If you see a shop or stall while abroad, or even at a festival or fair in the UK offering black henna tattoos, do not be tempted to get one. The black paste in these temporary tattoos may contain a high level of chemical dye so powerful and toxic that it is illegal to use on the skin in this way. The risks of black henna lie in the paste’s ingredients – specifically, a chemical called paraphenylenediamine (PPD). Although PPD…
Introduction to bad henna All sorts of horrible things can be added to bad henna paste for several reasons: It is supposedly ‘traditional’ It is what you have been taught to do A misguided attempt to make up for shortcomings in henna powder or technique by adding compounds that are not designed for use on human skin PPD The worst offender is ‘PPD’ or P-Phenylenediamine a very allergenic chemical added to hair dyes, especially those on the black / brown…
Main Use of Henna As a natural dye in shades from light orange through to very dark brown. Active Ingredient Lawsone, the dye molecule present in the plant ‘Lawsonia Inermis’. How does it work? Lawsone binds to keratin present in human hair, nails and the top layer of skin, the stratum corneum. What is it used for? Henna has been used to decorate the body and dye the hair of men and women in many countries for thousands of years. …