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
haha i just noticed i spelt my name with an “s” instead of an “a” lol regardless thank you so much…no i don’t have any grey.. i just didn’t want any orange at all especially at my roots since they are one tone lighter then the rest of my hair but i havn’t dyed my hair since last year… will it fade out and just turn to the colour that was underneath it which is a dark brown right now in 4 weeks?
also are you familiar with MDH henna?
Oh it’s Olivia 🙂 Thanks for letting me know.
No it doesn’t usually fade or turn orange ever. It usually builds up actually to deeper red tones. II’ve never used nor sold MDH henna so I don’t know how good it is. I prefer the ones we have as they are straight from the farms and source. They are our own brand.
The hair will eventually grow out. It might be a slight difference but the samples are good so you can do hair strand tests beforehand.
I hope this helps 🙂
thank you so much i just didn’t want it to fade to an ugly colour like chemical dyes do.. just wanted my brown to be more lively with a more red or gold undertone
You’re welcome!
Dear Khadija,
I have been reading through the blog trying to find the perfect combination of herbs for me..but really there is so much experimenting you can do, I am at loss!
My natural hair is very light ash brown. I have a few white hairs. Is it possible to achieve a ‘burnt caramel’ colour? I want to avoid any orange tones. I appreciate any advice on what to mix!
stupid question or favor to ask… this is a link of the preferred colour i want.. or in this tone.. could u let me know how long id have to keep it on and what kind like jamila or Moroccan henna etc..and also if i dye my hair with henna powder.. what would happen if i coloured over it with regular chemical dye.. like a couple months after
Olivia, if you use chemicals later on and as long as you use pure henna powders like ours, then you are safe to use chemicals. Henna treatments are left on the hair for 3-4 hours. For you, the Jamila would be a good choice.
I ordered 200 grams total of henna, and since I have very short hair, I will most only need 50 to do my first henna treatment. How should I store my remaining henna powder until the next time I am ready to use? Alma powder/
Also–I forgot to add to my prior question post: 1) When i prepare my henna past, I will use chamomile tea. Therefore do I boil water then add the tea and let it cool to be warm, then add to the henna powder? How many parts of water is enough to add to 50 grams of powder?
2)How long does Amla powder stay fresh? I ordered the 2008 crop and would like to know home care instructions once received to insure its freshness. Thanks!
Thank you for your post Eri. Sorry for the delayed response.
A burnt caramel tone…hhmm I have to really thing about a combination for that. Cassia for sure, and then maybe adding amla powder and honey. Chamomile tea for some liquid but it’s a unique color that you’ll have to create. There are a lot of free samples on our site that would really help with testing.
Thank you Kay as well for posting. The best way to store herbs is in the freezer, fridge or cool dark place. In order from best place to least. Yes warm tea would be perfect. I don’t measure water usually. and each henna absorbs water differently as well so just add a little at a time until its a good consistency for your hair, such as pancake batter or thick yoghurt.
The amla lasts at least 3 years.
Thanks! So the alma powder I ordered from last week is listed as a 2008 crop. Does that mean it expires this year?
Kay, crops from Indian come in the Fall time so it would expire by November 2011.
Ok thanks! I forgot I ordered the Organic 2010 crop so I’m good until 2013! Thank again-I can’t wait to receive my products!
Okay great! So yes you have a lot of time with the organic amla as that’s a new product too! Welcome!
Hi, i have just come back from Sharm el sheikh and whist i was there bought some henna from the Egyptian chemist, but now im not sure if its any good, please could you help me out as to wether this is pure henna or if it might have chemicals mixed within. This is the henna:-“Mahogan Henna” link remove (admin)
Thanks a lot.
Sarah Xxx
Sarah thanks for posting. We’re not familiar with that brand, and it’s not one of the henna powders we carry. You’d have to take a look at the list of ingredients. Does it say what’s in it? It could be pure, but there may be other ingredients in there. Because it doesn’t just say henna powder, it says Mahogany and usually when the boxes start talking about color then there would be something else in it, most of the time. Sorry we couldn’t be much help. You can test it with hair strand tests to be sure it’s safe for you to use.
Thank you for your quick response. The ingredients are as follows:- Henna powder, P-Amino Phenol, Citric Acid, Barium Peroxide, Magnesium Carbonate. It is manufactured by Kuria Mal & Sons in Delhi. Thanks again, Sarah
Welcome. Then you just answered your question Sarah 🙂 It is not pure henna powder and full of other ingredients and chemicals.
