My Experience with Surya Brasil Henna Hair Color

For years, I wanted my hair to be lighter.  It was light brown, and I loved highlighting my hair.  My hair also would naturally lighten in the sun, but over the years, my hair has become a lot darker.  I like the darker color, which seems to go better with my complexion.

I don’t know what happened last year, but my hair got really brassy after the summer.  After a full summer of my hair being exposed to sun, the ends were light and the roots were darker, and I just wanted to even out my hair color a little bit.

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I have been tired of the lighter, brassy color, and decided to see if I could find a natural product to make it darker.  I actually tried to make my hair darker with coffee – with absolutely zero results – so next up was henna.  I tried to find as much information as possible, and came down to LUSH brand henna (which is a solid bar you have to prepare by chopping and soaking), and Surya Brasil Henna Cream hair color.  The convenience of the cream was a winner for me, and I ended up doing a ton of research online, comparing Amazon photos and watching a video on the Surya Brasil website about how to use the henna.

The before shot – the lighting is a bit yellow but you get the idea.

(Note – I took the before & after photos in the same window-less room
so that I could get a true representation of results in my photos).

I found the Surya Brasil Henna Cream at Vitamin Shoppe.  Originally I was going to order Surya Brasil on Amazon, but figured if I could find it in a store, I had the benefit of seeing the shades of hair color in person on the box, rather than over the computer.

I chose Surya Brasil Dark Brown because I wanted to make sure the color would be dark enough to truly darken the brassy areas and also not just end up with a reddish tint.  I have heard of Henna giving your hair a reddish tone, so I decided darker was better than redder.

The bottle is small, but I think I ended up using about half, and the instructions say that you can save whatever you don’t use for another application (which is what I did – and did end up using the rest).

The interesting thing about this product is that you actually wash your hair before using the henna – and, after towel-drying, you apply the product to damp hair.  I thought this was really interesting, because it would seem like the hair color wouldn’t work as well (but quickly realized that is anything but the case!).  I absolutely understand washing your hair to rid it of styling products and oils, but the instructions tell you not to dry it. 

(The funny look on my face?  The kids did everything they could to photobomb!)

After washing my hair and towel-drying, it was time to apply the henna.  I chose Dark Brown, and it looks like black paint!  The mixture is thick, but it is smooth and goes on smooth (no lumps of henna or gritty bits in the mixture).  I remember using Henna on my hair back in college, and I had to mix my own formula, which was very gritty.

The kit comes with gloves – wear them!  The henna will dye your skin.  You also want to apply something around your hairline.  I used coconut oil, and wiped off any henna I got on my skin, and was fine.

The henna cream on my hair made it look black!  I put a plastic cap over it and left it on for just short of an hour. 

The henna will dye any fabrics, so watch for drips, and don’t let it get on any clothing you don’t want stained.

I then showered as normal.  I could see the henna washing out on the shower floor, but despite my worries, I could tell my hair was still really dark even before going to dry it.

The color came out pretty dark the first night, and while I was a little surprised at how dark the brown was, I liked it.  I took a photo the next day in natural light – it does look like it has a reddish color, but mostly, it was noticeably darker, and I did get a lot of comments on it from people noticing the change in hair color.

I believe the packaging says the color washes out in 6-12 washes, and I definitely agree on that.  I don’t wash my hair every day, and I’m sad to see that the color does wash out fairly quickly.  However, it was nice to try a darker hair color without worrying if I wouldn’t like it, since it is temporary.

So, I loved the original color, although it was actually a little darker than I would have wanted to go.  However, I am bummed that it has washed out so soon.  I wish it lasted a couple of months, and I will be using the rest of the bottle for a second application.  I love that this is a natural product and I don’t have to worry about chemicals, and it is also a great way to try out a color.  I have never dyed my hair before, so it is nice to take a color for a test drive without committing to it.

I believe the bottle cost $15.99 at Vitamin Shoppe, and it looks like you can find Surya Brasil on Amazon for $13-14.  Expect to get two treatments out of it, which therefore runs you about $8 per application.  I had an overall good experience, but at some point might decide to find a more permanent option.

After trying this product, I also tried Overtone Coloring Conditioner in Espresso Brown. I would say the product is very similar as far as application and results. I tried a lighter Overtone Brown color, and it came out too red, so I like the Espresso Brown better.

Visit Surya Brasil here: https://www.suryabrasilproducts.com/