henna liquid in the bowl and mix well. Let stand until gelled - usually about 20 minutes and use like you'd use other gelled henna.

The big pro about this version of the gel is that it's extremely easy to apply and rinse - it's also virtually non-clogging for drains. This gel is also considerably more lightweight when it's on the hair - good if you keep the henna on for a long time or you have lots of hair that would be weighed down by regular paste. This is the closest you'd get to the feeling of a regular hair color while still using henna.

[Aqua Gal]

Yes Seishin, that's what Anje was referring to. Thanks for taking the time to repost it, though. :)

[alyaziaaah]

Hi girl, I didn't do a gel yet but I use xanthan, just a bit, 2 flat teaspoons for bralenght hair.
I mix it into the dry henna before putting the liquid. I need to use less henna as it is easier to apply and also to wash out. The hairloss you have is definetely not from the henna, maybe if you use the xanthan mix it will be easier for you to rinse, maybe while rinsing you are a bit to rough.
I believe the hair you loose while hennaing would be what you would lose anyways. You might want to check what causes your hairloss. I switched from chemical fye to henna because the chemical dye caused hairloss for me because of the toxic chemicals, so, I don't think its a good idea to swith back to chemical hairdye, check your blood, your mind, soul, your aminoacid intake, biotin, l-cisteine and paba can help for hairloss.good luck

[Mesmerise]

While I think making a gel is a great idea, I do wonder how you rinse out your henna mud.

I find that when I do a "mermaid soak" to get rid of the mud, I lose far less hair than if I try to just rinse it under the shower!

I know how stressful it is losing mounds of hair too :rolleyes:. I would rather lose none at all!! Large hair loss for whatever reason freaks me out, so I can certainly understand why you want to try other methods of hennaing!

[Aqua Gal]

Thanks very much for the support.

Yeah, my rinsing is a whole different topic...maybe for a different thread one day. Anyway, I had no problem for years, so my head became super-fragile.

Right now, I'm just so curious about this gel idea. I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Rustella]

I gel my henna to avoid the drippies and for easier rinsing. Here's what I do.


100g BAQ Henna
4 Cups Water
6-8 Chamomile Teabags
Squirt of Lemon Juice
Cornstarch (Maybe 4 T?)


Boil the water with the chamomile and squirt of lemon. Let steep and cool until lukewarm, then remove the teabags. In a seperate container, mix some cornstarch (I don't measure it, sorry, probably 2-4 tablespoons) with a half cup of cool water until blended. Mix this into the cooled tea mixture until blended. Then microwave this for three minutes. Stir well, and check for thickness. To get it thicker again mix cornstarch with a little cool water and add it to the chamomile mixture, and microwave for 2-3 more minutes.

Once the mixture is the desired thickness, let it cool for a bit. Then pour the gel into another container holding the 100 grams of henna, about a cup at a time, and mix well. If it gets too thick just add a little water. Let it sit for dye release, and you are done!


I have used this recipie for 3-4 years now and it works great and rinses out easily. Good luck!

[Aqua Gal]

Update, not too bad:

So I tried

100g of my henna/cassia mix
1/2 litre water
splash of vinegar
Waited for dye release.
Ran several times through a strainer/seive. (Cheese cloth & coffee filters were an epic fail!!)
Reheated and whisked in 2 heaping teaspoons of pectin.
Applied to hair.

Well, I'd love to report a perfect gel, but it was just okay...surprisingly smoother than my average mud, but not quite perfect. The color was my usual, so that's a big plus!

I guess I'll have to fiddle with this in 4 weeks when it's time for a touch-up.

[Cardinal]

Great recipes in this thread. I like the idea of gel for no drips.