Organic Rajasthani Henna Powder, 100g

2024 Crop 
Body Art Quality
Certified Organic
Vacuum sealed and foil wrapped
Individually packaged 100g amounts.

Rajasthani Henna has a stringy consistency - perfect for draping lines.
(Jamila is creamy - perfect for dots).
Stringy texture doesn't require as much sugar in the paste
With proper dye released & aftercare, will give a dark black-cherry on the fingertips & palms of most people.  

The lawsone in henna is an orange molecule which binds with the collagen in the skin, keratin in the nails & hair. A permanent dye when used correctly, the body art is temporary because we shed or dead skin calls, but the stain will be permanent on the nails. 
Benefits: hennotannic acid is a strong anti-fungal, making henna effective against ringworm, nail fungus, eczema & psoriasis symptoms. Of course, here I am obliged to state that only a physician can diagnose diseases and prescribe drugs. (Good thing pure, unprocessed plants are not a drug!).
A 20 minute application to the scalp 2 - 3 days a week can replace a chemical shampoo regiment for most people.

Disclaimer: For external use only. Do not use on cut or abraded scalp and in the area of the eye. Keep out of reach of children. Always test before using as per the instructions on this website.
Natural plant based dye is generally considered safe to use but allergic reactions are possible & it is advised to consult your physician if you have any questions about your health.

Henna powder must be stored in the freezer to maintain lawsone dye content.

Pure Henna Powder
Latin Name: Lawsonia inermis
Part Used: Leaves

Active Ingredient: Lawsone (2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone), an hennotannic acid.

Product Details: 100% pure Henna. free of preservatives or additives. This product is certified organic, following the Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) for medicinal plants published by the World Health Organization. It is free of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, metallic salts, chemical dyes, adulterants; it is not irradiated or genetic engineered (GMOs). The powder comes in airtight, 100g vacuum sealed packages.

READ ALL instructions before you open your henna
Instructions will be for hair first, then body art below.

*Follow dye release instruction for a small sample test (1 tsp of powder):
1. Do a test patch on your inner arm with your paste to test for allergies to either the henna or the fruit acid you’ve chosen. Cover paste with a bandage for the day & check for reactions over the next 2 days. Anyone can have an allergy to a plant.
2. Test with some hair harvested from your brush before you henna all of your hair.

How much powder you’ll need:
For average hair thickness, 100g powder per 5” of hair length.
* amount will vary with super thin, super thick hair & your hair porosity.

Storage:
Keep henna powder in the freezer for long-term storage.
Dye released henna paste can be kept in the fridge of 3 days.
Dye released henna paste can be kept in the freezer for 6 months.

TO DYE RELEASE / MAKE HENNA PASTE:
How long it takes depends on the ambient temperature & which fruit acid you use
1. Combine henna powder & your chosen fruit juice or powder* with distilled water to a bowl (avoid stainless steel).
*Learn about fruit acid options here: https://www.hennacanada.ca/blogs/instructions/fruit-acids-list-for-dye-release
If you are using amla or cassia with your henna for hair dye, you can add them now.
2. Add enough liquid to make a thick paste – like guacamole or a thick yogurt. Whisk out lumps to make sure all powder is combined.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap – making sure the plastic is against the paste. Tip for later: put a piece of paper towel or tissue over the plastic wrap. Then cover bowl with a towel to protect from the lights & let sit to dye release.
Depending on ambient temperature & the fruit acid you used, dye release can take anywhere from 4 hours to 24 hours:
Hotter temperature (30 C) & higher pH (apply juice, orange juice) = faster dye release of 4 – 6 hours
Lower temperature (20 C) & lower pH (lemon juice, vinegar) = slower (but better) dye release of 8 – 24 hours
Pro Tip: if you have an oven with a light bulb, put the henna in there to dye release. It provides a consistent dye release time of 12 hours for a low pH paste.

TEST FOR DYE RELEASE:
Depending on your temp & pH example above, estimate when you need to start checking your paste.
Check the paper towel / tissue. If it's not stained orange, let it sit longer.
If the paper towel has an orange stain on it, it's time to test your paste!
Scrape the top paste aside & dip your finger below. Keep henna paste on your fingertip for 5 minutes. Rinse. If there is a vibrant, rich orange stain on your fingertip, your henna is ready! If it's a light, dull orange stain, wait another 2 hours & test again.
**If you’re combining your henna with indigo, follow the indigo instructions after the henna is ready. The instructions are completely different.
If you don’t like the smell of henna, you can add a tsp of ginger powder for 100g of henna powder.

