Thanks Bikerbraid. 

Eak!! Orange hair!!  I like auburn color on me but I don't want to look like I stuck my head in a bag of Cheetos!!  Guess I've been lucky with my limited henna experiments so far ( my hair is pretty dark brown)

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well at least someone with dark hair in here seems to have good results so ... just try to get "real" henna (app a lot of stuff that is sold under that name isn't) and try it on collected hair from your brush or a strand behind your ears that doesn't show too much.

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What a good idea!  I never thought of that, I always just snipped a little from an inconspicuous spot and tried the hair color on that.

Well, I just mixed up my henna powder, and to be honest, it looks like elephant poop and doesn't smell much better. It looks like it's supposed to though, as far as I can tell. I'm letting it sit for a few hours while I go to church to let the dye release. If it's ready by the time I get home, I'll do a strand test; if not, it'll have to sit another five hours while I go to work. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. 

I've read various accounts of a post-rinse with lavendar or another essential oil effectively getting rid of the smell. I'd venture to guess a good scented shampoo or conditoner might do the trick too.

I've also read that adding cloves, cinnamon, tea tree or other essential oils to the henna mix will also help with the smell. If there were a smell, I don't think it'd stick for too long.

On its own, the henna I bought smells like a zoo. I don't know if that makes sense, but if you know what I mean....Rosemary EO and coffee didn't make any difference, but the clove gave it more of an earthy, holiday scent which is how my hair smells now, and I like it. But if you don't like that smell, I guess you'll just have to keep experimenting with different things until you find something you like. I rinsed my hair out with a vanilla-scented shampoo and citrus conditioner, & those didn't make a noticeable difference either.

As far as shedding...I lost a good bit of hair, but I think it's more from the stress of rubbing the gunk into your hair and then trying to rinse it out than the product itself.

As far as color...WOW. It's the same as my strand test, but on my whole head it looks a LOT redder, especially in the sunlight. It looks kind of unnatural, especially with my eyebrows which are still very brown. Still, it should tone down over the next few days, so I'm not too worried. Overall it's about what I expected, and I'm quite pleased with the results. 

As far as the process itself...if you're going to do it in the bathtub, do it sitting down, especially when rinsing out. It's probably not a problem if you have shorter hair, but I've got waist-length hair and my shower ended up coated in henna. I got some on the bathroom floor and the toilet as well - even in the toilet, somehow! You don't realize how much you splash water around in the shower until there's color to make it visible. Luckily it washes right off if you get it right away, but don't let it sit too long or it WILL stain.
I think ideally the best way to do this would be outside with a garden hose and a friend to help; however, in the dead of winter that doesn't really work. 

I'm going to shampoo and condition again tonight before going to bed; I didn't spend very long rinsing out before because my younger sister was in need of a ride to the library, and I think I could afford to wash it a little better. Hopefully that'll tune the color down a bit too before school tomorrow. My friends are going to freak out. Luckily it's only a three-day week, so I won't have to endure weird looks too long.
Next time I also think I'm going to try ordering some of the Lush henna that leia uses, since it comes in different shades; hopefully I'll be able to find something that comes out more brown and less red.

My hair's just about dry right now, and it feel sooo soft and thick. I love it!

Anyhoo, best of luck to styg and anyone else wanting to henna. I'm sure you'll find something that works for you. 

So many questions!  Well, it's been about five hours, and the smell is starting to fade a bit. I'd guess it'll be pretty much gone by morning, though I doubt it'll vanish altogether, at least not for a couple washes or so. I think the smell is also supposed to come back a bit stronger when wet.

Oddly, the towel I used to wrap my hair in smells more like coffee now than of henna, while I can't notice the coffee in my hair at all.  ???