The Henna Guys Henna Hair and Beard Color/Dye, Medium Brown

What a mess - seriously, if you never dyed your hair at home (like me) you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. First some background. I used to occasionally dye my hair in my teens and early twenties but then less and less - last time was over 2 years ago. Now in my early thirties, I am very rapidly getting gray post pregnancy, from a couple of strands to roughly 20% within just weeks (looks even more on the picture but that is where the gray is worst, it's not everywhere like this). I decided that I'm not ready to have a head full of gray hair. However, since my pregnancy and also the whole time after, I had a very sensitive scalp - so itchy and uncomfortable actually that I ditched commercial shampoos and conditioner a while ago. So when I decided to get my hair dyed, I wanted it to be a gentle method. That's how I stumbled upon henna coloring. But I knew that I didn't want an intense red and was scared to end up with green hair - which accidentally seems to happen sometimes for people. So I did a lot of reading (I highly recommend reading freely available information from ancient sunrise - Catherine Cartwright-Jones really goes into detail about how henna works on hair and what actually works and what is a myth). After reading tons of reviews, I decided to go with medium brown from the henna guys. The package came with detailed instructions, which I followed - including the tip to add 3 tablespoons of vinegar before applying the mixture on the hair to cover the gray. I did not use coffee as suggested, instead I used very warm water. Of note, they suggest clean hair but dry, so I washed my hair the evening before (since I don't use heat to dry my hair) and then applied the henna in the morning, washing it off after 3 hours. As seen on the picture, getting rid of the gray hair was a huge success. It looks a bit redder in the picture than it actually is (it's only like this in very bright light), it's actually a deeper color, more chestnut. Really beautiful. In addition it made the hair very smooth feeling but definitely reduced my usually curly hair to waves. It didn't cause my hair to feel dry but right after getting rid of the henna mixture, it was badly tangled (nothing a detailing brush couldn't handle). I am so pleased with the color, that the color would be 5 stars. However, there are several negatives, which are more for henna dying in general than brand specific. Frist, it's a mess. I thought how bad can it be - I've used clay, rye flour, aloe vera gel, egg yolk, ayuverdic powders and more in my hair to wash/condition it ever since getting rid of commercial shampoos/conditioners. How much messier can henna be - answer is A LOT. I applied the mixture bent over the bathtub for minimal impact to the rest of the bathroom and despite immediately cleaning during and after applying the mixture to my hair, there are now some (faint) permanent stains in the tub from flying drops. And I was so careful. It was a huge stinky mess. Which brings me to number two - the smell. Those warning of a barn smell are not kidding. I thought how bad can it be - answer is really bad. Turns out it wasn't that type of barn smell which I would associate with fresh hay or something similar but more like wet animals, dirty stuffy barn type of smell. And it still hasn't left my hair (its been nearly 48 hours now). I'll definitely add some essential oil to my next hair wash. Third, the price for the package is really fair. I have hair that goes to my shoulder blades and the entire package was perfect for me. But these are not the entire costs for this endeavor. Additional supplies I needed were gloves (the ones the package came with were soaked in no time), lots and lots of saran wrap (the shower cap that was included is not nearly enough to contain the mess and with a baby at home I needed to be able to function normally in the 3 hours), and more than a roll of paper towels. I still managed to permanently dye two of our towels and a nightgown that I used as an additional covering on top of all the saran wrap (towels were to heavy and sliding off the wrap but I needed something fabric like as an additional barrier against the mixture particularly where the wrap ended). Four - I used enough water to give the mixture a pancake batter consistency (were roughly 2 cups). After the dye release time, the mixture was much firmer and adding the 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar before applying the mixture, made it the perfect consistency again. So once everything was in my hair, I wrung out the biggest clumps which made the head heavy with mud, not dry but nicely damp. I thought perfect, that will hold very well - but I was so wrong. Turns out when underneath so much saran wrap (which is actually recommended since the generated heat helps with the dying) my head starts sweating. So after a little over an hour, I'm suddenly constantly fighting streakes of sweat/henna running down my back and sides of my face (around the ear area). It was a very long 2 hours - I used the wrap and paper towels to catch the worst but I wear glasses and so the mixture always found a way out from underneath its plastic confinement since the glasses loosened the wrap very slightly. Which btw reminds me - for all people that cannot be 3 hours without glasses. Generously cover the sides of the glasses with saran wrap. At least my glasses were spared any permanent color changes. Lastly, before I used the mixture on my hair, I tested for any sensitive reaction. Nothing happened and while the mixture was on my head, I felt great for the full 3 hours, no itching, nothing. However, something strange happened when washing off the mess (I only used cool water as per instructions). My scalp started itching really bad and I even got a rash all over my face even though none of the henna ever touched my face. It was really weird and I still don't understand it. The rash in the face subsided after roughly 1 hour but the scalp remained irritated for much longer. At some point I applied some aloe vera gel and within minutes it started feeling better. Even now I still itch but I can tell, that it's getting better and better every hour. Overall, I really enjoy the rich color the medium brown henna/indigo mixture gave my hair and the henna guys brand was simple and instructions were easy to follow (I'm a bit skeptical why the dye release for this particular package is so short though - doesn't make much sense to me but I followed instructions anyway). For me it was worth the mess it produced - I highly recommend it.

