What different Henna colors are available?

Above Henna
3 min readDec 24, 2020

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Different henna colors Above Henna

As you might know, henna comes in different colors, but not all of these colors can be called ‘henna’. What colors are available, what is the make up of these colors, and which one is the best to be used?

Let’s start with the purest henna you can find, natural henna. Natural henna has a deep brown, reddish color. When applying, the paste is a very dark brown, almost black, and can have a greenish hue to it.
This henna type is the best for your skin, as it purely contains natural ingredients, so there are no dyes in this henna.

The best way to get this henna is to get natural, body art quality henna powder and to make the henna paste yourself from it. You can also contact a local henna artist that uses natural henna and makes their own cones. They often sell their cones as well. This type of henna is the best to use, as your design will last longer, and it’s much safer for your skin.

Natural henna can be batch made and used within a few days if you keep it in the refrigerator. You can also keep it in the freezer, where it will stay good for a few months (shophenna, 2020).

Natural henna design by @hennabyrouta on Instagram

Black henna is very popular, but this variant often times contains dyes that can be harmful and cause allergic reactions. It’s best to stay away from this type of henna. If you still would like to get a darker color than the standard reddish-brown color of natural henna, you can use jagua gel, which has a blueish black color. Mix this with henna and you get a nearly black color.

Black henna design by @mehndibyzaynahx on Instagram

White henna can not actually be called ‘henna’. Instead, it’s more ‘white body paint’. White henna does not contain any form of henna. It is mostly safe to use, but some could contain ingredients like bleach or paint, which should be avoided at all costs. Check out this article by Neha Singh for more information.

White henna design by @fajarngahenna on Instagram

What is your experience with henna colors? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

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Above Henna
Above Henna

Written by Above Henna

Everything you need to know about henna. Small, bite-sized pieces of information to improve your henna art and get more in touch with your heritage.

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