Okay, this is a question we get lots of times! We have lots of blog posts on this topic, but we will do a quick review here as well.
The answer to this is simple--use good, quality ingredients.
Get henna powder intended for body art.
Powders that are available in Indian supermarkets are not really intended for body art, and many of them have harsh chemicals added to them. Your henna powder should have the freshest crop date (July of the current year--if it's not July yet, then July or October of the previous year).
The powder should be for body art. Something like Body Art Quality or triple sifted.
Look for packaging that is thick, protects the powder from sunlight.
Get steam distilled essential oils.
Essential oils are pricey, but the price of the oil should not stop you from getting the best ingredients for your henna paste. Don't fall for MLM (multi-level marketing) essential oil companies like Young living or Doterra. They mark up their oils 2 or 3 times as much to make a huge profit. Instead, find a local supplier, or a natural foods store to get your essential oils. Use tea tree, lavender, or eucalyptus globulus essential oil for your henna paste. Oils like naiouli, ravensara*, cajeput, geranium* are also good options. Most of these essential oils should cost between $5-8 for 10 mL. Do your math--if the bottle is 30 mL, the oil should cost about $15-20. Oils with * are more expensive and will typically cost about $20 for 10 mL--use these oils with another oil if you want to reduce the cost of your cone.
Mix your henna with good intention and patience.
Mix your henna with water or lemon juice. Keep your recipe simple--you don't need to add coffee, tea, or other crazy ingredients to get a good stain. Mix everything slowly so you don't mess up your henna paste consistency. I'll talk about consistency later. Also, because henna is such a beautiful and long process, put good intentions into your henna. Positive thoughts for a beautiful design.
Now, for the recipe:
50 grams henna powder
10-15 mL essential oil
1 tablespoon sugar (plain, white table sugar)
water or lemon juice to mix to consistency
Mix dry things first. Slowly add water and mix into a thick paste. Add essential oils and keep mixing. Once everything is mixed well, cover with silicone or plastic wrap and let it rest.
While your henna is resting, prepare your henna cones.
After 1 hour, mix your henna paste. Check consistency. Lift your spoon out of the henna paste above your bowl. If the henna paste falls off right away, your paste is too thin--add more water. If your paste slowly falls off in 1-3 seconds, your paste consistency is probably just right. Don't do anything. If your paste does not fall off your spoon, you need to add more water to thin out your paste.
Pour a little paste into a cone and seal it shut. Test to see if you like the consistency of the henna cone. If you like it, continue to package your henna cones. If you don't like it, adjust it by adding more water or powder, and check again.
I hope this helps!
OTHER BLOG POSTS TO TAKE A LOOK AT:
How to Mix and Package henna: http://blog.hennaart.ca/2015/11/how-to-mix-and-package-henna.html
How to package henna cones: http://blog.hennaart.ca/2014/10/how-to-package-henna-cones.html
How to roll cones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sDumD0xcWA
How to mix henna powder (Jamila): http://blog.hennaart.ca/2014/10/how-to-mix-henna-jamila-henna-powder.html
Essential oil Sourcing: http://blog.hennaart.ca/2019/12/q-essential-oil-sourcing.html
Get henna powder intended for body art.
Powders that are available in Indian supermarkets are not really intended for body art, and many of them have harsh chemicals added to them. Your henna powder should have the freshest crop date (July of the current year--if it's not July yet, then July or October of the previous year).
The powder should be for body art. Something like Body Art Quality or triple sifted.
Look for packaging that is thick, protects the powder from sunlight.
Get steam distilled essential oils.
Essential oils are pricey, but the price of the oil should not stop you from getting the best ingredients for your henna paste. Don't fall for MLM (multi-level marketing) essential oil companies like Young living or Doterra. They mark up their oils 2 or 3 times as much to make a huge profit. Instead, find a local supplier, or a natural foods store to get your essential oils. Use tea tree, lavender, or eucalyptus globulus essential oil for your henna paste. Oils like naiouli, ravensara*, cajeput, geranium* are also good options. Most of these essential oils should cost between $5-8 for 10 mL. Do your math--if the bottle is 30 mL, the oil should cost about $15-20. Oils with * are more expensive and will typically cost about $20 for 10 mL--use these oils with another oil if you want to reduce the cost of your cone.
Mix your henna with good intention and patience.
Mix your henna with water or lemon juice. Keep your recipe simple--you don't need to add coffee, tea, or other crazy ingredients to get a good stain. Mix everything slowly so you don't mess up your henna paste consistency. I'll talk about consistency later. Also, because henna is such a beautiful and long process, put good intentions into your henna. Positive thoughts for a beautiful design.
Now, for the recipe:
50 grams henna powder
10-15 mL essential oil
1 tablespoon sugar (plain, white table sugar)
water or lemon juice to mix to consistency
Mix dry things first. Slowly add water and mix into a thick paste. Add essential oils and keep mixing. Once everything is mixed well, cover with silicone or plastic wrap and let it rest.
While your henna is resting, prepare your henna cones.
After 1 hour, mix your henna paste. Check consistency. Lift your spoon out of the henna paste above your bowl. If the henna paste falls off right away, your paste is too thin--add more water. If your paste slowly falls off in 1-3 seconds, your paste consistency is probably just right. Don't do anything. If your paste does not fall off your spoon, you need to add more water to thin out your paste.
Pour a little paste into a cone and seal it shut. Test to see if you like the consistency of the henna cone. If you like it, continue to package your henna cones. If you don't like it, adjust it by adding more water or powder, and check again.
I hope this helps!
OTHER BLOG POSTS TO TAKE A LOOK AT:
How to Mix and Package henna: http://blog.hennaart.ca/2015/11/how-to-mix-and-package-henna.html
How to package henna cones: http://blog.hennaart.ca/2014/10/how-to-package-henna-cones.html
How to roll cones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sDumD0xcWA
How to mix henna powder (Jamila): http://blog.hennaart.ca/2014/10/how-to-mix-henna-jamila-henna-powder.html
Essential oil Sourcing: http://blog.hennaart.ca/2019/12/q-essential-oil-sourcing.html
Hi Aneela. Thanks for reaching out. An easy recipe calls for best henna powder. You cannot just buy regular henna powder from the supermarket or Indian store. If you have good quality henna powder that is intended for body art, you can get a good dark stain