Whenever I use henna for my hair treatment, I’ll feel as though I’m communing not just with Nature but with thousands of years of human history and a multitude of cultures. For henna has been used in beauty care and medicine for a long long time by many cultures throughout the world. To add to the magical quality of henna, I have read from an old herbal journal that henna is one of those rare herbs which is aligned with the Earth’s polar fields and thus attract the powerful magnetic forces of the Earth. Perhaps this is why henna is also used in many sacred and important ceremonies to anoint and bless the people.
Getting to know henna
Let us now take a look at the types of plants which have been collectively termed as ‘henna’ in order to clear up some misconceptions about henna.
Henna (Lawsonia Inermis or Lawsonia alba)
Lawsonia Inermis is actually the ‘real’ henna, in the strictest term of the word. The leaves of lawsonia inermis contain a red, orange dye which will give a reddish color to the skin and hair. Before it can be used, the leaves must be collected, dried and ground into a fine, greenish powder.
Neutral/Non-Coloring Henna (Cassia obovata/Senna)
Cassia obovata, the so-called non-coloring or neutral ‘henna’, is actually a totally different plant species. It does look like true henna or lawsonia inermis as it also comes in the form of a greenish powder. Although neutral ‘henna’ does not impart any color, it is an excellent, natural hair conditioner and scalp toner, known for its ability to clear away dandruff, promote scalp circulation and keep the hair clean, healthy and lustrous.
Black Henna (Indigo or Indigofera tinctoria)
“Black henna’ is actually another plant species known as indigo. It’s processed powder does looks like lawsonia inermis in color though. However, when mixed with water, it will turn a deep, blackish color while lawsonia inermia powder will remain greenish in color even when mixed with water into a paste. The color imparted onto the hair by indigo will of course be blackish in color.
From the above, we can conclude that a product can only be labelled accurately as 100% pure henna if it contains only lawsonia inermis. And if the product is 100% pure henna, it can only dye the color of the hair into varying shades of reds. It will not color the hair brown, black, and most definitely, not blond!
Not everybody wants to have reddish hair. So, to create different colors ranging from strawberry blond to black, lawsonia inermis is mixed in varying proportions to naturally-coloring herbs such as indigofera tinctoria, saffron, paprika, coffee, cinnamon, saffron, etc.
Buyers Beware!
I always buy my company’s supplies of henna, indigo and senna from the same trusty supplier. This supplier has been supplying herbs to my company for many years and every batch of their products has been rigorously tested for purity and potency. Thus, while beginners to DIY natural hair coloring may find it does take a little time to get the right, perfect color mix for themselves, all who use the pure, natural mixes found in my book, Nature’s Spa: DIY Beauty Treatment, have only praises for the hair conditioning and beautifying effects of DIY natural hair coloring with henna and other herbs. Thus, when a friend told me that a henna mix she bought from a neighbourhood store has destroyed her sisters’ hair, I found out that the premixed henna actually contained harmful, synthetic dyes.
So out of curiosity, I went to check out the various brands of henna sold by the shops. Some brands display the ingredient listing on their packages so from a glance, I could see that they contain PPD, which is a harmful chemical dye. I realized this is why somehow henna has acquired such a bad reputation.
While there are good brands that use only pre-blended natural herbs and henna, there are also brands out there that mix henna with synthetic dyes and metallic salts like lead acetate, iron, copper, bismuth, nickel etc to achieve various colours. The latter is also known as compound henna. Using compound henna on your hair will only cause it to become brittle, damaged, discoloured (especially if you use it on bleached or permed hair). Your hair will feel as if it has been coated with a layer of yucky stuff that makes your hair look really dull and lifeless. Pure, 100% natural henna/herbal blends will never do that! On the contrary, they will only make your hair lustrous, strong and healthy, and this is the noteworthy difference between pure, natural hair colouring products and synthetic dyes.
Para-phenylenediamine (PPD) is another synthetic hair dye to avoid .PPD has been listed as being known as one of many contact allergens. Symptoms listed are: Irritation pharynx, larynx; bronchial asthma; sensitization dermatitis. Furthermore, when it comes to PPD, the allergic/sensitive reaction may not be immediately apparent. Sometimes, it may take days and months for the allergic reaction to appear. Therefore, the standard 24-hour patch test is not really useful when it comes to testing for allergic reactions against PPD. You’ll see that PPD is usually found in so-called black or dark brown henna premixes. PPD is also widely used in almost every synthetic hair color dyes found on the shelves and in hair salons. Higher levels of PPD will create darker hair dye colors. Thus, henna premixes which are supposed to dye the hair black will have the highest amounts of PPD. In fact, I’ve seen PPD used at levels of 5% in many brands of henna premixes. This was kind of shocking to me because the use of PPD defies the ‘true spirit’ of henna-ing one’s hair. This is because people wanted to use henna in the first place because they are looking for a safe, natural and superior alternative to synthetic hair dyes.
What Can Be Done
As not every brand comes with ingredients listing and most brands will claim to be 100% pure henna, it’s not always easy to tell the difference between a real, 100% pure, natural mix and those with metallic salts and synthetic dyes in their mix.
Unless you know of reputable brands, the only way to be absolutely certain that you are using a truly natural product is to blend it yourself. Buy your henna, indigo and senna, and other herbs separately (from a trusted source, of course!) and mix them together to achieve the colour you desire. It may sound like a lot of work but it is actually a very fun and exciting process.
How often should you henna your hair?
Depending on the constitution of your hair, the color should stay for about two to three months. Therefore, coloring your hair with henna should be repeated once every two to three months.
Coreenna Ong is an expert in the use of Chinese and Western herbs in health and beauty care. She appeared in numerous TV programs to share her expertise and has contributed articles to national publications. This article is an excerpt from her book, “Nature’s Spa: DIY Beauty Treatments”. For 100% natural hair coloring recipes using henna, indigo and other herbs, please visit Henna for Hair
Tags: beauty, Hair Care, health, henna for hair, indigo, natural hair color