This brand was launched under the name Helix Henna in the 1970’s but has undergone continuous upgrade and product development since being taken over by Lotus Brands and changing its name to Light Mountain in the 1980’s.  This was the first (and only) brand of 100% botanical hair colors that developed a non-chemical 2 step program to color gray hair called (appropriately) Color the Gray!  During 2007 and 2008 Light Mountain worked with growers to provide NOP/USDA certified organic botanicals for the brand and now virtually all of the hair colors in this brand utilize almost entirely “certified organic” ingredients; with any that are not possible using tested “pesticide free” components.  And the brand does not rely on the use of any chemicals whatsoever to provide a safe, natural hair coloring alternative to the chemical based hair coloring systems that are suspected to have links to a number of disease conditions including cancer.

The Doctors Prescription for Healthy Living Newsletter (by the people who did the Safe Shopper's Bible, Freedom Press, Topanga California) rated our product the only one they found that was totally safe and chemical free. Henna hair color is also recommended in The Breast Cancer Prevention Program by Dr. Samuel Epstein and David Steinman (Macmillan, 1997) This is an excellent book that goes into great detail with information about the dangers of commercial chemical hair dyes, the increased cancer risks, and other associated problems. Our product is also specifically recommended in Being a Woman Naturally by Dr. Jan McBarron (Freedom Press, 2002). After describing the health risks of chemical hair dyes, she points out that Light Mountain Natural Hair Color and Color the Gray are safe, natural alternatives to the dangerous commercial hair dyes.

Henna is the only natural hair color with an FDA monograph for safe and effective use as a natural hair color.

Light Mountain uses NO PPD, No Ammonia, No Peroxide, No Chemicals whatsoever.

Each batch of our premium grade henna is tested to ensure that it has no contaminants such as heavy metals or pesticides.

For thousands of years, women have used plants from the family Lawsonia, called henna, to color, condition and enhance their hair. Although Cleopatra was one of henna’s most celebrated proponents, women throughout ancient history have relied on henna to color, condition and protect their hair, skin and nails.

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs depict regal women with painted nails and dyed skin. Believing henna represented the fire and blood of the earth, early peoples of the Middle East also discovered that this mystical plant could bring out the natural luster and deep color of their hair. For centuries, North African brides-to-be have prepared for their weddings with the traditional “henna” ritual, in which friends and family of the bride gather to paint her hands, nails and feet with henna. Today, henna is commonly used all through the Middle East, Africa and India for tinting the skin, nails and hair.  In our Western culture, henna is primarily used for safe, natural, chemical-free hair coloring.

Natural vs. Chemical Hair Color

Most hair coloring agents rely on harsh chemicals like hydrogen peroxide or ammonia to strip the hair and allow it to “take”, or absorb, the chemical color applied to it. The word “natural” on a bottle of hair color doesn’t necessarily mean chemical-free; some brands commonly found in natural products stores rely on peroxide to prepare the hair for their colorants.

What effect do these chemicals have on the hair? First, they weaken and destroy the hair shaft over time. Additionally, many of the chemical hair colorants use various petroleum or coal tar-based ingredients derived from the environmentally harmful processing of oil or coal tar-based ingredients that have been found,over time, to increase the long-term risk of various forms of cancer.

In contrast, henna has a long history as a safe, gentle hair color. The Food and Drug Administration has issued a monograph that approves henna for this use; henna is one of a select group of natural products to achieve official FDA recognition.

How Henna Works

Henna coats each hair shaft with a natural, semi-permanent protein called hennatannic acid. Heat causes the hennatannic acid to cling to the proteins found in the hair (or nails and skin, if desired). Because henna coats and seals the hair shaft, it helps protect the hair from damaging effects of sun, salt, chlorine, wind and pollution in the environment. It can help miminize split ends and acts as “hair insurance” if you spend a lot of time in the sun, surf or wind. In addition to protecting the hair shaft, henna will tighten the hair cuticle and create a more solid surface which reflects light; the result is gleaming, lustrous hair.

