They say Take fifty dirhams of emblic myrobalans, one and a half rittles of myrtle juice, fresh and squeezed, and four rittles of water, boil until the quantity is reduced by half, and remove from the heat. Then they take fifty dirhams of marshmallow, fifty dirhams of henna, fifty of wasma, twenty of calcined galls, ten of glass and fifty of gum, throw it into the composition, thicken it by boiling, smother it with sukk and musk and coat what they want to paint, so so that the ointment covers the hair.
They also say: Take cotton seed oil - thirty dirhams and throw in iron filings, lead filings and burnt copper - four dirhams each, grind it all with oil and leave until the composition turns black, then boil it, thicken it and smother it with musk.
Know that burnt barley, bean husks, pomegranate peels, and nut shells are among the substances that are added to the paint, just as henna is added. We mention dye substances in the Book of Simple Medicines, and their bases are fume, myrrh, khudad, mustard, salt, harbak, quinoa, emblic myrobalans, adiantum, anemone, henna, wasma, burnt copper, iron oxide, fresh bean juice husks, nut shells and their juice, acacia, fenugreek, beet seeds, myrtle and its berries, incense, lead oxide, all types of scale and sawdust.