Hi, its me again lol. I bought some Jamila henna today, but it say at the bottom in red ‘summer crop 2007, MFG:June 2007 EXP:May 2010′ I noticed this before i bought it and told the lady who said it was still fine to use, which i also thought it would be, but does henna actually go off at some point at all and if so what will the effects be? Thanks, Sarah
I have been using Lush’s caca marron and like the auburn colour I get but would like to switch to a purer henna product. I currently have about an inch of medium brown/grey roots. Which product would be best to obtain a rich auburn colour? Thanks!
Sarah, it should still work well. You can do patch tests just to be certain as that wouldn’t hurt. I used a box of 2007 this past summer and it was good.
Deborah, for a rich auburn color I’d recommend you use the Organic Rajasthani Indian henna powder that we have.
Hi,
I used henna for the first time yesterday. I have naturally black hair that is greying rapidly. I used a 2 step process – yemeni henna followed by indgo. I am pretty happy with the results – most of my hair is black but still see a bit of coppery shimmer on grey hair. Should I used the Moroccan henna next time? WHy does Moroccan henna have less red tones – is something added to it? And is the dye release time really only one hour? Do you think Moroccan henna + indigo would be ideal for me?
Thanks
Hello Bi. Moroccan henna grows in a different region of the world so this affects color results in every herb and henna powder. Just varying countries have varying herbs just like with henna. You can reapply again as maybe the indigo will stick more over a second application. Moroccan has a lower red dye content then yemeni. Moroccan yes does have dye release within 1-2 hours, whereas yemeni is 3-4 hours. I would say you could try it and also try out some samples at our online shop if you want to be sure 🙂 Welcome!
Hi its me again. Thanks for your prompt response. I have a problem now. A day after I did my 2 step henna indigo, I oiled my hair. Left the oil in for a couple of hours and shampooed my hair. To my dismay discovered that most of the indigo had washed off. Instead of black hair I am now left with lots of orange/coppery roots wherever my hair was grey. I thought indigo was permanent. Will it come off so easily? What do I do now, how do I make the indigo stick to my hair and how do I maintain it in the future. Btw, these are all your Henna Sooq products used by my hairstylist.
Thanks!
Hi. I’m Asian and I have black hair with golden brown highlights that I’m growing out. My hair now has 2 colors – my 10 inch black roots and lighter brown on the lower half. I would like to henna using Yemeni or Raj to get reddish tones. If I use rooibus red tea, will that increase the red tones? Will the lighter brown part of my hair be a brighter reddish color than my black roots? Thank you so much.
Can you please respond to post #221? I am waiting to hear from you before I try the indigo again. Thanks.
Hello BI. We don’t have regular weekend hours and Monday was holiday here in the USA, hence our delayed response.
Indigo is a permanent dye but for some it can fade off quicker and henna also can fade off over time (usually months) but for some just starting with henna and indigo they need more time to allow it to cling and get used to their hair.
I’d recommend you do another indigo treatment (if you can an added henna as well to make sure the henna colors everywhere). Salt helps it stick better as well. Just do let it settle down for a few days and then some do wash out with just a conditioner for the first 1-2 washes. That should help it stick better. Thanks to your hairstylist! Let us know how it turns out
Eliz, it would probably be a bit redder on the lighter tones of your hair. It may compliment it as highlights or you may need to darken it a bit. a red tea or hibiscus powder adds a red boost to the recipe as well. Please be sure to do hair strand tests just to be sure.
Hi,
I am so new to this I am scared…lol. My hair has been gray since my teenage years. I have used Bigen and the hair shaft is now black. I want to use true henna to obtain a dark brown color with red highlights. Making sure the gray at my roots is covered. I don’t understand the mixture process and the two step program. So I don’t know what to order…help..lol.
Hello Anjanette. Thank you for posting. For what you’d like to achieve you’d do a one step treatment. You’d use 60% indigo and 40% henna powder, or less indigo for more red tones. You can adjust the proportions depending on what results you’d like. More indigo for darker brown, and more henna for more red. This will cover your grey hair. Also we have our Lush Brown Kit at http://www.hennasooq.com under shop and you’ll see that it has 100 grams of each indigo and henna. Depending on your hair thickness and length would determine how much of each you need to use.
Hi there,
I’d appreciate some advice on the following. I have a dark brown hair with less than 10% gray. I’d like to color the gray, sticking close to my natural color.
I had bought henna color from another company that was meant to cover small amounts of gray, and kept it on almost for 10 hours. However, no gray was ever colored.
Do you have any advice for me? should I be adding indigo as well? if you could let me know the ingredients and the proportion I should be buying, I’d appreciate it very much.
Thank you!
Victoria, thanks for posting. wow you kept it on for long and still no color? wow…sorry to hear.
