Sifting mediocre henna

So, it took me *months* of reading here and elsewhere to finally decide to henna. Once I decided though, I was really ready, and ended up getting 100g box of henna (Mumtaz) at a local store instead of waiting for my online orders to come in.

I cut my henna with cocoa because I'm not interested in color. So, 100g henna is enough for 2 treatments on my short hair. Two weeks ago, I did a treatment, and, to my dismay, rinsing was a real hassle. I found little pebbles and even twigs in the henna.

By this weekend, I was ready for another treatment, and thought about tossing the store henna since my online order of better quality henna had arrived. I decided I would try to sift the remainder of my store-bought henna instead of tossing it. I bought a used sifter (the same kind used in baking) at a thrift store--I wanted a sifter dedicated to henna and other hair powders so I won't have to worry about mixing it with food.

Anyway, I sifted my mix on Friday night, and then added my liquids. After letting it sit for a few hours, I stirred it up again to remove any remaining lumps. On Saturday morning, I did a henna treatment. Rinsing out this mix was so much easier, even though it was the same henna I'd used last time. Sifting my henna/cocoa/spice mix before adding the liquids got rid of any debris that might have been there.

I plan on ordering henna online in the future (so I'll know it is fresh, will have the option to buy it in bulk, etc), but I'm glad to know that I can sift any henna that gives me trouble with rinsing.