The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word HENNA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
H
E
N
N
A
More clues leading to the result HENNA
- Dye used by Montgomery’s laid-back girl on part of hair
- Dye then natural, to some extent
- Dye Anne Hathaway originally used up
- Dye used within borders of Indian city
- After hour, girl returned hair dye
- Henry’s first English Queen picked up something of a colourful character
- Ultimately foolish woman upset dye
- Dye hard girl picked up
- Henry meeting his rejected wife, which might have made him look red
- Cosmetic used in Madras nowadays
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Red" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case red = henna.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does HENNA mean?
HENNA noun- A shrub, Lawsonia inermis, having fragrant reddish flowers
- A reddish plant substance, prepared from the dried leaves of this plant, used for temporary tattoos and hair coloring. Hair colorings range from bright red to earth brown to near black.
- A rich reddish-brown colour.
- To dye or tattoo with henna.
- Of a rich reddish-brown colour.