Confused results : Please help and advise!!
Product: Fresh Jamila Henna Powder 2012
Posted By: Lo-Po
I purchased the Jamilla Henna a week ago, and received it from here on Saturday. So with that I give 5 stars and am satisfied. I purchased 4 of the 100g so that I could possibly have one for next 3-4mos. Anywho, so for the 1st batch I mixed the Henna w/coconut milk and made my mix too runny(my mistake)..however, I noticed after 2hrs the henna dyed my palm light orange so unsure whether to immediately put on my hair(some ppl mention it should stain pumpkin-orange or dark orange) I let it sit awhile more..and then placed on my hair for 8 hours!!! After this I rinse it out but to my dismay I did not receive any color deposit. Discouraged I decided at 11pm last night to make another batch and since it was BAQ henna to do the 12 hour overnight wait. So I mix another batch, let sit for 12hrs. This morning at 11 placed it on my hair evenly–this batch was correct and I mixed with just warm water and consistency was like a mud mask. After taking an hour to place throughout my hair evenly, I saran wrap, paper bag, and plastic cap for 4 1/2 hours. This evening at 5 after easily rinsing out the henna–I didn’t need to add conditioner or wash…just rinsed out from under my tub faucet–I was crushed again to see that I had absolutely NO color deposit indoors or outdoors and also did not see any more shine, strength, or anything phenomenal to my hair. It looked the exact same đ (My hair is wavy/curly natural black hair with natural shine, tight s-curls, and medium-length dense packed hair)
I really thought the first application didn’t take because I had not let the henna sit 12hrs although I had seen the dye release w/in 2hrs. Next application I followed precise rules and method on the sheet included in shipment and my paste didn’t drip AT ALL and I had no mess but the result was the same. I don’t know what to say you guys I am very disappointed with the fact I didn’t receive color(not important) and no other benefits(most important) or any immediate results.
I tried to reason that maybe it’s because my hair is very low porosity(even when I had chemically relaxed hair my hair never took chemical dye and I would have to use a booster) but even with that, 4.5 hrs on the head should yield something and I know we are all different but I am truly lost as to not receiving no results when ppl with similar porosity and/or pattern have amazing results. I also tried to reason that maybe my hair is in a pretty good condition so maybe that’s why I didn’t see any results?
IDK…but I have nothing against BAQ Jamila henna. It is very fine sifted and rinsing out with plain tub faucet water was terrific for me. Also, after rinse my hair was NOT stick dry and brittle at all…and this was after using henna w/just water mix…but as a safety I washed with a duo-poo/con-dish to amazing detangle results.
I have two more boxes in the freezer and in 2wks will try and re-visit but do not know what I can do to try and improve the release on my hair..I may try leaving on overnight after leaving out 12hrs but I don’t feel that would yield much.
Sorry for this long, ranting review but the short of it, the product itself is 5 stars in regard to being finely sifted, easy to use..etc but I can’t give it 5 stars for color and/or hair treatment results because my hair looks and feel the EXACT same..same softness, texture, shine, etc as before..
Replies and Advice:
HS Reply: Thank you for giving such an amazing informative and HONEST review!!
When concentrating on color results don’t use heavy liquids such as coconut milk nor honey etc…That was the first reason you didn’t get good color deposit.
Second you left your henna sit for 12 hours and Jamila has a fast dye release this year. It only needs 3-4 hours for hair use, and then you should use it for best results by that time frame.
You can email us at info@hennasooq.com for further assistance. I hope this helps! -Khadija
Hildegarde Franck reply:Â Â Thanks for the posting
Vanessa LeBlanc reply: Another thought: Very dark-black toned hair can take several lengthy applications until any colour is noticeable, even in the sun. Was the hair clarified before applying the henna? Sometimes previous build up may prevent any conditioning and staining of the hair. They key is multiple lengthy applications. Also, with porous hair, it may be a good idea to do a protein treatment before the henna. Lawsone bonds to the keratin inside the hair.
Next time, mix the Jamila with warm water and allow it to release until you get some orange staining, then pop the henna covered in the freezer. Defrost and use the next day.
I agree with the HS reply in regards to the coconut milk and over releasing. For this, it is best to mix the henna with warm water first, then add 2 TBS per of coconut milk to every 100g of henna powder mixed after the henna has released.
Bonnie Ross KIlberg reply: Vanaessa is right….especially with low porosity…you have to build up the Henna on the hair shaft….Using a harsh shampoo before hand can help open up the shaft as well….I use old fashioned Prell..you can also try adding various other natural hair products….I always mix mine with lemon juice, bakers suga (fine) ground cinnamon and hibiscus tea and coffee for liquid……Khadija is right abt the Jamila…I had good dye reliease after 3 hours….But I still like my Morrocan the best :o) Good Luck keep at it it take lots of experimenting to find ust the right method for your hair……
Hillery Kelly reply: Â I mix my Jamilla with hibicus tea which helps with die release and also increases the red staining of the henna. Like someone else said, for color benefits, you need multiple applications unless you have some grey hairs which will show color uptake almost immediately. Also, I sometimes apply my henna and then sit under my heat cap. The gentle warm heat helps open the hair shaft, allowing the lawsome molecule to penatrate deeper into the hair which = better staining and other hair benefits.
S Marie Haskins-Tucker Jr. reply: Also you may want to try leaving it on over night. I have low porosity hair and i do all my treatments overnight (sleep with hair wrapped in cling wrap, covered with a conditioning cap and wrapped with a towel) to get the most out of my henna. After 2 Yemeni applications i started seeing subtle red tones, especially in the sunlight. I knew it was starting to show when i went to a hairstylist and she asked what color i used on my hair.