Thanks this is good

I tried this Medium Brown Henna mainly to cover my white hairs. I left it on for over 6 hours, but unfortunately it only covered about 25% of them. My hair is very thick, coarse, and dense, which may have affected the results. I’ve heard excellent things about henna, especially from a friend from Bombay, India, who has had great experiences with it. I appreciate that The Henna Guys offers a natural, plant-based alternative to traditional dyes. It just seems that henna can work very differently depending on your hair type, texture, and porosity. Good product—just not the best match for my hair.

This is my first ever experience with Henna so I have nothing to compare it to but I really like this henna a lot! I was worried the medium brown would be too dark since my natural color is more of a light golden brown but this color is very, very close. The medium brown on me comes out pretty much exactly as it looks in the picture on bag. I would call my hair color now a medium brown with a hint of red, very pretty and I get a lot of compliments. I think it took a couple of applications before it really started binding to the grey in my hair so you need to be a bit patient here. The henna colors my grey hairs a pretty golden color, lighter than the rest of my hair using the henna (I don't have a lot of grey, majority of my hair is still brown) so it looks like pretty highlights, very nice!! The smell is very earthy and organic and not terribly pleasant but I kind of like it because it reminds me that toxin cancer-causing chemicals are not seeping through my scalp into my body!! The smell goes away within a day or two so it's no big deal at all. Do try to sleep with a towel under your head the first night or two after using otherwise it will stain your pillows a bit. Speaking of stains, this henna (at least in medium brown) does not stain AT ALL. Any henna that drips onto your skin or counter tops, simply wipe away. I am sure it stains clothes so make sure to watch for that. Lastly, henna is really good for your hair! This product makes my hair super shiny and soft, unlike artificial dyes that ultimately damage and dry out your locks. I will continue using this product indefinitely. Thanks Henna Guys!! May 13, 2020: Just wanted to add to my review a bit since last time! I only used the medium brown a few times and then switched to light brown since my natural color is more of a light brown/dark golden blonde in summer. I am still so impressed with this product. The light brown is not much lighter than the medium to be honest. It's darker than my natural hair color but that's fine because I love it so much. I attached a recent photo but, to be honest, this photo doesn't really do justice to how beautiful this henna turns out. In the sunlight it's a rich auburn! But I wanted folks to see how natural it looks and how healthy it keeps my very long, almost waist-length hair. The greys are stubborn and I do have to henna at least every three weeks to keep them in check. Most of my grey is at the crown of head and thankfully underneath where it's not noticeable unless I wear my hair up. The greys on top look like pretty highlights because they're a golden, copper color compared to rest of hair. I find adding apple cider vinegar to product when I mix it helpful for attaching to greys. I usually only leave henna out for a few hours and on hair between two and a half to three hours. One last thing: This product give my hair an "umber" appearance. Basically it gets lighter towards the middle to end of hair and so it looks like my hair is naturally sun-kissed. It's so pretty and natural and I have been told women pay hundreds of dollars for this look!! You can't go wrong with this henna. I am a user for life!!

Wonderful product! I've used Henna a handful of times and this brand was packaged very well. I naturally have black hair with about 25% white hair and it did a pretty good job covering everything. There were a few stubborn hairs but I dont mind a few missed at all with how nice my hair felt after. I usually have a lot of hair fall out after hair color but decided to go back to Henna again (took a break for many years because it's time consuming) and Im glad I went back. I did not see my hair fall out like it does with regular color but it also felt stronger.