my first henna

I plan to do my first henna treatment next week and have no idea what i should mix it with. what has provided you with your best mixes? how long should i leave it on? I don't really want a red tint to my hair so should i leave it on for less time? sorry so many questions

Its best to start simple. Most simple recipes are some acidic liquid like lemon juice and a fine sifted henna. A lot of curlies use green tea or apple juice because lemon is too harsh and drying.

I used Red Zinger and white tea for my first henna. The second time I used conditioner. It was more than a henna gloss because I used almost a 100 grams of henna.

I preferred my second method.

Good thick conditioner. 2 tea bags of red zinger. I used about 1/4 cup of distilled boiling water on the tea and let it cool completely to room temperture before mixing with the conditioner and then the henna. I mixed it until the texture was creamy like smooth mashed potatoes. Then I covered it with plastic wrap, pressed to the surface of the henna.
I let it sit for about 8 hours for color release. When I put it on my hair, I wrapped my head with plastic and a damp towel. Then sat under a medium dryer to keep it warm for 2 hours. I am impatient though, most of the ladies here leave it on overnight. If your hair is dark brown or black, you are not going to see much color change except a little glow in the sunlight.

Here are some recipes from the Henna for Hair site.

Henna Mixes

thanks! I'm going to check out the site now!!!