EveryDay Mehndi... How to use henna


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HENNA RECIPES...
EveryDay Mehndi ideas and a way to get started!

Maureen's favorite recipe:

Henna powder
Lemon juice concentrate
Sugar
Cajeput

My favorite recipe is pretty basic...lemon, sugar and henna powder. To help darken the stains I add cajeput. In a plastic bowl I mix about two heaping tablespoons of henna powder with about 3 tablespoons of lemon juice (to start) and 1/4 teaspoons of sugar. I stir this up with a wooden pop-like stick adding lemon juice little by little until it is like biscuit mix. I continue to add lemon juice until the paste is like a thick pancake mix. Ultimately I like my paste to be yogurt consistence... minus the fruit...

Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then foil and let it sit for 12 to 24 hours to allow the dye release from the henna powder. I like to cover my bowl with plastic wrap and then with foil. Some people use tupperware or other containers with lids. The main point is to keep light and air away from your paste at this time. In the summertime I just leave the covered paste out in a warm room. But when the weather is colder, you want to find ways to try to keep the covered bowl in a place that is warm (75 to 85 degrees or so). To accomplish this, I cover my bowl with plastic wrap and foil and then sometimes wrap it with a towel. And sometimes I will even place the covered paste on top of a warm TV and let it sit.

After the sitting period is over, remove the cover and stir in approximately 15 to 20 drops of cajeput, ravensara, eucalyptus globulus, rosemary, terpineol or tea tree oil. Any of these will be effective. Stir this with the wooden spoon or craft stick. You want your paste to be the consistency of stirred yogurt. If you need to thin the paste a bit... and this will depend upon how you like your paste... add a bit more lemon juice and sugar and stir again. Let this sit another 8 to 12 hours. Most henna powders will be ready to use at this point. But due to different temperatures in the environment and differences in henna powders, you will have to work with your henna powder to get to know when it is at peak dye release and ready to use.

(You can also add your terps in with the other ingredients during the initial mixing stage. Then follow the same directions with a sitting time of 12... 24... 48 hours depending upon the henna powder used. You will find 24 to 48 hours ideal for obtaining sufficient dye release to thoroughly saturate your henna paste.)

Transferring the paste to your applicator bottle:

The easiest way to do this is to transfer the paste into a small plastic bag. I buy these in bulk from a craft store. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal it. Then using your thumb and forefinger on the outside of the bag, squeeze and rub the paste within the bag to smooth out any remaining lumps or clogs and to mix the paste well. If you are new to this henna/mehndi, I would recommend that you start out using a plastic applicator bottle with an applicator tip to apply the henna simply because it is one of the easiest application methods to master.

Even if you choose to learn to use a plastic cone, you will still have to now transfer the paste to the cone or plastic applicator bottle. Make sure the top of the baggy is sealed securely...push the paste over to one bottom corner of the bag...fold the bag into a triangle...pinch with your thumb and forefinger the tip of the bag where the paste has accumulated just enough to push the paste back a bit from the tip. Take your scissors and snip a small part of the corner off. Stick he snipped corner into your applicator bottle and squeeze the plastic bag forcing the paste out of the bag into the applicator bottle. You might have to stop squeezing a couple of times to pound the bottom of the plastic bottle on the table to make the paste drop to the bottom of the bottle. Squeeze until your bottle is filled up (leaving just enough room to push in the applicator tip). If you have paste left in the plastic baggy, fill another bottle. Put the plastic applicator tip on the applicator bottle(s) and you are now ready to apply your henna paste.

Sometimes the applicator tip that comes with the applicator bottle won't allow you to make fine lines. You can purchase small metal tips to attach to the applicator tip that comes with the applicator bottle. These metal tips are available in 3 to 4 sizes that produce different size lines. My favorite metal applicator tips are the Jacquard Metal Applicator Tips that come in sizes #5, #7 and #9... with #5 being the smallest and #9 the largest. If your henna powder is finely sifted and mixed properly, it should go through the #5, #7 and #9 with no problem. With some henna powders, however, it may still be necessary to thin your paste more to use the #5 tip. Some people even strain their paste through a nylon hose to remove clogs and thin it sufficiently to go through the #5 applicator tip.