I would recommend you try our Organic Lush Brown Kit. You’d use henna and indigo and for dark brown tones at least 70% indigo and 30% henna, or a little less dark would be 60% indigo to 40% henna. I hope this helps get you started!
Hi, what color do you think i would get by putting Yemeni over dark brown hair?
I’d like to start using henna for my hair, but I don’t necessarily want a drastic change. My hair is a dark brown and it has golden and red highlights when in the sun. I was wondering if a henna rinse would help to bring out the red highlights more??
Kat, your hair would be like a red highlight. Those are the results I get as well. Over time it does stand out for. It’s with several applications that it builds up and deeper.
Brittany, I’d say definitely a henna rinse or henna gloss would give you a really nice, light red boost to your hair without being too drastic.
Hello
I have been doing a ton of online research and have decided to take the leap and change from chemical dyes to henna. yeah! I have naturally med/dark brown wavy hair that I have been dying coppery brown for years. I know that I want to use alma for my waves and cassia to keep the henna more coppery. My question is which henna would be the best choice?
Thanks in advance for your help. 😉
Thank you for your post MarieB. I’d say that the henna you could use for coppery brown tones would be Moroccan henna. That would be a good choice.
Hi, could you tell me which type of henna has the highest dye content, and which has the lowest? My hair is medium brown and I’m trying to make the color richer/slightly darker. Not sure which proportions of henna/indigo to use, and which henna to use.
Hi Veronica. Thanks for posting. Do you want a darker tone like more brown and darker in that tone or a rich, darker red? Then it’ll be easier for me to make recommendations. Thank you
A slightly darker brown, what proportions do I use without going too dark or too red?
Veronica,I’d recommend you use 40% henna and 60% indigo so that it goes slightly darker then your current hair color.
Hi Khadija, first I love the new indigo that you have; it covered my resistant gray hairs wonderfully. My question is, when using henna/indigo, it starts to drip really bad after about 2 hours. I don’t get the dripping when I use henna by itself, so it must be the indigo. what can I add to my mixture to keep it from dripping so much. I cover my head in saran wrap and place a plastic shower cap over that, however when I use indigo in my mixture, I end up placing several sheets of paper towels inside the shower cap to try and stop the drips, but nothing works. Thank you,
Andrea, thank you for giving us feedback and letting us know. That’s the only way we know for sure if it’s working for clients or not.
Dripping happens with people who are more warm then others I’ve noticed. Yeah it’s tough. You can do that and wrap towels on your shoulders. Luckily you don’t have to keep it on too much longer then two hours. It drips more for others then some. Sorry about the drippies!
Bonjour Khadija,
J’utilise le henné de HennaSooq (Canada) depuis plus de 3 ans maintenant. J’ai commencé avec le Yémen, puis j’ai poursuivi avec Jamila. Mais j’ai maintenant beaucoup de cheveux blancs sous le hennné, et j’ai remarqué que le dessus de ma tête est de plus en plus pâle. C’est pourquoi je veux revenir au Yémen. C’est pour moi le meilleur henné de tous! J’ai vu sur votre site qu’il est en rupture de stock (out of stock). Sera-t-il encore possible d’acheter du Yémen même si les produits du Yémen sont maintenant interdits au Canada? Merci de votre réponse. Best regards,
JG
Bonjour JG. Merci beaucoup pour etre une client de si longtemps. Yemeni c’est mon favorit aussi. J’utilise toujours.
Oui, vous pouvais acheter l’yemeni de la site USA de Henna Sooq, parce que en Canada ils “allow” des quantite petit de yemen. La supplier en yemen nous a dit ca. Merci!
Hi!
I’ve been thinking about henna-ing my hair for a while now, your website is really great and with all the info i’m about ready to take the plunge!
My hair is naturally a dark ashy blonde, and i am currently growing out a chemical red dye (it has been about 3 months and has faded a lot). I’d like to achieve an auburn/dark copper colour, a little something like this:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2958524672/nm1248393
I really want to avoid bright yellow or cherry red tones as I am very pale, so which henna would you recommend?
Thanks!
I have black with some grey(white) hair due to age. what kind of henna (or any combination with indigo or sth else) will you recomment to best cover my white hair and give the overall brown tone? thanks.
Hi Gretchen, thank you for posting. Do you have any grey at all? I’d say that using Jamila would be an excellent test but before doing your full head, do a hair strand test to be sure of color results and that you’re happy with that.
Ava, thank you for posting. For brown tones I’d recommend you use henna powder such as Jamila and indigo for hair (non-organic) for best brown results especially since it’s for your first time and we would want you to use indigo that’d cling very well for first time use.
Hi Khadija,
No i don’t have any greys, so i’ll do a test with Jamila and see how it goes.
Thanks for your help!