The popularity of henna in the US has soared recently. Children, teenagers and adults alike can be seen adorning the temporary henna tattoo on their hands, feet or other parts of the body. What’s not to like about it? It’s safe, natural and lets you have a beautiful print on your body without the use of needles.
However, early in 2013, the FDA issued a warning to all consumers on the use of henna after receiving multiple complaints from people who faced adverse consequences from it. It was clear that these people were, in fact, suffering from the side effects of ‘Black Henna’, which is sometimes falsely advertised as ‘Henna’ to lure unsuspecting customers in. Black henna, unlike natural henna, is unsafe for use on skin for people of all ages.
What is black henna?
With the ingredients list containing a host of chemicals but little to no henna, black henna is not at all what it claims to be. However, people often get it done for a darker or black-colored tattoo that also lasts longer, without realizing the scale of the problems they would soon be facing.
What causes these skin reactions is a toxin found inside black henna called Para-phenylenediamine or PPD. PPD is commonly found in hair dyes and can be dangerous when applied on the skin. Many have reported having skin reactions that includes itching, burning, blistering, bleeding or permanent scarring. Now that’s one tattoo you wouldn’t want to get.
How do I tell them apart?
If so many have fallen prey to this black henna, how do you make sure you can still get a naturally beautiful henna design without getting the two mixed up? It’s simple; keep a lookout for these warning signs.
- Black henna will smell like chemicals (perhaps like a hair dye). On the other hand, natural henna will give off an earthy smell.
- Its paste form is very dark or almost black when it is both wet and dry. Natural, henna however, will be greenish-brown when wet and a darker brown or black only when it has dried up.
- Black henna will not darken gradually but stain your skin immediately to the color you requested. Natural henna needs at least 5 minutes to set into a light orange color and will darken over 1-2 days.
- Ask your henna artist what are the ingredients that make up your henna. If he/she tries to avoid your question or gives an uncertain answer, chances are, something’s up. Natural henna artists are normally open to discussing the ingredients. They would also mention the leaves of the henna plant first, and state other natural ingredients like lemon juice, tea tree oil and other liquids.
Natural henna is full of benefits.
It is unfortunate that black henna, without it even containing henna in the first place, has given henna artists negative publicity. Widespread use of the word henna alone instead of black henna has misled people into believing that henna is dangerous to use. In actuality, henna, has been used for thousands of years and comes from a tropical plant. The use of it can benefit our skin, nails and hair in numerous ways, such as effectively treating skins problems and acting as a sun block.
Henna kiosks are usually located at tourist spots and music festivals. Prevent your loved ones from being duped by black henna peddlers and alert them about the differences between natural and black henna.
Henna Service at Indus Boutique
At our Indus Boutique beauty salon, we offer henna or Mehndi service for your hands and feet. We strictly use only 100% natural henna as the powder and add on natural liquids like lemon juice to make your beautiful henna last longer. Call us at (703) 273-6220 for appointments.