UPDATE: I think the second package I got was the wrong shade! Instead of auburn, I ended up with a chocolate/dark brown! Disappointing. Now all my gorgeous auburn is gone.

Okay, first things first: Get yourself some good coloring gloves at any pharmacy and a decent shower cap (I had some left over from hotel visits). Because the stuff in the "kit" is junk. The cap tore before I could even get it on, and the gloves are these huge lumberjack one-size-fits all ones. They are not made for women's hands! Anyway, they just stuck to the paste and I could blarely keep them on.
The color itself turned out awesome, however! I never used henna before, but I remember my mother did when I was young. I diluted the mixture with tea, not with water (I think it made for a richer color). And like someone here suggested, I used a plastic ziplock baggie and just cut a corner off. Then you just frost yourself like a cake. The stuff is actually exactly the consistency of frosting.
The smell did not bother me at all. It smells like dried herbs, that's all. I guess the people who complained about the smell are so used to chemical synthetic fragrances, they can't stand anything natural.
I also put an old winter hat over the plastic cap to keep the paste warm after I applied it - I remember my mom doing that. After about 2 hrs, I went to wash it off and egad, that took a while! I had what looked like orange soda running down the drain for at least 20 mins. But with lots of conditioner, I was finally able to get it off.
The color is a bit darker than I expected but very nice and colored the few of my grays very well. My hair also feels super smooth and very strong! So the henna itself I highly recommend, but the "kit" - no so much.

I was looking for a more natural way to color my hair. I have naturally light brown hair. I color it reddish-brown about every 12 weeks or so. This stuff smells AWFUL! It made me gag! The smell did not go away for days. It did color my hair well. I may have left it on too long. The instructions said to leave it on for 2.5 hours the first time. My hair takes color easily so I should have known better. However it is fading out to a nice color after a week. I would use this product again.

Great product! I mixed 1 bag natural red with 1/2 copper and got amazing results. The henna itself was very thick and sticky and took a while to wash out of my hair but after 1 shampoo I was extremely happy. I am NEVER going back to chemical dye.

I have thin baby fine naturally curly hair (Shirley Temple) and it is light brunette prematurely streaked with silver, think skunk stripes in random places. I'm in my thirties and have not dyed my hair since my twenties. The product smells like wheatgrass or powdered peas and is a mud consistency when mixed with water. Keep a spray bottle next to you so as you apply so you can keep it moist cause if it gets dry it clumps and falls off. I recommend getting assistance with application. Just the nature of henna. I bought a large bottle of conditioner to help get the mud out. I recommend to rinse well, like 15 or more mins under the water just rinsing. The whole process took 31/2 hours. My color came out sort of calico- bright copper red where my hair is white and darker auburn red towards the front of my head and dark brown where my hair was dry and needed to be cut. I trimmed the ragged edges and the color looked better. I noticed the dye would run out with each washing for about 5 washings. It looked much better after a week. I redid it about 5 weeks later to cover my roots. This time had to use seran wrap cause the hat provided ripped. I rinsed much more thoroughly this time so I didn't smell like wheat grass and peas overnight. Overall I like the look and bought 6 more packages incase they stop selling it. Given my thin hair, half the package was enough. Pictured: bed head, 9 days from second application, clean no product added, just dry color.

This was my first time using Henna Maiden, and I would like to preface this review by saying I am absolutely delighted with this product! It's wonderful. First I'll give a brief background, and then I'll outline what needs to be done to have a successful go at using this product. I've also uploaded pictures.

I'm a natural redhead, but now that I'm older I have a fair bit of grey, and need some help. Trying to maintain my natural red color that I grew up with has been expensive, as my hair is long, and my hair was paying for it as well because it grows quickly and the processing dried it out horribly. After a year my hair had the look and texture of hay, which was horrible and beyond remedy. After googling 'red hair' I stumbled upon this product. Now, why I had not heard of this before, I'll never know because I swear it's God's gift to redheads! It's affordable, beautiful, nourishing, it does not fade as other products (from what I've heard), and you can do it right at home - and it's ORGANIC! How can you beat that, right? So I did some research and gave it a go. Here is some pointers for you if you're a first timer like me. After doing this once, I realized very quickly exactly what needed to be done for a "better" or "easier" experience. So here goes...

#1. AMOUNT: I have long hair down to my waist, but it's not as thick as it used to be. After reading reviews from others with long hair I decided to mix three packages of Henna Maiden Natural Radiant Red. I followed the directions explicitly. I will tell you that I had far more than needed and actually ended up wasting one third of it. So next time, I'll know better. For those of you with thicker hair, I would suggest the three packages.

