I am back with an update version of my frozen henna bars. This recipe consists of some new ingredients and some of the old ingredients in my previous recipe.

If you have not used Henna or ayurvedic herbs before, I highly recommend that you research them first, before applying onto you hair! While they are natural and a healthy addition to incorporate into your hair routine (providing strength, shine and so much more, with henna being a great natural way to add a red/reddish orange undertone to the hair) it is always best to be informed. I have a little breakdown of Henna along with some of the other ingredients I use here.

Before I get asked the infamous question of “will it make my hair red”. The answer is yes and no. It totally depends on the colour of your hair before applying henna. If you have black or dark hair, you will notice a subtle red undertone to the hair which is more noticeable under direct sunlight (not really visible indoors). If you have light brown hair, you will notice a reddish brown undertone to your hair and if you are blond, you definitely will get an orange tint to your hair. For grays and white hair, you will get a golden orange/fiery orange tone to your hair. (Ps. there are a variety of henna “species” which means that the type/location to the plant you can get, you can get a verity of dye intensity).

In case you want to tone down that orange tint (for those with gray/white hair) – naturally – Indigo is the way to go. Indigo is used to give a final black tone to the hair. You can either do a two step process of first apply henna followed by Indigo (most optimal for stubborn grays) or you can do a 50/50 combination of mixing henna and Indigo which will give more of a dark brown tone. Amla helps to provide a slightly brownish tone to henna and hibiscus will give it a kick of red. I personally have never tried Indigo myself but you can inform yourself about it along with an really in-depth look about all the herbs here at hennasooq.com

PSA: It is ALWAYS required to do a strand & skin test to make sure you are not allergic to henna or any other herb you use on your hair. I will also stress the fact that natural pure henna (good henna) only comes in one colour: Reddish orange. There is no natural brown henna, black henna or anything else. If you find that it is either one of two scenarios: it’s a blend of henna along with indigo, amla, hibiscus etc. so it will have other ayurvedic herbs mixed together (which is fine as long as it only contains natural herbs). Or it is unnatural “natural henna” which, can be harmful potentially containing harsh chemicals which, can damage the skin & hair. They can cause allergic reactions, burns and even lead to death in some cases (those that experience an allergic shock) so as I mentioned PLEASE make yourself aware of what you are applying.

Now with all that mentioned, here is my updated recipe. I am keeping it simple and effective.

Ingredients & Tools (Makes five 100 gram bars 3.5 oz.) – 500 grams total 17.6 oz.

• 1.5 cups Henna
• 1 1/4 cups Rosewater
• 1/4 cup Ghassoul/Rhassoul
• 1/4 cup dried Hibiscus petals
• 1/4 cup dried Rosebuds/ petals (optional)
• 1/4 cup Amla
• 1/4 cup fresh Aloe Vera Juice

• Bowls
• Sieve
• Spatula
• Pot
• Gloves
• Lining (to protect worksurface)
• Silicone molds (any container)
• Clingfilm
• Airtight container

Additional/Optional:

Instead of pure Rosewater you can either do a combination of water & Rosewater or just stick to plain water. The Rosebuds are not a requirement but I love adding Rosebuds for the additional Rose benefits. Hibiscus is the acidic element for dye release (along with the Amla powder which, is also acidic) but you can use Hibiscus tea or any other tea. You can add other ayurvedic herbs to the paste, I’ve just been keeping it simple.

Method:

I add the Rosebuds and Hibiscus petals to the Rosewater which I heat up (I do not boil the water) and allow the petals to seep. I combine and mix all the powders together so that everything is well combined before adding the liquids. I pour the Rosewater through a sieve first and then pour the Aloe Vera Juice to the powders. (Slowly) add the Rosewater to the powders and mix. Once everything is well combined, cover the paste with clingfilm and allow for dye release to start. (Everyone’s henna starts releasing dye depending on the type of henna you have, for me, right before 5 hours is when it starts to kick in for my henna). Transfer the paste into molds, cover each mold with clingfilm and freeze. Once the bars freeze transfer into an airtight container and wrap each bar with clingfilm to preserve them.

Additional information:

I will mention that I like the henna paste to be thick because when I “melt” them for use, I put the bars in a bowl with a little heated up hibiscus rosewater which, will help to melt down the bars. I prefer not making the bars too runny prior to freezing because frozen henna bars tend to be a little more runny after they have thawed anyways. But that is totally a personal choice, so if you prefer to start off with a runnier paste all you have to do is add more liquid to the recipe.

You can store the bars in the freezer for up to 4 months (some say 6) but I tend to use them up before 2 months and just remake fresh batches. (I use 2 – 3 at a time).

Would love to hear what you think if you give these a try!