Supriya Dixit Hayer reply: I made the same mistake the first time. I let it sit out too long. Now when I do use Jamila, I let it sit for 3 hours and put it on my hair overnight with my head covered in a turban of cling wrap. In the morning, I rinse it out with water only (I use a wide toothed plastic comb to help get the pieces out) and I actually use the Cocoveda oil from Henna Sooq as a leave in conditioner. I leave this in my hair all day (I go to work like this) and then in the evening I follow it up by washing with shampoo and conditioner. This has been the way I’ve gotten the Jamila to work for me. Hope this helps. =)
Kari Lee Berrow reply: I had the same problem with my Jamila not having any dye release at all, TWICE now. I am not a beginner user of Henna so I do know the information on the how to. I just received it two weeks ago and I really do like the product for ease of use, but no dye release even after trying to freeze it, which is very frustrating. It is expensive for me to continue ordering and not having products work! I am almost ready to give up on Henna.
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Hi Khadija,
I would have responded on the facebook conversation but I couldn’t find it.
Just wanted to mention in respect to this post…I have always let my hair henna sit overnight before using it–I mix it before i go to bed and apply the next late afternoon/evening–and that’s how I seem to get best results. When I started buying Jamila from you, I did mix and apply within a few hours like the instructions said to, and left it on longer than usual, but the colour I got was not as good as I’d had when I’d waited. I tried my usual mix and wait time and got the colour I expected. I do do a cold mix, and include a little lemon juice, so maybe that’s the difference? Mixing the same day as application I got a blondish-orange colour that never matured, when the overnight mix went from bright orange to my usual auburn.
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I didn’t know you could “over release” a batch of henna! I just let my Yemeni release for about 14 hours (I forgot about it for a bit) then I put it into the freezer for use next weekend. I hope I get a good dye release! I’ll pay attention to the recommended dye release time in the future.
I recently used the 2012 Summer crop Jamila, and I also was a little disappointed with the dye release. It was still pretty, mind you, just weaker than I expected. I have always let my henna sit overnight with the cheap stuff I used to get at the Indian grocery, and I read that Jamila was particularly “stable”. I simply assumed that it would have a longer dye window than the cheap stuff. When I did a test on my palm the orange stain was pretty darn pale, on my hair it looked more like I had done a gloss. Not a bad color, but not as deep as I wanted (or even as deep as the cheap stuff!). I wonder, if I mix it with cold liquids instead of warm or room-temperature would that slow things down a bit? I prefer to apply my henna first thing in the morning and then rinse out 4 hours later so I can go out in the afternoon/evening, but I don’t want the Jamila to be wasted by then. I am WAY too restless a sleeper to wear this overnight. This is looking like it will take me an entire day to actually dye my hair, which means I’ll have to skip henna treatments (sadly my schedule does not really accommodate all-day devotion to my hair!).
Also, I was thinking of trying Red Raj next time, maybe mixed with the Jamila. How would that effect the time frame when the dye is most potent?
Hi there, Lizzy.
Sorry to hear that you didn’t get the results that you were after with the Jamila.
With the over night release, it is better to use something a little acidic instead of water, as warm water allows the Jamila 2012 to release rather quickly, while acids allow for a slower release; 4 hours seems to be the best window for release with warm water. I personally like to mix with luke-warm water, then place the henna somewhere warm (I use the bread-proofing feature on my oven). This gives me a lovely deep colour.
A great trick is to mix the henna powder with water, then stick it in the freezer and defrost when you need it. This boosts the dye release.
Red Raj releases faster as well.
Thanks so much for replying to my comment! I tried again yesterday using warm tea (hibiscus). I normally use tea that has cooled to room temperature mixed with apple cider vinegar, but since I was aiming for a quick dye-release instead of overnight, I skipped the vinegar. The henna was ready in less than 2 hours! I did get much better color deposit this time, although the color came out quite brown. Still very pretty, but not so red. Since I was aiming for a deep red, not deep brown with coppery shine, I am trying to figure out whether its the recipe I used or if Jamila just isn’t the right henna for me. I still plan to try the raj, but I’m worried that since my hair is so brown now it will just get darker, not redder. Does the absence of very acidic liquids such as lemon juice or vinegar change the color as well as the release time?
This Jamila IS quality stuff though. The spot on my palm where I tested the henna left a dark stain after only 3 minutes, and it hasn’t faded much despite multiple hand-washings. It is a lovely burnt pumpkin stain. If I had the skill for henna body art, this would definitely be my henna of choice. And my hair is very soft and shiny, and my curls loosened a bit which never happened to me before. I feel like if I can just get the recipe and the timing right this would work for me in the color department as well.
I had the same problem with Jamila henna bought form hennasooq. Instructions told me to dye release for 8-10 hours, I can see that there has been no dy release at 9 hours, but I put it on my hair anyway. Why would Hennasooq have me waste my money like that?
If the Jamila henna doesn’t work (because I was given an incorrect dye release time), and I use it anyway. Will the indigo still work?
oops, I take my comment back. It turns out that the henna did not stain my hand, but it stained my hair enough for the indigo to work. My comment was made in haste.
I’m frustrated with my Jamila henna. I usually order BAQ henna from Tap Dancing Lizard off the Henna for Hair website and have never had any problems with dye release. I’ve made two batches with the Jamila and the first did not have any discernible dye release for six to ten hours. I ran out of time by 12 hours and put it on for a couple of hours. No color deposit at all on my blond hair. Tried this batch and there was no dye release by 12 hours, so I let it go overnight. Still, no change!
I live in a warm climate so it’s not like it’s too cold to have dye release – the temp in my house is about 75 degrees. Really frustrated with this stuff. Totally feel like I wasted my money and I still have some left, but what’s the point in trying it again?