Two COMPLETELY different recipes
So, uh...a year ago 
scruloose, at my request, learned to make tasty, tasty chocolate marshmallow squares by comparing and experimenting with a variety of recipes. I told
laughingrat I would post our recipe.
And I generally have a decent memory, so I didn't forget, but wow, am I bad about actually doing that kind of thing. So here it is. A YEAR LATER. -_-
Rather more recently, snapdragon76 asked me about my henna mix. So that's here too.
Tasty Chocolate Marshmallow Squares
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter (we use smooth; I see no reason not to use crunchy)
10 oz chocolate chips (roughly 1 & 2/3 cups)
250g mini marshmallows (roughly 5 cups)
Directions:
1. In large saucepan, gently melt butter and peanut butter.
2. Stir in chocolate chips until melted.
3. Cool in pot for roughly ten minutes.
4. Add marshmallows and mix well.
5. Press into greased 9x9 (or whatever!) pan and refrigerate until set (minimum one hour, but they're still pretty squishy then).
6. Cut into squares.
7. NOM!
Ysa's Henna Mix
Notes:
My hair is technically thick, but extremely fine, and I don't think I've ever hennaed it when it's been longer than an inch or two past my shoulders. Bear that in mind when calculating and double the mix if necessary. Better safe than sorry.
USE BODY ART QUALITY HENNA (I get mine from the local Indian grocery store for $1 per 100g box; it can also be ordered online). The stuff you get in "health" and "natural" stores is usually compound henna, which is premixed with other things. AFAIK the main problem there is that they usually contain metallic salts, which react badly with chemical hair dye. In my experience, dyeing over body art quality henna (or vice versa--I think I've done it both ways) has not caused problems. See this page for more info, and remember to do strand tests.
Never underestimate the resources at Henna For Hair.
The process I use takes a long time. Note that I make the mix the night before hennaing, which includes over an hour of steeping time before setting the mix aside for dye release.
Ingredients:
100g pure henna powder
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 bags chamomile tea
1 cup red wine vinegar
6 Tbsp paprika 1/2 box pectin
Directions:
1. Steep chamomile teabags in 2 cups of boiling water. Let steep for 1 1/2 hours.
2. Combine 1 cup of chamomile tea with the red wine vinegar. Discard excess tea.
3. Set aside 1 cup of the tea/vinegar broth. You will need this tomorrow.
4. Combine the remaining 1 cup of tea/vinegar broth with the henna powder, paprika, and lemon juice. Stir well. (At this point you will have a thick paste.)
5. Cover henna paste tightly with plastic wrap, and let sit at least overnight for dye release. (A warm place, ideally, but it may be possible to overheat it.)
6. After the henna paste has sat overnight, boil the reserved cup of tea/vinegar broth, add pectin, and let cool for 7 minutes.
7. Gradually add the pectin/tea/vinegar broth into the henna paste until it reaches the desired consistency, stirring well as you go. This may not require all of the liquid. (You don't want it to get too runny. It's going to be messy enough as it is, despite the pectin's help.)
8. Let the henna mix sit for about 45 minutes to gel before applying to hair.
9. Leave on hair for at least 3 hours, keeping in mind that the longer you leave it on, the stronger the color will be.
10. Rinse hair well to remove as much muck as possible, wash and condition hair as usual, rinse again with 2 Tbsp of red wine vinegar diluted in 2 cups of warm water, and rinse with water.
Additional notes:
When I have the henna on my hair, I wrap it in plastic wrap. This helps minimize the mess, but be prepared to wear old clothes, and make sure not to let it get on furniture or anything. Personally, I wear a designated towel around my neck for the duration. HENNA STAINS.
For me, "wash and condition hair as usual" has generally meant "use baking soda as usual".
You will be literally working clumps of muck out of your hair. Nobody said this part would be fun. You'll want to scrub the tub out ASAP to minimize staining.
The color generally continues to intensify for another day or two after hennaing. In my case, the hennaed color is visible indoors, but much brighter in sunlight.
There are ways to henna just your roots, but I've never done it, so I can't advise.
The more often you henna, the more vivid the color will be.
My experience has been that for a week or two after hennaing, my hair smells like henna again when it gets wet. And no matter how thoroughly I scrub it initially, there's always a bit more grit coming out during the next couple of washes. Meh.
