Lush henna new formula is awful what should I buy instead?

[Hennahelp]

I have used lush caca brun for years and years. The new improved formula is, like most new improved formulas, terrible.

So I need to buy something new. My hair is very long and straight. It’s in really good condition and I want to keep it that way. I only use henna and basic cheap shampoo and conditioner - I don’t use hairdryers or any products. So my henna is important.

I am however (very) grey so the henna needs to cover the grey, I expect it to be gold coloured or brownish red (I’m not expecting a miracle). The old stuff kept the entire length covered the new stuff does barely anything. It covers almost as well as that wash in hair dye stuff from Superdrug in the 90s worked on my dark brown teenage hair 😂.

I see Holland and Barrett sell henna which is tempting as it’s easy. If anyone uses it how much am I likely to need.

So henna users what should I buy?

I use Henne brand. The second e has an accent on it. Ebay or Amazon. You have to mix the paste from scratch though

You can make a paste from red henna, indigo (not black henna!) and coffee grounds to recreate caca brun. I've done it before and it's much easier and works really well.

I just use henna powder from the Indian supermarket but I get my mum to buy it from South London. Its far cheaper than Lush, and a packet lasts much longer. You may he able to get it online.

Ooh coffee grounds you say? I'll try that

I use body art quality henna that I usually get on Amazon. If I buy it from shops I get the stuff that's packaged in metallic, not clear, packaging.

I get pure henna powder and pure indigo powder from a wholesaler. Don't get any pre-made formulae because they always have weird additives.i mix with hot water and conditioner, maybe some olive oil.

I use equal parts henna and indigo and get a deep brown.

Mixing pure powders will be cheaper than Lush, and an absolute delight compared to trying to chop/smash/grate those blocks up into something mixable!

I only ever did henna so not sure what proportion of henna Vs indigo is the equivalent of caca brun but I'm sure Google can help find a good mix %

I use one off Amazon called Pure. Its much easier to use than the lush one.

Just typed out a long post then lost it, grrrrr.

I use these ones from Amazon and they are the best. For medium brown, use 1 part indigo to 1 part henna. Increase the amount of indigo you use for a darker shade.

I am allergic to hair dye and have been using Lush henna for years then this year I had a reaction to it and was afraid to buy another brand so I reluctantly went grey. I would love to try henna again but I'm afraid of a reaction, can anyone recommend a good quality pure henna?

How exciting - so I guess if I go 75% red to 25% indigo then it will be nice and red! I may try something new.

Does anyone find these products make your hair dry? If you add olive oil or another ingredient how much do you add? My hair is normal (not dry nor greasy).

Oh, can I jump on to ask a related question?

I used to use henna, but have now gone deliberately grey and want to stay that way. However I really miss the lovely condition the henna left my hair in.

I remember years ago when I was first researching it people in the “henna community” used to recommend a “gloss” that could be mixed up for grey hair. It wasn’t henna powder, it wasn’t indigo, but it was something else that was often recommended to mix in for non-red hair types.

I fill a cereal bowl halfway with the powder, add three tablespoons of conditioner, a glug of olive oil, then add boiled water as I stir, until it's the consistency of yogurt or hummus.

For me 3 hours is ideal. Covers all the greys and has a good shine. It hasn't made my hair any thicker, like some people claim, but I'll take what I can get.

The only downside is that I can't get it to stick on my eyebrows so I've started using beard dye on my eyebrows.

Hi,

Completely agree about the new Lush formula! It’s horrid! They must have lost so many people!

I’ve moved to either ‘pure’ or ‘H&C’ from amazon (depending on price / availability). Both seem to work better than lush! They’re smoother to apply and easier to wash out. The colour is better (esp. over greys) but that could be because I’ve researched how to use henna / indigo rather than just blindly following the lush instructions!! It’s also cheaper!

