The henna/cassia thread

[Faraniel]

Hmm, did you check that it stained your skin orange before applying? The length of time needed for dye release depends on how warm it is, so it's good to check against the inside of your wrist or similar first.

Perhaps you could post pictures of your starting colour, your freshly hennaed colour, and your colour now? That might help to see what you're dealing with here

Sorry, I don't have any pictures. And all my camera are cheap so they don't really give a good idea of reality lol ...anyway, so I should put some on my wrist to see if it dyes anything? How does that work?

[florenonite]

Sorry, I don't have any pictures. And all my camera are cheap so they don't really give a good idea of reality lol ...anyway, so I should put some on my wrist to see if it dyes anything? How does that work?

Yeah, that's all you need to do. Take a dollop of mud and stick it on your palm (apparently the palm works better than the inner wrist; I just googled and came up with this), leave it for a minute, then wash it off. If you have a bright orange stain on your hand, your henna is ready.

ETA: I know you said you have cheap cameras, but if you could get a picture in good lighting (either outside or next to a south-facing window) that would help a lot. I find that when I take pictures with my phone (which doesn't have a great camera) the colour isn't very accurate if it's indoors, especially in lamplight, but if I take pictures outside they give a good indication of the colour of my hair.

[Faraniel]

Yeah, that's all you need to do. Take a dollop of mud and stick it on your palm (apparently the palm works better than the inner wrist; I just googled and came up with this), leave it for a minute, then wash it off. If you have a bright orange stain on your hand, your henna is ready.

ETA: I know you said you have cheap cameras, but if you could get a picture in good lighting (either outside or next to a south-facing window) that would help a lot. I find that when I take pictures with my phone (which doesn't have a great camera) the colour isn't very accurate if it's indoors, especially in lamplight, but if I take pictures outside they give a good indication of the colour of my hair.

Okay, I took the photo with my phone and it's nto the best but at least it gives the idea I hope...

[florenonite]

Hmm, yeah, that doesn't look like you got much dye uptake (I'm assuming everything beyond the roots is from the old semi-permanent copper?). My best guess is that you didn't have adequate dye release; a 1:2 ratio of henna:senna should produce a bright, fiery copper on a colour like yours.

[Faraniel]

Hmm, yeah, that doesn't look like you got much dye uptake (I'm assuming everything beyond the roots is from the old semi-permanent copper?). My best guess is that you didn't have adequate dye release; a 1:2 ratio of henna:senna should produce a bright, fiery copper on a colour like yours.

Yes, the copper semi is everything beyond the roots. I'll be honest this photo looks a bit too harsh, it's not that ashy I think. There is some copper but minimal and the roots show a bit more. I will look up experiences with specific brand of henna I used to see if it needs more time to release. Also, I heard that sometimes the first application doesn't stick properly so maybe I can do it again in a week or so?

Edit: I forgot to mention I added tap water a few times when I was applying it on my hair because it got a bit too dry and it was hard to work with it.

Edit 2: I have just realised, the henna definitely dyed my gloves bright orange so I think the release was fine?

[shelomit]

Another way to check that the dye is releasing is to watch the color on the surface of the henna. Usually I mix it up in a bowl, put plastic wrap up against the surface, and leave it overnight. Take note of the color when you first mix it. If the dye has released, the surface of the mixture (though not the "inside") will change color--a sort of dark brownish-blackish-green. I do notice that the amount of time it takes to release varies a whole lot based on weather/season.

I often add some more water on the day of if I find out the mixture has dried out too much overnight to be a nice, spreadable texture.

[florenonite]

Yes, the copper semi is everything beyond the roots. I'll be honest this photo looks a bit too harsh, it's not that ashy I think. There is some copper but minimal and the roots show a bit more. I will look up experiences with specific brand of henna I used to see if it needs more time to release. Also, I heard that sometimes the first application doesn't stick properly so maybe I can do it again in a week or so?

Edit: I forgot to mention I added tap water a few times when I was applying it on my hair because it got a bit too dry and it was hard to work with it.

Edit 2: I have just realised, the henna definitely dyed my gloves bright orange so I think the release was fine?

Hmm, I know on some people (myself included) there's a degree of fading over time with a single application of a lower-dilution mix, but nothing like what you're experiencing here. My avatar pic is after my first ever application of henna; parts of that faded to a coppery/strawberry blonde in a couple of months, but I've never heard of it being the case where the first application just doesn't stick.

A little bit of tap water shouldn't affect it, and if your gloves were bright orange you probably did have good dye release. I really would recommend Nightshade's book; there's an entire chapter on troubleshooting that might be henna.

One more thing that occurred to me: did you strand test before applying? If you got good colour with the strand test, but not the whole head application, that would suggest there's a difference between the conditions of your strand test and your whole head application that might help pinpoint the issue.

[flickm]

Hi All, I'm doing a 50/50 mix of Jamila henna and cassia obovata. I have a packet of cassia ready to open that I've had some time. I've just realised it's cassia auriculata NOT obovata. Will it give the same results? - given that it's only there to dilute the henna, and the cassia stain fades anyway. Thanks

[Nightshade]

Hi All, I'm doing a 50/50 mix of Jamila henna and cassia obovata. I have a packet of cassia ready to open that I've had some time. I've just realised it's cassia auriculata NOT obovata. Will it give the same results? - given that it's only there to dilute the henna, and the cassia stain fades anyway. Thanks

Since most of what it's doing is diluting the henna, you're fine

[Faraniel]

So I used 50/50 this time and washed it after four days. It took more colour so I am satisfied with it. Some parts look a bit dark so in future I might try some Sun In but since it's at the roots I don't think it matters.