Opting to color one's hair can be a fun way to spice up your look, and doing it with a natural hair dye can be even better. Henna is an age-old hair color recipe that has been passed down for generations mainly from Egypt and the Middle East. Though many use it for wedding traditions, you don't have to get married to try this healthy hair dye.

"I once used henna to dye my hair brown for an audition, thinking I was being clever as it's all-natural," says Sienna Miller, American actress. Henna packed with Ayurvedic herbs is the best alternative to chemical-laden hair dyes.

Our contributor Kate Ross, Hair Specialist at Irresistible Me - a beauty brand specializing in premium human hair extensions and wigs, says, “High-quality henna dyes can enhance and intensify natural red hues effectively without causing damage. Henna is a natural product and is generally gentler on the hair than synthetic dyes, but it's important to use pure, high-quality henna to ensure the best results and avoid hair damage.”

Using natural, organic, and vegan henna ensures that your scalp gets only natural products and no unwanted chemicals. Here are the 11 best henna hair dyes you need in your kit!

• 1
  Best Unisex Hair Dye

  The Henna Guys Mahogany Unisex Hair Dye

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This plant-based henna dye is a blend of henna, herbs, and other natural ingredients that boost the manageability of your lovely strands. The blue-toned indigo powder is mixed with henna powder, a red-orange tone, in specific ratios to help create this rich mahogany henna hair dye. In the ingredients list, you can also find red clay, which purifies the scalp and helps boost hair volume. Add this to your cart for vegan and organic hair dye!

2

Best in Shade

Godrej Nupur Henna

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Godrej Nupur brings you 100% pure henna straight from the heart of Rajasthan, India, which is renowned worldwide for its superior coloring. The henna dye contains the rich goodness of 9 natural herbs - brahmi, shikakai, aloe vera, methi, bhringraj, amla, neem, hibiscus, and jatamansi (spikenard). Just apply it generously and leave it in for 2-3 hours and rinse thoroughly to achieve a deep pigment. Affordable and rich in formulation, it's ideal for hair coloring and applying on the hand with designs too!

3

Best Natural Henna Hair Dye

H&C 100% Natural Henna Powder

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This henna powder is the go-to product for the hair coloring needs of every natural hair care enthusiast. Lucky for you, this hair color improves and maintains scalp health with its cooling properties. It helps soothe the aggravated and itchy scalp while also exploring issues like dandruff. With only henna as its main ingredient, the triple-sifted powder makes it easy to mix with water and application. The company makes less quantity to keep it fresh to date - it's the best for dark brown hair!

4

Best Semi-Permanent Henna Hair Dye

SURYA Brasil Semi-Permanent Henna Cream

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Winner of the Best of Natural Beauty Awards, Surya Brasil's high-performance henna cream is an anti-oxidant-rich, semi-permanent hair treatment that infuses hair with lush, vibrant color. The secret to this award-winning cream is the formulation that has aloe vera, brazil nuts, carrots, amla, chamomile, arnica flower extracts, and henna. It's hypoallergenic and works nicely on color-treated hair too, making it perfect for dyed hair to try this healthy option too!

5

Best Affordable Henna Hair Dye

MB Herbals Henna Powder

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This sealable package includes 100% pure henna powder without any preservatives. It is hand-picked and brought from the fields of the Pali district of Rajasthan, India. The convenient design makes it easy to remove some powder for use and seal up the rest for later. This henna can be mixed and used along with other herbs such as amla, brahmi, bhringaraj, neem, shikakai, hibiscus, aloe vera, and curry leaves for obtaining a deeper orange pigment as you desire. This herbal mix is great for dark brown to black hair!

6

Rainbow Henna Hair Color And Conditioner

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This natural henna powder is the perfect jar of hair color for a first-timer. It smoothens the cuticles with henna’s sealing action, giving hair a polished look that reflects the sun rays giving the extra shine. Though the gray coverage isn't up to the mark, the chemical-free formulation makes it ideal for sensitive skin. Those in search of a red and light tone shade should choose this shade, and for deeper tones of burgundy choose the indigo powder for better results!

