It is a small shrub of about 3 to 5 feet in height whose leaves are used for natural colouring and conditioning of hair. The leaves are green in colour but is imparts a brownish red colour. Henna is well known for it's natural value, pleasant fragrance, colouring and cooling effects. It is also used for making temporary tattoos since centuries. Although henna is found in many countries but henna from India is considered the best.

Lawsone Pigment

Henna (Lawsonia inermis, also known as hina, the henna tree, the mignonette tree, and the Egyptian privet) is a flowering plant and the sole species of the Lawsonia genus. The English name "henna" comes from the Arabic حِنَّاء‎ (ALA-LC: ḥinnāʾ; pronounced [ħɪnˈnæːʔ]) or, colloquially حنا‎, loosely pronounced as /ħinna/. Mehndi (Henna) applied on both hands.

The name henna also refers to the dye prepared from the plant and the temporary body art (staining) based on those dyes (see also mehndi). Henna has been used since antiquity to dye skin, hair and fingernails, as well as fabrics including silk, wool and leather. Historically, henna was used in the Arabian Peninsula, South Asia, parts of South East Asia, Carthage, other parts of North Africa and the Horn of Africa. The name is used in other skin and hair dyes, such as black henna and neutral henna, neither of which is derived from the henna plant.