Frequently Asked Questions: Henna Types

What is your favorite henna powder?

All of them!!! Each and every one is a favorite for very different reasons.

There are some givens about all EveryDay Mehndi henna powders.

1. They are 100% natural henna powders and free of PPD or any other harmful chemicals or additives. The henna powders ending in 2, Navaid 2 and Kezzi 2 indicated that these are "reinforced" henna powders that have citric acid and terpineol added to them. The "reinforced" henna powders are 100% natural henna powders that have been pre-terped for you.
2. They are fresh. We import directly from the manufacturers 3 to 4 times a year so our customers are always getting the most recent crop of fresh henna powder.
3. They are excellently sifted. Each powder is finely sifted to a talc like consistency and results in a smooth clogless henna paste.
4. They are excellently staining henna powders. Some henna stains develop slowly and some develop fast. Each results in dark long lasting beautiful stains.

Each of our powders was chosen for the beauty of its stain, quality and consistency of the powder and paste, ease to work with, and ability to get the job done. Got a festival or event coming up? You need a henna powder that is going to get the job done with no hassle. Any of our henna powders will step up to the plate and dazzle you. Navaid 1 & 2, Kezzi 1 & 2, Prabda, Tazii, Usha, Jamila, Amina Amina, Malimba Moroccan, Piyari, Sharkiyya, Mazaya and Kimia...All are going to stain beautifully and your customers will love them.

Malimba Moroccan and Amina Amina are the most stringy henna powders on the market today. They are really interesting henna powders/paste to work with. These are the powders favored for drawing and pulling long continuous threads of henna paste necessary for designs like the Moroccan geometric designs. Both have fast dye release and are fast staining henna powders.

KIMIA...what can I say. She is still the reigning "Queen" of henna powders with her capacity to provide lovely red stains on palms and feet. She is special and loved and in a class by her self. Kimia will release her dyes and stain fast...but if you want to get the best from her...allow some extra time for dye release and saturation of your paste. Then sit back and watch her do her "color dance" for you.

Navaid 1 & 2 and Kezzi 1 & 2... fulfills your need for a henna powder that can get ready quick and get the job done in a hurry. These are the henna powders anyone doing festivals, parties, fairs etc., should always have. They are no miss and quick and easy to prepare henna powders.

KIMIA, Amina Amina, Tazii, Jamila, Prabda, Piyari, Usha, Sharkiyya, Mazaya, Navaid 1 & 2, Kezzi 1 & 2 and Malimba Moroccan will all provide dazzling and uniquely beautiful color stain results.

When the paste has reached its peak and most potent, stain will be a deep orangey, neo-orange or deep tan-like color at paste removal. Then over the next few days the stain will go to a cherry red, burgundy, black cherry, lovely soft brown, bittersweet dark chocolate, eggplant, espresso coffee colored or near black. Colors obtained can very from one body part to another. Example: Malimba Moroccan is a soft milk chocolate on body parts other than soles and palms. On soles and palms, Malimba can go to a deep burgundy brown and on some people, a burgundy.

Tazii ,like KIMIA, does a color dance that is just sensational. Tazii will teach you something about the range of browns. I have seen Tazii dance some browns I rarely see. They are everything from browns with a touch of orange, to browns with a touch of red, to browns with a touch of burgundy, to blackberry with a touch of brown..to tanned leather rich deep bitter sweet chocolate brown...to ...Well, you just have to see Tazii do her dance for you. The texture of Tazii also rivals Malimba and KIMIA and Jamila!!! Tazii like all of our powders creates excellently smooth and easy to work and clogless paste.

One way of knowing what I think about henna powders is whether or not I sell them...lol!!! Kimia, Tazii, Navaid(s), Malimba and Jamila are old favorites and tried and true. They are staples in the JAM Pack family as Prabda, Amina Amina, Usha, Sharkiyya, Mazaya and Piyari have now also become.

Sharkiyya and Mazaya bring a different quality to the JAM Pack and our overall offering. Think Sharkiyya, Mazaya, Kimia, Navaid, Kezzi, Usha and Tazii any time you are doing bold patterns and designs. Think tribal, African and Native American designs and patterns. That is where Mazaya, Sharkiyya, Kimia, Navaid, Kezzi, Usha and Tazii out perform the others always. Their advantage is found in their lack of or moderate degree of stringiness. Try filling in large areas with stringy paste and a fine point and you will know what I mean. You will be there forever. And the color of the stain of Mazaya and Sharkiyya are just perfect for bold areas and shapes.

Use any of the not-stringy powders like KIMIA, Navaid, Kezzi, Usha, Prabda, Piyari and Tazii et. al. for bold designs by mixing your paste a bit thicker for the bold designs of Tribal, African, Arabic, etc. designs. All of these henna powders have resulting stains that are spectacular for the bold designs. Select these powders also for fine line designs that are intricate and require lots of starts and stops when drawing them.

If I am doing fine line designs with many starts and stops like Indian, Arabic, Pakistani designs, then I want KIMIA, Navaid(s), Kezzi(s), Usha, Tazii, Jamila, Amina Amina, Prabda or Piyari. The consistency of the powder and paste makes the fine lines easy to draw. But remember them also for their rich and unique color possibilities...the darkness and intensity of the color of the stains (which is what you want with fine lines)...You can't go wrong when choosing any of these henna powders.

