There is so much information on the internet and we all know that everything on the internet is true, right?
Ha ha ha…
For thousands of years, the mixing and usage techniques of henna were based on tradition & legends instead of science; for this reason, there is a ton of bad information out there.
So ignore the person who tells you to drink henna tea (please don’t ever eat henna!), be afraid of the person who wants you to soak you skin in toxic chemicals, and laugh at the person who says to dance naked around a fire on the full moon all in the name of darker henna stain.

The science of henna is simple and making a great henna paste is easy. Just follow these steps:

Super Fast Dye Release (but not necessarily the best stain):

• Mix henna powder with enough room temperature distilled water to make a chick paste (think greek yogurt, sour cream or guacamole for those who avoid dairy).
• (don’t use a stainless steel bowl!)
• Cover airtight with plastic.
• Let sit 3 – 4 hours.
• Use!

A Little More Involved For a Better Stain HAIR COLOUR:

• Place 100g of henna powder in a bowl (plastic, ceramic, or glass).
• Mix with enough acidic liquid (lemon juice & lime juice is best… apple cider vinegar in water is good if you’re allergic to citrus) to make a thick paste as above.
• Cover airtight with plastic wrap (press the plastic against the paste to protect paste from the air).
• Place a paper towel or tissue over the plastic, then cover with a towel to protect from the light.
• Let henna sit in a warm location until there is dye release. Testing for dye release: check your paste after 12 hours in cool weather or 4 hours in hot weather. When the paper towel has turned orange and the top layer of henna paste has turned a darker brown, scrape that top layer aside & dip your finger in. Let the paste sit on finger (or palm) for 5 minutes, then wash off. If a bright orange stain is left behind, it’s ready!
• Add more water if you need to thin the paste, but it should be thick like cake frosting to cover the hair well. 
• Store in freezer any henna paste that is not going to be used that day.
• (Henna powder is good in the freezer for 3 years, dye released henna paste is good in the freezer for 6 months).

A Little More Involved For a Better Stain BODY ART:

• Place 100g of henna powder in a bowl (plastic, ceramic, or glass).
• Mix with enough acidic liquid (lemon juice & lime juice is best… apple cider vinegar in water is good if you’re allergic to citrus) to make a thick paste as above.
• Add no more than 15 ml (1 Tbsp) of safe essential oils.  Mix well.
• Add 1Tbsp of sugar if you live in low humidity.
• Cover airtight with plastic wrap (press the plastic against the paste to protect paste from the air).
• Place a paper towel or tissue over the plastic, then cover with a towel to protect from the light.
• Let henna sit in a warm location until there is dye release. Testing for dye release: check your paste after 12 hours in cool weather or 4 hours in hot weather. When the paper towel has turned orange and the top layer of henna paste has turned a darker brown, scrape that top layer aside & dip your finger in. Let paste sit on finger (or palm) for 5 minutes, then wash off. If a bright orange stain is left behind, it’s ready!
• Now you can add more liquid to get the consistency you want. Just add a few drops at a time!
• Strain (through a nylon is most common) to make sure there are no lumps.
  Cone. 
• Store in freezer any henna paste that is not going to be used that day.
  (Henna powder is good in the freezer for 3 years, dye released henna paste is good in the freezer for 6 months).

Happy Henna’ing!