Tools and equipment for applying your paste:

Some handy tools to have around when applying your paste are toothpicks and cotton balls. You can have toothpicks on hand to help you straighten out your lines and clean up little places the henna paste has dropped accidentally. The cotton balls are great to have around to clean up spills as well. I also like to keep a very fine gauge piece of wire handy to poke open the tip if it should clog or paste should dry there. Also helpful are a piece of paper to squeeze out a bit of paste to get it flowing and a piece of cloth (moist) to wipe off tips and hands.

Sealants:

When the paste of your design is almost dry you will want to put a seal over the paste. I use lemon juice and sugar mixture as a sealant or my FancySeal. I apply the lemon/sugar sealant on top of the henna paste with a Q-tip dipped in the lemon juice and sugar mix. Your lemon and sugar mixture should be the consistency of a thin syrup. Apply enough to moisten the top of the design without disturbing the design or soaking it. I do this one or two times allowing the design to begin to dry but not crack prior to applying the second seal. With FancySeal, only one coat is required to seal the design.

Wrapping:

When it is just about dry you will need to wrap your design. Some people say that using terps make the wrapping not necessary for them. This might have a lot to do with the climate. I have never found this to be so unless you are experiencing 85 to 95 + degree and humid weather on a sunny day. Where I live in the North East of the U.S., wrapping the design makes a lot of difference. You will want to wrap the design in toilet paper first. I wrap toilet paper around the design about 3 to 4 times making sure not to smudge the design. When the design on fingers or toes require it, place toilet tissue or cotton balls between the fingers or toes to keep them apart. Then use your tissue generously to wrap the area of the design. Then wrap again (over the tissue) with plastic wrap like saran wrap. When the weather is really cold, I might follow this up by putting my hand with the design on it into a sock or put a sock on the foot that has the design on. I then leave this on overnight or about 8 hours.

In the morning or after the 8 hours, I then remove the wrapping and scrape off the paste. I use a smoothed edged butter knife to scrape off the paste. Next I put olive, jojoba, emu, coconut or sesame seed oil over the design and may or may not then steam the design over a pot of water that has boiled and is still steaming. Don't burn yourself. You can steam without burning. The steaming will help to darken your stain. Immediately at paste removal, a good stain can range from pumpkin orange to deep bright reddish orange, or deep orange or brilliant neon orange, deep tan and even brilliant neon orange/red. Some stains at paste removal will even be brown or red. Whatever the color of your stain at paste removal, the stain color will change again over a period of 3 to 5 days until it reaches peak coloring.

Aftercare:

This is the time that can make or break your stain. Do not apply water or wash the new henna stain for 24 hours. Do not use baby wipes. Do not go swimming. But if you get a chance, do sit in a hot tub without getting the stain wet or out in the sun. Heat and perspiration will do wonders for your stain at this time. You will see your stain darken over the next 2 to three days.

Having said all of that, you should know that none of this will be helpful if you have bad henna powder. Bad powder is usually old stale powder. Your chances of getting stale powder is pretty high when going to some of the local stores to buy it. The freshest powder available to you will be from people who are both using it and importing it regularly. Henna artists who both use and sell the same powder they use in their own work will most likely have high quality henna powder for body art. I have done extensive research over the last 2 years to determine which powders are the most consistent with regard to color of stain, and are an excellent quality henna powders. An excellent quality henna powder should come to you sufficiently sifted. Excellent henna powder is fine talc like powder, has a smooth paste consistency, may release its dyes slowly or quickly, may be slow staining or quick staining, it will provide long lasting stains, it will contain no PPD or other adulterations, and can be reliably obtained from a reputable supplier. We assure you only the most excellent henna powders at EveryDay Mehndi.

