rjones, Author at Ancient Sunrise

Toning Henna – Part 1

If you have hennaed your hair and aren’t a fan of the red, or if you just want to tone your hair down a bit, this blog may be for you. Even if you’ve done a combination of henna and indigo and/or cassia, you can still use indigo and cassia to tone.

What is toning?

If you’re familiar with “henna gloss” or “indigo gloss,” then you’re already familiar with the idea of toning. Toning is a way to alter your hair color from the current color. It’s called “toning” because you’re fine tuning your hair color by adding the missing pigment that will help you get the color that you’re looking for. People tone or do glosses for many reasons, but the biggest reason is because their hair may have come out brighter and/or lighter than expected.

Toning can also be beneficial if you’ve made a mistake in your mix, such as using too much henna, accidentally leaving indigo out your mix, or even correcting a mix where the indigo had demised.

Hair Prep

All of the mohair being used for testing has been prepped with a clarifying shampoo before applying henna. For Test 1, the indigo/cassia mix was applied the same day that the henna past was removed. For Test 2, the indigo/cassia mixes were applied 7 days after the henna paste was removed.

Mix Prep

In all cassia/indigo mixes, both Clarity cassia and Sudina indigo powders were mixed in the same bowl, and distilled water was added. The paste was applied to the hair samples immediately after mixing each set of powders.

Test 1 – Toning Henna before Oxidation

I used 20% indigo to 80% cassia on freshly hennaed hair that hadn’t oxidized for mix A. The goal was to see if the hair would be different than applying a toning mix to hair that has oxidized, mix B. I did notice a difference in the tone.

Note: Due to the lack of difference in color, I did not do a mix for 15 minutes when making mix B for this particular ratio.

Left: 15 minutes; Middle: 30 minutes; Right: 60 minutes

Left: A 80% cassia/10% indigo pre-oxidized application
Right: B 75% cassia/10% indigo post-oxidized application

Left: A 80% cassia/10% indigo pre-oxidized application
Right: B 75% cassia/10% indigo post-oxidized application

When I compared these test pieces to hair that had been toned after letting the henna had oxidized, I noticed that even though that mix A, despite having more indigo and less cassia, didn’t come out darker than mix B. The test pieces that only had the mix on for 30 minutes are quite comparable (off camera, the pigment in mix A is slightly more brassy and doesn’t have as rich of a red as mix B for this timing).

There will be another blog in the future comparing more on toning freshly hennaed hair in detail, as this yielded interesting, yet unexpected results.

Test 2 – Toning Henna after Oxidation

Test 2 mixes.
Top left big chunk of hair is the control.

Mix 1

10% indigo; 90% cassia

Mix 2:

25% indigo; 75% cassia

Mix 3:

50% indigo; 50% cassia

Mix 4:

75% indigo; 25% cassia

Mix 5:

90% indigo; 10% cassia

There are a couple of strands that have similarities such as test pieces K and I as well as L and J.

K is 90% indigo and 10% cassia that was left of for 15 minutes, where as I is 75% indigo and 25% cassia for 30 minutes.
L is 90% indigo and 10% cassia that was left on for 30 minutes, where as J is 75% indigo and 25% cassia for 60 minutes.

The benefit of having two mixes with different timing that have similar results is that if you take a long time to apply paste your hair, you can always start with the mix that is the longer time for the first part of the application, then switch to a mix that needs less time to process.
IE: If you’re trying to tone bright hennaed hair to a dark brunette, and it takes you a half an hour to do your root area, you could do mix I for the first part, then about half way through switch to mix K. This will allow for an even color.

If your hair continuously comes out more red than you’re looking for, you can definitely use a mix of indigo and cassia to tone it down to a darker shade. Customer service can help you determine the best ratio and timing for your hair! Testing is always a good idea to prevent your hair from going darker than you’re wanting.

For more information on Clarity cassia visit: http://www.hennaforhair.com/faq/Clarity_cassia-auriculata.pdf

Maria • Ancient Sunrise Specialist • Licensed Cosmetologist

Toning Henna Part 1 (Stylist Edition)

Whether the results were unexpected, your client changed their mind about their hair, or if the grays are extra resistant, toning henna is something that you should become familiar with. It is important to note that toning before henna fully oxidizes seems to give different results than toning after henna oxidizes, but this is something I’d like to study more of and elaborate in another blog. In this article, I’ll walk you through the steps in depth of toning henna from “just a tad” to a full blown gorgeous dark brunette. You can find more information on cassia here: http://www.hennaforhair.com/faq/Clarity_cassia-auriculata.pdf

Mohair was prepped with salon grade clarifying shampoo and left to dry before applying a Twilight henna and Malluma Kristalovino mix. The henna paste was left on the hair for 24 hours – 4 of those hours were in front of a heater (with the heater rotating off and on). The temperature otherwise was 65-68 degrees Fahrenheit. The purpose of the heater was to simulate body heat.