DO NOT add anything else to your paste, no matter what you read on the internet of have been told through folklore. No egg, yogurt, tea, coffee, oils, conditioners, etc… It will only damage the results.

PREPPING HAIR WHEN THE HENNA IS READY:
Shampoo your hair right before applying paste. If you have hard water, use a lot of styling products or swim in chlorinated pools, a clarifying shampoo is best. If you have dye-resistant non-porous hair, you might even want to wash with something as harsh as dish detergent. Do not use conditioner or any oil product after. Just shampoo & rinse well.
*If you have dye-resistant greys or non-porous hair, you can now use the baking soda trick to help lift your hair cuticle: mix baking soda with enough purified water to make a paste. Apply to dye-resistant hair areas, cover with a plastic cap to keep it moist. Leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse well.
Towel dry or air dry your hair.
Now you’re ready to apply your paste.

APPLICATION:
1. Wear gloves
2. Section your hair to make it easier for you to apply the paste. If it's your first time and you have long hair, maybe try a few different methods of sectioning your hair, before your henna is ready, to make sure you won't miss any spots before you jump into applying the paste - it can be messy your first go!
3. Make the paste is a good consistency to work with. Runny paste is a horror, so be careful to add very small amounts of liquid & stir constantly. What you're looking for is a thick icing consistency – can be smooshed thickly into hair sections & won't drip or run. If you accidentally made it too runny, add a little more henna or cassia powder. It won’t be dye released, so it won’t affect your colour. You can also use ziziphus to thicken if you have bought some for natural hair cleaning.
4. Apply paste to small ¼” segments of hairs at a time. Make sure that the paste is being massaged each section so that no hair is missed. Repeat until all hair is coated.
5. Cover head with a plastic shower cap, plastic bag or plastic wrap. Press against the hair – you want it airtight to keep moist & protect from oxygen. If you’re cool, put a towel or knit hat over your head to keep warm. Heat helps the henna bind.
6. If you have dye-resistant or non-porous hair, blasting your head with heat from a hair dryer outside of your plastic cap & hat for 15 minutes will help.
7. Leave the paste on hair for 2 hours minimum. 4 hours+ for greys & non-porous. You can even go to bed with it. Just keep the paste moist & warm.

RINSING:
If you have long, thick or super curly hair, the mermaid method will be the easiest way for you to start rinsing out the henna: soak in a bathtub & massage your scalp, swish your hair until you feel like most of the henna is out. Then you can move to a shower to rinse out the rest. If henna residue is left behind, your scalp will feel itchy & your hair will feel dry, so make sure you rinse until the water runs clear. There’s no need to shampoo. If you used the baking soda paste trick, then you can rinse your hair in the same fruit acid that you used to dye release your henna to help re-acidify your hair. Now you can condition as usual.
*DO NOT blow your hair dry or use heat styling for the next week… just air dry.

THE WAIT & AFTERCARE:
It takes 2 – 5 days for the henna to oxidize (darken) into its final colour. Wait at least 4 days to judge the colour & henna again for touch-ups or to change to a different colour mix. Heat (blow dryer & heat styling) can make the hair darker during the 5 day oxidation period, that’s why you want to just air dry for the first week, until you see the final colour.

If your hair feels dry, don’t worry, the follicles are just a little bumpy from the lawsone dye binding. In a few washes & conditioning sessions, the cuticles will settle back down.

FOR BODY ART
Follow all of the dye release instructions, but you can add 5ml of essential oil / 100g henna powder if you want.
When paste is dye released, you can strain it through a nylon stocking to get rid of any tiny grit, then cone or store in the freezer in a large bag before coning.
For the best stain, leave henna paste on the skin for 8 hours. I seal my henna with hypoallergenic paper medical tape. The stain will darken for 2 days after you take off the paste. Keep area as dry as possible. Avoid all pool / hot tubs & avoid exfoliation.