L&I Apothecary Organic Natural RED Henna Hair Dye - USDA Certified Organic, All Natural Plant-based, Gluten Free, Cruelty Free Hair Color for Natural Hair Conditioning

I used to be a real dye junkie in my early 20s. It's addictive. Then I stopped for various reasons (but mostly because I'd grown facial hair that I didn't want to dye and work dress code expectations.. and laziness) So I was thinking about trying henna. I'm getting to the point where I wonder if I shouldn't try something more natural and if I'm honest, I kind of liked the promise of unpredictable results of henna. My mom used it when she was younger, and I have a red undertone in my hair naturally, so I figured I was probably safe enough from any surprises. The real question was, which shade? After much deliberation between Deep Red, Mahogany, and Orange Red, I went with the Orange Red, which is 100% henna. Since I was committing to this natural thing, why not throw in a few extra bucks for organic? Based on the website, I expected the biggest problem I'd have would be that there would be no visible change. Nevertheless, I mixed up the powder in the morning and added some apple cider vinegar and a few drops each of geranium oil and lavender oil. "I don't know what people are talking about the smell for! It smells like matcha powder," I thought to myself. And it DOES...until it develops. I set the mix aside and when I came back to it, the smell had changed. I wouldn't call it "bad," but it's a very specific scent. The weird thing was, I had smelled this before. "Where have I smelled this?" I wondered. And then I realized. It smells like sunless tanner! Indeed, the active compound in henna is also sometimes used in fake tan, largely on the same idea that it develops into a reddish brown. People in henna reviews often complain about the smell (which is not terrible in my opinion--but does last a couple of washes and gets a little old, I suppose) and the grit in henna. But the Henna Guys product was finely ground and smooth. It was easy to work with. Honestly the REAL bummer for me was that you have to pre-mix and wait (Some reviewers said they mix and throw it in their freezer and use at their leisure. I will try that next time)--and then you have to wait for 3 hours while it develops. I thought it would be no big deal. Just throw on Titanic, right? Just play some Steam! WELL. I spent 3 hours with a plastic bag over my head and a roll of toilet paper, desperately dabbing away Rudy Giuliani-type moments and trying not to let any dye drip onto the carpet. Lesson learned. I will mix less liquid in next time. The product gives you that level of control. Never have I been so grateful for using vaseline on my hairline. Would I do it again? Absolutely. In fact, I have shoulder-length pandemic hair and I think I can get perhaps 2 more applications out of the remaining powder in the kit. My experience honestly wasn't much different or worse than I'd expected. All henna products will require that long developing time, and anyone who dyes their own hair knows that the gloves in the box are always crap. (read: BYOGs). I didn't experience any problems with stained clothing (but also, I rinsed thoroughly and used dark towels over my pillow when I went to sleep). I did find that the color showed best in the sunlight, but I was expecting far less vibrancy than I got, knowing that henna doesn't lift color. I really liked the way it freshened up my hair! I felt like summer was finally here. In terms of hair texture, I have hair type 2A - superfine/fragile with a little bit of wave. I love the waviness in my hair and I try to bring it out when I can, but I did notice that my hair ended up a fair bit straighter post-henna. I did NOT find that the henna made my hair stronger. If anything, a lot broke just from all the fussing around working the dye in, rinsing, and then obsessively playing with it once it was all dyed. I don't think it *damaged* my hair. I just think reports of henna being some kind of magical hair cure-all are largely overrated. Over the first day or two, I didn't find the color "settling" too much; it did get lighter over time, so I would put this somewhere between a semi-perm and permanent in terms of staying power. I am at about 8 weeks now, and I can still tell that I used henna on it, but it's not deeply vibrant anymore. I am okay with this: my roots are not obvious so I can be lazy about touching up. My biggest disappointment was that the shade wasn't as coppery as I was expecting. I ended with a nice cinnamon color. I regret nothing! :D I will just have to try the deep red and see how it differs. I'd definitely buy from Henna Guys again: the product was effective, well-produced (gloves aside) and the instructions were pretty usable. A great first experience with henna!

I've included a before photo to show my stubborn white roots that pop up within days after I would dye my hair! You may know that pain! If you're like me and don't want to place toxic chemicals on your roots every 4-6 weeks but NOT ready to go gray, this is the next best option! My natural color is medium brown and I've been an auburn/redhead by choice for years, salon color and at home box color, yep I've done it. I am just so tired of the dreaded regrowth every 4 weeks and if you haven't researched the hazards of the chemicals in the salon and box hair dyes you should, they are highly toxic and I'm done with it. So this was my first experience with Henna - easier than I thought it would be. I read other reviews about how to mix it thicker so it doesn't drip. I used peppermint essential oil mixed in too, which made it smell good and my scalp tingle. I did also use apple cider vinegar as the package recommends this for gray hair coverage. BUT the second time around I didn't add anything to it! The powder is ground very fine and once it's applied to your hair within a few minutes it thickens and hardens. It's not dripping wet for those 3 hours while it bakes. I didn't even use a cap because I find the elastic really annoying! I want my colored hair to look as natural as possible, I have highlights (salon) and several applications of overtone leave in conditioners in reddish tones. This henna blended right in! I left it on for 3-4 hours as it clearly states the longer its on your hair the darker your color will be. This color is a nice copper color that is more natural looking. Once it was ready I love the fact that all my new growth white/gray hair was now a light red and the darker hair was just darker red, honestly it looks like all natural red highlights! NO white or gray hair was left! I also love the fact that I can now cover any new white hair growth as often as I want, I just mix the powder with warm water, let it sit (overnight) and then I can use it as I need. I don't have to worry about the chemicals and the risks they impose so using it as often as I want is a huge win for me. I don't care that I have to leave it on for 3 hours! *Just remember to use vaseline around your face and neck and be careful when applying as this will stain everything! I will possibly mix the next round with coffee or tea to see if it changes the color.

Awful product. I would give it ZERO stars if I could. This henna is listed as being medium brown but even when I mixed it with medium roast (organic) instant coffee (to intensify the brown color as directed in the instructions), it just ended up looking almost black but with dark green undertones (the dry powder prior to mixing is green). It’s also extremely messy to apply and makes your hair stiff. You have to apply it quickly because when it comes into contact with dry hair, it starts to harden. This just makes it difficult to apply and you can’t properly comb/brush the henna into your hair. While my natural hair color is very dark (pretty much black), and despite how dark the henna initially looked on my hair, imagine my surprise when I washed it out, and It literally did NOTHING to darken my gray hair. I primarily brought this to cover my grays but since it didn’t work in the slightest bit, I won’t ever repurchase from this brand. I only tried it because the product I was originally using (from the Henna Guys) was not available and this was what Amazon listed as the similar or equivalent product, but I can say for sure this is a TRASH product that just doesn’t work on grays as this company states it will.