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How do I make henna black like I see in "Africa Adorned"
or in Persian miniature paintings?
You can transform the natural red henna on your palm or sole
to velvet
black by soaking your skin in a strongly reactive base.
This
is traditionally done in West and North Africa, and was done throughout
medieval Persia and the Ottoman Empire. Stale camel urine, or bat
urine was the most frequently used base to precipitate the henna
to black. Our most available reactive base is generic household
strength
ammonia. This is potentially hazardous, so do this only with
great
care!
Before you try this, read the WARNING label on the back of the ammonia bottle! This only works well on PALMS and SOLES, and should only be tried by an ADULT with healthy unbroken skin. If the ammonia starts to burn or sting, quit this IMMEDIATELY, and flush the skin with water and vinegar. DO NOT do this if you have sensitive skin, if you have broken skin, or if you are a child. Do a patch test on your skin with the ammonia before you do a large area! Use household ammonia, not laboratory ammonia. Do not use sudsing ammonia or lemon ammonia ... use the plainest household ammonia you can find. Household ammonia is 90% water. Don't get ammonia in your eyes, mouth, or on thin delicate skin. Ammonia is caustic, and can give you something like diaper rash or dishpan hands. It does not usually bother healthy adult palms and soles. It works much better on hands that have firm to calloused skin than soft skinned hands. On very soft hands, this does not work properly ... the skin must be firm and porous for this to work. Do this only in a well ventilated area.
That having been said, you can get beautiful velvet black patterns on your PALMS and SOLES by oxidizing the henna with a strong reactive base. Do NOT do this on skin other than palms and soles! Ammonia on uncalloused skin HURTS and will exfoliate your henna before it ever darkens!
Start by applying your plain traditional henna in the usual way. Leave it on, wrapped, overnight. When you unwrap it and scrape off the paste, you can choose whether or not you wish to blacken your henna.
Blackening your henna with ammonia:
This is best accomplished as soon as you unwrap and rinse off your henna. If you want to make your henna turn black, pour household ammonia about 1/2" deep on a ceramic plate. Put your hennaed palm or sole in the ammonia for about 5 - 10 minutes. Wiggle your fingers or toes frequently sloshing the ammonia a bit. You will see the ammonia turn a little brown. This is from the oxidation / precipitation process. After about 5 - 10 minutes, you can rinse the ammonia off your skin. Oil your skin and apologize to it for having abused it so. Your henna will darken to black over the next 24 hours. This black color will not fade to terra cotta. It will stay black, but as your skin exfoliates, it has a tendency to look greenish. This is due to air getting under skin cells as they begin to exfoliate, wherein they have a yellowish translucence over deeper black cells.
The ammonia blackened henna exfoliates more quickly than the natural burgundy red henna, as your skin will have been been infuriated by the ammonia.
All of the hennaes depicted here on my own hands have had an ammonia trick of about 8 -10 minutes. Ammonia does NOT work on everyone. People with delicate skin should NOT do this! It works for me, but that does not guarantee that it will work well for you.
This picture was taken as the
naturally red henna was transforming to
black. This takes place over a 24 hour period.
Go to the Secrets of How to Mix and Apply Henna, which are as difficult and obscure as boiling rice.