A note about mohair

If you’re not sure why we use mohair for testing, it’s because it’s very similar to human hair. We don’t have a surplus of unprocessed gray human hair. Sure, there are virgin gray hair extensions and mannequins, but the cleaning process it has to go through does alter the hair and doesn’t give us realistic results which makes for poor testing.

Test 1

Mix: Cassia powder mixed with indigo powder (distilled water for the liquid). The cassia was not dye released and no fruit acid was used with cassia. The powder did not sit for any time before application.

Toning henna before oxidation vs toning henna after oxidation

Day 6: L-R 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 60 minutes

80% Clarity Cassia to 20% Sudina Indigo Before Oxidation Application vs 75% Clarity Cassia to 25% Sudina Indigo After Oxidation Application.

There wasn’t any visible change after 15 minutes of this particular mix before oxidation, so I chose to not do one after oxidation.

**B and D**
30 minutes
Left side: B before oxidation application
Right side: D after oxidation application

**C and E**
60 minutes
Left side: C before oxidation application
Right side: E after oxidation application

Findings

Starting with A, as noted above, 15 minutes was not long enough to change anything visibly to the hair using an 80% cassia, 20% indigo mix. I chose not to do a mix after oxidation, because it just seemed that 15 minutes is insufficient for anything less than 50% cassia to 50% indigo.

Looking at images B and D you can see a little bit of change after 30 minutes, but not much. It’s important to note that the post oxidation mix (D) had 5% less indigo and 5% more cassia than pre-oxidation. I had theorized that B would have been darker than due to the change in the formulation that was applied to the oxidized hair D. They look almost identical, but in person D is just a little bit brighter.

Finally, let’s compare the strands that sat for an hour. Visibly, it’s clear that there was a color change. However, when you compare the samples in C and E you can see that the pre-oxidation application (C) is different than the post oxidized application (E). Again, I had expected the formula that was used on E would be darker, because it had more indigo and less cassia, but C actually looks slightly darker and appears more brown.

Test 2

Toning Oxidized Hennaed Hair

Toning percentages based on powder weight:

10% indigo, 90% cassia: 30 minutes A, 1 hour B
25% indigo, 75% cassia: 30 minutes C, 1 hour D
50% indigo, 50% cassia: 15 minutes E, 30 minutes F, 1 hour G
75% indigo, 25% cassia: 15 minutes H, 30 minutes I, 1 hour J
90% indigo, 80% cassia: 15 minutes K, 30 minutes L, 1 hour M

Notes and Observations

The Results

It makes sense that as the ratio of indigo increases and cassia decreases, that the results get darker and less red. While some of the ratios are different, the results are similar at different timings. For example: there are similarities between J and L. J was 75% indigo and 25% cassia, but left on for one hour, where as L was 90% indigo and 10% cassia but left on for 30 minutes. This can be helpful, because if you have to tone thick and/or long hair, you may want to start out with using 75% indigo and 25% cassia, but then half way through switch to 90% indigo and 10% cassia so that way your results blend, and you don’t end up with one part of the hair being much darker than the rest.

There are also similarities between mix I and K. Mix I is 75% indigo and 25% cassia left on the hair for 30 minutes. Mix K is 90% indigo and 10% cassia left on the hair for 15 minutes.

Toning non-gray hair

It’s important to note that when you’re considering a mix for toning, you should observe the starting level and keep in mind how well the hair absorbs indigo. What may work for one client, may not work for another. The best way to determine the best ratio and timing for your client’s specific hair, is to do a small test. This will take time initially, but will save you time if the mix and timing you tested didn’t quite work out. (Can you imagine having to keep reapplying a mix because it didn’t come out the way you were expecting? Eek!).

Toning freshly hennaed hair

More research is needed to compare using these exact mixes on freshly hennaed hair. If you feel that you need to tone freshly hennaed hair, again, testing is recommended to be on the safe side. The most important information to take with you from this section is that hennaed hair, regardless if it’s only henna, henna/indigo, or henna/indigo/cassia need to oxidize for at least 5 days. You can expect another blog on this specific subject comparing the same mixes on freshly hennaed hair to get a better observation on this particular subject.

Lowlights

This technique doesn’t have to be used just for toning henna. One could do lowlights on hennaed hair by using different ratios of indigo and cassia. The mix could be created on the fly, and could be a nice service to add in when one wants more dimension.

In conclusion, it’s safe to say that cassia and indigo can be used for toning down bright hair. It seems that, unless the toning mix is more than 50% indigo, there really isn’t a point to leave the mix on for less than 30 minutes.

Maria • Ancient Sunrise Specialist • Licensed Cosmetologist

Finding time to Henna

You’ve planned out your morning and it’s the perfect time to henna…except *screams in horror* you forgot to mix up your paste ahead of time! Whether it’s work, parenting, your lifestyle, or all of the above, finding time to henna can feel difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. You’ve got enough going on; read below to find ways to make henna fit into busy schedule.

Tips for Finding Time to Henna

Prepping Tip #1

When I know I need to prepare paste, I set aside the items I need while I think about it, even if I don’t plan on mixing up stuff for a few days. I’ll get my distilled water jug, fruit acid powder, whisk, plastic wrap, and henna together and just put all of the items in a bowl and set it near where I plan on mixing it.

