Re: Old, weak henna with a purpose.
Posted by Maureen on July 11, 2001 at 22:58:55:
In reply to: Re: Old, weak henna with a purpose. posted by Marina Waltz on July 11, 2001 at 17:07:09:
Hi Marina,The powdered henna that I am using is over a year old. The paste is
anywhere from four weeks to a few days old. If I want it light and
weak in color (the paste) I don't do anything to it that I know will
push it to darker deeper colors. I think because the different henna
powders I am using have already weakened to various and different
degrees because of age, they have to have the cajeput to get any
deeper brownish/reddish/burgandyish. Each batch of this old stock of
henna yields a different weakened tone. Just like they each yielded
a different color and tone and intensity when they were new and
fresh. I think when you put the henna designs right up next to each
other you will get fuzziness in the shapes. It would appear to me
that they would bleed into the next shape and color. I was wondering
what would happen if one shape and color was blocked out prior to
placing the next batch of henna right next to it or on top. It would
have to reduce the fuzziness and produce a somewhat harder edge.
When I have put a darker deeper henna on top of a lighter henna
shape, the darker henna seems to hold its own. I can clearly see the
separation in shape and shade. One thing that I know would probably
make the designs bleed into one another would be the wrapping and
sweating. Not with what I am doing with the older henna, but with
the fresher henna I have gotten some bleeding "halo" effect at times
when I use the lemon/sugar, tissue, saran wrap and sock.
Particularly on my palm I get deep color with slightly fuzzy edges on
parts of the design. Of course, this is also when I have slept with
it wrapped and my hand did whatever it wanted to do in that glove
while it was sweating and I was sleeping.
I really do think that my designs are reflecting the different colors
primarily because different henna will produce different colors and
shades based on the type of henna, age, what is added to it and when
something is added to it. And that it is probably the age of the
henna that is making it consistent and that that is making the
difference in our results. The way I see it is, if the henna CAN NOT
produce results deeper in tone than tan on the back of my hand when I
add tea/lemon/sugar, then I add only the tea/lemon/sugar to it and
design the back of my hand and always get tan. However, if with the
fresher henna, it can produce shades and tones ranging from the
orange through to burgandyish/black with the tea/lemon/sugar based
upon how long I leave it on the back of my hand, I have to do a lot
of experimenting to find out how long to leave it on to get the
orange that stays orange, orange that goes to tan, or orange that
goes to the burgandyish/black. Does that make sense. What I am
saying is the materials (old henna) that I am using is not capable of
the range of different colors that your new henna is. Therefore, it
is easier for me to control the outcome of color. If it is only
going to tan...I don't have to worry about it being the same color as
the next application of a different henna or fresher henna with or
without cajeput that I know will go to the deep deep colors when left
on for 10 minutes or three hours. I hope this makes some sense. It
is hard to describe colors. But if I know that I will always get a
light stain with old henna #1. And I know I will always get a medium
stain with old henna #2. And I know that I will always get a dark
stain with fresh hennaA or old henna #2 with cajeput. Then I can use
henna #l, #2, A and #2 with cajeput to do designs requiring light,
medium and dark shapes and spaces. With the different hennas it is
easier for me to control the outcome than it would be for me to
control for the outcome using one henna and trying to manipulate the
variable of time. Unless I do a lot of timing experiments where I
have controlled for and held consistent everything else but the
time. And this I would do as side by side experiments. Seems to me
that you could put 10 stripes on your hand at the same time with the
same henna paste. Then every 10 minutes remove the paste from one
stripe and note the color difference when the henna is first removed
and also over time. Then you should be able to predict the varying
outcomes of the color based upon time the paste is left on...or know
that the time variable makes absolutely no difference at all. Or you
might find that the time variance has to be at least 30 minutes or an
hour or whatever. Let me know what happens if you do the 10 stripes
time test with the fresh henna (with or without cajeput or some EO.
It would be a lot faster to do the designs if time would make the
difference. But like you, I found that the fresh henna with cajeput
stained very deeply and nicely very very quickly. Which is a good
thing unless you a trying to get a lighter color result. Let me know.
Maureen
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