Fia's Gelled Henna, fast and basic version
- 100 grams henna powder
- 500 ml liquid (about 17 fl. oz.) - has to have an acidic component to it both for dye release and for the pectin to gel, I usually use half lemon juice, half water
- 25 grams powdered pectin (about 0.8 oz.)
Dump henna powder in a bowl. Bring liquid to a boil and whisk the powdered pectin into the liquid when it's boiling. Let boil for one full minute - this is necessary to activate the pectin and start the gelling process (you'll see that it's starting to turn slightly thick the minute you take it off the heat). Wait a few seconds to let it cool off some.
Pour the liquid/pectin mix into the henna powder and stir well. It will be very hot and very liquid at this stage - don't be alarmed by this. Let it stand for about 20-30 minutes to cool off - by then it's warm enough to handle and put in your hair. It will look like a thick gel by then - not unlike hair gel - and you should see dye releasing from the henna.
Use this gel as you'd use regular henna paste - applied either to dry or damp hair whatever your preference is. I find the gel easier to work with than regular paste - almost like a regular hair color in consistency. There are virtually no drips when applying and no dribbles down the neck or forehead.
You may see or feel small, squishy, semi-transparent clumps in the henna gel - that's pectin that has gelled before it mixed with the henna. I’ve never seen these gel clumps cause any problems when applying or rinsing out - they just feel a little funny when you encounter them.
The amount of gel from this recipe is more than enough to do my almost bra strap length hair, there's always leftovers. I'd estimate I could do up to almost waist length on my hair with this amount. I find it isn't a drawback that the gel stretches 100 grams henna far beyond what it would cover if used as a straight paste.
There is a slight risk that you cook the henna when you prepare it this way and get a lighter stain than you would have gotten from a paste done by the basic recipe. Some henna powders are also slower to release dye and will not like this fast procedure for doing gelled henna. They can still be used as a gel, but requires a slightly different treatment.
Fia's Gelled henna, somewhat slower version for powders with slow dye release
- 100 grams henna powder
- 500 ml liquid (about 17 fl. oz.) - has to have an acidic component to it both for dye release and for the pectin to gel, I usually use half lemon juice, half water
- 25 grams powdered pectin (about 0.8 oz.)
Dump henna powder in a bowl and mix with half of the liquid. Let this one stand on top of something warm until you see dye release – these are basically the same steps as if you were preparing a regular henna paste.
After you've seen dye releasing from the henna, boil the remaining half of the liquid and add pectin as per the basic and fast recipe above. Pour the liquid/pectin mix into the henna paste in the bowl and mix well. Let this stand until it's gelled - usually about 20 minutes and use like you'd use the other gelled henna.
Smooth gelled henna, tedious preparation but very smooth and easily applied gel
- 100 grams henna powder
- 750-1000 ml liquid (about 25-34 f l. oz.) - has to have an acidic component to it both for dye release and for the pectin to gel, I usually use half lemon juice, half water
- 25 grams powdered pectin (about 0.8 oz.)
Boil about two thirds of the liquid and let cool off a little so it's warm but not boiling. Mix in the henna powder with the liquid (it will not be anything like a paste, more like a green/brown soup) and let stand until you see dye release. Strain the liquid through cheese cloth/muslin/stocking to remove the fixed particles. What you'll have left is a brownish liquid with the released dye. To be honest - the straining part is a messy "pain in the a**" job and I'd highly recommend wearing gloves and clothes you're not afraid to get henna stains on, also to do this over a surface where it won't matter if you get some henna liquid on it - it will splatter. Consider yourself warned and don't blame me if you have henna stains on your wooden kitchen countertop because of this... :-)
Boil the remaining part of the liquid and add pectin as per the basic and fast recipe. Pour the liquid/pectin mix into the henna liquid in the bowl and mix well. Let stand until gelled - usually about 20 minutes and use like you'd use other gelled henna.
The big pro about this version of the gel is that it's extremely easy to apply and rinse - it's also virtually non-clogging for drains. This gel is also considerably more lightweight when it's on the hair - good if you keep the henna on for a long time or you have lots of hair that would be weighed down by regular paste. This is the closest you'd get to the feeling of a regular hair color while still using henna.
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Henna with.... gelatin?
It was on hennaforhair.com and belongs of course to Fia.
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