When using a mix of plant dye powders and fruit acids, it can become tricky to determine how much to use, and how to measure it all out. Using Ancient Sunrise® Henna for Hair is already more cost-effective than conventional boxed dyes or visits to the salon, but it’s always nice to cut down on waste. While henna and cassia pastes can be frozen for later use, mixes containing indigo cannot. Therefore, it is useful to mix just enough paste, and keep the rest of the powders sealed and dry.
This article will help you determine how much plant powder you’ll need to mix, how to measure powders with teaspoons and tablespoons, and how to determine the right amount of fruit acid powder to dye-release your henna and/or cassia.
If you are new to using henna for hair, be sure to read the Henna 101 series on this blog.
How much plant dye powder do I need for my hair?
Before mixing, you first need to determine how much total plant dye powder you’ll need in order to create enough paste to dye your hair. This depends on the length and thickness of your hair. Knowing how much powder to use in your mix will become easier after you have used henna for a while.
If you are just starting, if have recently cut your hair, or if you are returning to henna after a long period of hair growth, it is always better to mix more rather than less. Below is a chart that can help you estimate how much you might need. Because each head of hair is unique, this is not exact, and meant to be used as a general guideline. If you end up with henna/cassia paste left over, stick it in the freezer for future touch-ups. Indigo dye will not work once it has been frozen. If there is indigo in your mix, make note of how much was left over, dump the paste, and adjust your measurements next time.
| Thin, straight hair | Average hair | Thick or curly hair | |
| 1-2” roots | 30-50g | 50-75g | 100g or more |
| Chin length | 75-100g | 100-150g | 200g or more |
| Shoulder length | 100-150g | 200-250g | 300g or more |
| 2-3” below shoulder | 200-250g | 250-300g | 400g or more |
| Mid back | 250-300g | 350-400g | 500g or more |
| Waist length | 400-500g | 500-600g | 600g or more |
Keep in mind that the thickness of the paste will affect how much hair will be covered. You will want to mix your paste to the consistency of whipped sour cream, so that it drops off in a dollop if you hold a spoonful upside-down. If you mix a thicker paste, you will need more powder.
The above chart is also based on a thorough, thick application of paste. Some people choose to apply more sparingly. Keep in mind that doing so will require less paste, but may affect color and coverage.
How do I measure plant dye powders without a scale?
Henna, cassia, and/or indigo mixes are based on ratios of their gram measurements. All of the plant powders come in 100g packets. If you do not need the entire packet, you can measure out your necessary amount, and seal up the rest of the powder for later use. If you have a kitchen scale, measuring the amount you need is pretty easy. Just determine how much powder in grams you’ll need for your particular mix, and divide. If you do not have a scale, you can convert grams into teaspoons, tablespoons, and cups.
This conversion is different for each powder, because the weight and density of the powders vary. Just as a cup of feathers and a cup of marbles would have different weights, so do henna, cassia, and indigo. Below is a chart with the most common gram amounts and their volume conversions. This is based on US measurements.
Key
tsp = teaspoon
T = tablespoon
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons = 1/8 cup
16 tablespoons = 1 cup
| 10g | 12.5g | 25g | 50g | 100g | |
| Henna | 1.5 T; or 1T +1 ½ tsp | Just under 2T | Just under ¼ cup | 7T; | 3/4cup + 2T; or one full packet |
| Cassia | 1T + 2tsp | Just over 2T | Just under 4T + 1tsp | ½ cup + 1tsp | 1 cup + 2tsp; or one full packet |
| Indigo | 2T | 2.5T; or 2T + 1.5tsp | 5T | 10T; or ½ cup + 2T | 1 ¼ cup, or one full packet |
How much fruit acid do I need?
Ancient Sunrise® offers a variety of fruit acid powders to use in place of a fruit juice or mildly acidic liquid. Just mix the fruit acid powder into your henna/cassia, add distilled water, and let the paste dye-release.
The amount of fruit acid powder you need depends on the amount of henna/cassia you are using, and the type of fruit acid powders. Ancient Sunrise® offers single-use packets of all of the plant powders, which are each pre-measured to contain enough fruit acid powder for 100g henna or cassia. If you need less than that, or if you have ordered a bulk container of a fruit acid, you’ll need to know how to measure the right amount.
Ancient Sunrise® Kristalovino, Ancient Sunrise® Malluma Kristalovino, and Citric Acid are all very easy. You will need 1tsp per 100g henna/cassia. If you are using indigo, remember that the amount of acid powder you needs is based only on how much henna and/or cassia you are using, not your total amount of plant powder.
| Enough for 12.5g henna/cassia | Enough for 25g henna/cassia | Enough for 50g henna/cassia | Enough for 100g henna/cassia |
| A good pinch; or 1/8 tsp | ¼ tsp | ½ tsp | 1 tsp |
Ancient Sunrise® Copperberry, Ancient Sunrise® Nightfall Rose, and Ancient Sunrise® Amla powder all require 25g per every 100g henna/cassia. Like plant dye powders, they vary by weight. The chart below shows weight-to-volume conversions
| 3.125g | 6.25g | 12.5g | 25g | |
| Enough for 12.5g henna/cassia | Enough for 25g henna/cassia | Enough for 50g henna/cassia | Enough for 100g henna/cassia | |
| Ancient Sunrise® Copperberry | Just under 1 tsp | ½ T, or 1 ½ tsp | 1T | 2T + ¼ tsp |
| Ancient Sunrise® Nightfall Rose | Just over 1 tsp | Just under 1T | 1.5T | 3T |
| Ancient Sunrise® Amla | 1tsp | Just over 2 tsp | 1 ½ T; or 1T + 1 ½ tsp | 2T + 2tsp |
Final Notes
If you’re concerned about getting your plant dye measurements perfectly right, don’t worry. A few grams either way will not affect your color very much, especially with larger mixes. If you are only mixing enough for a root touch-up on thin hair, you may have to be just a tad more precise.
Fruit acid powders also have some wiggle-room, but it’s generally better to have a little too much rather than not enough. Ancient Sunrise® Kristalovino and Ancient Sunrise® Malluma Kristalovino are particularly gentle, and therefore quite forgiving if over-measured.
If all of this made things more confusing instead of clearing things up, not to worry. Ancient Sunrise® offers pre-measured kits for the most common hair colors. Most kits contain enough to cover shoulder-length hair of average thickness. You can also contact customer service directly and ask them to help you determine the measurements for your mix and hair length. If you are placing an order, ask nicely, and they’ll write your recipe on the packing slip.
Contact Customer Service via phone, chat, or email if you have any additional questions.