Usha is the best of what the Indian henna powders do best. It is an excellent sift, flawless paste...solid reddish/brown stains and contains no green dyes. The Usha browns are a bit richer and go deeper with more red to the brown than is typical of Indian henna powders. Sometimes Indian henna powders get taken for granted or are considered all to be the same. Shouldn't be...and not so!!! Usha is solid and reliable and excellent.

Kezzi 1 and Kezzi 2 and Navaid 1 and Navaid 2 are like cousins. One is reinforced and one is not. Kezzi 1 and Navaid 1 are like the our other henna powders 100% natural. Like most 100% natural henna powders, terps are used along with these to provide the darkest stains on hard to stain body parts. Kezzi 2 and Navaid 2 are (reinforced) henna powders that can still take terps (don't need but can take terps) and will go the closest to black on palms and feet than I have seen in any other henna powders. They can get to that darkest stain faster than most powders do as well. They stains of these powders last longer and the demise is slower. That can be a good thing or a pain in the you know what. For the stains that can actually stain so dark as to be mistaken for black, I reach for Navaid 1 & 2, Kezzi 1 & 2, Kimia and Prabda.

So with me it is less about preference and more about what the individual henna powders do best for me. What is the henna powder best suited for a particular job? Which ones go darkest...which more red...which is stringy...which best for bold designs...which releases its dyes fast...which results in stains that develops slowly? Like...do I choose a hammer or a screw driver to get a specific job done. If I use the hammer when a screwdriver is better suited for the job, I might get angry at the hammer. So each one is a favorite and loved for what it does best.

As well as offering people an assortment of henna powders to play with...compare and to learn from, I developed the JAM Pack as a way to coax people from the mind set of choosing one henna powder for life and trying to make it do all of the things they want done. Henna by nature is fickled. Your dedication to her is not going to make her change her nature. With henna powder, playing the field is much wiser than going steady...And please don't marry her and expect her to fulfill all of your needs. I think of henna powder like a person's wardrobe...or an artist's palette. One pair of shoes just won't do. Unless you are willing to go the office in sneakers or play ball in your Balleys. And what artist would have a palette of one hue?

I say all of that and then must add...that has been my experience with them. It has also been the experience of other people using the same powders from me. And then I get an email from someone this week who said she got only wimpy orange from all of the powders last week...all applied to herself. That is not the powders. Remember henna is fickled. All five powders would never do the same thing at the same time. Her process did not change and she had gotten great results a couple of weeks before. When someone experiences this sort of problem they usually want to know if I think the problem is the fact they put the powder or paste powders in the freezer or not or wrapped it or not. NO!!! This is an indication that the person has a body chemistry thing going on right now. It will pass. When it does, the stains they have grown accustomed to will return.

I get this question a lot so it was worth repeating here. In my array of henna powders, I think you will find something to love about all of them. I certainly have. And when I find another powder that adds something unique and new to the existing powders offered in the JAM Pack and Kit, it will be added for sure. The JAMBALAYA Henna Powder Variety Pack and Kit allows you to play the field...try an assortment of henna powders and learn from them what they offer and what you desire. Knowing what you desire from your henna powder...understanding the nature of the various henna powders...and knowing what to do to get your henna powders to perform their best for you...are the things that will make your henna experience more fun and as predictable as possible. It also will let you know which henna powder to use to get a particular job done. I dearly love each of these henna powders. I love each for what it has to offer that is unique.

Check out our many other special henna powder kits as well. We have developed some very special and unique henna powder kits and gift baskets. I am sure we have something you have been looking for.

Is all henna powder basically the same?

Actually the henna plant is as varied as tomato plants, grape vines, apple trees etc. There are a variety of henna plants that grow in different areas and they produce very different henna powders...all of which have rather unique qualities. In fact, a particular henna powder will have some variation from season to season. Just like it is almost impossible to get that same exact great tomato plant growing again next season even if you harvest the seeds.

The henna powders resulting from the different variety of henna plants, from different crops throughout the season, makes henna powders quite different from each other...And can make the henna powder coming from the same plant quite different from one crop to the next...And certainly from one season to the next.

Where else can I get some helpful information about henna and mehndi?

Forums are a great place to meet with people like you who may have questions to ask and information to share regarding henna or mehndi. Here is a link to my favorite forum with members who are really helpful and who are always glad to share what they know. Just register (free), post once and you are a member too. Then you have at your fingertips a place to take all your questions and share all of your experiences as well. Hope to see you there! The Henna and Mehndi World Community Forum

main faq | recipes | henna types | application issues | oils & terps

Copyright © 2001-2005... All documents, text, pictures, designs enclosed are the property of Maureen Jones, EveryDay Mehndi,(unless otherwise indicated and may not be copied or used for any purposes without the written permission of Maureen Jones or the artist or writer indicated. Henna artists are welcomed to use patterns and designs for their own work but must at all times give credit to the original creator of the work. Site design by sleeping baby productions