This not only makes it easy when I want to do the mixing, but it also gives me a visual reminder.

Read this article on dye releasing, if you’re not sure how to best prep your mix: https://www.ancientsunrise.blog/henna-101-dye-release-henna/

Prepping Tip #2

If you use henna and/or cassia, but no indigo…

Mix up a big batch of your henna and/or cassia powder and let this sit for 8 to 12 hours when you know you have 10 to 20 minutes to spare. You can do this before you go to sleep or when you wake up.

When the paste is done dye releasing, put it in a zip lock bag, flatten it out, and throw it in the freezer. You’ll just have to defrost it when you’re wanting to use it, which generally takes less time than dye releasing. Flattening the bag you stored the paste in, will help the thawing process be much faster.

If you use indigo with your mix…

You can still mix up a big batch of henna/cassia, but you’ll want to measure it out first. For example, if you use 10 tablespoons of henna (70g), you could measure out three separate bags, each with 70g of henna powder made into a paste. Watch the video below to see how you can save on using a lot of dishes. This method works great with reusable bags, as well!

Prepping Tip #3

It is important to note that while heat can speed up dye release, you should be careful. Too much heat can compromise your henna/cassia.

There are a few ways to speed up dye release. You can place your henna/cassia paste in a hot car for a few hours, place it outside in the sun on a hot day, or even place it in a room that heats up nicely from your heater. Starting on page 10, you can see charts for how long to leave henna paste in different temperatures: http://www.tapdancinglizard.com/AS_henna_for_hair/Chapter_7_Mixing_and_Testing.pdf

I’ve placed henna near space heaters for a couple of hours, rotating and mixing every 30 minutes and doing a little stain test (how to test: drop a bit of paste on a clean finger tip and leave it for 5 to 10 minutes – if you get a stain, it’s good to go). This works well, but you do have to carefully monitor the paste.

Prepping Tip #4

Instead of heat, you can do easily do the opposite with cooler temperatures. If you’re concerned about missing dye release or aren’t home enough to check on your paste to prevent missing the dye release, you can mix up your henna/cassia paste and immediately place it in the fridge and it will be ready to use in 2 weeks.

Application Tip #1

Just do your hairline and part line. If you’re in a time crunch, you don’t need to worry about all of the hair the people can’t see. A lot of our customers will touch up the roots around the hairline, their part line, and anywhere else that may be exposed and then get the roots all over on the next root application.

The trick is to look at how you mainly style your hair and apply where you see those roots.

Application Tip #2

Utilize one method for touching up the roots and stick with it. Getting adjusted to doing your hair can take time. If you’re a busy person, it’s important to stick with the same method so that you get faster each application.

Application Tip #3

Clean as you go. Keep one or two hand towels near you to wipe up any mess that may occur while you’re doing your application. Removing fresh paste off of a surface is so much easier and quicker than removing dried paste.

Processing Tip #1

Henna and/or Cassia (no indigo)

You can sleep in your paste. If finding time to henna is nearly impossible this tip may be for you. Lay down a towel over your pillow, apply some medical tape around your plastic wrap, and fall asleep. You can wash your hair in the morning.

Henna and/or Cassia with Indigo

It’s best to not leave indigo on past 6 hours to prevent the henna from taking over, but you can still take a nap if needed.

Two step

If you do a two step process for jet black, then you can sleep with your henna one night, and indigo the next night.

Processing Tip #2

Find a really cool scarf or hat that you can put over the plastic wrap. This is easy to do when it’s cold out, because a knitted cap covers the plastic so well. I’ve gone to the store with my paste on and no one knew. In warmer weather, a scarf can look really nice and cover the plastic really well. It may take some practice getting the scarf tied the way you like, but it’s realistic.

This can make it so you can still go to the store, or take your kids to the park, or even go on a walk.

Processing Tip #3

Make sure your paste is a good consistency, is applied thickly in thin sections, and covers everything nicely. It may seem odd to reiterate instructions, but the instructions are written to help you get consistent coverage every application. If you try skipping steps to speed things up, it can actually slow you down or worse, cause you to have to do a whole other application.

Processing Tip #4

Multitask! If you work from home, or in an office where you’re not face to face with the public, wear your henna to work and wash it out on a break or after your shift. You can leave your paste in when you work out, clean your home, make dinner, shop, work, help your kids with their homework etc, or all of the above. You know your limits, so work within those. If your boss says you can’t come to work with a hair full of goop or if your henna starts to leak on your kids homework…maybe don’t do those things, but you get the idea ;).

Processing Tip #5

This is the most important tip, because if you’re having trouble finding time to henna, you’re likely having trouble finding time to treat yourself. Make a date with yourself. Pamper yourself at the same time you do your hair. Whether you do a facial, paint your nails, give yourself a manicure or pedicure, take a bath…you deserve it. Self care is so important to our mental health as well as our physical health. As adults, we have so many responsibilities, but sometimes we forget that we still need to take care of ourselves.

