NITIN'S SHIKAKAI POWDER

Henna is the name given to the dried and powdered leaves of lawsonia inermis, a plant that grows in Egypt, India and parts of the Middle East. For thousands of years it has been used as a colorant to stain human hair, nails or skin a bright fire-engine red color. In literature, this orange-red color is often referred to as "henna red". The ancients combined henna with other natural colorants like indigo, iron oxide or lead salts in order to produce brown and black colors. The Old Testament describes Solomon as using henna and indigo to stain his beard.