Henna? Again?

thats right. i tried the henna again. almost every website i've read has said the henna lasts for anywhere from three months to a year, but i noticed some fading about a month and a half out. now part of that could be because i used a clarifying shampoo twice. i know that the shampoo made my color fade when i used commercial color. maybe it made the henna fade as well. who knows. but anyways, my sister is getting married in five more days and i wanted a fresh coloring for the wedding. i am the maid of honor, after all! but i've decided that i miss the vibrant red of L'Oreal too much and i'm gonna let the henns fade after this and go back to commercial colors.
so, like i said, i colored again, but this time i did things a little differently. first off, i used lemon juice instead of hot water. a four oz container of henna took about 8 to 10 oz of lemon juice!. now, i read that you can use orange juice ( or vinegar or any acidic juice) or a half lemon/half water mixture cause the lemon juice can be drying to your hair and scalp, but i decided to go full out and use all lemon juice anyways for the most vibrant color possible! Also, this time i didn't use any egg or olive oil either. the Henna For Hair site said not to add anything or it will interfere with the dye uptake process. so i mixed the henna with the lemon juice yesterday to the consistency of cake batter. then you're suppose to put some plastic wrap over it and let the henna sit overnight so the dye can be released from the henna. i did a little more research about exactly how long "overnight" was. it seems like 6-8 hours is ideal. after about twelve to fifteen hours, the henna starts to "demise" and the color won't take as well. too bad i didn't read that BEFORE i mixed the henna! i mixed mine about 7 pm last night and i got up at eight this morning to put the color in, so it sat for about 13 hours. not optimal time, but still within reasonable range.
before you apply the hanna, you're suppose to add more lemon juice to make it the consistency of mashed potatos. now, i like my mashed potatos very thick and chunky, but i wasn't going to use that on my hair, so i made it a little thicker than cake batter. smooth enought to apply without worrying that it was gonna run or drip off. so, unfortunately for me, this time i had no assistance from my sis. but i was prepared this time! i cut up a large gargabe bag and layed it over the bathroom floor. i had four sets of latex gloves handy. i had an old shirt on and a towel over the sink. it took me a little under an hour to apply the henna.
so, now i'm sitting here with the plastic bag buns on my head waiting for the next hour to go by so i can wash this out of my head. i remember what a tedious process that was last time, so this time i'm gonna fill the sink up with warm water and swish my head around in that first for a few minutes. i totally forgot to take before pics but maybe i'll take some after pics and i'll post them later. if i remeber. which is unlikely! LOL!
anyways,wish me luck!

here are the websites i used for reference:

http://www.hennaforhair.com/ (download the free ebook! SO informative!)

http://www.everydayhenna.com/faq_henna_hair.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/292554/recipes_for_coloring_hair_with_henna.html?cat=69