While these tips may not work for everyone, hopefully one of these can help you find a time to do your hair with a busy schedule.

Maria • Ancient Sunrise Specialist • Licensed Cosmetologist

Doing your Hair at Home with Ancient Sunrise®

Doing your hair at home can feel liberating, but it can also feel challenging at times. The problem is the items available for doing your own hair at home are low quality, bad for your hair and skin, and don’t work as well as salon products…but you can do your hair at home with Ancient Sunrise®.

Ancient Sunrise® is a brand of plant powders that are used to quite literally dye hair. Sure, the process is a little longer, but the results alone are worth it. The quality of the powders are better than any professional products I’ve used on clients. The color last longer, it’s more vibrant, and the hair gets conditioned instead of damaged. Ancient Sunrise® is available to both professionals and nonprofessionals because it’s that safe and that awesome.

Choosing a Mix

If you’ve never used Ancient Sunrise® before, don’t fret! Visit https://www.ancientsunrise.blog/henna-for-hair-101-choosing-your-mix/ to find what plant powders you may need.

If you’re feeling lost, don’t worry. Our amazing customer service team can help you out. Our email is helpdesk@mehandi.com.

Take a photo of your current color of your roots and a photo of the rest of your hair in natural lighting (avoid filters).
Next, find an image on a search engine or a photo you already have, take a screen shot or save the link.
Finally, send us an email with the images attached. Be sure to include “Help choosing a mix” or something of the like in the subject or body of the email.

We’ll not only be able to recommend a sample kit or test formula to try, but we can also let you know if the color you’re looking for might not be obtainable with our products.

Science!

Doing your hair at home with Ancient Sunrise® doesn’t have to complicated. We have a ton of information available at Mehandi.com, as well as our AncientSunrise.Blog. We even have videos on YouTube and Vimeo!

If you’re struggling or just feel overwhelmed, just give our customer service a call (330-673-0600), email us (helpdesk@mehandi.com), or chat with us on Mehandi.com. We love helping people get the color they desire and we have no problem going over the steps you need to do your hair yourself.

Doing the Thing

When you’re ready to dive in and do your hair, just remember you got this! It generally takes a few times of doing your hair to get adjusted. Refer to this article about touching up roots in the back of your head for some tips and tricks to make it easier. The video below shows how to section your hair.

Treat Yourself

Treat yourself at home by turning doing your hair into a spa day. Throw on your most comfortable clothes, apply an amla mask, play your favorite music, read a book, or just take a nap. Selfcare is important, and there is no reason to deny yourself this necessity. Doing your hair at home with Ancient Sunrise® can be a calming experience.

It’s Safe

When you use Ancient Sunrise, you can cuddle with your pets, kids, partner or even your favorite blanket without worrying about dangerous chemicals getting everywhere. Ancient Sunrise® is free from additives, PPD, and other adulterants found in compound henna, and boxed dye. It smells earthy and stays contained in plastic wrap on your. If a little drip gets somewhere, simply just wipe it up.

Doing your hair at home can be convenient, safe, and you can easily turn it into a luxurious experience. While it’s not the same as going to a salon and having someone wash your hair and apply your paste for you, it’s a good way to save money and use safer products if your salon doesn’t offer Ancient Sunrise®.

Maria • Ancient Sunrise® Specialist • Licensed Cosmetologist

Touching up Roots in the Back of the Head

One of the biggest challenges we hear that people have is touching up roots in the back of the head. Applying paste to areas that you cannot see can feel frustrating, overwhelming, and messy. It takes practice to become a master of touching up roots in the back of the head, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it.

Tip #1: Clean Sections are Important

Sectioning your hair will help you be more organized and precise with your application. This alone can be very helpful with setting yourself up for a successful root touch up. Below is a video that goes over how to section your hair:

When grabbing hair, it should be 1/4 of an inch thin or thin enough to read a newspaper through. This amount of hair will allow the paste to get on every bit of hair, and will prevent a spotty application.

Further more, with clean sections, you’ll be able to find the next following subsection a lot easier.

Tip #2: Try not to goop your product on your hair

I don’t know how many times I hear or see people glopping on different forms of hair color, including henna. If that works for you, that is totally okay, but if you’re new or trying to cover up every bit of roots, this method is no good. I’ll admit, even though I am a stylist, I’ve gooped heaps of indigo on my roots out of desperation before, because I was tired and wanted to go to bed. I knew better, but I was already committed and down to the last section of hair in the back. I ended up having to redo most of my hair the next day, which was frustrating, but it was my own fault. In addition to not getting the coverage I wanted, I made a much bigger mess than usual, which caused me to have to clean a lot more.

Why “gooping” isn’t Effective

When you apply your paste in goops, you’re clumping hair together and missing sections. You’re also overlapping, which is totally okay if you don’t mind the rest of the hair getting darker. This can also cause someone to use way too much product and be really messy.

You’ll find it harder to pull up your next subsection because the paste from the previous subsection likely will have spread to other parts of the hair. When paste gets on parts of the hair that you’ve not gotten to yet, it will dry and make hair stick together. This can be annoying and painful. Plus it makes the application take longer.