Rather than producing dramatic color changes, henna enhances and deepens existing color. The darker your natural color, the less drastic the change will be inyour natural color. Because the color from henna is transparent or “seethrough,” henna cannot lighten dark hair; it will, however, add highlights to dark hair and can darken the color of lighter hair. To determine which shade of henna is best for you based on your original color and the desired result, consult Light Mountain’s easy-to-use color chart.

The No-Risk
Light Mountain Guarantee

Light Mountain Hair Color is a natural product, subject to variations from harvest to harvest; it responds somewhat differently to different hair conditions and colors. Because of this variability, it is essential that you take a “swatch test” or “strand test,” in which the effects of the hair color are tested on a very small section of hair, before using any Light Mountain product. Light Mountain has made this process easy for you by providing complete, step-by-step, start-to-finish instructions for testing and using our products. If, after doing the swatch test, you find that the color is not what you expected,simply return the box with your purchase receipt to the address listed in the instructions for a full refund of the purchase price not to exceed the MSRP.  Shipping & Handling not included.

One Kit is All You Need

Any hair coloring process involves a certain amount of preparation and effort. With Light Mountain products, you only need to purchase one box. Our complete henna application kit includes premium grade henna-based hair color, detailed instructions, a pair of disposable gloves so you can handle and apply the henna mixture without coloring your hands (remember, henna can color skin as well as hair!), and a “henna hat” to assist you in “setting” the hair color during the color treatment stage. No other henna product line on the market offers this complete henna kit.

No Harsh Chemicals or Additives

GLUTEN-FREE.   VEGAN.   NO CORN DERIVATIVES.
NO SYNTHETIC CHEMICALS

Both our regular, original Light Mountain Natural Hair Color & Conditioner color range and our Color the Gray! product line for covering gray hair rely solely on blends of premium grade henna with other suitable botanicals. We use no other ingredients to create our rich, natural colors.

Light Mountain products contain no peroxide, ammonia or other additives. Compare Light Mountain’s ingredients to those of any commercial hair coloring preparation (including many found in natural product stores) and the difference will be naturally clear.

Can Henna Change Your Life?

Maybe...But it will definitely change your hair. And with bright, lustrous, newly enhanced locks, who knows where the possibilities may lead? Listen to one satisfied customer’s story, recounted in Cosmopolitan magazine:
[After trying chemical dye with no luck]...This time I got pure henna. Inside the box, which had a nice picture of a red fox...wonderful, glowing, shimmering, perfect red!
“How Henna Changed My Life,” Cosmopolitan, June 1982

Color the Gray! Color Chart Your Natural Hair Color
Color the Gray! Color		Light Blonde	Med. Blonde	Dark Blonde	Light Brown	Med. Brown	Dark Brown	Black
	Red	Red	Medium Red	Natural Red	Reddish Brown	Auburn	Warm Auburn	Reddish Black
	Auburn (copper)	Light Copper	Coppery Blonde	Warm Red	Soft Copper	Copper	Warm Copper	Deep Copper Black
	Mahogany	Soft Mahogany	Medium Mahogany	Rich Mahogany	Golden Brown	Medium Warm Brown	Coppery Brown	Warm Black
	Light Brown	Medium Mahogany	Rich Mahogany	Deep Mahogany	Soft Coppery Brown	Coppery Brown	Medium Coppery Brown	Warm Black
	Medium Brown	Light Brown	Medium Brown	Rich Brown	Rich Golden Brown	Warm Brown	Warm Coppery Brown	Warm Black
	Dark Brown	Medium Brown	Rich Brown	Rich Golden Brown	Warm Brown	Warm Coppery Brown	Deep Brown	Medium Black
	Chestnut	Rich Brown	Rich Brown	Warm Brown	Medium Warm Brown	Med. Chestnut Brown	Rich Chestnut Brown	Medium Black
	Black	Reddish Black	Reddish Black	Reddish Black	Deep Brown	Medium Black	Medium Black	Deep Black
* If your hair is very porous, dry, damaged or overly permed, the only recommended shade for you to use is Neutral from the original Light Mountain Color and Conditioner line.