Thursday, August 15, 2013

Colora Henna Powder

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I've been experimenting with more natural alternatives to hair coloring for the last couple of years. I refuse to use the chemically-laden "nightmare" mainstream hair coloring products that I did years ago, now that I've become more knowledgeable about the many health concerns re: their long-term use.
 
I used henna many years ago when my hair was still all an even light-brown color and only for conditioning purposes at that time. That type of henna is colorless and leaves no color on the hair, it only conditions. But now I need something to even out my "patchwork" color of hair: brown, white, grey- so I decided to revisit henna, this time using one that would add color.
 
I had read a lot of pros and cons about henna use.
 
Yes, it can be messy but so are regular mainstream hair color products, especially if you apply them yourself at home.
 
I also read that henna doesn't cover grey or white hair very well but I found a solution to that problem too. By mixing the henna powder with regular coffee instead of water, and allowing it to stand for 24 hours before use, I've been able to use it on my own mix of  hair colors with good results and not too much reddish tinge either, another complaint of some users.
 
Colora Henna Powder is a natural organic hair color that does not contain any added chemicals or questionable ingredients. Some henna products out there do, so it pays to read the ingredient and information about any henna product you might decide to try, carefully. 
 
The only ingredients that Colora Henna Powder contains are: henna, and may also contain indigo, centaurea, rhubarb and beetroot- depending on the shade you chose.
 
Here's a close-up pic of the top of my head, without any hair coloring on it
 
 and before using Colora Henna Powder:
 
 
 
and here's an after picture:
 



 
One of the many things I like about using Colora Henna Powder is that it leaves highlights in your hair, not just one flat color, like some other hair color products do.
 
My hair in the front has always been quite a bit lighter, than the back of my head and the henna picks up the different shades, making for more natural finished results.
 
In the picture, I've used Colora Henna Powder in Ash Brown (mixed with coffee) but I've also used the Brown previously, with good results.
 
I leave it on my hair for 2 hours, covered with a plastic bag,  before shampooing it out.
 
This product comes in 14 different shades including various blonde, red and brown shades and black.
 
Colora Henna Powder is very reasonably priced at less than $10. for a 2 oz. package.
 
I have thick, medium-length hair and I get two applications from one box.
 
 I noted at Amazon that it's on sale for only $4.99 right now so a great time to give it a try.
 
And what a relief it's been not to have to worry about getting any hair coloring product in my eyes or on my skin or scalp. Mainstream hair coloring products can be very dangerous in this respect and something that always made me cringe when I used them years ago.
 
Here's an interesting article from the Truth in Aging site about henna. As they also explain, it's important to read what's in a henna product as they aren't all the same.
 
And the henna pastes that some people apply to their skin (as a tattoo effect) can contain harmful ingredients too. Not that I have any interest in tattoos, the henna type of otherwise!
 
If you've been looking for an alternative to mainstream hair coloring products, you might want to give Colora Henna Powder a try. I'm glad I did!
 
Overall rating for this product: Excellent. 5 out of 5.



 
 
 
 
 

42 comments:

  1. I remember my mom using Henna many years ago. We never really knew what her natural colour was. I used to have auburn hair but it quickly disappeared in later life. My hair stylist refuses to put a colour on my hair because she likes the shade of creamy grey I now have. Should I sack her, I wonder?

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    1. Oh auburn hair color, my absolute fav! I'd love to see a pic with your hair that color Val. As far as now, I think you look lovely but at the same time, sometimes a big hair color change or a new style can be a real mood lifter. Colora comes in some nice lighter blonde shades too, maybe a thought?

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  2. maybe my day will come...smiles..i am embracing the grey in my beard right now...ha....but def will keep it in mind for then...

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    1. Henna for beards, that I hadn't heard of but I guess it would work! Brian, you are a gem. :<)

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  3. I use regular hair dye and I know what you mean about it staining your skin and scalp. The most embarrassing thing by far though is going to the gym and sweating a lovely shade of purple! lol
    I wish I had the guts to try it but unless my hair is a medium auburn with highlights, I feel old and depressed. My stylist one time talked me into a lighter colour and I hated it. I thought it was far too light and way to close to grey making me look old and drawn.