There are some very fine henna powders that are more coarse and should be used with application methods other than the small tipped applicator bottles. Straining can often make the more coarse henna powders usable with the fine tips. But these powders are more suitable for the bold henna patterns that can successfully be executed with larger tips, release methods and stencils.

Sifting:

Our henna powders will not require sifting unless you just like to sift. If you want to sift or just want to know how to do so effectively, I suggest obtaining a very finely woven cloth similar to the weave of a shower curtain. Cheese cloth is spoken about frequently. But cheese cloth is pretty useless when trying to obtain a fine sift. Use a plastic tupperware like cup or bowl that comes with a cover. Stretch your cloth over the bowl allowing some sway in the cloth. It should not be taut. I find securing the cloth with sturdy tape or a band used on ceramic molds work lovely. Put your powder onto the cloth. I find it helpful to put coins or marbles in with the powder. Put the lid on the bowl or cup. Hold the lid on securely and SHAKE... SHAKE... SHAKE!!! SHAKE... SHAKE... SHAKE!!! SHAKE YOUR BOOOWL... SHAKE YOUR BOOOWL!!!

This method should result in the sifted powder being in the bottom of the bowl or cup while the larger particles you do not want in your powder will be caught by the cloth. Remove the lid... remove the cloth and toss what is caught there... And enjoy your sifted henna powder.

After you do this a couple of times, the novelty will have worn off and you will appreciate the efforts that have gone into providing you with excellently sifted henna powder...

Straining: Pour and scrape your paste mixture into a cheese cloth bag or knee high that is placed within a plastic baggy. Close cheese cloth bag or knee high securely at top. Strain the paste by squeezing paste in the cheese cloth bag or knee high within the baggy with a milking and pulling motion with thumb and fingers. This is not a neat process... so be patient. Remove from baggy, the cheese cloth bag or knee high that paste has been strained from and discard. Remove all air from baggy and seal top of bag. Squeeze paste in bag between fingers to mix well and remove all clumps. Transfer henna paste from baggy to j-bottle or cone by snipping the plastic bag corner and squeezing paste into the j-bottle or cone.

My serious additives recipes:

(large quantity of paste)

Ingredients:

Kattha (3 level tsp. Powdered)
Clove oil, 3 drops
Lemon juice, 10 teaspoons... then as needed
Coffee or black tea, 8 teaspoons brewed and black
Henna powder, 100 grams
Black walnut powder, 1 teaspoon
Almond syrup, 1/4 teaspoon
Sugar, 3 teaspoons
Cajeput, Eucalyptus or Tea Tree oil, 15 ml

This is a recipe I use for myself, friends and family when I have a gathering.. People I know who are not allergic to either clove oil or nut products. This recipe is not recommended for use on the general public. Grind or pound with hammer, a kattha square into powder and chip form. Mix kattha, clove oil, black walnut powder and brewed coffee. Stir until well mixed. Heat kattha, clove oil and coffee/tea mix until hot (do not boil). Stir mix and set aside to cool. Then strain.

Mix Henna powder, almond syrup and lemon juice... stirring in lemon juice until all powder has been moistened. Slowly blend the room temperature kattha, clove and coffee mixture into the henna, almond syrup and lemon juice. Mix well until smooth and without lumps. Mix in more lemon and sugar until desired consistency. Let sit 6 to 8 hours or more until film forms on top.

Stir in terp (cajeput, eucalyptus, ravensara or tea tree) oil of choice... mixing well. Let sit between 12 and 24 hours. You may let paste sit longer before use if desired.

Storage: Refrigerate paste after peak dye release and it will last 4 to 10 days. Freeze it and it will last 3 months well. After 3 months you may experience separation in the paste.

