Recipe for Henna for Skin
The Qamar Franji Henna Recipe
This is what we use every time we mix henna. You'll need a sealable plastic bowl, a spoon, honey, an essential oil from the list of henna-active oils, and lemon or lime juice. Note- henna does not care if the juice comes out of a fruit or a bottle. With this, 100 grams of henna powder will make about 325 grams of paste, which is then freezeable for several months.
- Put your henna in a sealable plastic bowl. Add enough lemon juice to make a "mashed potato" consistency, plus a teaspoon or so of honey for every 100 grams of powder you're using. Make sure all the henna is wet, although small lumps are not a huge problem right now.
- Seal and let it sit for several hours until the top of the henna changes color like an apple left out in the air. If it's warm, it will take less time to get the dye to release, but you don't want to cook it!
- Add enough lemon juice to make a consistency like canned frosting, then mix in 1ml essential oil for every 10ml of powder you started with.. If you get a big scoop of it on your spoon and hold it sideways, one large glop should fall off quickly, leaving the extra hanging but still attached. Also do a line test- draw a line on the back of your hand and tap the palm. It should stay as you drew it and not flatten out or run. If it's too thick, add juice; too thin, add powder. If you add more than just a pinch of powder, let the henna rest another few hours before use.
- Seal the container again and let it rest for at least several hours, preferably a day or so.
- Put henna in your applicator and apply. Your lines should be 3-D, not flat. It's easier to get this effect when not touching the applicator to the skin.
- Let the henna dry to a matte finish. You can touch it now and it will be dry.
- If you want to really nuke the color, apply steam by holding your hand over a teakettle or using a garment steamer. BE CAREFUL! Steam will hurt you if you let it. Approach with caution and use wisely. Steaming several times will really get the color going.
- You may let the henna dry and fall off, or rub it off using olive or other kitchen oil or steam. Don't scrub. Your design will be somewhere between invisible and bright pumpkin colored, depending on where you applied it. It will develop and deepen to its final stain within about 48 hours. Keeping it out of water for as long as possible will also help the design reach its potential.
- Apply Body Butter aftercare balm or olive oil to help it last.
You can use watercolor or hectograph pencils as aids in applying henna -- find out how!