    Some people embrace the whole white hair thing but for myself, I just can`t do it.

    I have noticed the amount of ammonia smell has been greatly reduced in the past few years with commercial hair dyes. Even when I do Jenn`s and she is blond, it`s nowhere near as bad as it used to be.

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    1. Hi Maggie, I agree about hair coloring giving a person a lift. I feel so blah when mine's a patchwork of colors. And we all need a lift, don't we?

      As far as mainstream products having less of an ammonia smell, that might be due to perfumes being added to mask that harsh smell. And unfortunately, ammonia is just the tip of iceberg when it comes to dangerous ingredients in most of these types of hair coloring products. It pays to read the ingredient list and find out about what you are using. It can have a huge impact on long-term health.

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  4. Very nice for the most part I can't use the normal stuff good to known sorry it took me forever to try to work it through ie as \I prefer Firefox but after installing it it refused to work... anyhoo hope I can sign tomorrow :)

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  5. Your hair looks great and without using all these dangerous chemicals. They get absorbed into the bloodstream, through a person's scalp. This is a much better alternative if someone wants to color their hair.

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    1. I agree, natural is the only way to go, with any kind of cosmetics, if at all possible. It all gets into the bloodstream, eating things or applying them to our hair and scalp too. The long term effects can be devastating. The good news, there are so many good alternatives now, that no one needs to use these chemically-laden products.

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  6. So far, I've been one of the lucky ones with just a few stray grey hairs. I've never dyed my hair at any age. I don't know if I'll start. Time will tell. It looks like a good option though.

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  7. That ash brown you used looks auburn to me. I want ash brown. Maybe If I add a little pinch of Colora's black to tone down the red?

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    1. It is a bit reddish, I'm not sure about mixing the colors though. I switched to Chestnut since I wrote this and really like that shade but it's also got a reddish tinge. If you don't have any grey hair to cover, the ash brown would probably work fine, without any red tint. I do have some grey hair mixed in with my brown, so it's harder to cover with a henna product. But I really do like using Colora henna powder so much more than commercial hair coloring with all the harmful chemicals in them. hope this helps a bit.

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  8. do you get under the dryer with this product?

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    1. No, just used a plastic cap to keep in some heat. I usually keep it on for 2 hours and then wash thoroughly. I'm now using Ash Brown again which I mix 24 hours in advance, in a covered container. It's working great! :-)

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  9. PS: I have been growing out my hair in the past couple of years until I was able to cut off all the remaining part that was colored with henna. I ended up with a dark grey mix that was ok but at the same time, made me feel a bit "blah". I decided in spite of the Colora instructions saying that Ash Brown would NOT work on 20% or more grey, that I would still give it a try. Here's what I did:

    I mixed the henna with spring water to a pudding-like consistency in a non-metallic covered container and allowed it to sit for 24 hours, with cover on.

    I then applied the henna as I normally would, making sure that all hair was covered well, due to it all being grey at this point.

    Let it on just over 2 hours, washed thoroughly and VOILA!!! It worked great.

    I ended up with a soft brown shade with nice gold highlights, NOT orangy or uneven, just wonderful actually. I went out with my new hair "do" yesterday and go many compliments about the color.

    So, if you do have grey, natural hair and have been debating about trying some of the darker henna shades (although I wouldn't recommend black!!) give it a try. I hope my suggestions above are helpful. I don't know if it would have worked as well, had I not allowed the henna to sit overnight and also to stay on my hair for the 2 HOURS plus. I can't make any claims about results, only sharing how it worked out for me. And keep in mind, I had NO color of any kind on my hair, when I used it, that's important to keep in mind too.

    Good luck and DO share you experiences with Colora henna here, Nice to be able to help other potential users too. :-)

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  10. Hi Geraldine

    I've been using Colora but noticed it was less effective recently because I did not leave it on my head for the 4 hours I've done in the past (I did just under two hours). I don't have time to do that so I want to try your methods of letting it sit in a covered bowl for 24 hours and/or using coffee with it.