Aroma: Stir in 3 to 4 drops of rose or gardenia oil with 3 to 5 drops of vanilla or ylang-ylang for a soft floral aroma. Neroli or jasmine may be substituted for rose or gardenia eos. Lotus, patchouli or chamomile may be substituted for vanilla or ylang-ylang eos. When adding these oils to your paste, it may be necessary to add additional henna powder... one teaspoon or less of henna powder should do the trick. Other oils to try are Geranium Rose, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Frankincense, Myrrh, Rosemary, Black Pepper for earthy spicy aromas. For exotic aromas try Henna Blossom, Mehndi Attar, Sugandh Bala, Davana, Geranium, and Mango Ginger.

Keep in mind that essential oils are used by aroma therapist and massage therapist because fragrance can alter moods and/or trigger memories. Please do you research prior to choosing oils to use on the general public. In fact, I would recommend skipping use of the essential oils just to add fragrance when working with the public. There are oils that are dangerous for pregnant women... some risky to use on people with certain allergies or skin sensitivities. It is best to use oils on yourself and those you know well. The oils I have mentioned above are generally safe for use on most people... But then we get back to the effect of aromas on individuals. For children and women who are pregnant, substitute Lavender for the other terps mentioned above....

Maureen's really good smelling recipe:

Henna powder (2 heaping tablespoons)
Lemon juice concentrate
Sugar
Cajeput, 15 to 20 drops
Gardenia or Rose oil (5 drops)
Tamarind (optional)
Black and green tea (optional)
Expresso coffee (optional)
Walnut powder (optional)
Clove oil (optional)

In a small plastic bowl, mix your favorite henna powder with enough lemon or lime juice to make it into a thick biscuit like consistency. Seal the container with a lid or plastic wrap and let it sit overnight in a warm room. The next day heat black Indian tea or green tea (or prepared expresso coffee), black walnut powder and one cup of water. When the water begins to boil, add a few pieces of dried chopped tamarind or a spoon of tamarind paste and 7 drops of clove oil and allow the mix to boil down and thicken a bit. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain this mixture in a small kitchen strainer. Then slowly add the tea mixture to the henna paste plus a 1/8 teaspoon of sugar and 15 to 20 drops of cajeput and 5 drops of Rose or Gardenia oil until mixture is the consistency of stirred yogurt. Stir until there are no apparent lumps. Pour and scrape this mixture into a ziploc bag and leave for 12 to 24 hours. (You could choose to strain your paste at this time if you wish.) Cut the tip of the corner off the bag. Put the cut tip into the top of the applicator bottle and squeeze in the paste until the applicator bottle is filled. Your paste is now ready to apply.

Another smell good ritual for making your paste:

Instead of using lemon juice or lime juice concentrate, here is one for those who like a little extra work! Add 2 dried limes to 3 cups water. Boiled until water turns red.(about 15-20 min). Add in some rose petals, jasmine petals, some Indian black tea , cardamom seeds, and a tiny bit of lavender powder. Simmer very very lowly. Strain mixture. When the mixture is at room temperature, mix it with your favorite henna powder and sugar. Cover and let sit for 8 to 12 hours. Essential oils may be added at this time for fragrance--approximately 5 drops. Add in 15 to 20 drops of cajeput or ravensara. A wonderful addition to this mix is 3 drops each of Frankincense and Myrrh.

All of these recipes except the first most basic recipe is only for those times when I have the time to or want to add a little "extra" something to my henna paste and mixing pleasure. But for practical purposes, I use and recommend the basic recipe. Once you have you basic recipe mastered and working for you, then and only then is it time to experiment with the other additives.

If you just want something to change the fragrance of the henna powder that will linger on your hands after paste removal, just put a drop or two of essential oil of your choice on your hand and rub it in. That will do the trick. I choose Rose.

Happy Henna-ing and Beautiful Deep Stains!!!!

Maureen

Everything you need for these recipes and any other henna/mehndi needs may be obtained here at EveryDay Mehndi.