Do you add oils, conditioners, vinegar, coffee, etc.?

I plan on taking the henna plunge next week and wanted to get some ideas of what others use.

For me it's ACV, lemon juice and lots of water.

I like to use lemon or lime juice, coffee, powdered cinnamon or clove. I personally don't add oil (except maybe a few drops of rosemary or tea-tree EO) because they seem to inhibit the staining abilties of the henna on my hair.

Have fun with your hennaing! And of course, post your results!

I put cinnamon in mine- no, not my horse, but the spice..! ;)

It doesn't do anything other than make it smell better!

Then I also add a small amount of ACV to help the color hold better. I usually don't add too much of anything else though.

i have mixed my henna today morning with 'hot' lemon juice + hot acv + hot water and let the color mature. tonight, i plan to apply henna and leave the heatcap 'on' for an hour and then leave it overnight.

people have been asking so much about henna recently in this board. and i have so many henna recipes to try on. :D

someday i'll arrive at the perfect henna recipe for me ;)

In my henna gloss mixture, I use (in order from most to least):

cheap conditioner (Suave Naturals)
red wine
henna
honey

RBR

riverboatred, how do you make this gloss?

I do it differently every time, but I usually use ACV, hot coffee or tea, some olive oil (or sometimes conditioner) and spices (either cinnamon and/or clove).

I go with ACV to help color my grey better, the coffee or tea (rather than lemon juice) to bring out the brown, and the spices are there just to make it all smell good.

Sure! Henna glossing involves using a few tablespoons of henna with a whole lot of conditioner. To get it the consistency I like (about like pudding or yogurt), I usually use about three tablespoons of red henna with a quite a bit more neutral henna. You can put anything in the mix you like. I use:

few tablespoons red henna
more neutral henna
lot of conditioner (at least a cup; I use Suave Naturals coconut)
couple tablespoons honey
hot (not quite boiling) red wine

I first mix together the red henna, conditioner, and honey. Then I add the neutral henna and the red wine until I get the whole mess the right consistency. I let the mixture sit in the bowl for at least a few hours, then reheat it and apply it to my dry hair. I then let the mixture sit on my hair overnight (at least 12 hours) and rinse it out the next morning.

Let me know if I can be of more help.

RBR

thanks riverboat red :) very interesting recipe!

i was wondering if i can use it in my henna recipe. yours seems to give a wonderful shine, from the pictures i've seen of your hair.

maybe i'll try the red wine and honey in mine. i use natural henna.