Surya Brasil Henna Hair Color Cream - Semi-Permanent Natural Dye for Gray Coverage - Deep Conditioning, Dark Brown, 2.37 oz

I find it interesting to read the reviews for this product, because some people expect it to be as natural as pure henna powder, and others expect it to be as convenient, lasting or as exactly-colored as chemical hair dye. It does neither perfectly, but comes closer than anything and strikes an excellent balance. This company has in reality created a new category, which is a natural hair dye that contains some real henna extract and way fewer chemicals than the standard stuff, even when called "natural." (naturtint for example contains PPD.) So I've seen negative reviews from people who expect it to be one way or another, but far more positive reviews from people who realize the beauty of the new category. It isn't pretending to be 100% henna and isn't hiding the ingredients. Personally, I love it. I come from the 100% pure category, but now I've switched and Surya dark brown cream is now my new go-to favorite.Warning the next part is long! But fun and informative if you want to read. :)For the last several years (7+) I've been regularly dyeing my 15ish% gray hair (almost all in front!) with henna and buxus, and more recently, henna and indigo. Those who have dark hair and cover gray with henna know what I'm talking about. For those new to henna, I'll explain. First you mix the henna powder a day before you want to use it. Then you prepare your bathroom and get everything out of the way that could be stained, and put the whole goop on your hair. it smells wonderful if you like the smell of henna and awful if you either don't like it or maybe aren't used to it. You leave it in for two hours or overnight. You carefully pick up the pieces of it that fell on the floor and made a huge mess. And wear old clothes or you darkest bathrobe for the application. You can't really clean house or do anything else--if you have light carpets or furniture--because the occasional drop WILL come out and stain something. You pretty much have to lie down and rest.Then you remove it. That takes about an hour, all told. My old process was: wake my husband up at 5am to bring out a huge bucket of warm water to the yard where the henna wouldn't stain anything, rinse, repeat (black swimsuit outside in any weather, yes, 5am because I can no longer remain asleep with the massive, leaking henna turban on my head). Then go in the bathroom and rinse, wash, condition, etc.The next step was buxus, which was wonderful until we had a trade embargo with Yemen and couldn't get it anymore. For those not familiar, I will explain again. I have that odd shade of "midnight brown" hair someone else referred to in a review here, which appears black from a distance, but up close is actually a dark ash brown, even a medium ash brown with a dark cast to it. And I do have natural red & mahogany highlights. Buxus as a second step after henna would produce a muddy reddish brown, dark enough not to look red or brassy and light enough not to look vampy. But alas, buxus fades very quickly. If your natural hair is pure jet black, it's easy for you. You can apply straight henna then straight indigo (which lasts longer than buxus) for about an hour each, and you'll get an all-natural, pure jet black that is pretty much permanent. My South Indian friend tried it and it looked gorgeous on her, but it was too much work so she went back to plain red henna.For me the problem is that if my hair turns black, I just look awful and vampy. When my hair darkens beyond a teeny fraction of a shade, my skin looks grayish and pale (which normally appears light olive and rosy), wrinkles appear that were never there before, my grays turn YELLOW and the rest of my normally ash brown hair is BLACK so I look like a BUMBLEBEE. So for the last year or so since I couldn't get buxus, I used Henna, (the painstaking process described above) and then Henna plus Indigo as a second step. Another painstaking process, believe me. The color comes out okay, but a bit dark for my taste. And I have to be extremely careful with how long I leave it on. If I leave it on 5 minutes too long it'll get that blackish cast again and I'll be vampy all over again. But the fuss was worth it because I wasn't visibly gray and it was truly all natural and even organic. :)So I happily went through that elaborate process for several years! Fast forward to now and I'm running two businesses, not one, and can't do it anymore! Plus the fact that my gray quantity has increased enough that I have to redo it EVERY WEEK. For me that was where the rubber met the road. I searched "natural hair dye" hoping someone might have come up with something easy and relatively natural that worked. I was delighted to find Surya Henna cream!It works great! It's reddish but dark enough with some dark brown that it's not screaming, and not too black. It still has a little bit of that red/black thing going, but the colors are soft enough that I look like neither like Ronald McDonald nor a vampire. And it's SO EASY. It works perfectly when you follow the instructions! ;)Let me tell you my mistakes with use so you don't have to repeat them. :) I first tried the burgundy in this brand (followed by a little black to stop the shouting of red) and got great coverage with oily hair. I used to leave my hair unwashed for several days before applying henna (it's good for it and helps the color stick) so did that in this case, thinking the effect might be similar. The burgundy stuck fine, but the black didn't take at all.So this time I tried the straight dark brown over one week unwashed hair (and extra oil added) and nothing took! Well, it did but there were still some pale roots. So, when all else fails, follow the instructions! I washed again, didn't condition, then re-applied. The color is a teeny bit on the dark side (duh...I applied it twice!) but still great, very soft and shiny, and oh, did I mention how EASY it is?I may go back to Henna and buxus at some point if we can get buxus again, and maybe even henna/ hennaindigo again occasionally just for fun...when I don't have so much to do. But I'm so glad I've found this and that someone cared to experiment with all these lovely herbs and a few not-too-scary chemicals so we can have this wonderful, luscious convenience!I'm a convert!

I love this product, it has been with me at least 15 years. I am allergic and was told if I use commercial dye, I would die. I was thrilled to find this it works wonderfully,. I have purchased from vendors and have received die that felt like sand was in it, yet it was still effective. I called Surya and they said it should be shaken better. Lame excuse, yet product still worked. Those who complain don't understand, it is semi-permanent, more importantly the older you get you will have to use with more frequency as it is not their fault, you hair eventually will become resistant that goes for ALL dyes, It is you hair that changes as when you grow older there is less melanin and you hair does not absorb as well. My hairdresser of 15 years told me my "hair was changing" I should take it easy on the thinning, and yes I use it more often - haven't you heard of resistant gray? Well I still am able to get full coverage, I am 63 and would have all gray at 43 without Surya - yes doesn't stay as long, especially in the front as it used to. Blame your hair and nature and not the company, are you ONLY shampooing before you apply and applying it properly like instructions say? I would be totally gray without and at 63 I am not ready, but at some point, it will end. My hair is still soft, shiny and thick because this product does not damage your hair Others who use harsh chemical dye will regret using chemical dye. I've seen woman in their 30s up to 65 as they started dying their hair young and not to cover gray it was a fashion statement. Well you will regret it, why do you think pregnant woman don't use dyeAnything you use, even this natanural dye, you should always patch test .Also wait for 24 hours (I wait twice as long) before washing your hair. Ladies, if you want your hair to still have vitality when you grow older and (at least four a premature grayer like me), you hair will look healthy, soft and shiny; when you are gray and that is much more preferable to having wiry, brittle, thinning hair. Any permanent dye, perms, or whatever is trending that has chemicals will ultimately give you wiry, lackluster hair. For the youth especially, your hair will look like a rats nest at 40, I would advise not use anything until your gray bothers you, I promise you, I have seen it in my family, and expensive keratin will be your only option for decent looking hair. Decent for me is just passable, you will lack shine, volume, and never get it back. I don't buy it from here as I find it can find it cheaper and get discounts for buying more.