#2. MIXING: I did not add egg or oil. But I did use tea, which I have heard helps "set" the color or intensify it. I chose Earl Grey because it has a beautiful bergamot scent and a lovely color as well. Henna is an herb which smells very "green". It was not offensive to me at all! I actually found it quite therapeutic. But for those of you who want to cover that, then I suggest using the Earl Grey tea or essential oils. For the three packages I used FOUR CUPS of hot tea. This created a thick paste which resembled something you'd see in your infant's diaper. :)

#3. PREP: Here's the key - you need to prep. I purchased the following before I applied the product:
- a large inexpensive towel for wrapping my hair afterward - because the color does bleed immediately after.
- petroleum jelly to line my hairline and cover my ears
- a thick pair of rubber dish gloves (playtex). I do not suggest using the ones in the package as they split easily and are not form fitting.
- celophane wrap or cling wrap to wrap your head. Again, I do not suggest using the shower cap in the package as it is quite thin and unstable.
- an old t-shirt or two
- small hair clips
- large comb

Now that you have your items assembled, remove everything in your bathroom that would possibly be exposed to any potential dripping. Henna will stain on contact. I removed my bathroom rugs and towels, and items from my vanity as well.

I began by separating my hair into segments. I know now that is an extremely imporant part of preparation. Because once your gloves are slathered in henna, separating and combing your hair for the next application will be virtually impossible. Therefore, as part of your prep, take the time to separate your hair into small segments all over your head with a small clip. I had washed my hair prior to application, and my hair was damp when I applied the product, which made it much more manageable.

Take the petroleum jelly and go around your hairline with a good amount, including lathering your ears.

#4. APPLICATION: Now that you have your hair prepped, begin applying the paste at the root working it in like you would a shampoo, and then draw it out gradually through the strands. The strands must be completely covered! Wrap that segment of hair to your head into a 'bun'. Apply a topcoat of paste to that bun. I suggest working at the front first so that hair is removed and you can clearly see what you're doing. Continue this process over the entire area of your head, wrapping the hair around that central 'bun'. When you're finished you should have all your hair secured to the top of your head. Then coat the entire head in henna paste. Once you've coated your head, begin wrapping your head in celophane. Leave no gaps.

#5. PROCESSING: I allowed 2.5 hours for my hair. I found that to be more than enough time for the color I wanted. I washed my gloves carefully, donned them again, and began to unwrap my head. I made to sure to have a small trash bag at my side so I could safely discard the used celophane - because it can be a mess. Once my head was unwrapped I rinsed out the product with warm water by kneeling over the rim of my bathtub and dipping my head beneath the spigot. This worked perfectly, keeping all the runoff away from my face and other parts of my body. I allowed a good rinse for about 20 minutes. You'll find that there is a lot of bleeding and it took a long while before the water ran clear. Once it did, I washed my hair of any possible residue and applied a light conditioner. I used the special towel to wrap my hair and as expected, there was a significant amount of 'bleed'. Then I dried my hair.

#6. RESULTS: The immediate results were shocking at first, I must say. For a bold personality such as mine, they had the ability to make me shy. :) The color was a bright orange (I used Radiant Natural Red). The color was extraordinarily intense and bright. Yet I held to hope that it would continue to do it's magic and IT DID. The next day I shampooed my hair again and I did not see a lot of color change until the SECOND FULL DAY. I will tell you that henna behaves much differently than conventional chemical dyes. The color turned a beautiful auburn that was absolutely stunning. I will tell you that I've received compliment after compliment from jealous women who were dying to know if that was my natural color. When I told them my secret they were stunned. (See photos) So if you use this product, please know that initially, the color can be extraordinarily bright and look a bit garish and gaudy. But by the second day it was absolutely GORGEOUS - precisely what I wanted. For those of you who are able - do it on a weekend. Process on Friday night and by Monday morning at the office, you'll be a knockout!

#7. TEXTURE | MANAGABILITY: As for the texture of my hair, I am AMAZED. I've found that henna actually "healed" my hair. It no longer feels or looks like hay at all. It feels silky soft and it SHINES. Henna does make your hair feel thicker, because it does something to the shaft that is very therapeutic. So if you have fine hair (I have moderate - it is neither coarse or fine) you'll probably be thrilled with this benefit as well. My hair responded very well to a curling iron, and I am tickled pink at the results. Every one of my friends who have seen me since the process give an eye-popping "Wow!!!" with a huge smile. They've said, "I LOVE your hair!!!" And they're amazed when I tell them what I've done.

I hope this post if helpful to all of you who intend to use this product. As for me, dipping my head into chemicals every 6-8 weeks for a price tag of $100 + for the rest of my life was no longer an option for me for numerous reasons (cost, chemical exposure, etc.). This procuct is a God-send and I will NEVER go back. I will have you know that I'm well stocked. :) I hope you try it and find the results to be just as GLORIOUS as I did!

DON'T FORGET TO VIEW MY PHOTOS! Cheers!