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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Differences in Jamila Henna and ORa Rajasthani Henna Powder


Dark henna stain from BAQ Jamila henna powder at Beachocmbers
Lovely henna tattoo stain from BAQ Jamila henna powder
Wondering which henna is right for you?

If you are deciding between BAQ Jamila henna and ORa Organic Rajasthani henna, you can't go wrong with either choice, however there are some differences between the two henna powders. The 3 big factors important in henna powders are color, stability, and texture.

BAQ Jamila Henna Powder
(BAQ=Body Art Quality)

Jamila henna is a long time henna favorite of ours and of professional henna artists around the world. It's a tried and true brand that consistently leaves good color. It's a stable henna with a smooth creamy texture. BAQ Jamila has the finest sift of any henna available.

  • Henna Color
    Though it doesn't have the crazy high lawsone content of ORa henna, it still leaves good reliable color. Jamila henna is good for both bridal henna work or festival henna work.
  • Henna Paste Stability
    Jamila henna powder has a long dye release time, generally 24 hours or more. While this can be a pain, it leads to a very stable henna that's tough to "kill".
  • Henna Texture
    The creamy texture of Jamila is a dream to work with, though it's lack of string can make straight lines a challenge. The 2013 batch of Jamila has more string than previous batches. Adding a bit of sugar to Jamila henna can add some of that coveted "string" to the henna. You can also mix Jamila henna with ORa Rajasthani henna to give it a nice mix of creamy, yet stringy texture.
Overall Jamila is a great henna that leaves good color and has a spectacular super-fine sift. It is a bit more finicky because of it's long dye release time, but still a solid dependable henna.

Organic Rajasthani henna powder has a high lawsone content for extra dark stains.ORa Organic Rajasthani Henna Powder BAQ

ORa henna is a USDA certified organic henna powder. Many hennas claim to be organic but few actually have a USDA certification number. Our house henna, ORa, is certified by ECOCERT number ORG/SC/1203/000394.

It's a stable henna with a crazy high lawsone content of 3.29% and leaves awesome color for very little work. This Rajasthani henna is triple sifted, but it's no quite as fine a sift as Jamila.
  • Henna Color
    An exceptionally high lawsone content makes ORa henna one of the easiest henna's to get great color, even from a new henna artist. ORa henna powder is capable of ridiculously dark stains when care is taken and even leaves good color under poor circumstances. ORa henna is good for both bridal henna work or festival henna work. If you are working under less than optimal conditions (like a beach where people are wearing sunblock), ORa will help you get the best color possible.
  • Henna Paste Stability
    ORa henna is generally ready to use in 6-12 hours, but I've found it to be stable for over 48 hours of room temperature abuse. A rich dark henna stain AND a stable henna...woo hoo!
  • Henna Texture
    ORa henna is a very stringy henna. No need to add sugar unless you need it for better stick-to-the-skin-ness. I like a stingy henna, so I find ORa a dream to work with. I also like a bit of sugar in my henna so I don't have to deal with using a sealer.
Overall, ORa henna is my favorite henna, personally. It's easy to get great color, easy to work with, and is a very stable henna. I like the added benefit of it being organic. This is generally my recommendation for both beginners and professional henna artists.

If you decide to try them both, consider mixing them to create your own custom blended  henna. When mixing henna's that have different dye release times, always mix the hennas separately and then mix them together after you have achieved dye release for both hennas.

No matter which henna you choose, you can be confident when buying from Beachcombers that our henna is fresh and stored properly so you get the best possible henna stains.

Shop for fresh henna powder here.


I hope this helps!
Jody

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