7

Indian Natural Hair Care Henna Powder

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Perfect for copper shade, the Indian Natural Hair Care henna provides deep pigment to even the darkest hair shade. It provides a beneficial effect on the scalp and eliminates hair greasiness. The ammonia-free henna settles into the scalp and helps remove loose dandruff flakes from your scalp. Suitable for all, it’s obtained from dried and crushed leaves of the traditional Indian plant Lawsonia inermis for an organic feel. This purely natural substance binds to hair proteins and produces a permanent coloring effect - making it perfect for overall gray coverage!

8

Light Mountain Natural Red Hair Color & Conditioner

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This natural hair dye strikes the balance between strengthening and coloring with its pure henna formulation. The vegan hair includes botanical powder that allows for a creamy, easy-to-use consistency causing no hassle of spoiling any of your floors. To get salon-like deep rich red pigment, the natural henna comes packed with illustrated instructions, a cap, and gloves. Mix the henna powder with water and apply it to your hair. Perfect for vegans who are looking to one-up on normal hair dyes!

9

Dabur Vatika Henna Hair Color

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This natural hair dye stands between dark red to black tones depending on the natural hair color of the user. It comes with the goodness of amla, shikakai, and neem that strengthens hair and adds vitality to brittle strands affected by excessive harsh hair dyeing. The pack comes in separate sachets that make it easy to remove and have a single-use. Adding gloss and shine the natural way comes easy with this natural product!

10

Nisha Natural Henna Based Hair Color

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This high-quality powder hair color contains traditional Indian plants - amla, aloe vera, hibiscus, and shikakai - making it an exceptional natural option. Created from natural henna extracts, this is one of the best henna hair color powders on the market. One can keep their locks safe from the harmful effects of chemicals with this ammonia-free unisex hair color. This an excellent option for those with oily hair who wish to permanently dye their hair naturally black for a few weeks or months!

11

Just Jaivik Organic Henna Powder

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Another great sealable henna powder product, that keeps plants and botanicals at the forefront is the Just Jaivik Organic Henna Powder. This powder helps to restore the natural pH balance of the hair to its natural level and helps control scalp itchiness with its cooling properties. Ideal for normal to dry hair, the nourishing properties make it perfect to manage your tresses. These certified organic ingredients are apt to give you a new look in under an hour!

Ingredients: Steer clear from hair dyes that contain ammonia and peroxide usually present in many normal hair dyes. Opting for natural hair dyes like henna powder can be a great addition to your monthly routine of touch-ups or changing your hair color as a whole.

Talking about the resilience of henna color, our contributor Kate Ross, says, “Henna color is quite resilient but can fade over time with exposure to sunlight, chlorine, and frequent use of styling tools. To maintain the color, it's advisable to use products that are color-safe and to minimize exposure to harsh chemicals and high heat.”

Coverage: The saturating power of the henna hair dye is what makes it ideal for those who are looking to cover their greys. Not only that, but the coverage must be strong and dark so as to give the copper and auburn red hair color you may desire.

- For powder, one must measure according to instructions and see if it is sufficient for the entirety of your hair. 

- One can mix it with egg and/ or curd for conditioning, and add water to turn it into a thick paste. Choose to mix the product in a non-metallic bowl, and opt for plastic bowls.

- Do a patch test before applying directly on the scalp, to avoid any allergic reaction.

- Afterward, apply generously on the hair and roots, and coat evenly for uniform application.

- For henna, the longer you keep the richer the shade. Leave for a minimum of 2-3 hours and if it starts to itch, then wash immediately. 

- After keeping it for the desired time, wash it with cold water and you have yourself some beautiful strands.

- As it is a pure plant concentrate being turned into hair powder or cream, for some the indigo powder or henna powder may cause an allergic reaction, dermatitis, balding, inflammation, hair breakage, and brittle hair.

- It’s difficult to make changes with the hair dye as it deeply nestles into the cuticles causing it to make a permanent color. 

- For some, leaving henna on the hair and scalp overnight may cause hair fall, cold, and mucus buildup.

- Doesn’t lighten up easily, might require more time to lighten the shade. 

- Applying bleach to hair immediately after henna may lead to infusing the color into the cuticles.

Contributor: Kate Ross, Hair and Beauty Specialist - Irresistible Me