My henna ritual

I used to do a pretty standard henna preparation, but now I do a henna/cassia mix to avoid my hair from getting too dark.

- I use 1/2 cup cassia (bought from HennaSooq) and 1/3 cup BAQ Henna (Dulhan or Jamila).

- I use about a cup (or 8 oz) of hot/warm chamomile tea. I use chamomile due to its natural staining ability. If you are not concerned with toning down redness, you can use any tea.

- I also use the juice of 1/4 a lemon, if I have it on hand. This is another hair lightening modification, although if you add in lemon juice to any henna mix, the dye will release faster, due to the high acidic content.

1. I combine the henna, tea, and lemon juice in a bowl.
2. I whisk until my mixture resembles cake batter.
3. I seal the container. I have been using Glad Press n' Seal, but saran wrap works the same way.
4. I wait 12 hours.
5. I add in some coconut oil and honey. Henna can be drying on its own, and lemon juice can be especially drying. I also oil my ends with coconut oil before applying the henna. From my experience, so long as these things are added after the dye has released, they pose no threat. Honey is a natural humectant, so odds are it will only benefit your henna experience.
6. I apply the henna to my entire head, making sure to fully saturate the roots.
7. I leave the henna in my hair for at least 1 1/2 hours but always less than 4 hours.
8. I rinse/co-wash with a silicone free conditioner as many times as needed. Afterwards, I condition my hair normally.

I have previously experimented with other acids in the past. My first few henna treatments were done with coconut milk as the acid. I know other women have had success with it, but I never got the great result that I have gotten using teas. My experience with warm water was the same.

With regards to Amla, I don't use it. It is supposed to aid in curl retention and give a darker brown cast to the henna, neither of which I want.

Footnote: Henna is messy. Make sure you have plastic gloves and saran wrap. I also keep baby wipes at hand to easily remove henna when it touches areas that are hard to get to or hard to remove.

I hope this is helpful!