Karishma Henna and Acid

[charmtreese]

Thursday Im going to use Karishma henna to dye my moms hair, she has a decent amount of grey hair that she wants covered. Is it a must to use something acidic to make the dye release? When I used this henna on my hair last week I only used water, I got a good color deposit, however I wasnt trying to cover grey hair.

 

[janeemat]

I read somewhere on here that if you are trying to cover grey, you will need to add indigo. I've never used henna so I really can't say for sure. Search the henna threads. Hopefully some of the pros will chime in.

 

[vkb247]

I would say check out the henna for hair site because they have a section for those with gray hair (it includes recipes and things). I don't believe that it is ever necessary to use an acid to develop henna but I know that some ladies have had challenges keeping the henna color on their grays even when they were using an acid.

 

[Makenzie]

I have quite a few gray strands on my right and left temples. I rarely use anything acidic when I henna. I do let the color release on its on the day before and I usually leave it in overnight.

 

[Stella B.]

I'm a henna lover and user for about a year now. I have used Jamilla, and henna for african hair from mehandi.com. I use only water to mix, but a lot of ladies here have had very good dye release by adding lemon juice, or another acidic base. The color that will be released will not be dark enough to cover gray strands. I've never used Karishma; but do plan on trying it in the future. My experience with henna and gray hair is that each time I henna, my gray hairs get highligted an orangey-brown color, while the rest of my hair is dyed a beautiful auburn with brownish red highlights.
If your mom's goal is to cover her grays, then I strongly suggest the 2 step process: henna first, then indigo. There are many excellent henna threads around here to help you. Also check out the link- http://www.hennaforhair.com This site is awesome!!!! Good luck to you on doing your mom's hair! I know she's going to love it!!!

 

[Mortons]

You dont have to use acid, just let the dye sit and release overnight

 

[Aggie]

I have quite a few gray strands on my right and left temples. I rarely use anything acidic when I henna. I do let the color release on its on the day before and I usually leave it in overnight.

Ditto...I do NOT use acids in my henna mixes. The only thing remotely acidic that I add to my henna is amla powder which I learned is actually acidic in nature. For me, that's enough. If you want a darker color, I would recommend adding indigo to the henna after the color releases and just before applying to your mom's hair. Indigo really does not need any die release time and can be added to color released henna right away and placed on the hair immediately after mixing. If you want the gray hairs to really take the color of the indigo, add about a Tbs of Sea salt to the indigo recipe.

 

[BeautifulFlower]

Karishma...yum....my favorite.

I am thinking you need to mix with some indigo or do multiple applications over the next couple of months of henna. My mom uses henna/indigo and her grays are covered.

 

[charmtreese]

Thanks for the help ladies! I've read through all of the henna threads I could find on lhcf and the advice varies...so I guess it's gonna have to be trial and error!

My mom is so excited you would think its Christmas or something.

I haven't ordered any indigo yet, so I guess I'll just give it a whirl with just the henna.

Aggie, do you think the amla powder that is already in the karishma henna will be enough or should I add more?

 

[Aggie]

Thanks for the help ladies! I've read through all of the henna threads I could find on lhcf and the advice varies...so I guess it's gonna have to be trial and error!

My mom is so excited you would think its Christmas or something.

I haven't ordered any indigo yet, so I guess I'll just give it a whirl with just the henna.

Aggie, do you think the amla powder that is already in the karishma henna will be enough or should I add more?

I'd say add another Tablespoon or 2 for a darker color. I must admit though that indigo gives the best dark coloring to grey hairs as long as you add some salt to it. My gray hairs are extremely resistent, so I normally have to add at least 2 tsp to it.

ETA: I have to agree with prettyfaceANB as well. You will need to do several applications to get the right coloring over time. The henna and indigo actually layers on the hair so if you stick with it, you'll see only beautiful hair.

 

[AllieCat0817]

I always mix my Karishma with green tea (I steep 4 bags of organic green tea in 2 cups hot water and leave it steeping overnight then in the morning mix the tea with the Karishma). Green tea is acidic but not drying like lemon juice. I get AWESOME results with this and i dont add anything else to my karishma (no oils, no honey- which I hear inhibits the dye absorption). Glad to find my staple henna routine and product!

 

[fyb87]

Add Amla if you don't have Indigo

I have natural hair and I do Henna/Cassia Treatments with water and honey. I will let you know that the few grays I have turned copper the first time and a brighter copper color the second time (added honey after color deposited). Now I love the color, but I only have about 10 visible grays. If your mom has quite a few I would definitely add the Amla if you don't have Indigo. Not sure if she would like the copper color (another person on this forum's grays turned BRIGHT ORANGE on her grays when using Henna Only). So it does sometimes depend on the person cuz my hair didn't turn orange!!erplexed

 

[Angelicus]

You can use black tea. It's acidic. I do it all of the time.

 

[heyfranz]

You dont have to use acid, just let the dye sit and release overnight

This is what i do with my karishma. I mix with condish and let it sit overnight. it turns my gray an orangey color

 

[vkb247]

I love all of the details about how you all henna. Why aren't all of you over on the henna thread?

 

[charmtreese]

well I have her henna sitting now. I used a cast iron skillet to mix it in . Not sure if that will make a difference, just experimenting around. I'm gonna let it sit for 8-12 hours before I apply and she is going to keep it in her head overnight. If I can remember to take pic's I will.

I told her that we may have to do it again next week when I have indigo to completely cover the grays.

 

[Angelicus]

BTW, with Karishma I don't wait for the "dye release" and my gray hair always comes out red.

 

[Aggie]

Okay ladies, I am so excited that I have to post this in all the ayurveda threads I can think of. It's a response email I got from Ekua at http://ayurnaturalbeauty.ecrater.com...keywords=henna, is this service or what?

Here it is:

Hi Agatha,

I'm back in town and have been busy with fulfilling the orders that came in the past few days while I was away. I see your order delivered. I hope all was satisfactory!

Good news (and you should spread the word) ... I should have indigo, cassia, and pure henna (100% henna, no blends) by the end of this month. I received the samples and they are all very finely sifted -- very powdery. This first order is a smaller one as I want to be sure of how well it will be received. If response is favorable, then I will increase the supply.

As for the discount, I know I was going to offer free shipping over a certain amount ordered and I was thinking of 10% off across the hair boards. Still working it all out.

I appreciate you being willing to promote me across the boards. I need the support as there is no AyurNatural Beauty without the support of customers! Any and all feedback is welcome!

Please stay in touch and also, I'm working on my blog for store updates and announcements -- http://ayurnaturalbeauty.blogspot.com -- feel free to join!

And I was recently interviewed by Kinky Rhonnie on her blog. See here -- http://kinkyrhonnie.blogspot.com/2009/07/ekuas-ayurnatural-beauty.html

Again, thank you for your support!

~ Ekua

************************************************** *****

This email was in response to an email I sent her earlier in the week. Everyone feel free to visit her blog spot. I am so excited about the indigo. That was costing me an arm and 2 legs in shipping charges coming from Canada and I just don't want to pay those anymore.