I thought today would be a good day to look at some easy recipes and tips for creating henna paste. While I haven’t used any of these recipes myself, they are fairly standard among all the recipes out there.

In my own experience, I have noticed that when I used my fresh henna paste immediately after making it, the designs turned out very golden. Waiting several hours (better yet, a full day) produced much better results.

Recipe #1:

Make tea (about four teaspoons of tea) and boil off ¾ of the liquid

Add:

2 Tbs. coffee

Enough henna to make a thin, watery paste

5-6 drops of clove oil or the paste of five-six cloves

Allow it to cool for about 2-3 hours and then use as you need.

Recipe #2:

Boil:

2 Tbs. pure henna powder

5 slices of dried lemon

1 tsp. sugar

until it becomes bright red.

Cool until warm and mix. Let is soak overnight.

Add:

Half a spoon of geranium essential oil and one teaspoon of cajeput essential oil. If paste is too thick, add a little warm water until it reaches the desired consistency.

Recipe #3:

Mix:

3 Tbs. henna powder

Half a spoon of mustard oil

Juice of half a lemon

Adjust consistency by adding water at room temperature.

Recipe #4:

Boil:

1 to 1-1/2 cups of water with 2 tea bags

Let steep for 5 minutes.
Mix in:

2-3 Tbs. henna powder

4-6 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice or pre-mixed lemon concentrate

Things to keep in mind:

-Use a glass, ceramic or cast iron bowl to avoid staining kitchen items.

-In general, the consistency of the henna paste should be a little thinner than toothpaste for easy application.

-Clean the skin before applying henna (no lotions or oils).

-Applying a warm, wet towel to the area to open pores. The henna will sink slightly deeper into the skin.

-Never apply henna over an open cut or scratch. The henna will permanently stain the skin. **Not a good way to tattoo skin. The henna will spread out in the skin, looking like a blotchy freckle and henna is not a sanitary way to create tattoos.

-Dissolve lemon juice and sugar in a 1:1 ratio, then apply onto the henna design with a cotton ball when it starts to dry up. If the design is too dry, the design will stick to the cotton ball. Dabbing the design every 10-15 minutes for 4-5 hours will produce a darker, clearer design. This can also be done using a spray bottle.

-Henna paste should be allowed to sit for a while (in the refrigerator) to let the color release. 24 hours is a good amount of time to wait, but the time can vary depending on the mixture. Color release ensures a darker design

Great before and after of henna-dyed hair