Tip # 3 Utilize Mirrors

Mirrors can be your best friend for touching up roots in the back of the head. The down fall is hand free mirrors can be expensive.

There are moveable hands free mirrors that have an arm that connects to a wall. They cost $30-$40 and can be helpful if placed across from a bigger mirror, such as a bathroom mirror. You’ll want to figure out the best placement before drilling the holes in your wall, just to make sure that you can see the back of your head nicely. If you have a lot of space between your bathroom mirror and your wall, this trick may not quite work.

There are stand alone mirrors with wheels that could act in place of a bathroom mirror, but these tend to be $100+. The investment may be worth it, depending on how much you struggle with doing your application and how often you touch up your roots.

Finally, you could possible rig your own mirror on a stand. This should be done carefully, but if you enjoy DIYs, this may be the best route for you!

Tip # 4 Lighting

Good lighting s important when touching up your roots. LED lights are bright and helpful when trying to do your application, because it will allow you to see every nook and cranny.

It’s helpful if the light is mobile so that you’re able to change the lighting placement. This is excellent for areas on the head that are a little more difficult to see, such as the back. A ring light on a tripod would work nicely since they are generally light weight and have the ability to move around to different angles.

Tip # 5 Practice, Patience, and Persistence

Mastering self root touch ups take practice, patience, and persistence. It’s definitely a realistic goal that you can master, but it’s important that you don’t give up. Give yourself time to adjust, especially if you’ve never done your own hair before. You’re using your muscles in a different way and stretching your arms in an unusual manner.

Have patience with yourself. It’s okay if you don’t complete a perfect root touch up right away. You’ll do better the next time and even better the time after.

Finally, persistence. Use the same method of touching up several times before giving up and switching how you do your touch up. Set a schedule for how often you’d like to do your roots and stick to it. Make it a self pamper day or evening!

Practice, patience, and persistence are key for doing a good root touch up. Sure, your first couple of times may not be the greatest, but if you keep up with the same routine, you’ll nail it in no time.

Tip # 6 Practice with Conditioner or Cassia

This goes with Tip #5! If you feel like you’re not ready to do the back of your head with your henna mix, then use a thick conditioner or cassia. Both are great for the hair and can help you gain more confidence in your application. Neither of these will alter your hennaed hair, so you can practice as much as you’d like.

Tip # 7 Utilize Towels

It’s important to wipe off your hands when you’re working with hair in the back of the head. Having messy hands will cause paste to get on other bits of hair and dry out. Dried out paste is hard to comb through and can just be a minor annoyance.

When I do my roots, I quickly wipe of my hands when they start getting paste on them. I keep a towel over my sink for this purpose, and another smaller, damp towel off to the side.

Tip # 8 Get Familiar with your Head

Get used to the shape of your head. Try closing your eyes and placing your hands on the back of your head. Feel the shape. Grab sections of hair to get adjusted to feeling the thickness of your hair. Visualize you applying paste the hair. Stretch your arms to the bottom of your hair line (the nape of your neck) a few times a week to help get these muscles adjusted to moving in a new way.

Doing a mock root touch up with nothing, except the utensils you plan on using (hands, carrot bag, and/or hair color brush) can help you get familiar was well. The two biggest challenges of overcoming touching up roots in the back of the head is 1) being able to apply paste in areas you cannot see and 2) being able to successfully feel where you need to separate your hair to apply more paste.

Tip # 9 Bribe a Family Member, Friend, or Spouse

Before getting to this part, I encourage you to keep trying. However, if all else fails and you just cannot get the roots in the back of the head, find a henna buddy, if you can do it safely. Sure, you may need to shell out a few bucks, a special home made dinner, or dessert, but it’ll be worth it! The touch up may not be perfect, but it can save you frustrations.

For more information on root touch ups, check out these links: https://www.ancientsunrise.blog/full-coverage-roots/ https://www.ancientsunrise.blog/how-to-measure/

You can always contact customer service for support! Visit https://www.mehandi.com/Articles.asp?ID=256

Maria • Licensed Cosmetologist • Ancient Sunrise Specialist

Cold Cassia on a Hot Day

A fun way to cool down when you’re feeling a little toasty is to apply cold cassia on a hot day. It’s a nice refreshing feel on the scalp. It’s like that snack you can’t get enough of.

Hair Prep

As always you want to start with freshly cleaned and clarified hair. Applying Rainwash was easy. Taking ¼ inch sections, I got through and applied evenly. While I let the Rainwash sit on my hair for 40 minutes, I mixed my cassia up. I washed my hair the night before and braided it up, so I could apply in the morning.

The Mixing

I mixed 200 grams of Clarity Cassia with orange juice to sit overnight for about 10 hours at room temperature. Then to get that cool effect, I put my paste in the fridge for 2 hours. If you’re not sure what to dye release your Ancient Sunrise® cassia with, read this article: Dye Releasing Henna/Cassia with Items in your Home

Time to get started!