    Question: when you let it sit out do you mean outside in room temperature or covered in a fridge. Another blogger said she put it in the fridge so it 'would not spoil'.

    Does letting it sit improve its coloring ability?

    Also how much coffee of you add to the half bag of colorahenna you use?


    I'm a man and keep my hair short. I've used a third of a bag in the past with good results (ash brown) but that's leaving it on for four hours at a time.


    Thank you for your post btw very helpful

    Geoff
    Toronto, ON

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    1. I am so sorry I missed your questions earlier Geoff!!

      I leave mine in a clean, covered container, overnight and at room temperature. Works fine. I don't think I'd want to leave it longer than that though.

      I use regular filtered water or spring water at room temp. not anything else like tea, to mix with.

      I think letting it sit overnight DOES improve how it works, I previously just mixed and used it and it wasn't as effective for covering grey.

      Hope this helps and again, sorry I didn't respond sooner.

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  11. I have used Colora Henna for the past 3 or 4 yrs. now. I LOVE IT! I use the Chesnut color. I have a good bit of gray. I mix it with 1/2 cup of strong black coffee & add a Tblsp. of mayo to the mix. Add cinnamon or whatever red spice I have. Put it on the grays first then the rest of my hair. Cover & keep it on for 2 hrs. Use conditioner to work it loose in the shower & shampoo once. I always love the way it "develops" by the next day. What I see after it dries is not always the same color I get in 24 hrs. I have NEVER been disappointed! One of the most important tips is MAKE SURE YOU HAVE WASHED YOUR HAIR BEFORE APPLYING. Enjoy your beautiful highlighted hair!!!

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    1. Yes, VERY important to start with clean hair, I agree. Any build up of products could impact the final results.

      Thank you for sharing in detail your experience with Colora Henna. I'm glad you are enjoying this product too. I would never go back to regular hair color! :-)

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  12. I just used Colora Henna in Chestnut. I used black tea for the liquid, made a smooth paste and applied all over, covering the gray area in the front first. I left it on for 2 hours.
    I love the coverage and the results. My hair is soft, springy. It does appear darker than I expected but with the wonderful red highlights, I am ok with it.

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    1. Thank you for sharing your experience with Colora. I am now using the Chestnut mixed with Ash Brown and it is just right. Not TOO red but with nice highlights. And yes, it does cover grey, in spite of most sites saying that it doesn't. I leave mine on for 2 hours too.

      I'm assuming your hair came out darker than expected because of the black tea. I use water with mine, I never wanted to try mixing with other things like tea but I know a lot of people do.

      Have a great day and again thanks for sharing your experience here. GH

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  13. Dear Geraldine, I've been using Red Sunset on 30% gray and dark brown long hair for five years now, and I can't praise it enough. I simply use warm water to mix the powder and apply it right away. To cover the gray I need to leave it on for three hours. I love the red and auburn highlights. I'm thinking of going lighter as I get more gray, maybe mixing in half of the Apricot Gold.
    Before henna I used to do highlights at the hairdresser, and was loosing so much hair you could almost see my scalp. I now have beautiful thick long hair.

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    1. Thank you for sharing your henna experience Lucie! The Red Sunset looks like a great color but I'm a bit too timid to try. ;-) It is cool how you can mix the colors, I just found that out recently with the ash brown and chestnut.

      I agree, so much better and in so many ways, than commercial hair colors. And YES, it does cover grey, if you leave it on long enough.

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  14. Dear Geraldine:

    Years ago when my hair was probably 50/50 brown/grey, I used the ash brown henna color and it was the exact color of my hair "brown". After quite a few years, I then let my hair go grey. I decided after my hair turned almost completely grey that I would try coloring it again with the same ash brown. This time it came out with a lot of red which I really was not expecting. I would really like to get that brown color again. I did buy another ash brown to try again and let it sit longer in my hair (more than three hours) and see if that might make it darker and a more even brown. DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS AS TO WHAT I COULD TRY TO GET THAT BROWN COLOR ONCE AGAIN. Thanks so much for your help. Ruth

    (Note: I was not sure exactly how to post, so I just chose anonymous to make it easy for me. Thanks)

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    1. Hi Ruth, I also have lots of grey hair now but am able to get fairly consistent coverage with mixing the henna the day before (as described above) and also leaving on 2 hours or a bit longer. I cover my head with a plastic cap to add heat too, when developing color. I use most of the henna on top of my head and at the roots, as the color stays on quite well, for areas previously covered. I really coat the roots as thickly as possible.

