Henna Caravan Forums

Katherine,
there are many theories and old wives tales regarding what to add to make dark henna .
These are just that. Tea will do nothing for the color of the stain on the skin, but it will give you a jolt of transdermal caffiene if you use enough.
We use the KISS recipe to make all our henna and we never vary anything at all.
IN fact today I am making up 24 boxes of henna and will stick to the tried and true KISS recipe ( keep it simple silly) as it works every time.
IF you like to be a kitchen witch it can be fun to mix up concoctions to use in the henna but they are really only adding liquid and scent for you.
There are other things that have been rumored to add color as well, beets, tea, coffee, hibiscus, cinnamon, paprika, to name a few and not one of them has a dye molecule that will work on the skin. I wish they did work because beet color would be beautiful.
have fun
Flavia

the best way to get darker henna stains is to use good quality henna and oils, a great recipe , and clean the skin well. THen apply the paste and carefully steam it  a couple times over the next several hours.
THis has to be done carefully so you don't burn your skin.
And lastly, leave the paste on for 6 hours or more to achieve dark stains.

Thank you guys so much!

Katharine,
age will affect stain longevity but not  particularly darkness since as you get older your skin doesn't exfoliate completely as fast as when you are younger.
So an older person may have skin that  is "older" than a young person.
While this may make the stain last longer , I don't think it  is darker.
People who are very old will have skin that is quite thin, and this is why they bruise so easily, this skin will not get as dark  with henna  or stay as long .
FLavia