MEHNDIK A MAGIC

a simple recipe for guaranteed success

100 grams HENNA powder

Buy your henna powder from a well known and reputable henna artist,
who consistently achieves great stains. Cheap powder is typically
terrible; poor quality, poor consistency & often yields poor stain results.
* avoid henna powders from eBay, amazon & the local Indian market *

30 ml essential oil
Look for an undiluted, steam distilled essential oil. Lavender, tea tree,
cajeput and eucalyptus are all great essential oils for making henna
paste. This is a super important ingredient to achieve a deep dark stain.
* you cannot substitute essential oils with cooking oils *
* avoid oils from MLM companies like Young Living & DoTerra if you’re on a budget. These
oils are not superior to other oils but much more expensive *

40 grams sugar
I like to use a raw brown sugar in my paste as it’s vegan
(white sugar is often refined with animal bones, yuk!)
I always use the same ratio of sugar, regardless of the humidity.
avoid powdered sugar and do not substitute with honey

2 0 0 m l wa t e r *
THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION ONLY
This measurement of water will vary based on your preferred
consistency and the brand/crop of henna powder. Mix slowly, little by
little, until you have reached your desired consistency and keep track
of the amount you used so that you can keep a note of the ratio for
future batches of henna paste.
* you can use rose water or caffeine free tea in place of water but it has
no impact on the stain. *

m e h nfree
d i henna
kajo eyhenna
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 MEHNDIK A MAGIC
a simple recipe for guaranteed success

MEHNDIK A matrix
henna powder
100 50 33 25
(grams)
essential oil
30 15 10 7.5
(ml)
sugar
40 20 13 10
(grams)
water*
200 100 66 50
(ml, *approximate)
approximate amount of Mehndika
sized cones per batch 25 12 8 6

This is the matrix I use when making my henna paste.

Why not start your own mehndika matrix?

If you are organized? You will become highly efficient with events and
bookings and keeping track of inventory and cost.

USE A DIGITAL SCALE TO WEIGH YOUR INGREDIENTS

Henna mixing is a science. You need to be
specific if you want best results! Too little oil? Can
cause a poor stain. Too much oil? Can cause
topical irritation to the skin.

m e h nfree
d i henna
kajo eyhenna
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 MEHNDIK A MAGIC
a simple recipe for guaranteed success

MEHNDIK A magic method

Put all your ingredients (do not add ALL the water yet, you might need less
than me!)… use a glass, ceramic or metal bowl. Plastic and wood are
porous, so will absorb the essential oil, avoid these types of bowls.

Mix, mix and mix some more. Your paste should eventually be creamy,
smooth and lump free. If you have a hand mixer now is the time to use it, or
if you are really fortunate? A kitchen aid or stand mixer will make quick
work of your paste and do all the hard work for you! (If you have a kitchen
aid, the ‘flex edge beater’ attachment is the winner of all the things! Buy it
and thank the universe for it every time you mix henna from now until the
end of time. (seriously. best investment ever!)

Once you get to this stage, cover your paste with a silicon bowl cover
(reusable, sustainable, awesome. Google them if you don’t know what
they are) or plastic wrap. The key is, the paste should be air tight. I leave
my paste for 4-12 hours typically, at room temperature. If you're in a huge
big rush you can use warm (not hot) water for a faster stain release. To
check if your paste is ready? a 5 minute test on your palm should yield a
BRIGHT orange stain. If its not bright orange? It’s not ready yet. Be patient
and check every hour or so.

When the paste is ready? Adjust to your preferred consistency. You can
always add more liquid or powder at this stage without waiting for dye
release again. I recommend filling one cone and testing the consistency. If
your paste is too thick? Add a little more water. Too thin? Spreading on the
skin? A little more powder. Repeat the test cone until your paste is perfect!

Once your paste is lovely? Strain the paste through a nylon stocking and fill
all your cones! Henna cones can be frozen for 4-6 months.
NEVER EVER PUT YOUR CONES IN THE FRIDGE. Freeze until needed!

m e h nfree
d i henna
kajo eyhenna
resources