Surya Cream Henna Hair Color - Natural Ingredients

Comment: I am a breast cancer survivor and am looking for a safe hair color to cover my gray hair. Unfortunately this is not the one. It contains a few natural ingredients and synthetic ones. I checked this brand out on the Eviromental Working Groups Skin Deep cosmetic date base. You type in the name of the product and it is rated for safety and all the ingredients are listed and broken down into what health hazards they can cause. This product did not do very well. As a cancer survivor I will not be using, or reccomending this product. I encourage everyone to get on line and check out the Skin Deep cosmetic data base before purchasing or using any product!

Comment: I've been using Surya Henna Cream for about four years. My dark brown hair is now more than 30 percent silver-grey, totally grey at the top hairline and temples, salt-and-pepper everywhere else.

The best thing about this product is how easy it is. I never cease to be amazed at how little effort or mess is involved. I wash my hair, towel dry it, apply to my roots all around and then work it through wearing plastic gloves. Put the plastic cap on, wrap it in a towel and then wait for an hour or two to rinse it out. Some reviewers have complained about how thin it is; you get used to that. Occasionally, I notice a bit of thick material in a bottle. Adding a little water and shaking it up takes care of it, and doesn't affect the performance.

I also follow-up the initial rinse with a shampooing and conditioning. I find this product leaves my hair a little dry at first, and that counteracts it. I also want to wash off as much of the "loose" color as possible to protect my pillowcase and clothes. (Though it does wash off easily in the washing machine.)

The color is rich and deep. However, it does fade with each wash. Over the years, I've eliminated shampoos with laurel or laureth sulfate, and now I use Wen cleansing conditioner. But anything that cleans your hair is going to remove a bit of color. So when it's time to color again, for me (and I wash my hair as infrequently as possible), my formerly dark brown hair has lightened to a medium auburn. (To counteract this, I now mix in Surya's black, about 1 to 3, to hold the dark color a bit longer.)


Unlike chemical dyes, henna does not penetrate the hair shaft very deeply. Rather it coats it. The "cellophane" products that hairdressers use are generally henna-based, and that gives you an idea of how this color works. It is like a cellophane coating on whatever color is underneath it. If that color is white or grey, the impression inside may be the true dyed color, but if you go out into sunlight, it has an usual brilliance of color. (I have a convertible and sometimes when I'm driving with the top down, the formerly silver parts of my hair just look on fire in the sun.)

Anyone who uses henna regularly raves about the condition of their hair. And I'm no exception. There is none of the damage you get from chemical dyes. I cover my gray and still have soft, shiny, natural hair.

Finally, one other consideration in using henna is that, although it fades, it does not disappear. When it fades, it fades to red, and once you start using it, unless you're prepared to go through a multi-phased, hair-damaging process of stripping it out, you're pretty much committed to keep using it. It's generally a bad idea to try to use a chemical color on top of it, because there's a reaction that creates green tones.

I have shoulder-length, but relatively thin hair, and one treatment uses about 2/3 of a bottle. I buy them in quantity -- six dark browns and two blacks. And overall I'm a happy camper. The one drawback, the fading, is easy enough to fix if I have an important event.

I hope this helps anyone trying to make a decision about using this product.

Comment: This is one of those synthetic dyes with a little henna in it, masquerading as henna, that give true henna a bad name. So many reviewers were surprised at how well it covered gray. That is because it is a regular synthetic color.
If you want to use real henna on your hair, it should have one ingredient listed: henna. Yes, real henna is not terribly convenient to use and it does take several treatments to cover gray, but it is natural, unlike this.
I used Surya color one time when my health-food store was out of real henna. I did not realize the Surya was not real henna and neither did the employee who had ordered it. My results with it were terrible. It looked flat and dull and sort of greenish. Not at all like the beautiful, rich, sparkling color I get with real henna. Luckily it did not last too long.
I hate false advertising.

Comment: Liquid Henna hair color = genius! No grit, smell or mixing needed AND still chemical free. This is the best hair color I have ever used and I highly recommend the product. I have short hair and one bottle is enough for two applications. My hair is healthy and shiny and there is minimal color transfer post.

Comment: I've tried Surya Henna Powder in the past and liked the results....my thin, fine, long hair felt thick and was super shiny......I finally tried the cream variety and upon washing it out (here's the disturbing part!)....a TON of hair was laying in the bottom of my tub.....I called Surya (very nice customer service, by the way!)...they believed I had an allergic reaction, but there was no scalp irritation or rashes to speak of!......I am beside myself...my thin hair is now even thinner! Thankfully, this is a rare review on this product! P.S. - To end on a positive note...it did cover my gray!