      I'm using Ash brown with a couple of tablespoons of the chestnut added now. The results are about the same as in the photo above.

      I think results depend on so many things with henna, but I do stick to just adding water to mine, leaving overnight before applying etc...and I'm happy with the results still.

      I wish I could offer some other suggestions but hopefully a bit helpful for you!

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your henna experience too!

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    2. Thank you Geraldine. I believe I will try the ash brown again and leave it on a bit longer. Last time I left it on for about 3 hours and was so surprised that it actually covered all my grey. I used a plastic cap and then wrapped my head in an old towel to keep it warm. Hopefully next time it will come out a bit darker with a bit more brown. I read some information on the internet of how some people leave it on a lot longer, sometimes overnight. I don't think I am that brave, however, I was thinking about 4 to 6 hours. What do you think?

      Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions. Your site is great and I really like Mr. Cheddar. Cats are my favorite pets. Take care, Ruth

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    3. Hi again Ruth, I have never left the henna on my hair for more than a couple of hours so I can't comment on how that would work out. I definitely would NOT leave it on overnight though, that's a long time for any hair treatment. I do think allowing the henna to develop for 24 hours in a covered container helps though, as does using good quality water to mix it with.

      So glad you like Mr. Cheddar!😽 He is also an author, you can check out his eBook at Amazon or on my book page, here at My Real Life Reviews.😂

      If you have a blog, leave a link with your reply. I'd be happy to visit too.🐝

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    4. Hi Geraldine. I just wanted to give you an update on my second coloring with colora henna. As I mentioned in my first post, I wanted to try and get my hair back to a dark brown instead of the red highlights. Well this is what I did today. Last night I mixed my ash brown with good filtered water with no clorine in it and let it sit overnight for 12 hours. Then this morning I added two tablespoons of the black henna to my ash brown. I put it into my hair and let it sit for 4 1/4 hours (covered with a plastic cap and and towel). I washed it out using just cream rinse. Well I am so happy, happy, happy with the color. It turned out walnut with slight golden highlights. It looks so nice. I can't believe how nice it looks. As I mentioned above my hair was 95 percent grey when I used the ash brown the first time and it turned out with a lot of red highlights. Well with my little recipe above it turned out just as I wanted. So anyone looking to get a nice dark brown/walnut shade, this is a good recipe. I added the black just this morning because based on my research they say that the indigo in the black colora would deteriorate if not used right away. So anything with indigo must be used right away for it to work properly. I hope this helps someone who is looking to get this color. It is very, very close to my natural color before I went grey. Thanks so much for your site. Take care. Ruth (P.S. Just wanted to let you know that I do not have a blog. Thanks again)

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    5. Sounds great, thanks for sharing this update, I'm sure other readers will find it helpful too. You can definitely customize Colora henna.😂

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  15. What's wrong with the black colora henna powder?

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    1. I'm not familiar with the black shade in this particular product. I know that black hair color often has questionable ingredients to produce a true black hair shade. But Colora is advertised as all natural so it might be fine to use, in black. I would check their web or email their customer service for a list of what is in the black Colora. Hope this helps a bit.

