Henna dye release. Freeze or heat?

So I am anxiously awaiting my package of Punjabi Prime henna. In the meantime, I've been looking up mixes and such. I've decided on Red Zinger tea and honey. Does that sound okay?

My issue is that some folks say to freeze the henna mix for dye release, while others say to put the mix in a warm place.

What's correct?? Please help!!

I've never heard of freezing henna to get the dye to release. I always place my henna in a warm place as it directs in the henna for hair ebook. If you go to hennaforhair.com you'll find all the information you need sis! HTH!

No, you only freeze the left over mixed up henna that has already dye released and which you didn't use up in your intended application. Spoon the left over into a zip lock bag and pop it into the freezer. You can keep adding to it with successive applications until you have enough to use in one application. I defrost it by putting the ziplock bag in a bowl of warm (not boiling hot) water.

As for keeping the henna in a warm place, yes while you are letting it sit and waiting for the dye to release you can keep it out at room temperature. Since you are using a tea, then the liquid will be warm. Make sure it's not boiling hot though as some say that it destroys the good properties in the henna.

I've tried both methods but mixing then immediately freezing my henna mix gives me faster and stronger dye content than mixing and waiting for it to happen in a warm place.

The freezing process makes the molecules in henna just 'pop' with max colour because the work of the freezing (jagged ice particles tearing open dye-containing cell walls) does the dye release, even if you don't let it sit ahead of time.

I also like the freezing method for convenience - no faffing around having to check the henna or worrying if I've let it sit out too long. I simply mix the henna, freeze it, defrost it when I need to use it and apply.

Check out posts on hennaforhair.com where you'll see other hennaheads talking about the benefits of using frozen henna.

That's interesting nefratitiuk and that explains what the OP meant in her post. I might give that a try since I am moving to a roots only touch up process and it might work out quite convenient for me. So once all the tannin molecules have popped in the freezing process then the dye is kept in stasis like it would when frozen after the dye release?

Not that I'm a scientific expert but yes, based on what I've read on Henna sites and how defrosted henna works on my hair.

If you're doing roots-only henna applications you can also make up a batch, freeze it in an ice-cube tray and just defrost the number of henna cubes you need. Good luck.

@nefratitiuk: what are you using as your liquid in your henna?

Hi

I use three bags of blackcurrant or lemon and orange herbal tea, made with boiling water + juice from half a fresh lemon or lime to intensify the colour and make sure it binds to my hair. I then leave the mixture to go cold before using it to make my henna mix.

thank u for replying so swiftly nefratitiuk! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I love your hair color!
I plan to use your directions this week on my next henna.Do you think this could work using green tea and fresh lemon? What was your hair color before you henna'd?

Thanks but a disclaimer - my profile pic is old, showing my bleached hair before I started using henna. I stopped getting highlights as my hair started breaking really badly so I decided to grow out my highlighted hair and moved to using permanent black hair dye to cover my grey roots. Mistake!My hair was still weak and prone to breakage.

I've almost grown out the highlights and found my solution to healthy coverage of my grey hairs and restoring strength and body - henna and indigo. Henna won't lighten black or brown hair but gives it a red sheen in sunshine, or in my case gives a red sheen to my new brown/black hair growth + red/burgandy 'highlights' on my grey hairs.

I'll get round to updating my pics, but until then check out CN's henna posts http://www.curlynikki.com/2008/10/im-henna-head.html or Fleurzty http://www.textureplayground.com/blog/?p=2517 to see the varying effects henna can have on natural or previously chemically-coloured hair.