I used to use brun or the marron from lush, aiming for brown but with strong red undertones (esp. when the sun hits it!) I now use 1/3 henna to 2/3 indigo. I normally do the one step method as my hair has a good build up. Henna takes longer to dye release than indigo so my process is;

• mix henna with warm water and a splash of apple cider vinegar when I get up.
• leave it all day (12 - 14 hours.. I can see the dye release on top). If it’s cold in your house the dye release will take longer, equally if your plans change you can pop it in the fridge to slow things down.
• just before I apply, mix indigo with warm water then mix the indigo into the henna. Indigo takes very little time to release dye. If you just mix them together without the prep the indigo will be much stronger than the henna. Henna is drying, indigo is nourishing… so staggering the timing to allow for dye release means you need less henna for a richer colour. Balancing the formula in favour of indigo makes hairs more silky and magnificent!
• apply to head and stylishly wrap my head in cling film then pop a hat on top.
• sleep on it
• wash out in the morning using conditioner only. Shampoo can strip too much out of the hair so I find this approach gives me better colour.
• Then I don’t wash my hair for 3 days until it develops properly.

I use about 30g henna to 60g indigo for my shoulder length, not thin but not thick, hair. Every so often I’ll do the two step method to make sure the greys are really well covered in henna.

Im sure someone will disagree with my method but it works for me… My aim was to make sure the red tones from henna are actually red rather than copper. I’ve read sooooo many Reddit posts about this stuff! People disagree about all sorts, I’d just give it a go and see what works for you…. Tbh, most people who use henna are braver with hair colour anyway, we risk not really knowing what colour our hair will be!!

@404usernotfound you could try ‘cassia obovata’ it’s sometimes marketed as colourless henna…. I’ve never used it but I’ve seen it mentioned on various henna hair dying forums.

@404usernotfound I'd say it's cassia you're thinking of too, I've used it in a henna mix to keep it copper rather than red, never on its own. I have a feeling it might have a bit of a yellow/blonde colour on lighter hair so might want to test strand

@HappyHamstersinHats81 @Lellochip Thank you! Yes, that rings a bell. Wonderful. I’ll give it a try.

12 hours yikes!!!

I do 2 hours, maybe 3 and that's plenty of colour.

I use colours from Khadi or Radico. Both do not cointain additives and are purely plants. There are companies which mix in chemicals to make henna last longer, but those are the ones that are more likely to cause an allergic reaction. The ingredients should be in the small print on the packaging, so you can check beforehand.

Last year I found a really nice book in the library which explained in more detail which colours (henna, indigo etc) require which water temperature and possible treatment times. It was by Christine Shahin: Natural Hair Colouring.
Possibly similar information is on specialist hair sites (maybe a sub on reddit?).

@404usernotfound "colourless henna" can be Cassia / Senna or also Amla powder. Like the colours, they coat the hair (contrary to a chemical reaction), and that creates more volume and grip. Depending on the treatment time, they might colour a little, though (that's what I read in the book mentioned above), but usually not much.

I am sorry to hear you are having similar problems to me. I have used henna for 50yrs so know how to use it and have used Henara and taught by them too in the 80's Body Shop Lush in 1990's and now It's Pure. Henara went under due to henna being less popular. Can you imagine that but it was Princess Diana's time Blonde and big hair. Body Shop stopped due to supplier problems. Then Lush Brun was messy but amazing until Lockdown after that it was terrible as you say and never been the same. I found It's Pure using for 2 yrs but my recent batch bought through The Gentle Hair Dye Company has caused my hair to be reddish almost orange. Given I've always kept on top of my grey (I am never grey always brown with hints of red or chestnut) Long to the shoulders and always complimented about the shine. After panicking and going back to Lush Brun and Noir mixed. I'm convinced It's Pure is better but something has gone wrong at the moment many other people writing poor reviews too. Strand test is very important.

Shame you lost it. I would have loved to have seen what you had to say. I'm struggling a bit with more than a little red at my roots for some reason and would like to be darkish brown all the way to the ends of my hair as it was prior to May 2024. After a possibly a bad batch of It's Pure Dark Brown. I wish they wouldn't mess with formulas when they are working well. So many people upset with this one.

If the water temperature is too hot then it can make the colour more red/orange than usual.

Also a blend will always be more orange. For the best brown results, apply pure henna first and leave on for 3 - 4 hours. Rinse it all out, then apply indigo for 2 hours. My hair came out a lovely chocolate brown this way but it just takes an entire day to do it.