I was a little bit skeptical at first, wondering if the paste would be too cold. So, I tested the water, like you do in the pool. I tapped a small amount of paste to my front hairline. I was AMAZED! It was like the icy feeling of chewing mint gum.

I started applying the paste in the back of my head. Taking my ¼ inch sections, from the top, I worked my way down to the bottom. After about an hour I had all of my hair covered and was feeling cooled off.

Hair with cold cassia wrapped in plastic. — Now to enjoy some sun after wrapping my hair.

Hair with towel after washing hair. — After 3 hours of fun in the sun, lunch and nap time, it’s time to wash out the cassia.

Dry natural hair after cold cassia treatment. — The results are in.

Hair in twists after cold cassia. — Final results on done hair.

My hair feels great! Styled and done, I can see the difference. My ends aren’t as crazy and twist very well. I would definitely apply cold cassia on a hot day again. Stay cool!

Damaris • Licensed Cosmetologist • Ancient Sunrise® Specialist

Can Rainwash dye release henna and cassia?

Mixing henna with citric acid to dye release for a comparison with henna dye released with Rainwash. — Liz is using distilled water with citric acid and henna.

Working in customer service, we frequently hear “What happens if I use the Rainwash to dye release my henna?” and “I accidentally used Rainwash instead of my fruit acid to dye release my henna; will it still work?” Well, we’re going to do a small set of tests because we want to find out will Rainwash effectively dye release henna and cassia?

Ancient Sunrise® Rainwash is made up of three ingredients: citric acid, ascorbic acid, and xanthan gum. We know that this is acidic due to the citric acid and ascorbic acid. One teaspoon of Ancient Sunrise® citric acid is needed for 100g of Ancient Sunrise® henna and/or Ancient Sunrise® cassia, so I’ve decided to use the ratio of 5 grams of Ancient Sunrise® Rainwash to 100g of Ancient Sunrise® henna and/or Ancient Sunrise® cassia. Ancient Sunrise® indigo does not need an acidic component and therefore will be mixed with distilled water before combining it with henna.

Note: Mixing Ancient Sunrise® Rainwash with your henna paste will not take the place of using the Rainwash as a mineral removing treatment prior to your application. You still need Rainwash or a clarifying shampoo prior to every henna application for best results.

Setting up the Mixes

Key: RW = Rainwash g = grams CA = Citric acid

Rainwash Mix:

RW A	RW B	RW C
Henna only	Henna and Cassia	Henna and Indigo
Henna – 6 g	Henna – 3g	Henna- 3g
RW – 0.31 g	Cassia – 3g	RW- 0.16g
	RW – 0.31g	Indigo- 3g

*Distilled water was used for the liquid

Citric Acid Mix:

CA A	CA B	CA C
Henna only	Henna and Cassia	Henna and Indigo
Henna – 6 g	Henna – 3g	Henna- 3g
CA – 0.31 g	Cassia – 3g	CA- 0.16g
	CA – 0.31g	Indigo- 3g

*Distilled water was used for the liquid

Citric acid and Rainwash mixes side by side to determine can Rainwash dye release henna?

When mixing the henna and cassia with Rainwash, I noticed that the paste seemed smoother than when using citric acid. This is due to the xanthan gum in Rainwash, which creates a gel-like texture when mixed with a liquid. The paste also stuck to itself and the mixing utensil more than the other batch of samples that were mixed with citric acid. (The powders all seemed to take more water than I thought they would need.) I had the henna and cassia/henna paste all sit for 8 hours in 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tip: If you see brown or green streaks in the paste, keep mixing until all of the paste is one color. Applying the paste to the hair that has streaks of different colors will result in an uneven application.

Hair prep

Each hair sample used was prepped with Rainwash and Dawn dish soap. This helps eliminate mineral build-up and oils. Then they were towel dried before applying the pastes to the hair samples.

The Results

Citric Acid Mixes

Rainwash Mixes

The results were similar to each other, but there are some differences worth noting. It’s interesting that groups A and B look more similar before oxidizing. In fact, the Rainwash mixes almost look like they’ve may have faded slightly. This would make sense, since the Michael Addition may not have been able to fully bind due to the xanthan gum.

Seven days after the initial application and washing the hair four times, I viewed the samples side by side for color comparison since the color had finished oxidizing. See the comparison notes below:

Side by side comparisons of oxidized mixes:

It is safe to say that the xantham gum in the Rainwash impacted the indigo mix the most. The other two groups have only slight differences.

In conclusion, you might be able to get away with using Rainwash in a pinch to dye release henna and cassia since the results are similar to using citric acid. I do not recommend using the Rainwash in a pinch if you plan to use indigo in your mix because the color was lighter and may not work for the results you’re wanting. Due to the xanthan gum, it’s best not to plan on using Rainwash as we do not know if the hair may fade over a long period of time since these samples were tested for a shorter period of time. So…did Rainwash effectively dye release henna and cassia? It seems so, but just count on maybe having to overlap a little when you touch up your roots next.

