I love henna. I've used it for about 15 years. (Light Mountain Natural) I have medium brown hair so I use a red. Since my hair is dark, I leave in in about 3 hours under a bonnet dryer. This process is very restful. My husband does the actual application, although I have done it myself. The bad thing with henna is you end up smelling kind of like lawn clippings for a few days every time your hair gets wet. I usually mix a couple of tablespoons of older spices - cinnamon, cardemom, whatever you bake with. It helps the smell. Be careful if you use items that could irritate your skin (ginger/cinnomon) that you try putting some on first to see how it affects things - and don't get them in your eyes. Maybe make a paste and put it on your tummy while you read for awhile, just to be safe.