Originally posted at http://umadoshi.dreamwidth.org/426143.html. Comment here if you like, or comment there using OpenID. Comments at DW:
scruloose, at my request, learned to make tasty, tasty chocolate marshmallow squares by comparing and experimenting with a variety of recipes. I told
laughingrat I would post our recipe.
And I generally have a decent memory, so I didn't forget, but wow, am I bad about actually doing that kind of thing. So here it is. A YEAR LATER. -_-
Rather more recently, snapdragon76 asked me about my henna mix. So that's here too.
Tasty Chocolate Marshmallow Squares
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter (we use smooth; I see no reason not to use crunchy)
10 oz chocolate chips (roughly 1 & 2/3 cups)
250g mini marshmallows (roughly 5 cups)
Directions:
1. In large saucepan, gently melt butter and peanut butter.
2. Stir in chocolate chips until melted.
3. Cool in pot for roughly ten minutes.
4. Add marshmallows and mix well.
5. Press into greased 9x9 (or whatever!) pan and refrigerate until set (minimum one hour, but they're still pretty squishy then).
6. Cut into squares.
7. NOM!
Ysa's Henna Mix
Notes:
My hair is technically thick, but extremely fine, and I don't think I've ever hennaed it when it's been longer than an inch or two past my shoulders. Bear that in mind when calculating and double the mix if necessary. Better safe than sorry.
USE BODY ART QUALITY HENNA (I get mine from the local Indian grocery store for $1 per 100g box; it can also be ordered online). The stuff you get in "health" and "natural" stores is usually compound henna, which is premixed with other things. AFAIK the main problem there is that they usually contain metallic salts, which react badly with chemical hair dye. In my experience, dyeing over body art quality henna (or vice versa--I think I've done it both ways) has not caused problems. See this page for more info, and remember to do strand tests.
Never underestimate the resources at Henna For Hair.
The process I use takes a long time. Note that I make the mix the night before hennaing, which includes over an hour of steeping time before setting the mix aside for dye release.
Ingredients:
100g pure henna powder
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 bags chamomile tea
1 cup red wine vinegar
6 Tbsp paprika 1/2 box pectin
Directions:
1. Steep chamomile teabags in 2 cups of boiling water. Let steep for 1 1/2 hours.
2. Combine 1 cup of chamomile tea with the red wine vinegar. Discard excess tea.
3. Set aside 1 cup of the tea/vinegar broth. You will need this tomorrow.
4. Combine the remaining 1 cup of tea/vinegar broth with the henna powder, paprika, and lemon juice. Stir well. (At this point you will have a thick paste.)
5. Cover henna paste tightly with plastic wrap, and let sit at least overnight for dye release. (A warm place, ideally, but it may be possible to overheat it.)
6. After the henna paste has sat overnight, boil the reserved cup of tea/vinegar broth, add pectin, and let cool for 7 minutes.
7. Gradually add the pectin/tea/vinegar broth into the henna paste until it reaches the desired consistency, stirring well as you go. This may not require all of the liquid. (You don't want it to get too runny. It's going to be messy enough as it is, despite the pectin's help.)
8. Let the henna mix sit for about 45 minutes to gel before applying to hair.
9. Leave on hair for at least 3 hours, keeping in mind that the longer you leave it on, the stronger the color will be.
10. Rinse hair well to remove as much muck as possible, wash and condition hair as usual, rinse again with 2 Tbsp of red wine vinegar diluted in 2 cups of warm water, and rinse with water.
Additional notes:
When I have the henna on my hair, I wrap it in plastic wrap. This helps minimize the mess, but be prepared to wear old clothes, and make sure not to let it get on furniture or anything. Personally, I wear a designated towel around my neck for the duration. HENNA STAINS.
For me, "wash and condition hair as usual" has generally meant "use baking soda as usual".
You will be literally working clumps of muck out of your hair. Nobody said this part would be fun. You'll want to scrub the tub out ASAP to minimize staining.
The color generally continues to intensify for another day or two after hennaing. In my case, the hennaed color is visible indoors, but much brighter in sunlight.
There are ways to henna just your roots, but I've never done it, so I can't advise.
The more often you henna, the more vivid the color will be.
My experience has been that for a week or two after hennaing, my hair smells like henna again when it gets wet. And no matter how thoroughly I scrub it initially, there's always a bit more grit coming out during the next couple of washes. Meh.
Originally posted at http://umadoshi.dreamwidth.org/426143.html. Comment here if you like, or comment there using OpenID. Comments at DW: