There are so many different henna powders, how do we choose the one that will work best for us?
There are a few things that are a must when choosing any henna powder:
–Fresh. You must always buy fresh henna powder. If you want a great stain, don’t just grab henna off the shelf (since who knows how long it may have been sitting there) Even from crop to crop you will notice that the freshest henna powder gives the best stain results. After all, doesn’t a chef use the freshest ingredients in the preparation of our meals?
–Body Art Quality. This means that the henna powder is the best quality since they take the leaves from the top of the plant with the most dye content. It also means that it is 100% pure and natural. This term is usually used to describe henna that is also used for body art.
(Please remember that not EVERY henna powder nor herb is body art quality. Ask yourself this: Is this henna powder or herb used as a body art product or really for hair usage? This term is sometimes only used for marketing purposes. Always be well informed.)
–Finely Sifted. None of that dirt, grit, sand, nor sticks help with getting a great staining henna paste. Even if you try to sift it yourself, you lose most of the henna powder you purchased.
–Pure. Must contain no pesticides or chemicals. No PPD nor any other powders or ingredients. Only get 100% pure henna powder.
Now that we have the basics down, now comes the individual henna powders.
Ultimately the highest dyeing henna powder on the market. For both henna for hair clients, and henna artists, by far the best choice of all henna powders for those wanting gorgeous red tones, grey coverage and long lasting henna body art tattoos. This organically certified henna powder is ready to use within 3-4 hours.
Khadija’s personal favorite: Supreme Blend Henna Powder
This henna powder blend was created by Khadija herself bringing the best henna powders together for a creamy, smooth, yet flowy henna paste. She uses this henna powder on all of her clients. We love this powder especially for body art temporary henna tattoos. Can be used on hair as well. Dye release is only 3-4 hours.
Jamila Henna Powder 
Jamila henna powder yields great stains results and comes conveniently packaged in 100 grams foil packages in sealed boxes (when it is stamped with summer crop for body art usage, and is also used for hair). As of more recently dye release is only 8-12 hours for body art tattoos, and 3-4 hours for use on hair, before ready to use. It is a reliable henna powder, but not great if you need henna quick. It has the ultimate best sift of ANY henna powder. It is very popular amonst professional henna artists, and for hair dyeing. It washes out of the hair very easily, and the texture pf the paste is similar to melted chocolate. It yields deep reddish-brown tones for body art and for hair orange-red tones. This henna comes from Pakistan.
Please read our more detailed article on Jamila henna powder.
Organic Rajasthani Indian Henna Powder
In ever increasing popularity, the organic indian henna powder from the Rajasthani Region, is very well balanced. You get dye release in 8-12 hours for body art. So you can start a batch in the morning and have it ready by the evening. The stains results are some of the darkest I have ever seen. Typically reddish tones (burgundy/mahogany) and sometimes near cherry black on skin. For hair it yields a reddish-burgundy tone. For hair usage, this powder we recommend you allow it to sit from 3-4 hours, and then apply onto your hair. It is triple sifted and through nylon cloth. On lighter hair it may come out more orange-copper toned.
Yemeni Henna Powder
Note: Sadly this has been out of stock for quite some time due to political issues within Yemen. Our yemeni henna powder comes from the Sana’a region. It takes 8-12 hours to achieve dye release for body art. For hair, we recommend you allow this henna powder to sit from 3-4 hours before applying it. It is well known for being one of the stringy hennas. This henna powder is now much better sifted (since the 2009 crop), since the company has upgraded its henna processing facilities. Now many more henna artists are using this henna powder. It is absolutely one of the most popular henna powders for hair dyeing, and covers grey very well. It gives the most gorgeous, deep red tones of any other henna powder currently.
