Henna Sooq’s Red Raj is grown and harvested in Rajasthan and has become rather popular since its arrival at Henna Sooq.  Red Raj is a finely ground , medium dusty green powder. Red Raj  is very popular with those with curly/wavy hair and is gentle enough to use on fragile hair as well as dreadlocks due to it’s intense creaminess and ease of washing out. Those with greys/silver hair have reported that Red Raj stains them a beautiful dusky rosey/rose-copper  tone  (which eventually turns to a deep red) and not the orange seen with many other henna powders.

Henna Sooq’s Red Raj with its 3.22% lawsone content has become one of our most popular hennas!  Check out the buzz about Red Raj!

“Great Henna to color grays. I mix mine with 2tbs of Amla to keep my curl pattern. It is not as finely sifted as Jamila, but it gives my grays that reddish burgundy color that I love. It also smells a lot better than Jamila.”

“This is more of a rose red then the coppery color (at least on my greys) that I would get from the Jamila Summer Crop BAQ (which I love). Still love Jamila, but Red Raj is my go-to now. It’s definitely a different texture – a little stringy and moves almost as one big ball of henna cream after it absorbs the water when I mixed it, but it washed out easier and made less of a mess in the tub then the Jamila did.”

“This henna is awesome in it’s color and conditioning properties! The red is intense and has given me more color than any henna I’ve used so far.
I will absolutely be purchasing more of this.”

As you can can see, Red Raj is a very popular henna! Following are some tips specific to Red Raj and what to expect.

Lauren’s amazing  spirally Red Raj

Texture/sift:  Most packages are sifted very well, however there have been reports of small twigs in some packages.  This does not reflect the performance or safeness of the henna.  If in doubt, sift your Red Raj before use.  Once sifted and the paste strained, Red Raj is fantastic for body art, on its own or in blends,   due to it’s stringiness and intense dying power.

Dye release:  With warm liquid, Red Raj can release anywhere from instantly and up to 4 hours.  Please check your henna paste after mixing by applying a little dab on the inside of your palm for a minute or two, then wiping it off.  If the paste leaves a bright orange stain when tested for readiness, then your paste is ready!  Red Raj has a very long ‘life’ and will last a few days in the refrigerator after it has been mixed without losing potency.

Mixing:  It is best to add liquid a little bit at a time.  Due to the incredible stringiness (even more so than Yemeni henna), this henna takes a little more time to mix until it is smooth.  It almost acts “gummy” due to the high mucilage content, so the henna balls up just like pizza dough as you’re trying to mix it.  Do not worry if your henna “balls up” like dough!  This is normal! Just keep adding liquid a little bit at a time and stirring until the consistency is smoother.  Red Raj can absorb lots more water than say Jamila henna due to the stringy nature.  Hand beaters are especially great for blending this henna with water into a smooth paste with ease, but are not necessary.  Just mix mix mix until there are no lumps! It is best to add additives to Red Raj after dye release.  With Cassia, Red Raj produces beautiful coppery tones, and with Indigo will produce deep burgundy tones.  Red Raj is fantastic in a two-step for black tones

Application: Red Raj works great on short applications (1hr) and very long applications (overnight).  For a deeper, more intense stain, leave Red Raj on the hair overnight.  For a lighter, but bright  ruby-like stain, leave on for 1 hour.  Red Raj works wonderfully for root tough ups, glosses as well as full applications.  The creaminess of Red Raj makes it suitable for those with finer hair and curls.

Tested Successful Liquids and Additives: Both tap water and distilled water have been reported successful, as well as coconut milk, yogurt, oils, juices (apple, pure cranberry, orange, berry), avocado as well as other herbs.  Red Raj mixes well with other henna powders as well.

Tested Unsuccessful Additives:  Due to the gumminess/stringiness of Red Raj, it does not accept Aloe Vera Powder or honey very well.  Application becomes too difficult and slippery causing patchy/uneven results.  Honey, vitamin E oil  and castor oil has also been reported as  a problematic addition due to their viscosity.

Freezing Suitability:  Red Raj freezes exceptionally well. When Red Raj is mixed with a warm liquid then frozen, the dye becomes even more saturated than usual. Red Raj does exceptionally well even after refreezing.

Staining/Colour:  Red Raj stains a rosey red, which deepens to a lovely rich red in approximately 3 days post paste removal.  On lighter/silver hair, Red Raj stains a bright rosey red whch deepens to ruby-rose tones slightly over time.  For those in search of  pure copper tones would find  Red Raj is fantastic for this when made into a gloss- a little goes a long way, though!  Red Raj is also suitable in hennadigoes to create red-brown tones and twiostep henna and Indigo for a lovely deep rich black.

See the stain results so deep and rich right after henna paste removal

Following are some very happy Red Raj henna heads and their experience with Red Raj:

Lauren: “I mix the red raj with warm herbal tea and let dye release overnight, I then seperate and freeze it in ziploc bags. When its time to henna, I defrost it and let it sit in my hair overnight (generally 9 hours) . Rinse in the morning and smile at my beautifully hennaed hair ! Never do i plan on using another henna, it is just awesome!”

LumiereBlossom: “My hair is naturally light red. Recently I watched a movie with a woman in it and realized she had colored her hair with henna,which was absolutely gorgeous. So off I went to Henna Sooq to order some henna so my hair could as stunning as hers. The process went smoothly and I had no problems with leaves or twigs. The henna was easy to apply and easy to rinse once it was time to remove. The color after applying the product was as stunning as I had hoped for. Red raj is the most amazing henna and I would not hesitate to recommend it.”

LumiereBlossom’s Virgin Hair Before Henna

LumiereBlossom’s After Red Raj Henna

If you’ve been hennaing for a while and are looking for the perfect root touch up henna without using Indigo, or are looking for something that will not dye the orange tones, look no further than Red Raj!

A special thank you goes out to:
Lauren, LumiereBlossom, and uTT!