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  16. Very intetesting thread! I developed an allergy to mainstream hair colour a number of years ago (hives and burning scalp) and so my hair dresser suggested I try Colora powder. She has been applying it on me every 5-6 weeks since then. She mixes brown with sunset red and puts me under a very hot dryer for 45 minutes and then finishes me under cold air for 15 minutes. We've found that this schedule seals in the colour most effectively. She says it's the grey hair that absorbs the red tones and so as I go more grey underneath, more red highlights will appear. I love the colour I end up with and I wish I could show you.
    But...going to the hair dresser to have this done that often is a pain in the neck and EXPENSIVE. But I thought I had to because of the dryer factor. Now that I've read through these posts I'm definitely going to try this myself. A couple of questions though. How do you apply the baby poop (I'm just sayin',that's what it looks like :-)) and is it possible to just apply it only to the grey roots that are showing? Would the area where the new application meets the old application be very visible, do you think? I'd still have this done by my hair dresser once in awhile, but if I could do some mid-point touch ups I could go less often. Many thanks for all this info.

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    1. Hi Joan, I like your color mix suggestion, I bet the finished shade is lovely.

      I don't like going to hairdressers for many reasons so I always do my own hair coloring. I have a CreaClip (also an excellent product I reviewed here at MRLR) for hair trims, but that part does require some help.

      As far as applying henna, I mix it and leave overnight (all explained above) and then apply it with a clean paint brush (about 1 inch wide). I don't make it too thick or thin, aim for a thick "milkshake" type consistency. It DOES thicken just a bit, when left overnight. Too thick and it's too hard to apply, too thin and it drips. I use plastic gloves, cape and lots of paper on floor, it is messy but not too bad with care.

      I apply most of the henna to top of my head and front as this is the part that is greyest and tends to lose color the fastest. I do apply a thin coat over all my hair though to even it out. But the parts that are previously colored and not too faded don't need nearly as much as the virgin untreated hair.

      I do mine about every 5 weeks. I leave it on 2-2 1/2 hours tops and rinse and shampoo thoroughly. I don't apply any styling gel etc, for at least a day afterwards. I don't know if that's important but I think it's a good idea to not having anything else reacting with the newly colored hair.

      Hope this helps a bit.


      Good luck with everything, all the best!

      Geraldine

      geraldinehelenhartman.me

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  17. My natural hair is black, but it is grey now. How do you feel about me using black colora henna powder? There is no ingredient list inside the box, I am not sure if the product has added some indigo powder or some other things? You said you would not recommend black. Why?

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  18. Why you do not recommend black henna powder of colora brand?

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    1. I'm not sure about the black henna as I've never used it personally. It might work fine for you.😂 Whatever brand you try, check the ingredients, that's so important. Sometimes other things are added in addition to henna. I think Colorado would probably be one of the better brands, for keeping it natural.😂 If you can, stop by and share your results afterwards Joy. That would be appreciated.

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  19. PS, If you contact the company they should be able to provide a detailed ingredient list.

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  20. what colour should I use? I have light brown hair with blonde ends with grey roots coming in. Last colouring was done about 8 weeks ago by a salon but I would like to use a more natural product now.

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  21. I can't tell you what shade to pick, that is a very personal choice. But here are a few suggestions that you may find helpful:

    - when I transitioned from commercial hair color, many years ago, I left my hair uncolored and untreated for about 6 months, to attempt to remove as much of the color residues as possible and to give my hair a "rest" before applying the Colora. I also got a major "snip" to remove dry ends and as much of my hair length as I could spare LOL. I wanted to get to as close to "virgin" hair as possible, before using the henna. Some colors DO react with henna, so I would definitely give it a bit of time before applying over commercial hair coloring or any kind. That is just my opinion and in your case, depending on what you have used for hair coloring, it is impossible to gauge how your hair will react to henna. My 6 month color haitus..worked great.

    I hope this is helpful. Any other questions, I would contact Colora directly, re: specific products you have used previously and expected results.

    One more tip...DO apply the henna thoroughly to grey areas as they are harder to color with henna, but imo, henna DOES work for grey hair, but results will vary, depending on how long you leave on product etc.. read through the post and comments above for more tips and best of luck!!

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  22. I have light brown color of my hair, I want to buy Henna Powder Buttercup Blonde. Can you help me which color I will have after used it? thank you.

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  23. I don't think that's going to work out to well. You can't go from dark hair to light with henna, unless you are only looking for a bit of highlighting. Depends how dark your own hair color is too. It would not be blonde though, applied directly to brown hair. Hope this helps!😊

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