A very popular henna powder for both body art and hair, this henna is found in the Western Sahara. It has the quickest dye release. It is best to let this henna sit at least 2-6 hours for body art. For hair usage, only allow to sit for a maximum of 1 to 2 hours and then apply it. The dye can demise quickly if left out too long. It’s not a good henna to freeze as a henna paste. It is also a stringy henna. It has great color, usually very bright and becomes quite dark suddenly (on skin). We usually recommend this henna powder for achieving brown to black tones along with indigo, when used in hair dyeing because the least amount of red tones will show through on your hair. We recommend it because it has a fast dye release, and alone on hair it gives orange to red tones.
We do hope that this guide has been helpful to you, please let us know if you have any concerns or further questions by contacting us directly at info@hennasooq.com. Please shop with us online at : Henna Sooq
Karishma, yes must be a brand name. So it’s henna with other herbs in it, ok. I’ve never used it.
There is typically one kind of henna, yes as far as color results go, but no at the same time because henna grows in various parts of the world, not just one country so the henna itself does vary in texture and even color results.
Ohhh…so when you say Jamila, Moroccan, or Yemeni…those are brand names?? Not that they’re different powders right, and your individual Henna results depend on the Brand you use?? Sorry, I hope this doesn’t sound too confusing, I just want to get a complete understanding.
Not exactly. A company will usually give a certain henna or product a name or go by the company name, but when you say Moroccan, Yemeni, Iranian, etc…that means that those are henna powders from those countries, but they really have no brand (special) name. I guess it kind of could be a brand name, but the thing is that each company that carries these henna powders, could have different varieties/sifts/quality etc…
Jamila is a brand name for sure as there is a company that makes this henna called Abid and Co.
The henna powder you use, yes does vary a bit, and would give you varying results and we usually recommend certain ones over others depending on what the person is trying to achieve.
I hope I don’t sound too confusing either!
You can always email me directly at hennasooq@gmail.com or call us (the number is on the Henna Sooq website at http://www.hennasooq.com)
A brand name could be the company name, like for us people become familiar with the products that the Henna Sooq carries, and so the name Henna Sooq becomes a brand name that people recognize and will know the quality will be outstanding, along with amazing customer service! 🙂 Have a good night!
LOL! Thank you for explaining, You’ve been very helpful and informative 🙂
Anytime 🙂 keep in touch
Since my natural color is an ashy medium brown, How much Amla would I need add to my Henna mixture to achieve a cooler brown tone? I already know that I only need 100g of henna because my hair is above collar length. I know that you said I can use the cassia if I don’t want to change my natural hair color but I still want to try Henna because I know that it’s effects last longer in the hair shaft and henna makes your hair stronger. So I want to do a henna/indigo/Amla mix while still maintaining the medium ash brown color.
Also, I’ve heard of some people using beer in their mixes instead of lemon juice or water, etc. claiming that the beer gave them more volume. Can I use beer as well?
You could use beer if you’d like to, but I do feel the amla powder would add volume alone as well. Try it out and see if you perfer it or not (the beer that is). Just do the hair strand tests as well to be sure not too push your hair too dark and lose the natural hair color of your hair. Hope this helps 🙂
Do you know how much Amla I should add to my mix??
It would be about 3-4 tbsp of amla to 100 grams of henna.
Thanks again!
Welcome! Don’t forget to enter our Natural Hair Care Contest. Enjoy your weekend
I think I’m going to go back to coloring my hair Blue/Black again. I’ve always gotten the most compliments when it was Blue Black/Jet Black. It’s been over a year since I’ve had this color, because I wanted to grow out the chemicals and switch to Henna. I’ll most likely be doing a 2 step process with Moroccan Henna and Indigo. Thank you and have a great weekend as well.
Sounds really nice. I’d love to see pics!
Be in touch
I forgot to ask, when you purchase your Henna, Indigo, or Cassia how long do I have before I must use it?Is there an expiration on freshness? I’m considering stocking up for the year. Thanks!
For stocking up purposes just keep them in a cool, dark place at a min. and make sure no moisture can get near them or into them. In the fridge or freezer is really good for at least 2 yrs. One year is more ideal to me personally though. I hope this helps!
