Henna recipes are as numerous as recipes for sugar cookies, secret meat loaf recipes, and basically, any recipe that has been passed around or passed down for generations. Some people are willing to give them up, some aren't, usually they've found a recipe that works very well, and they like to keep it secret (although I have no idea why they would. Better to share the knowledge, in my opinion) So here's some general knowledge of my own.

For a wondeful batch of henna, you will need:

Black tea or instant coffee, or both, (optional)

Eucalyptus oil, -an essential oil you can find in co-ops or healthfood stores (optional)

Ground and whole cloves, -enhances color

Fresh squeezed lemon juice,

Dried lemons or limes,

A nylon stocking, -to sift your henna powder

Some good-quality henna powder.

Whenever I mix henna paste, I usually use a number of ingredients, and vary them to however I feel at the time, just to vary the recipe and hope to stumble on a very good variation to use. The first most important thing to have is good quality henna powder. Avoid buying a brand you've never heard of or a package that looks like it's been on a shelf for a million years. You're going to want to have fresh henna, so that it's properties are more likely to work. The henna powder you use should be as fine as talc or baby powder, and should not have any little sticks of bits or leave in it. Fresh henna should smell like fresh herbs or fresh grass, and should have a vibrant green color. Never use henna that appears too light green or gray. Always store your henna powder in a cool, dark, airtight place free of light and moisture. An excellent place to buy henna is from an indian market, or a place that specializes in henna. (I buy most of my henna through the web from Life Art, who happens to have some of the best henna I have ever used. The henna from Castle Art is also of comparable quality.) To make sure your henna is of fine quality, mix a small amount of it with water and allow to sit for about an hour. Place a dot of it on the bottom of your foot or palm of your hand, and allow to dry, then scrape off. If it leaves a mark, then it should be good enough quality. NOTE: NEVER use henna that is sold for hair-dying purposes. It is not of high enough quality to stain the skin well.

Once you have your henna, you should sift it. I recommend doing this even if you buy henna that claims that you need not sift it. An easy way to do this is stretch a piece of nylon stocking over a big cup ( I use a big glass one so i can see how i'm progressing) and shake the henna through it into a bowl. Be sure to do this in a well-ventilated area. Sometimes I will tape a second cup to the first so that the nylon is between the two, then i shake the henna into the other cup. This cuts down on the amount of henna dust, but it can still be messy if your tape seal is not adequate. (Yet another thing duct tape is good for :). Discard any debris that will not go through the stocking. Do this a couple times until your henna is the consistency of finely sifted flour..

Next, you need to prepare your brew. (Or you can do this before sifting your henna, if you like to save time). I generally heat 2-3 inches of water in a saucepan. I toss in a palm full of fresh whole and ground cloves, the dried lemons, and 2 or 3 bags of dark tea or coffee singles. Simmer the mixture for about an hour. You can also add other ingredients to the mix, such as tamarind paste, granulated sugar, or pomegranite concentrate. Stir your brew with a wooden spoon. You should NEVER use metal utensils to mix it. After you have sufficiently cooked your mixture fir an hour, remove it from heat and allow it to cool. Then you may begin mixing it into the henna powder.

I use a glass bowl and a plastic spoon. When you mix the brew into the powder to make the paste, be careful not to add too much right away, so you don't accidentally make it too thin. While mixing the paste, I add generous amounts of lemon juice and eucalyptus oil. The end mixture should have a very smooth texture, slightly thinner than toothpaste. Once the henna is mixed, let it sit for a couple hours, preferably overnight. Normally I can tell if a batch is good if it begins to stain my skin with a vibrant orange color after being on for only 5-10 minutes. TIP: If you mix up more paste than you need, you can freeze it for up to 6 months, and it will still work well.

Once the henna has sat long enough, I recommend putting it into a small bottle with a long thin tip on it. You can find these bottles at specialty stores, or in arts and craft stores (or from LifeArt <http://www.hunza.com> or from Castle Art <http://www.castleart.com>). The bottles are a true lifesaver when applying the henna, as you have great control over the paste when making fine lines. You can also use cones, which are also available from many henna stores.

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR NEW DESIGN

Once the paste is applied, you'll need to cover the design in a lemon and sugar mixture, made from equal amounts of fresh squeezed lemons and granulated sugar. This substance creates a sticky coating that helps keep the design in place and the citric acid helps deepen the color. Be sure you do not have any pulp in the mixture. You will also need to heat the design. I usually use a candle when the mix is on hands, but a hair dryer works good too, No matter what, be careful so you don't get burned. Alternate between dabbing the lemon sugar on with a real cotton ball and then applying heat if possible I repeat this process 4-5 times. Then I wrap the designs in unraveled cotton balls (use only real cotton) or large cotton first aid pads. Leave the design on overnight and scrape it off in the morning. Rub some oil (such as vegetable oil) on the design and avoid washing it for a day or so. It should last quite a while (about 3-4 weeks) if the henna paste was good and you care for the design a lot. If you ever wantt o get it off, scrubbing daily and swimming on clorinated water or getting sun on it will take it off much faster. Beware of getting it in the sun too much. if you get burned with a new design on, your design will fade and you will have a white design where the design used to be. (henna is a natural sunscreen)