For more information on what you can use in the house to dye release your henna paste see this article: https://www.ancientsunrise.blog/dye-releasing-henna-and-cassia-with-items-in-your-home/

If you’re looking for fruit acids to use with your mix, you can find Ancient Sunrise® Fruit Acids here: https://www.mehandi.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=120

For assistance with mixing or instructions, get ahold of our customer service experts or visit https://www.mehandi.com/kb_results.asp?cat=2.

Liz • Ancient Sunrise® Specialist

Ways to Educate and Entertain the Family with Mehandi

If your current situation is like mine, you’ve been at home almost 24/7 with a kiddo and pets. You may or may not be balancing a job while trying to keep up with amusing and teaching your child(ren) which can be quite a lot. Here are a few ways to educate and entertain the family – Mehandi style.

Science

Ammonia and Tumeric

*Ammonia is an alkaline solution that has a strong odor. It’s commonly used for cleaning. Safety precautions including wearing chemical safety goggles, chemical protective clothing including gloves, an apron, and boots should be taken. The area should be very well ventilated. If you or anyone participating in the experiment has asthma or other health issues, skip this project. A responsible adult should pour the ammonia.

Turmeric is a spice that is often used in cooking. It’s usually gold in color and pH-sensitive. A lot of people ask if they can use turmeric in their cassia/henna mixes and our Ancient Sunrise® customer service team will tell you no. Read more to find out why!

The pH scale is a way to measure how acidic or alkaline something is. The scale ranges from 0-14. 1-6 is acidic, 7 is neutral, and 8-14 is alkaline. A lot of important things rely on this form of measurement, including the earth, because if something is off, it could kill off organisms or cause other organisms to grow. You can read about how pH is important to the environment here: https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/ph-and-water?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

Tumeric used in an acidic base is very yellow. When turmeric is used in an alkaline base it turns red. This means if one were to mix it with cassia, not only would the hair be lemon gumdrop yellow, but the hair would change depending on its current pH. Tumeric doesn’t bind to the hair decently, anyway, so it does wash away… but you can definitely avoid panic by not adding it into your mix.

What you’ll need:

Ammonia
Turmeric powder
2 Small bowls
2 Small whisks
Distilled water
Safety gear

Instructions

Mix a small amount of turmeric powder in a small bowl with ammonia.
In a separate bowl mix turmeric powder with distilled water.
- Water can vary in our taps. Distilled water will help make sure you can get great results for this experiment.

The results

Pretty cool, huh? You can try mixing different things into turmeric and see how it affects the colors for a longer experiment.

After adding distilled water to the ammonia and turmeric mix to help neutralize it, you can safely dispose of both of these paste in the trashcan.

Dye Releasing Henna

Henna powder itself won’t leave any stain because it has to go through a process, called “dye release.” Dye releasing happens by adding a mildly acidic liquid to henna powder and letting it sit for about 8 to 12 hours at room temperature. During this time, a chemical reaction takes place that creates lawsone, which is what does the dyeing. Henna is used around the world for body art and to dye hair! It’s very important to make sure pure henna is being used for this experiment.

For more advance information on dye releasing, visit: http://www.tapdancinglizard.com/AS_henna_for_hair/chapters/chap4/henna_phytochemistry.pdf

What you’ll need:

Ancient Sunrise® henna powder (any of our henna will do)
Acidic liquid (orange juice, apple juice, or cranberry juice)
Small bowl
Small whisk
Spoon
Paper towels (for cleaning)
A couple of small baggies or cones (carrot bags also work)
Rubberbands
Tape
Piece of paper

Instructions

Mix the acidic liquid and the henna powder together into any bowl until the paste slowly drips off of your whisk.
Using a spoon, scoop the paste into a baggie, cone, or carrot bag.
- If you’re using a baggie you will want to squeeze all of the paste to one of the bottom corners, then tie a rubber band at the top to create a little triangular shaped cone. This will prevent the paste from leaking out at the top of the ziplock.
Let the cone sit for 8-12 hours in 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit. You can place this in the fridge for around 3 days if you’re not ready to use it right after the 8-12 hour mark.
After the cone is ready, repeat steps 1 and 2. Don’t let the second cone sit.
Cut a small portion of the tip off of each cone.
Divide a piece of plain paper in half.
- Mark one side for “dye released” and the other “not dye released”.
Draw some designs on each side with the designated cone, then set the paper aside.
- If you need some ideas for practicing designs, look here: http://hennapage.com/henna/what/gallery/index.html
Tape the end of the cones shut if you have leftovers.
- The dye released cone can be placed in the freezer. The non dye released cone can sit out to finish dye releasing, then be frozen.
- You can freeze any remaining paste because it can be used for future hair applications or science projects.

The results

After the paper has sat for 20 minutes or so, scrape some of the slightly hardened paste away to see the underlying color. If you wait until the paste is completely dry, you may have a harder time removing it. You will notice that the paste that hasn’t been dye released still leaves a residue on the paper due to plant matter. The area that was dye released leaves behind an orange stain.