Yes that helps a lot! Just want to make sure I have all of my Henna Knowledge in order before I start my 1st application which will be after the New Year! Again, thank so much! 🙂
welcome, anytime!
Hi. I’m trying to order one of your hair kits, but it seems when I get to the 2nd part it won’t let me checkout and keeps going back the the fill out form. Can it be help?
Sure Saku, not a problem. I’ll just email you directly to figure out what is going on and we can deal with it that way better then on the blog. Thanks!
I have black hair with 25% grey hair.Which type of Henna should I order to cover my grey? From what I read Moroccan henna yields black tones,so will it be the best for my hair? of course,I plan to order Indigo too.
I want to order bulk,so I I think I can freeze the henna for a year.How about Indigo? heard that the dye dies in freezer..how should I store Indigo for a year?
Thank you for your message. Moroccan henna only dyes the hair reddish tones like all pure henna powders. Moroccan is a good henna to choose if you want to use it with indigo to create brown to black tones without having the orangey-red tones of henna peeking through.
You can store all of your henna and indigo in a cool, dark place away from anything damp. or fridge or freezer. Some people have good results storing their indigo in the freezer.
Ok, thanks. I try again soon.
how we will grow the henna in the summer and in which month
Thank you for your post Yousaf. Please ask your local country’s methods of growing henna. I am sure you will find more help locally. We are not a farm, and we don’t grow henna in Canada.
I am considering using Henna to dye my hair. I currently color with Colorsilk Dark Mahogany Brown and I really love the color and don’t want to change too much. My natural color is dark brown to off black. What Henna would you recommend I use?
I do have stubborn greys at my temple. No matter what I do those greys usually begin to show within 1 week to 10 days after coloring.
Robin thanks for your post. If you have stubborn greys at the temples, which happens for several people, natural hair coloring won’t change that fact. You’ll have to really saturate those areas and get the paste to stay on it thick. Adding a little salt to your recipe will help as well.
For your color you most likely will need Yemeni henna at 40% of your recipe and 60% indigo to achieve a dark mahogany but if you can email us a picture of the color you are getting so I can be certain of this recommendation. Thanks!
Hi Khadija! I was so satisfied with my first time Cassia usage. In a couple of months I’m going to take the plunge and dye my ashy medium brown hair blue/back. Do you thing that the Moroccan Henna + Indigo is enough to dye my hair so no red undertones come through? Or, should I purchase some Amla powder as well to mix in with the Henna?
Hi! Hope you are doing well.
I am so glad!! That’s exactly what I love to hear. Absolutely the Moroccan henna and indigo would be perfect for no red undertones. Check Long Hair Care Forum as some with that use that recipe have no red coming through and the color is amazing!
You can use amla powder if you want the hair growth boost, or want volume (maintain curls), and to tone down the red more.
What one lady on Long Hair Care Forum does for really deep blue-black results, is that she does a one step process first, and then does a straight indigo. So it gets really dark and rich.
So is that like a 2 step process she does?
Hi Everyone!
I like to get some advice with my henna choice…my natural hair is very dark brown/almost black curly mixed African texture…Over the years I put hightlights and color…to help repair the damage…and for the past few months dyed it black…now its jet black and I don’t like it…
I learned that henna will help my hair…but how can I get a brownish tone with henna on this very black hair? Do I need to do a color correction? Or perhaps redo my hightlights and color before henna? What suggestions would you make for me to do a henna treatment that will still give me shades of brownish golden tone color/hightlighs? Basically, what can I do with henna/indigo/cassia/amla to help?
Thanks so much…
Hello, I’ve been reading your site for a while now because I am really interested in dying my hair with henna. I have dark brown almost black hair that is very curly. I would like to achieve a chocolate/chestnut color with minimal amounts of red. I wouldn’t mind red highlight in the sun, but I’m really not aiming for red hair. Which powder would you suggest?
