What is Henna?

Henna is a flowering plant! That is used to dye hair, skin, and clothes for thousands of years. The plant can be found in the subtropical region of Asia, Africa, and northern Australia. India, in particular, has a rich history with henna and cultivates the most high-quality henna crops in the world. The crops are then processed and used to make body art tattoo and to make henna hair dye.

What is Henna Powder?

The powder comes from the leaves of the henna plant which contain the red coloring pigment (lawsone). Lawsone is at its strongest when the leaves are ground into a powder. The lawsone pigment colors orange/red.

How Does Henna Work?

The Henna deposits the Lawsone pigment (which is the coloring agent) on the outside of the hair cuticles. As the dye coats the hair strand and settles, it will bind to the keratin of the hair.

The color darkens as the dye molecules absorb deeper into the hair binding to more protein. It also maintains the hair’s natural highlights and undertones, creating a more natural-looking dye than your regular chemical hair dyes.

What are the benefits of using Henna?

Besides coloring your hair in the safest way possible, henna has a host of other benefits as well. Henna helps balance out oil production on the scalp while boosting hair growth. Henna also repairs and strengthens the hair, and detoxes your scalp and hair while it colors. Providing healthier hair.

Is Henna permanent?

Yes. While the color may fade a bit after repeated washing and exposure to the elements, henna is permanent as it binds to the keratin in your hair. The only way to (naturally) remove henna is to let your hair grow out, or do an oil cleanse. The color will be most vibrant for 6-8 weeks after applying.

Is henna safe for cancer patients?

We always recommend you consult with your doctor before you try any product out there. That said, henna is a great natural alternative for chemical-based dye, which in turn have their own side-effects linked to the development of certain cancer.

The henna hair dye product collection available at The Henna Guys contain No synthetic chemicals. All plant-based dyes are natural and in their purest form.

Does henna dye work on all hair dye?

The herbs and pigments found on the henna plants are effective and time-proven on all hair types. Whether you have Caucasian, Curly, Frizzy, Thich, Thin, Asian, or African hair.

You mentioned Henna is Red? How come you sell it in various colors?

Hehe, that's a secret!

Well, we can all agree that henna is red (variation varies depending on the region). But, mixing it with other herbs, for a specified amount of time can prove wonders. The Henna Guys, Henna Hair Dye collection is derived from pure henna powder mixed with other herbs.

Henna herbs are a blend of fruits, plant-element, and other extracts. From Indigo to Amla powder, there are tons of shades you can achieve with a henna dye. Follow the instructions with the pack to get the desired shades.

Why you sell henna in powder form?

Henna is available in many forms in the market (biscuits, paste, or liquid). Most companies achieve this form by adding chemicals and preservatives to the ingredients.

Fresh henna powder is the purest, most effective way to use henna. You can use it for body art as well as hair dye. Also, powder henna form is perfect to ship to various regions as it is packed in air-tight bag.

Can I use Henna if I’ve treated my hair chemically?

Yes, 99% of customers switch over to our henna because of bad reactions from chemical dyed hair. As our henna does not contain any PPD’s or metallic salts, you will not experience any damage using henna on top of chemically treated hair. You will notice henna will actually help repair your damaged hair. We do recommend always doing a strand test to check what color your hair will end up being before applying the henna to your entire head. You can do this test by retrieving hairs from your hairbrush and coloring those, or testing on a small patch of hair behind your ear.

Always do a strand test to see how the henna colors your hair, especially if you are using indigo. Sometimes indigo will make the hair look green when used over chemically treated hair (this will usually fade after a couple of days). You can do this strand test by harvesting hair from a hairbrush, applying the henna over those hairs and seeing the results after rinsing/drying that hair. 

You can color your chemically dyed hair with henna. Just be aware that the henna will have to strip the chemicals from your hair before it can color your hair, and it may take 2-3 applications for the henna to color properly. We usually suggest waiting a few weeks between chemically coloring and coloring with henna so the chemicals can fade and make the henna’s job easier, but you can use the henna as soon as you wish. The henna will help repair any damage caused by the chemical dye, and leave your hair healthy and strong.

Can Henna lighten your hair?

No. Henna shows up best on lighter hair colors. It CAN NOT lighten dark hair, though it will leave beautiful red undertones on darker hair! 

Does Henna work on all hair types?

Yes! Henna works on all hair types. Be aware that henna has the tendency to relax/straighten curls. Don’t worry! If you want to maintain your curls, you can use several different powders like Amla or Hibiscus afterwards to bring them back, or try one of our Hair Masks (specifically the Gray Prevention & Healthy Curls hair Mask). You can also add amla and/or hibiscus powders to the henna itself to maintain your curls (these powders won’t affect the color).

Does Henna work on gray hair? 

Yes. Grays are a lot more stubborn than regular hair as grays are coarser than your natural hair, and gray hair follicles make less oil, making it drier as well. This makes it harder for color to penetrate, so you may have to leave it on longer, or do a second application.

Can I Use Henna on My Eyebrows/Lashes?

While our henna is made with plant-based ingredients, we don’t recommend using it on the eyebrows or lashes. It is mainly because your brows or lashes are very adjacent to your eyes. If in any case, henna contacts your skin, this can cause serious problems.

Where do you get your henna from?

We source our henna from India.

Help! My hair turned a weird color after using Indigo/Jet Black!

• Green: You may have applied the indigo powder by itself over really light/gray/white hair. Indigo alone will not color lighter hair a dark color. It needs a henna base to work off of.

Solution: You will need to apply pure henna first and then indigo powder. Indigo powder needs a base color in order to provide you dark brown/black color.

• Purple: You applied henna with previously chemically dyed hair and the indigo powder was absorbed more.

Solution: As rule of thumb, you should always apply pure henna first and then indigo powder. However, to avoid the purple hue, you will need to mix 2 tsb of pure henna, mix it with black brewed coffee (preferable),1 tsp of salt into 100grams indigo powder. This will help tone down the color and achieve dark brown/black color results.

We always recommend you apply pure henna first to your hair and then indigo powder.

Can I go back to chemical dyes if I’m not happy with Henna?

While we never recommend going back to chemical dyes, as they are not healthy for your hair, but you may go back to them after using henna.

How can I remove henna naturally? 

While it will take a long time to remove the henna naturally (especially if you’ve been using henna for years). What you can do is cover your hair in olive oil (or coconut oil), and let it sit overnight. Then you will shampoo your hair to remove the oil. It may take several applications of oil over a few months to get most of the henna out of your hair.

Why are there different wait times for each henna dye?

This has to do with the proportion of herbs and ultimate dye release. Our pure henna, burgundy, mahogany, deep red, wine red, orange red, and natural red all require 8-10 hours as the contain pure henna, whose optimal dye release is after 8-10 hours. Our light brown, medium brown, and auburn only need 45 minutes as they also contain indigo, which has a much shorter dye release time.