MERLION NATURALS Organic Henna Leaves Powder by | Lawsonia Inermis | 227 g / 8 OZ / 1/2 lb | USDA NOP Certified 100% Organic | For Natural Hair Color and Conditioning (8 OZ)

I bought two packages of this "henna" (I'm not sure that's even what it is.) because it was available for overnight delivery and I was in a hurry because I was going on vacation and wanted to dye my hair and give myself a henna tattoo. If you've ever worked with henna then you know it often takes 12 or so hours for the dye to release. Upon receiving it I saw that it was brown and not green like it should be. I was skeptical. However, I was in a hurry so I quickly mixed up two batches, one for hair dye and one for mehndi tattoos and hoped for the best. I waited almost 20 hours to check and see if there was any dye release and nothing. No dye release at all. The product was dark and grainy and doesn't even smell like henna. Thankfully, I had enough of another brand that I had bought a year ago that, even though it is old, has excellent dye release and will work for my henna tattoo, but unfortunately there is not enough to dye my hair. I will say that this product comes beautifully packaged, too bad it doesn't work.

My first purchase of this brand of henna was fine. Everything went as usual and expected. This second batch contained twigs. And upon rinsing there was a black grit in the shower pan. It also produced very little color on my hair. I've been hennaing my hair for 15+ years and I've never had this experience before. I'm upset because I wasted my money but more so because I wasted so much time today. And my hair/roots look the same and will continue to look drab until I can get my hands on some good henna.

This organic henna leaf powder is of good quality. It has a potent, fresh smell and a pleasantly bitter, herbal taste. It contains many nutrients and it's perfect for use as a conditioning hair restorative and dye. Henna leaves have traditionally been used to make a pigment for dying intricate linear patterns on fingers, palms and feet (henna tattoos). They've also been used to dye human hair and the manes and tails of horses. Mummies were wrapped in red henna-dyed cloth in ancient Egypt.Henna leaves are used as a gargle for sore throats and as an infusion (steeped in hot water) or decoction (boiled in water) for diarrhea. The leaves are very astringent; they prevent hemorrhaging and promote menstrual flow. When made into a plaster, henna treats fungal infections, acne and boils. You can really use this henna powder in a variety of ways because of its multiple benefits to the body. I'm looking forward to combining it with indigo leaves powder to create a black hair dye for my mom's grey hairs. It's a much safer, cheaper and natural solution to the chemical dyes that are available today.

I've ordered various other products from Merlion (Neem, Amla, Tulsi etc.) countless times as I've seen their wonderful effects on the overall look and growth of my hair, and Henna is a new addition. I didn't buy it for color though. If you use it as part of a hair mask, which I leave on usually less than 2 hours, it won't make a difference to color but will greatly nourish and condition your hair. The reason I'm writing this review is that I was impressed by what they call the little things: a plastic cap included in the box in case you wanted to color your hair along with a packet of instructions. Note that if you wanted to dye your hair black, you should buy Indigo powder with it. Otherwise, Henna lends a auburn-ish hue. All to say that I'm impressed by the efforts this company has made to provide high-quality, organic products from local sources in India. I'm always looking forward to my next purchase :D

It burn my scalp and it seem like it had some type of strong relaxer smell after washing out. Also it left parts of my hair straight. They tweet it with something because I been using henna for at least 2years but nothing like this, I believe they added something more. This is not henna for the hair maybe for the body as tattoo.