Re: Ammonia replacment

Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on December 19, 1999 at 16:37:57:

In Reply to: Ammonia replacment posted by CJ on December 19, 1999 at 06:36:35:

Anything that is ph 9 (like ammonia) and can penetrate a cell has to
be treated with great respect. Ammonia will percipitate your henna to
black within the cells, and it's tricky to get it exactly right.
Brief ammonia dips on calloused skin are do-able, but tender skin will
sting (exactly like diaper rash) and exfoliate to the point that you
lose your henna. I don't know of anything in the ph 9 range that
will penetrate a cell that isn't potentially a hazard. Or yukkkky .

Replacements?

Camel urine works. Bat urine is excellent. (They're long on ammonia).
Old baby urine can work. BUT NO WAY will I use these in this
lifetime.

Baking soda just doesn't penetrate skin cells.

Camphor spirit has some of the same oxiizing effect. Camphor oil may
be hazardous to use straight on the skin. Again.. if it penetrates
your cells, it may get through to the blood-bearing layer, and if so,
you can have big problems. Henna only really likes dead cells and
doesn't go farther, so it's safe (except on infants).

The ammoniac crystal salts from east Africa work, but you're back to
ammonia again, and people I've heard from who've had it done say it
burns the skin and makes your eyes water something miserable for a
while. Just like household strength liquid ammonia.

Sweat and heat are safe and effective, and sweat can have a fair
amount of ammonia. That's If your henna is straight off the bush, or
within a month of the bush, the hennotannin content may be high enough
to make your henna go nearly black on a good hot day.

The best answer to really dark henna may be for clever enthusiasts to
take the same interest in the plant that has been taken in marijuana
since the 60's. If fervent young botanists can transform
"rope-quality" cannabis to crystal bearing buds in 30 years, in their
closets for goddess'sake, what could be accomplished with genetically
engineered henna? If the answer to super dark henna is freshness,
and some intensive breeding, there may be something new to cultivate
under one's grow-lights. And this time, no one will get busted. Just
beautified.

Follow-ups:

• Re: Ammonia replacment CJ 02:56:14 12/20/99 (4)
  • Re: Ammonia replacment Catherine Cartwright Jones 03:59:16 12/20/99 (3)
    • Re: Ammonia replacment lisa 19:36:01 12/21/99 (2)
      • cool! Thanks! Catherine Cartwright Jones 20:02:23 12/21/99 (1)
        • Re: cool! Thanks! lisa 20:41:48 12/21/99 (0)