Also, I have read that henna can loosen curl pattern and be somewhat drying. I do not mind minimal loosening of my curls, but I do not want straight hair. Will henna do this? If so what can I do to prevent this? I have read on longhaircareforum that the drying effect can be prevented by adding conditioner/oil to the paste. Can you give me any suggestions as to how I can dye my hair while preventing dryness and still keeping my curls.
Thanks so much!
I have very dark,damaged african hair type. I am to get my hair in better health (i relaxed and colored my hair). What oils would you recommend i purchase? I also want to dye my hair using henna. I would like to have more of an brownish orange-copper highlights peeking through rather than a very red color. What henna would you recommend?should I mix 2 types of hennas together? Thank you for your information. Great website!
@ Laq yes it’s like a 2 step process except in her first step she adds indigo again to her henna so that she really gets the darkest possible results. She’s on Long Hair Care Forum, but I forget her screename…
@ Meta, the only thing is that herbs won’t lighten your hair, as there are no chemicals or stripping agents in the herbs. They are 100% natural and need to be used according to your natural hair color. The dyed hairs will eventually grow out, and you can then work with your natural color, and transition in that way.
If you had light or grey hairs yes those could be easily colored and show up as various tones from golden (with cassia but it isn’t as permanent as henna and indigo are), or reddish brown, brown tones, and up from there up to black. Brown would be at least 50/50 henna and indigo. So you can start using the henna and herbs for your hair regimen because in the long run you will really be happy with your hair. Just keep in mind henna can loosen your curl pattern, and if you like that, that’s great but if not then adding amla to your recipe or part of your regimen in general would be ideal. Speak soon! Let me know if you have further questions.
Yadira thanks for your post.
With a good proportion of a little red in the sun you can use either jamila henna powder or indian henna powder. Jamila washes out a bit more smoothly then indian henna (aka rajasthani indian henna).
All henna powders can loosen your curl pattern so I do really recommend you get amla powder into your regimen just to help balance those curls out so they don’t go too straight on you. As everyone can have varying affects but it’s safer to get the amla into regimen so this won’t happen for you, plus it’s perfect for getting your hair to grow (amla promotes hair growth, and is VERY well known for that).
I absolutely recommend you get yourself a hair oil as well. You can use your favorite hair oil for moisturization or you can look at the various hair oils we have. Please take a look as there is plenty of information on there regarding the different benefits of each oil. Of course for a chocolate tone you’d need to add indigo to your recipe as well. So it would most likely be 50/50 of henna and indigo and then about 3-4 tbsp of amla powder per 100 grams and do the same addition for hair oil, and especially oil and moisturize afterwards. Our shampoo bars like Cocoveda, and Moroccan clay are also very moisturizing and are perfect for washing your hair out with.
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Morning Rita, thanks! Really appreciate your comments 🙂
The most popular hair oils we have especially for repairing and strengthening your hair would be our Cocoveda Hair Oil, and Camellia oil (it is great for the body as well, as it has anti-aging properties, and when you read the description on that oil you will be really impressed with all of it’s beneficial properties).
I’d need to know what is your natural hair color, because with henna you do need to work with your natural hair color, as henna and herbs will not lighten your hair. If you had grey hair it would dye them varying tones, or even on top of highlights.
Getting brownish to orange-copper tones are pretty much two seperate recipes, and if your hair isn’t light in color then those colors may not peek through. A cool orange-red would be Moroccan henna, and Jamila henna powder, andadding cassia is great for making copper tones.. Let me know wahat your natural hair color is so we can take it from there and decide what to do. For brown tones it’s usually henna and indigo together as your recipe.
