Rainbow Research Henna

I have natural blond hair with some subtle highlights. I mixed in 2 TBSP of some red wine vinegar instead of lemon juice and let process for an hour before applying. I sifted the mixture, and also mixed in about 1/5 cup of the medium brown henna to tone down the strawberry. I mixed in a bit of cinnamon, cloves, and eucalyptus oil for the smell, then added a couple TBSP honey right before applying. I left on my hair for an hour, then rinsed off in the bath. It won't stain your tub. Then I rinsed thoroughly, and applied a deep conditioner before rinsing again.

It does smell a bit earthy before your first shampoo, but it's better than the chemical scariness of those other dyes. At first I thought it was a bit bright, but it toned down a bit after a few days, and now I think I love it. People are telling me they love my hair for the first time in a long time. It's like a natural warm golden copper strawberry blonde. I'm a fan.

If you don't want to use chemicals, want shine and slightly thicker hair, and don't want to be "locked in" to a color, henna is a GREAT choice. I have been using Rainbow Henna for several years. Henna coats the hair, giving it a thicker texture and also gives it shine. The Persian Strawberry shade gives my medium brown hair a darker brown appearance but with what I consider a natural-looking red cast. For those starting with lighter hair color than medium brown, the resulting color with this shade would of course be redder. It washes out gradually over 4-8 weeks, and there are no "root" issues since this product does not strip your hair. Do a test strand before using it and if you have highlights, test both a highlighted and non-highlighted section to be sure you know what to expect for each. Note that henna is NOT a good choice for covering gray and if you want a permanent in addition to henna, you must do the perm before applying henna or the perm will not take. Read the...Read more

I had a keratin straightening treatment on my hair 3 months ago. When I applied the henna to a test strip, my hair turned green only where my hair had been straightened. 100% pure henna does not have that reaction. I have read that silver nitrate will turn hair green if it has been processed (permed, relaxed, straightened, etc.)Sometimes manufactures will add lead, copper, or othe metallic salts to henna. I would only use lab tested, 100% pure henna. Especially if you ever decide, in the future, to go back to permanent hair dye....