Your Favorite Henna

We've discussed much in this forum, and even have the little competitions, and yet, we haven't discussed our favorite henna! lol

I was thinking about this tonight as I was mixing a new batch.

I have tried numerous kinds over the years. Some have worked flawlessly and some...not so much.
Before I go further I am going to admit something to you all, I am a complete henna snob.
~I will not use kit henna...ever. I don't trust it. I don't like it. I won't do it.
~I will not use premade from someone I do know or trust. I did this once when I was at Bodyssey without my henna and someone asked me to teach some techniques at the jam. I bought Amerikan Body Art henna in the jaquard bottle and was extremely disappointed with every aspect of it.
~After purchasing powder from different suppliers, I always come back to the shop at The Henna Pages. I don't vary from them anymore. They have incredible service, magnificent products and great customer service.

I also have this thing, if the henna doesn't smell pungent and lovely, I won't use it as I don't trust it's freshness. I've had henna shipped to me that didn't have that bright green henna smell and it just didn't work the same either. I've learned to trust my nose in that case! lol

I **always** have Jamilla in my freezer. I know that those little boxes will always serve me well and be true. They blend well, are smooth and stain beautifully in a lovely almost burgundy on my fingertips. It is by far the most consistent henna year to year that I have found.

Henna Pages Yemeni henna. This doesn't have that silky smooth texture and requires a bit of hard sifting but it stains quickly and deeply, yielding a rich rust hue darkening to a lovely brown on my pale skin.

I just tried the Rajasthani Monsoon henna. To be honest, I hated the texture. It's weirdly clumpy/grainy and too far more mixing than any of the others I've had. It is said to not need sugar/glucose but it didn't pull right without it. It didn't need as much, for sure BUT I realized this completely effects the volume of the henna I have. That was interesting to find out. Anyway, the color of this is just stunning. A rich, deep almost black on the fingers. Well worth the texture issues. This however, is limited, since monsoons don't always yield a great crop.

I've used Moroccan henna, from a dryer season than they normally have. I was not impressed. The color was a lovely, deep burnt red hue but it just didn't last.

I know henna quality is extremely dependent on the weather/environment and soil composition where it is grown, but these are the best I have used.

Oh...and I have tried to mix different hennas to see if I can get the best of them all. The result was patchy.

What's your favorite henna to use and why?

I'm so new to this that I have no clue. I just know if I'm gonna do it, I need to do it right.
I need to hang out on the henna page some more.

That makes sense. I'm a researcher so I read everything about it that I could get my hands on. Not design books really but history and info that way.
I actually am not on the forums there. I was but that's a long story. The site is a treasure trove. I highly recommend their "samples" section for trying new products and such. It's really great.

Tap dancing lizard has great free "books" that you might want to start with, on the dot com, which is, of course attached to the henna pages

Have fun

Jamila mixed with Rajistani! Best blend for me!

Once I opened my webstore I simplified my paste. So for the last 2-3 years I have been using Rajasthani only. For me it's the simplest to use, and I know the dye release time with it. I have a specific oil blend I use for my bridal clients, and then for corporate/festival I tend to just use cajeput in the paste.

But I like the rajasthani because once I freeze it and thaw, it's the perfect consistency for my needs.