Organic Cassia Powder, 100g

Cassia auriculata
2024 crop
Certified Organic
Triple Sifted
Vacuum sealed and foil wrapped
Individually packaged 100g amounts.

Can gives a *very* light golden colour to *white* hair on it's own, but considered neutral
Used with henna & indigo to create blonde shades
Not permanent (lasts about 3 weeks)
Makes hair glossy & stronger while enhancing natural curls
An excellent conditioning treatment for the length of your hair if you are only henna'ing your roots

How much you'll need:
50g = root colouring
100g = short hair
200g = collar length hair
300g = shoulder length hair
500g = waist length hair

Blonde Colour Chart Guide:
https://www.hennacanada.ca/blogs/instructions/creating-blondes

For Dye Release Instructions when mixing with henna & indigo:
https://www.hennacanada.ca/HairColourBeginnersGuide.htm

* If you live in a region with hard water (high mineral content), the minerals can build up in the hair, which reacts with cassia.  When dissolved minerals react with cassia, it can turn hair green, dark brown or a green-black.  Always collect hair from your brush as do a test before using cassia on the scalp. If hard water is a problem, wash hair with a chelating shampoo & rinse with distilled water. Then collect that washed hair from your brush for a test to make sure there's no minerals reacting with the cassia. 

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 cassia before using.
Natural plant based dye is generally considered safe to use but allergies are possible & it is advised to consult your physician if you have any questions about your health.

Storage: Store the powder a cool and dark place.

Pure Cassia Powder
Latin Name: Cassia Auriculata L.
Active Compound in Cassia: 9,10-anthraquinone

Product Details: 100% pure Cassia, 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 cassia

*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 cassia 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 colour all of your hair.

IF YOU HAVE HARD WATER: you will need to chelate your hair first. That means removing the hard water mineral buildup. Minerals from hard water can react to cassia turning your hair brownish-black. So buy a chelating shampoo or try some home methods & only rinse with distilled water.

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 cassia powder in a cool dark place.
Dye released cassia paste can be kept in the fridge of 3 days.
Dye released cassia paste can be kept in the freezer for 6 months.

TO DYE RELEASE / MAKE CASSIA PASTE:
1. Combine cassia powder with your chosen fruit juice or powder with distilled water in a non-metal bowl.
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. Then cover bowl with a towel to protect from the lights & let sit to dye release for 8 hours.
**If you’re combining cassia with henna and /or indigo, read the instructions for those powders, as they are different.
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.

For just a gloss without colour, mix cassia with a fruit acid or distilled water to make a thick paste & apply to hair right away.

PREPPING HAIR WHEN THE CASSIA 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, use a chelating shampoo. 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. (rinse with distilled water if you have hard water)
*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. 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!
2. 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 cassia powder. You can also use ziziphus to thicken if you have bought some for natural hair cleaning.
3. 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.
4. 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 cassia bind.
5. 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.
6. 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 paste: soak in a bathtub & massage your scalp, swish your hair until you feel like most of the paste is out. Then you can move to a shower to rinse out the rest. If cassia residue is left behind, your scalp will feel itchy & your hair will feel dry, so make sure you rinse well.
Hard water isn't an issue after the cassis is already bound to the hair.
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 cassia 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 & colour again. 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 dye binding. In a few washes & conditioning sessions, the cuticles will settle back down.