Thank you for your response, it’s Rita. In response to your question, my hair is black. Please let me know what would be best for me to use in my hair. I will definitely get the cocoveda oil. Thank you
Hi Rita, I’d still need to know what color you want exactly. Do you want your hair to remain black? That would be easy to manage as your hair is black already. But it won’t go lighter, and highlights won’t really show up unless you had grey hairs. Is this what you’d like? I remember we discussed this on the phone yesterday evening right?
I am interested in trying Henna as I have just about converted to all green products and trying not to put any more toxic chemicals on/into my body. I like a “mocha” color on my hair and would like to know if anyone has a good recipe. My original color is a little bit darker and I do have grey that is hard to cover. I am 52 years old.
Thank you for your post Anna.
Henna and herbs won’t make your hair lighter but since you have grey hairs, it would show up when using henna and indigo. I’d recommend you add 60% indigo to 40% henna. The quantity depends on how long and thick your hair is.
My natural hair color is black with about thirty percent grey hairs. I would like to know which henna powder to use just to dye the grey as close to my natural hair color without using indigo or one that will give me a tone where it wouldn’t be that obvious? I would also like to know which is best to get, the amla powder or the oil? I will be using henna for the first time. I haven’t permed my hair in about four months. My hair is not very kinky. What type of hair oil do I need to use just to flat iron it? Is extra virgin coconut oil o.k.? I also have dandruff really bad. Please help!
I am writing again to know if my husband can use henna on his very short hair cut? You can still see some of his scalp, it’s that short. He experienced some hair loss. His hair is naturally black with grey hair. He wants it black. What does he need to purchase?
Hi Angel, thanks for your post. To make black tones you really need indigo. Otherwise henna alone will give you red tones for sure, but it may lightly show up in the light, and on your grey hairs as red highlights. Amla, and katam are two herbs that can tone the red down some to make it less obvious.
For changes in color the amla powder would be better, but for moisturization the oil would be a good choice too.
Yes coconut oil is great! We do have a few hair oils you can take a look at as well, that are very good.
The henna will really help with the dandruff. you’ll be really happy once you start using it.
2 more questions Khadija 🙂
1.) What is the longest amount of time I can leave Indigo in my hair? I want my hair to come out as Blue/Black as possible.
2.) I want to mix Amla powder in with my Moroccan Henna but,I’m hearing some people say that Amla powder has broken their hair off, especially when mixed with other herbs like Shikakai so I’m a little skeptical on trying it. Any tips on what I can do to avoid breakage?
Thanks!
Hi how are you Laq?
The indigo dye doesn’t keep coloring after about 3 hours anyhow. The way to get it as blue/black as possible might be several applications at first until it is maintained regularly. But the one step process should be done first with a good percentage of indigo and then do a full indigo after that to give you deeper results.
As for amla breaking hair off, it probably can do that because it is very acidic and can be drying. So anything that really dries the hair can make it brittle and break. It sounds like those people ar enot moisturizing enough or need to add conditioner to that recipe, along with the shikakai with it. It’s just a lot of herbs.
I know you said to do a separate 2 step with just the Indigo after to make it a deeper Blue/Black. But how much Indigo should I mix in with the Henna in the 1st step? I’ll be using 100 grams of Henna since my hair is above shoulder length.
Also, I add about 1/3 cup of conditioner in my Henna & Cassia recipes and I Deep Condition for 1 hour under the dryer with a Moisturizing Conditioner afterwards. Will this help combat the drying effects of the Amla powder if I decide to use it?? Thanks so much for all of your help Khadija!
Oh okay! YOu can use at least 60% indigo and 40% henna that should be good, or even up to 75% indigo and 25% henna. Around that range.
Yes with the moisturizing conditioner involved in that recipe that should definetely help combat the dryness. Sounds perfect!
Welcome, anytime. Thanks Laq!
HELLO !I HAVE LONG BROWN HAIR WITH 10 PERCEN WHITE HAIRS.I WANT TO USE HENNA AND I WANT TO HAVE DARK BROWN HAIR.PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO DO THAT?THANK YOU!ADRIANA