Rainbow Research Red Henna, 4 Ounce (Pack of 2)

It smelled less than I thought it was, worked better than I thought and left me without the toxic overload and irritated scalp of dye.Works on grey - found it worked better on slightly damp hair. Smoothed it through with conditioner and let it sit for two hours. Rinsed it very well, but waited 2 days to wash. Hair is healthy, shiny and I am so happy to have my grey covered without harmful chemicals. I mixed with slightly less parts indigo and got a rich red brown with golden highlights. Love how great it looks.

I used the medium brown and I got a very color fast and deep dyeing job on my beard that had better intensity, better color control, and longevity than I get with any other brand I've tried (for the same amount of powder).

[I ordered Rainbow Research dark brown henna but was sent the wrong colour. I returned and ended up buying it elsewhere.]In looking for a natural, non-toxic hair dye, I came across henna. After using neutral henna (Cassia obovata) twice which conditions the hair while giving a lovely shine, I was ready to try something with a little colour. Henna (Lawsonia inermis) is a permanent dye that improves your hair. Henna binds the keratin in your hair and cannot be removed so it is a commitment. It 'only' dyes red. In order to get brown, Indigo (Ingiofereae) is used. For best results, a long, full day, two-step process is used for dark brown. You do the henna, rinse out then do indigo. The Rainbow Research henna is a one-step process with the henna and indigo powders mixed together. Mixing with boiling water causes an instant dye release so there is no long dye release period as there is when using just henna. Henna treatments are done full head until you get the desired colour then roots only if you don't want further darkening.Application 1: I mixed one jar of the Rainbow Research henna with boiling strong coffee and two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to form a mud thick enough to not to drip, thin enough to spread. I applied the mud, covered with a disposable shower cap and let sit for 4 hours. I have to tell you, the coffee may have added colour but stunk! Washing out wasn't too bad except for the indigo. There were flecks of indigo everywhere and more came out the second wash. The colour was good, more of a dark yellow on my greys than red. The indigo continued to bleed, coming off on my hands until the third wash.Application 2 (10 days later): I mixed one jar of the Rainbow Research henna with boiling water and two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to form the mud. I applied the mud, covered with a disposable shower cap and a self-warming cap then let sit for 5 hours. Rinsing out was smoother than the first application. The colour was deeper with lots of shine. My greys are more of a mid to deep auburn. The indigo again bled.I really like the end result of the two applications. My hair is shiny, healthy looking and feels stronger. It is a bit thicker, less frizz and my curl pattern (2b/2c) loosed. The colour is a deep brown with reddish, golden, copper highlights where the greys were.This is a nice, all natural henna blend that is easy to use in a one-step, time saving process. There is no PPD or metallic salts that can be problematic. It is sifted but little pieces of stem become apparent when washing out. The main downside is the indigo bleeding which ultimately means it isn't staying on the hair so after a couple of washes, your hair lightens a little especially the greys.I would recommend this henna blend. Be aware that henna is a natural dye, so more than one application is necessary. Henna is permanent as is indigo although indigo when in a blend doesn't stick to the greys hairs as well as it would in a two-step process. Also be aware that henna may loosen your curl pattern and each application will loosen further. I highly recommend reading up on henna on hennaforhair.com.

Great henna powder but terrible instructions so I'm going to second what others have said. Ignore the instructions for one unless you want a dull color don't let it sit in for just 45 mins the longer it sits the deeper more beautiful color you get I let mine sit for 4 hours. Henna will dye your hands and scalp so be careful. It's full permanent and will not fade but darken with time if you let it sit for more than 2 hours at least. I recommend against using water as it doesn't work with henna natural formula some use lemon juice some use yogurt but I've been dying with henna for ten years and have found that white vinegar gets the best results you get a lovely vibrant color and it helps with natural highlighting. Plastic wrap your head like your afraid your brains going to fall out. Henna needs heat and can dry out so you don't want any air getting in and you want it to hold in heat after wrapping in plastic wrap I generally put on a beanie to help with making more heat. Never apply henna right after mixing its not going to weaken. Henna after being mixed with the right amount of vinegar should have the texture of mashed potatoes after that wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and let it sit for 12-24 hours henna needs time to be activated if you want the best color. Now be prepared if you use vinegar like I recommend to get the best results when you take of the plastic wrap cap it's going to stink very strong very pungent will clear your sinus instantly the smell will also slightly linger for about 2-3 days so make sure you use scented oil in your to help with that. Always deep condition after washing out henna otherwise your hair is going to be very stiff honestly I use conditioner half way through the wash out because it helps to detangle and get out all the henna paste. Lastly following my instructions it's not going to fade and will stay until it grows out not even bleaching will remove it once I tied going back to bleach blonde and bleached my hair and instead my hair was the color of sheer henna dyes into the very cores of hair and can be lightened but can't be fully removed so make sure it's what you want each time you re dye your hair it will become more deeper and more vibrant so it will only get better with time.