5 Best Henna Hair Dyes and Henna Coloring Tips

Henna lovers constitute a separate caste within the beauty industry. They appreciate Mother Nature’s gifts instead of searching for fast synthetic solutions. In fact, henna is a traditional hair dye used for centuries by women for hair growth and treatment on top of coloring. So, are you interested in henna hair color benefits and hacks? Take your seats, because this article is your guided step-by-step journey to henna solutions!

Is Henna Hair Dye Good for Your Hair?

Henna has amazing herbal properties, making it a perfect natural alternative to chemical dyes. The organic henna powder doesn’t contain any chemicals and is a 100% vegan-friendly hair dye, which is essential for many people these days. Moreover, unlike numerous commercial hair care products, the pure form of this natural dye is proven to be a good hair growth and nourishment remedy.

Henna dyes have a beneficial effect on the hair shaft, enhancing your hair growth and increasing its volume. They help to strengthen the hair texture and make your hair strand shinier and UV-resistant. Thus, using henna on a regular basis can prevent increased hair loss.

However, despite the positive effect of henna hair dyes, the combination of chemicals and natural herbs may cause a failed chemical reaction, resulting in damaging the locks and roots of your hair. Therefore, it is crucial to know what henna dye to use and how to apply it to achieve the best results.

Best Henna Hair Dyes

Being a permanent hair dye, henna is a healthiest alternative, as it doesn’t contain ammonia, lead acetate, PPD, and other harmful chemicals. But how to choose the right henna for hair out of dozens of options represented on the market? Read on to check out the list of 5 best henna hair dyes available.

1. The Henna Guys Henna Hair Dye

This 100% pure henna powder comes in many shades: from vibrant burgundy to light brown, and orange red is among the most popular options. Besides, you can get your own natural hair color by mixing light and dark tones in different proportions. The dye is vegan and gluten-free and perfectly covers gray hair strands.

Instagram / @thehennaguys

2. Lush Henna Hair Dyes

If you are fond of handmade cosmetics brands, Lush is a great option to consider. In Lush henna dyes, henna is blended with essential oils and cocoa butter that deeply conditions and revitalizes dry and dull locks.

Instagram / @lushtunbridgewells

3. Godrej Nupur Henna

This natural henna is packed with the goodness of Amla, Brahmi & Bhringraj, plant-based ingredients that help promote hair growth. This powder serves not only as an organic hair dye but as a natural hair conditioner.

Instagram / @godrejnupur

4. MiNature Organic Henna Powder

The MiNature USDA-certified organic henna powder is 100% raw, vegan, pesticide-free, and non-GMO. Besides, it doesn’t contain metallic salts, unlike all store-bought hair dye products and some henna dyes, meaning this powder doesn’t dry the hair out.

Instagram / @minatureherbal

5. H&C 100% Natural Henna Powder

This pure neutral henna powder is super easy to mix and apply, so you will enjoy using it regularly. It doesn’t involve parabens and other synthetic components that may result in skin allergies and hair brittle. This product is one of the best henna hair dyes that is definitely worth the money.

Instagram / @hnc.wellness

What You Can Add to Henna Powder

To start at-home henna hair dyeing, you need to decide on the desired shade that depends on your starting color and additional ingredients. If you don’t go for smart boxed natural henna products with clear palettes, be ready for deep orange-reddish colors (if the starting one is light) or a gentle rouge shade (if your hair is pretty dark). Also, you can mix henna powder to achieve more specific colors. Here’re some ideas:

• Indigo powder helps to get a darker color. It’s also a strong organic dye that sometimes is called The Black Henna. Adjust the proportions depending on your desired tone (from chestnut to blue-black).
• Coffee can also darken the henna, resulting in more of a golden brown shade.
• Lemon juice helps to achieve a deep auburn henna color in a short amount of time. Other acidic liquids also make a henna mixture release its dye faster, but lemons are always at hand.
• Cranberry juice gives a mid-red tone to the final color.
• Fresh lime juice promises to make it darker.
• Strong chamomile tea makes the classic henna color lighter.
• Beet juice adds pink undertones. Use hot beet juice at the final step when mixing henna.

Excluding indigo powder’s famous coloring powers, the impact of these additional ingredients is quite subtle, but it can really help to get the tone you’re looking for. Get creative without damaging your hair!

Instagram / @liamarieart

Mixing Henna and Waiting Time

When you’ve already bought pure henna and chosen extra ingredients, let’s move to the next step and start cooking a magic mixture:

1. Take a glass or wooden bowl where you can place henna powder and a sufficient amount of hot water plus additional ingredients. The amount of henna needed for one dye depends on your hair length and thickness. Experienced henna users advise to prepare more mixture to avoid shortage of the product at the crucial moment.
2. Using a spoon or whisk, gently mix henna to the consistency of thick yogurt. Add water gradually to avoid lumps and disproportion.
3. Cover the bowl with the help of plastic wrap or foil and rest it overnight at room temperature. This time is needed for releasing the dye. You can easily shorten this period by placing the bowl in any warm place for a couple of hours.
4. After the needed amount of time has passed, add some more liquid to the mixture to restore its consistency. And everything is ready!

Instagram / @adorned_henna

The Process of Applying Henna

When the mixture is prepared, it’s time to start! Skilled DIY henna dyers recommend applying henna on 2nd and even 3rd day hair to achieve the best effect. And be sure to wear the most unnecessary home T-shirt or cover your shoulders with a black towel, because henna can leave orange spots forever. Ready?

Slowly and gently comb your slightly damp hair. Start applying the liquid mixture with the help of a coloring brush or small sponge. Take your time and do it carefully to smear every single strand from roots to ends. Use plastic clips to separate your hair into sections. Use gloves to protect your fingers and nails from the orange tone. Also, you can apply Vaseline to your forehead near the hairline to avoid skin coloring.

After finishing, gather all the hair in a bun and cover your head with plastic wrap, foil or a special shower cap. Optionally, you can wear a twisty towel ― some people believe that henna works better in a warm environment. Wait 3-6 hours and rinse all henna off with warm water, your normal shampoo and conditioner.

(Blow) dry your hair to eventually see the result. Good luck during the most responsible moment of the whole process!

Instagram / @dlyaruzhih

Bonus Henna Tips and Tricks

DIY hair dyeing is always a tricky business. These little secrets will improve your technique of at-home henna coloring:

• If you don’t like to risk, try the color on a small section of hair before applying the whole mixture.
• Henna’s main obvious drawback is temporary hair dryness, but you can easily cope with this problem. Apply some coconut, argan or olive oil or special moisturizing products on your ends or through the whole length before starting the dyeing process.
• Adding 1-3 spoons of sugar to the henna mixture makes it smoother and easier to apply.
• Though henna colors are permanent, they tend to fade away in 4-6 weeks. You can save the brightness and freshness of your color by rinsing hair with lemon juice or vinegar.
• If you didn’t like the color, feel safe to dye your hair again and again, because it’s absolutely natural and harmless. Do not use henna if you plan to try on various synthetic colors in the nearest future, because you’ll have to totally bleach your hair to get rid of the red shade.

Instagram / @rebeccabujko

Henna is an absolutely alternative approach in the hair coloring culture. Its rich and intense shades look natural, exclusive and seductive. Moreover, vegans, white-haired women, ladies with damaged hair after using synthetic dyes and people who are allergic to them are highly welcome to the club. Add some creativity to find the right ingredients and build up really deep and unique colors. Excluding the dyeing effect, henna masks are among the best things that can ever happen to your hair. Nature is wiser than chemistry!