Frequently Asked Questions: Application Issues

I did a great design on my foot. When I woke up this morning it was all smudged. Do you think I wrapped it too tight?

My best guess on the foot smudging is that you experienced what most of us do with foot henna paste during sleep. You are never aware of what your body does during sleep. So sometimes one foot sits on the other and flattens out the paste. The foot rubs the other and smears the henna paste. Same thing can occur with the palm of the hand at night.

Usually, my paste is not completely dry when I wrap it either. I just apply the sealant...wait until it is drying, and then wrap with TP and then with plastic wrap. Sometimes I may even put it in a sock for extra warmth. The problem arises when, during sleep, we do something that we would know not to do during waking hours. So you might try hennaing areas like the side of the foot during the day... a day when you will not be very active.

Henna and sleep can make you crazy. I went to sleep one night with henna paste on my hand, all wrapped and cozy with tissue and plastic wrap, taped down. Woke up in the morning with the henna design on my pillow, gown and sheet. I must have had a truly restless night. The plastic wrap and the tissue were off, and the design stained my pillow case, sheet and gown. That is also I reason I began to put my hand in a sock at night when sleeping with the paste on.

Another thing that can help your paste stay in place is the addition of sugar to the recipe. A quarter teaspoon of sugar to every 2 heaping tablespoons of henna powder should do the trick. It makes the paste adhere to the skin better and though it can't prevent smearing and smudging when the right conditions are present... it can reduce it some.

Everything was going great with my henna and stains. Now I am having nothing but problems and bad stains. What is wrong?

There are lots of things that could be going on. Too many for me to begin guessing. I would l need more details from you. But it does sound like you are running to the ole "henna giveth...and henna taketh away!" Sometimes things seem to go smoothly, and then there appears to be nothing but bumps in your road.

It really requires enthusiasm and motivation to work through the henna bumps. But I will tell you that what you learn about henna will be learned from your bumps. There is a lesson in every bump you hit. The trick is to learn the lesson before moving on. If not, you will return to the same bump. Kind of like not learning to add, then trying to proceed to your multiplication tables. Solve each problem that arises...then move to the next challenge.

My carrot bag just flops every where when I am trying to use it and when I make cones the tape comes loose and paste spills everywhere. Help!!!

[For help, see our new section on using carrot bags!]

Tell me about those carrot bags. I cannot use those at all. I had some long thin cones sent to me from Pakistan that are really great because I put only enough paste in them to do the work I intend to do at the moment... approximately an applicator bottle full. Then it is easier for me to hold on to and use.

Cones or carrot bags are notorious for their not-great and straight lines. The paste comes out of the applicator bottle in a round thread. It comes out of the cone and carrot bag in a triangular shape thread. It takes a while to control the cone so that the lines are not squiggly. That is done by not touching the skin with the cone...pulling the thread and then laying it on the skin in the design you want. That takes a while to get under control. Learning to pull those threads is the key to the really thin lines. The paste should flow from the cone/carrot bag with little or no pressure. It is usually the result of pressure applied that gets a glop of paste coming out. Also, you want a steady flow of paste coming out. One of the most crazy-making experiences with cones and carrot bags is to have the paste sort of come out and then curl back in on itself. It takes a while to learn to make your paste the correct consistency for the size hole of your cone or carrot bag that you need, to get the desired lines you want.

The tape I found that worked best when making cones is the clear but mighty powerful tape used to seal moving cartons. Even then it can be tricky if you have to apply pressure. Having to apply pressure could have to do with the consistency of your paste. It may be too thick for the cone but perfect for the applicator bottle. See how henna keeps making you learn and adjust with everything you try to do with it. Other tapes to try is the thick duct tape...the silver colored one. Not very attractive, but the oils used in the pastes seem to have a harder time degrading the adhesive on the duct tape and box wrapping tape.

I bought henna powder from local stores and it won't stain. I think it is not fresh. Is your henna powder fresh?

If you are purchasing your henna powder from local stores, most often it is stale and old stock. Actually, online is the best option for getting your henna powder because most of the suppliers I know online get fresh shipments of henna powder in regularly. That is what attributes to the freshness. Actually all of the henna powders listed on this site are fresh and from the most recent crop.

The Kimia is truly the "queen" of henna powder providing red and reddish stains primarily on palms and soles of the feet. The stains on the soles and palms will go to a black cherry, burgundy black and almost totally black color there. On other body parts it goes to a dark brown. There is no henna dance like KIMIA. The dance of reds is dazzling and full ranged. And appears to be just for you.

The Mazaya henna powder provides dark burgundy black stains on the hands and feet that begin more as a reddish cinnamon stain and proceeds to the deep dark colors.

All henna powder stains begin orangish and then proceed to their true staining color over the next day or two to their ultimate darkness.

Sharkiyya is a very dark staining henna powder. The stains last longer than most henna powders and stains very well on hard to stain places.

Tazii stains have to be witnessed to be appreciated. Wonderful consistency of henna powder and paste. Eye popping stains

Navaid 2 and Kezzi 2 are reinforced powders that stain very quickly and the stain becomes very dark as well.

The Kimia is also a very fast staining henna powder but is most popular for its staining colors.

The Jamila and Moroccan are old favorites because they are also excellent henna powders. The Jamila stains dark burgundy brownish black at its darkest. The Moroccan is best known for its softer brown stains.

The Usha, gives browns and reddish browns. It is a smooth and stringy resulting paste. Usha stains take about a day to develop and then hold the color for a very very long time. Usha gives you the best of what you are looking for in an Indian henna powder.

How can I tell if my henna powder is stale? I was told henna powder has to be green to be fresh. Is that true?

A very light and faint orange that does not get darker over time would indicate a stale henna powder. The addition of terp to old powder can sometimes give it a boost to a darker stain. That is one of the nice things about terps. They prolong the capacity of older henna powder to stain.

The color of henna powder in general is the worse indicator of fresh henna powder. The smell is the best indicator of freshness....but I have seen smell be deceiving sometimes. A light beige henna powder is stale. It has been exposed to both light and air and has lost its dying capacity for the most part. Excellent and fresh henna powder can be bright green, dark green, khaki, dark brown and dark brownish green. Most henna powder from Pakistan is khaki to dark brown. People have often thought that an indication of inferior quality. Not so. Some of my favorite powders are from Pakistan. Indian henna powder tends to generally be deep green. But there are exceptions to that. The brightest green henna powder I have used is probably the Kimia.. All of that to say the range of colors in excellent henna powder can vary from dark brown through bright green.

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