10 Best Tried and True Japanese Henna Hair Dyes in 2022 (Hana Henna, Daiko Trading, and More)

Henna hair dye is a method of dyeing hair with pigments made from a soybean called henna. Henna leaves are powdered and mixed with hot water to make a paste, which is then applied to hair. The pigment, called Lawsonia, reacts to proteins in the hair and creates a coloring effect.

Henna is also said to have healing, detox, and antibacterial properties. As well as making hair healthier and stronger. 

However, some people may be susceptible to allergic reactions even with henna hair dyes that use all-natural ingredients. If this is your first time using henna hair dye, we recommend doing a patch test first.

Specifically, with Japanese henna hair dyes, they are made (obviously) for people with Japanese, or Asian hair which means that they are comparatively more gentle on the skin of the scalp. If you have ever experienced itchiness or irritation of the scalp after trying out American henna dye products, we recommend trying out a Japanese variety, for a 100% natural and effective method of dyeing grey hairs in a healthy manner. 

Here are four essential points you should consider when buying henna hair dye. In compiling our buying guide, we asked Miyuki Okishima, an active beautician and hair diagnostician, for advice on how to choose the best Japanese henna hair dye.

※The expert featured in this article reviewed the buying guide's contents for accuracy and provided factual corrections when necessary. They did not participate in the product selection process, nor are they affiliated with our choices unless explicitly stated so.

Some henna hair dye achieve their dyeing effect through henna alone, while others use a compound of plant materials to adjust the hue. Choose your color according to your preference.

If your goal is to naturally hide gray hair, choose products that contain plant-based dyes such as indigo and henna. Indigo is often used in henna colors to express shades such as brown or dark brown.

Some products with dark colors have henna powder pre-mixed with indigo, while others only have the henna base and must be mixed with indigo. Mixing henna and indigo dye is both time and labor-intensive, so you might be better off going with a pre-mixed solution if you're going for a darker hue.

The Lawsonia dye in henna is a red enzyme-based dye, so using only henna to dye gray hair turns it a red-orange hue.

For people with less gray hair, we recommend dyeing with 100% henna and styling it in such a way as to shift attention away from your gray hair. Dyeing grey hairs a bright orange gives your face a bright and warm impression. 

If you want to reduce the appearance of grey hairs with a bright orange finish, we recommend looking at the ingredient label for "100% henna". 

Some products may contain chemical dyes despite claiming to be made of henna. Check the ingredients list to be sure.

Typical chemical dyes include diamine inks, basic dyes, and tar-based dyes. Avoid components products with ingredients containing the word diamine, such as paraphenylenediamine and toluene2,5-diamine. Likewise, names such as basic blue 7 and red 277 are dead give-aways.

Also, natural henna doesn't have the power to color dark hair, so if you notice that your dark hairs look a bit lighter, there's a chance it contains decolorizing chemicals. Check the reviews of products to see if users reported a color change for dark hair, and try to avoid such products.

While henna color does improve hair quality when used over time, the first few times your hair can feel rough due to henna's astringent effect. Some users may also find the texture of hair after applying henna to be unpleasant. However, this isn't necessarily damaging your hair!

To avoid this, choose a product that contains herbs and plant-based ingredients that have a revitalizing effect. Examples include hibiscus and acacia concinna fruit extract.

Since there are a variety of cosmetic ingredients, it is impossible to say which is the absolute best, but busouge (hibiscus) and acacia concina fruit (shikakai) are known to have moisturizing effects and are often used in henna coloring.

Henna does not fade very quickly once used and does not require frequent re-application. 

As a general rule, if you try to mask gray hair, you'll only need to dye around once or twice a month. Purchase the product that has enough henna to suit your needs, the length of your hair and how often you want to apply the dye.

We gathered the 15 most popular Japanese henna hair dyes from Amazon, Rakuten and Yahoo! Shopping and tested them all.

We tested each of the products for the following:

• Finish 
• Texture

First, we reviewed the finish of each product. We used only dark brown as the test color to eliminate any potential differences in dye ingredients. 

Moreover, we only selected products that were a mix of henna and indigo to eliminate any differences in dyeing capability.

Following the instructions on the package, we dyed a black hair sample mixed with grey hair. We then compared the quality of the finish by checking how well the grey hair was dyed and how noticeable the dyed hair was compared to the dark hair. Based on the results of our tests, we scored each of the products on a five-point scale.

Since henna dye usually doesn’t take on much color after just a single application, we performed our evaluations after the first and then again after the third application.

In our tests, we found that products that contained more indigo (Indigofera leaves) than henna tended to have a darker finish and better results in dying gray hair.

If you are aiming for darker hair color, we recommend you check the color and ingredients list and choose a product that contains more Indigofera leaves.

It is also a good idea to check what plant dyes are included in addition to henna. Other ingredients to keep an eye out for natural seeds such as coffee extract, which contains brown pigment. 

Next, we tested the products for the texture of hair after use.

We attached a fine-grained comb to a device that measures pressure and combed the dyed hair samples to measure friction resistance.

Assuming that the samples with the smaller resistance values would be smoother, better texture hair, samples with the lowest resistance received the highest scores.

We found that products containing amla fruit and guar gum tended to result in smoother hair.

Amla fruit, also called Phyllanthus Emblica, contains a large amount of vitamin C and polyphenols and is said to prevent your scalp from feeling rough. Guar gum is a natural polysaccharide obtained from guar beans and is often used as a thickener in cooking. Guar gum is said to give hair firmness and gloss in hair products.

Other plant ingredients may be included in henna hair dye, but the ones listed above are the ingredients to look for if you value the texture of your hair.

We checked the ingredients list to verify how much natural henna and what kind of additives were included. Then, based on how they performed on our tests, we ranked the 10 best Japanese henna hair dyes in 2022.

※ Japanese prices for some products are listed; they've simply been converted into USD for your convenience.

One con with using henna is that henna is rather difficult to apply. Make sure to follow these points to ensure a smooth and even dyeing.

When dissolving henna in hot water to make a paste, don't make it too watery! 

Try to aim for mayonnaise-like consistency to make it easier to dye. Dissolve 50 to 70 grams (1.7~2.5 oz.) of henna with 113°F water for semi-long hair.

Upon achieving mayonnaise-like consistency, apply the paste while it is still warm. Cooling it makes it sticky and difficult to apply. You may need to re-heat the henna before using it if necessary.

After applying the dye, wrap your hair and dry off with a dryer for 2 to 3 minutes. Afterward, wrap with a towel to preserve warmth and leave on for 30 to 60 minutes. The curing time varies depending on the product, so check the instruction manual for more details.

When washing the henna off, don't rinse all of your hair immediately. Rather, let the henna get a little wet and massage it into your scalp for a few minutes. Gently wash off the henna afterward, then shampoo. The color should settle 48 hours after dyeing.

Henna dye should be left to cure for an hour after application. Only use henna dye when you have the luxury of time to do so.

Depending on the ingredients of the henna dye, your hair may develop a green hue immediately after dyeing. This is normal. The color should stabilize after 2 to 3 days, so make sure you take this into account.

Translation: Izumi Taneda, Kazuma Fujiwara, Mitsuki Nagasawa

• Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more mybest recommendations! For questions or comments, leave us feedback via a Google Form on our Contact Us page.