BLACK WEDNESDAY! Every Wednesday, 10% discount on Ancient Sunrise black hair color kits
August - September 2026
Gwyn has been part of Ancient Sunrise since her mother, Catherine Cartwright-Jones started the business. Her main job is seeing to it that we have on hand the henna, indigo and cassia that are the main ingredients of our hair color products. Because all of those ingredients have to be shipped from South Asia, it can be challenging work.
Articles and stores about henna, hair and traditions by Catherine Cartwright-Jones, PhD
by Catherine Cartwright-Jones, Phd
"The monsoon season in India is almost over!
The monsoon drenches northwestern India with 50 - 75% of annual total rainfall between June and September. Henna puts out new growth during the monsoon season. When the monsoon is over and things dry out, the new leaves are stripped from the branches and dried. During November, henna will be harvested in India. The leaves will go to market, and either be sold at auction, or to clients who previously reserved a particular crop.
The largest henna markets and auctions are in Sojat. From there, they go to mills for sorting, grinding, and being sifted into a fine powder.
All of Ancient Sunrise henna comes from Rajasthan, where high temperatures help grow our highest lawsone content henna, which we call Rajasthani Twilight, and Rajasthani Monsoon."
"Ancient Sunrise Henna for Hair" explores the art, science, techniques, and history of using henna, indigo, and cassia to dye hair and addresses the problem of the epidemic of para-phenylenediamine sensitization: the increasingly dangerous and widespread allergy to chemical hair dye. We offer this book free of charge. We ask only that you respect our copyright and observe our terms of use. You may view or download selected chapters or download the entire book.
Everybody has a different color of hair, different diet, and different environmental circumstances. Henna will be different on everyone. This essay shows henna and indigo mixes tested on churro sheep of different colors. Churro sheep have a natural color range similar to graying human hair, though their fleece is coarse and more resistant to dye than human. This is intended as an example of how henna and indigo stain a range of fleece similar to, but not the same as, the stains produced on human hair.
Customer Support FAQ:
Hard water and henna don’t mix
As you can see in this map, most of the tap water in the US contains significant amounts of dissolved minerals. It’s OK for most uses but can cause problems when used with plant-based hair color ingredients like those in Ancient Sunrise products.
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