Ingredient
Henna
Lawsonia inermis
At a glance
- Botanical name
- Lawsonia inermis
- INCI name
- Lawsonia Inermis Leaf Powder (100%)
- Part used
- Leaves
What is henna powder?
Henna powder is the dried leaf of the henna plant, Lawsonia inermis, milled fine and triple sifted. Mixed with warm water it makes a paste that stains hair in the copper-to-red family. Spierb Henna Powder is one ingredient, Lawsonia Inermis Leaf Powder (100%), with no PPD, no ammonia and no peroxide.
The powder looks green, olive or greenish-brown in the pouch: that's the whole leaf. The orange-red colour appears once the paste is on your hair.
Where does henna come from?
Henna is a shrub or small tree that grows across North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, and people have coloured hair with its leaves for centuries. In South Asia the same plant is known as mehndi, though hair colour and body-art mehndi are different preparations.
Spierb Henna comes from Pali in Rajasthan, India, a region known for high-lawsone henna. Lawsone is the natural dye molecule in the leaf. The leaves are dried, finely ground and triple sifted, which makes the paste smoother to spread around the roots and easier to rinse out.
Is all henna the same?
No, and the ingredient list is how you tell. Pure henna is one leaf powder and colours in the copper-to-red family. Products sold as black, brown or burgundy "henna" usually contain other plants or dyes, and some marketed as black henna have contained PPD, a synthetic dye that can cause strong skin reactions.
If a powder promises jet black on its own, treat the label with caution. More on that in is henna bad for your hair, and chemical-free hair dye compares plant colour with a conventional box dye.
How does henna colour hair?
Water releases lawsone from the leaf, and the dye binds to the keratin in your hair. Henna is translucent: it lays warm colour over the shade you already have instead of replacing it, so it can't lighten hair and two people rarely get the same result.
Fresh henna looks brightest just after rinsing, then settles and usually deepens. Judge your colour 24–48 hours later rather than in the mirror that evening.
What colour will my hair be if I use henna?
Henna alone gives copper, ginger, red or auburn, and where you start decides how it reads. These are directions rather than fixed shades: porosity, previous colour and how much henna is already on the lengths all shift the result.
| If your hair is | Henna alone typically gives |
| White | Bright orange-copper at first, often settling to richer copper or orange-red |
| Grey or silver | Copper to copper-red on the grey strands, which can look like warm highlights |
| Blonde | Vivid ginger, copper or orange-red; very light hair takes it brightest |
| Light brown | Copper-brown, warm auburn or clear red warmth |
| Medium brown | Auburn or red-brown depth rather than bright orange |
| Dark brown | Deep auburn warmth and a red-copper reflection in daylight |
| Black | A subtle warm reflection in strong light, with no lightening |
What happens if you put henna on dark brown hair?
You'll see warmth rather than a new shade. Dark brown hair keeps its depth and picks up auburn or red tones that show most in daylight and look subtle indoors. Henna can't lift the pigment that's already there, so it won't make dark hair lighter.
Where do brown and black come from?
From henna with indigo. Brown is one step: fresh indigo mixed into rested henna paste at 70:30, 50:50 or 30:70 henna to indigo. Black is two steps: henna first, then a fresh 80:20 indigo-to-henna mix over it in the same session. The methods are in mixing henna and indigo for brown and the two-step method for black.
What should I expect from it?
Expect long-lasting warm colour that grows out rather than washing out, and hair that many people find feels fuller and smoother to handle. Grey strands take henna very visibly: with henna alone they come out copper, which is the plant doing its job rather than a coverage failure.
Henna builds, so repeat full-length applications go deeper each time; once the lengths are where you want them, colour the roots and leave the rest. It won't lighten hair, won't make grey hair brown or black on its own, and won't grow new hair, though strands can feel more substantial. If you're covering greys, start with henna for grey hair; for your first application, the beginner copper-red method has the full routine.
Is henna powder safe to use?
Pure henna used on the hair as directed suits most people, and allergy to it is uncommon. Because it isn't impossible, patch test 24–48 hours before your first use, with the mixture you actually plan to apply. If the test brings burning, persistent itching, swelling or marked irritation, don't use it.
Strand test as well. A patch test tells you how your skin responds; a strand test on a hidden lock, using your exact formula and timings, shows the colour. It matters most on grey, white, blonde, bleached, highlighted or previously coloured hair. Judge it after the same 24–48 hours.
- For external use on the hair only. Don't swallow it, and keep it off eyebrows and eyelashes.
- Avoid the eyes. If powder or paste gets in, rinse straight away with plenty of clean water.
- Don't apply it over broken, weeping or badly irritated scalp. Wait until the skin is comfortable again.
- Rinse it off if you get strong burning, rapidly increasing itching or swelling.
- Keep it out of reach of children, sealed, cool and dry. Unopened, it keeps for two years from packing.
If your scalp itches afterwards, itchy scalp after henna works through the likely causes. The powder itself is on the Spierb Henna Powder page.
Frequently asked questions
Does henna darken hair over time?
A fresh application settles and usually deepens over 24–48 hours. Beyond that, henna is cumulative: each full-length application lays more colour over hair that already carries some, so the lengths look richer over time. That's dye building up, not your natural pigment changing.
Does henna make hair thicker?
It can make the strands you have feel more substantial and full, because the colour binds closely to the hair fibre. It doesn't create new follicles or add hairs. Fine hair often shows that fuller feel clearly, so rinse thoroughly and condition if it starts to feel stiff.
Is henna good for thin or fine hair?
Many people with fine hair like it for exactly that fuller feel. Keep the paste smooth rather than stiff, rinse until the hair no longer feels gritty, and use conditioner for slip if you need it.
Which is better, hair dye or henna?
They do different jobs. A chemical dye can lighten hair and aim at a set shade. Henna does neither: it adds warm colour over your own, it's long-lasting, and it grows out rather than washing out. What it gives you instead is a single leaf powder with no PPD, ammonia or peroxide.
Is Lawsonia inermis the same as henna?
Yes. Lawsonia inermis is the botanical name of the henna plant, and its leaves hold lawsone, the natural orange-red dye. On a label, pure henna reads as Lawsonia Inermis Leaf Powder and should be the only ingredient.
