New to Henna

So yesterday I put in my order for henna (Jamila 2009). I was wondering what to mix with. It I already have coconut milk and honey on hand at the house but I also see a lot of ladies using green tea. Is one better than the other? Whats the difference? If I was to use the coconut milk how much should I use and should I still add the honey? Also with that henna how long do i let it sit for dye release? Help please. Thanx

I use 1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar for 100g of Henna w/ a can of coconut milk. Either an acidic liquid like ACV or lemon juice is usually used to help w/ dye release. Some say ACV and lemon juice are too harsh so they use green tea (which is more alkaline than acidic). I don't use honey but I believe most people use the honey to make the mixture smoother to apply. Mine was smooth enough with the coconut milk. For dye release, I let mine sit overnight but it all depends on the temperature around the henna. After letting it sit, if the top layer is brown and underneath is greenish then it is ready to be used. Hope that helped!

Is the coconut milk not acidic enough to release th dye alone

I used coconut milk and it did fine..

Coconut milk isn't very acidic, it's almost neutral

Are you including Amla in your henna mix? If so, Amla is acidic with no need to add anything else. I tend to keep my henna mix as simple as possible and save all of my other yummy mixtures for my deep conditioning treatment after the henna.

Yea I was thinking of adding amla b/c I don't want my curls to loosen. So how would I mix it with just amla?[list][*]

usually it's 1 tablespoon per 100 grams of henna (I think). My hair is really thick so I always mix 200 grams of henna plus 3 tablespoons of Amla. If I'm doing just an Ayurveda DC treatment, I'll add 1 - 2tablespoons of Amla because of the strengthening benefits it has for hair.

For mixing it with henna, i made the mistake on my last henna of not mixing the amla separately and just mixed it into the henna powered after dye release. it made my mixture very lumpy; next time, I will mix the amla separately with warm water and then add it to the henna.

I have tried the coconut milk natural relaxer in my hair as a treatment and my hair was like straw. I guess it was protein overkill. This is a video from a woman on youtube and this is exactly what happened to my hair after trying the steps from the youtube ladies.



The ratio is 2 tablespoons of Amla to 100 grams of Henna per the http://www.forums.hennapage.com/node/879/3255#comment-3255 site and http://hennablogspot.com/how-to-use-amla-powder-for-volune-texture-and-to-tone-down-the-red-of-henna/

AJSimmons, you may want to try mixing the amla and the henna powder together and then add the water and wait for dye release. You don't have to wait for dye release to add the amla powder. I add 2 tablespoons Hesh Amla powder, 1 tablespoon Hesh Brahmi powder, and 1 tablespoon Hesh Maka powder, 1/2 tablespoons of cloves, to my henna mix. I mix all the powders with the henna like you would a cake (mixing all the dry ingredients first) and then add spring water with green tea and Plantation brand Black strap molasses. I allow the mix to sit for 12 hours for dye release and then freeze if I am not ready to use it.

Why is it called the natural relaxer? Does coconut milk enhance curl loosening properties?

According to thatgirl on youtube, the ingredients break down the curl pattern, but not really relax it like a relaxer would do. However, the mixture elongates the curls. Here is the video ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQD5vt5-3AI&NR=1