Doodles! Compliments of myself and my son

Art

This is the perfect time for families to get in touch with their creative side. Play with washable body art using Mehron Paradise Paints or paint with TEMPTU. Using Becoming Moonlight Gilding Cones with different colored mica and glitter is always plenty of fun and safe! Using gilding paste on paper to practice spelling words and covering them with glitter is a great way to incorporate learning! Rebecca did beautiful decorations on eggs using various methods of body art supplies from Mehandi.com.

You can use henna paste to create lovely artwork, as well. Here is a link for some wonderful patterns: http://hennapage.com/henna/what/freebooks/index.html

History and Culture

Make history extra fun by incorporating your henna experiment listed above with some facts. For example, did you know that Ancient Egyptians used henna on their hair long before we used it today? You can read more about how henna was used in Egypt here: http://www.tapdancinglizard.com/AS_henna_for_hair/chapters/chap2/Pre-History_Egypt.pdf

Learn about the history of henna around the world: http://www.hennapage.com/henna/history/index.html

Read about how Oscar Wilde was one of the first of the famous to develop an allergy to PPD: https://www.ancientsunrise.blog/oscar-wilde/

Dive into the history of hair and culture (this is a personal favorite article of mine): //www.ancientsunrise.blog/hair-spaces-identity/

Did you know that indigo was used to paint on bodies in a form called woading? http://www.tapdancinglizard.com/findingblue/index.html

While we go through this stressful time, please stay healthy and take care of yourself and your loved ones. Hopefully, this blog of ways to educate and entertain the family helps keep you from getting too bored! Definitely read through the blogs on AncientSunrise.blog and BecomingMoonlight.blog for more interesting information! You can head over to hennaforhair.com, hennapage.com, and Mehandi.com for plenty of useful education in science and history!

Maria • Ancient Sunrise Specialist • LLC

Using Rarity Henna on Gray Hair

Many have asked if using Ancient Sunrise® Rarity henna on gray hair works. Well, I’m here to tell you how my experience went.

Note: Please take into consideration that everyone’s head of hair varies and may get different results even when using the same products.

Background on my model, Dahlia:

My mom is allergic to many things; it can make it hard to find products that work for her. She has gray hairs scattered all around her head and her hair is about a 3C or 4A. Her length is a couple inches past her shoulders and curly. She wants to cover her grays and is looking forward to the red highlights that she will get with henna. My mom has a base color of black hair. With henna, she will get a red glow on her hair.

My mom can’t use the Rainwash due to her allergy to citric acid so we used a shampoo that worked best for her. We mixed 3 teaspoons of Malluma Kristalovino with 300 grams of Rarity Henna and distilled water. This was left at room temperature (68 to 72 degrees) for 8 to 12 hours. You can read more about preparing henna for your hair here: https://www.ancientsunrise.blog/henna-101-dye-release-henna/

We’re now ready to do some hair!

I part the hair in 4 sections and begin in the back.

I saturate each section top and bottom to fully coat the hair.

Now that we’re done, we can wrap her hair up and let it sit.

There was leftover paste which we will use for root touch-ups in the future. We’ll freeze this for a later application.

The paste sat on my mom’s hair overnight for about 12 hours or so. Then we rinsed her hair and eased the remaining paste out with conditioner. Finally, we shampooed and conditioned her hair.

Here is her end result after 4 days of oxidation:

Using Rarity henna on gray hair covered nicely and gave off a shiny copper color on my mom’s hair.

*You can patch test your mix if you are worried you may be allergic to your fruit acid powder or juice. Look for an article covering patch testing in a future blog!

Damaris • Ancient Sunrise Specialist • LLC

Zizyphus Face Mask

Many products have multiple uses and Zizyphus Spina Christi is one of them. Its primary use is generally to help clean hair and skin. Since it can leave the skin feeling soft, I decided to try doing a zizyphus face mask.

Zizyphus is a desert plant that has saponins glycosides. The specific saponins of this plant leaf are what does the cleaning. Zizyphus also helps to protect the skin and hair from the effects of dry weather and intense sunlight by depositing a thin layer to hold in moisture. (1) Read more about zizyphus here: http://hennaforhair.com/hair-care/ziz/index.html

I combined 1 teaspoon of zizyphus powder with about a teaspoon of distilled water. Next, I mixed the two together until it formed the consistency of pudding. Finally, I applied the paste to my freshly cleaned face avoiding my eyes, nose, and mouth. After about 15 minutes, I rinsed it off.

While the paste was on, I felt a slight tightening of the skin. It is perfectly normal, as that is just the mask working its magic. I have combination skin, and felt that this zizyphus face mask mainly cleaned and helped even my skin tone. After the mask, my skin also felt super soft. I definitely recommend giving this a try. However, if you are allergic to latex, be sure to patch test first!

Try zizyphus on your hair: https://www.ancientsunrise.blog/cassia-zizyphus-amla/

Source

Cartwright-Jones Ph.D., Catherine. Henna for Hair- Zizyphus Spina Christi, hennaforhair.com/hair-care/ziz/index.html.

Patty • Ancient Sunrise® Specialist