HAIR HOLISTIC

WHERE DOES HENNA COME FROM?

Three species of the Lawsonia plant are used as henna: Inermis, Alba and Spinoza; we know these three as red henna, neutral henna and black henna, based on the characteristic color that each plant produces.

These ornamental shrubs, six feet in height, are indigenous to Arabia, Persia, India, Egypt and Australia.

They are also cultivated throughout North Africa, Pakistan and China. The deepest shades of red henna have traditionally come from Persia; however, premium grades in other shades often come from other countries. A wide range of henna colors is necessary to create natural colors in deep, true shades.

The henna plant produces a small, fragrant flower which varies in color from white to red. However, when being used commercially, henna is harvested before the plant blooms.

The leaves are gathered, the veins are removed and the remaining material is pulverized into a very fine greenish-colored powder.

The main constituents of the henna plant are fats, resin, mannitol, volatile oil, fixed oil, lawsone (a natural pigment) and hennatannic acid (a natural protein).

HOW DOES HENNA WORK?

It has been recorded historically that ancient civilizations dyed their hair using plants. Some of the most well known are henna, indigo, Cassia obovata, senna, turmeric and amla. Others include katam, black walnut hulls, and leeks [6].
Presently, there are some companies that do sell alternate based dyes for people that are sensitive to PPD, a chemical found in most hair dyes.
There are also said to be non-toxic safer products that avoid the side-effects of chemical based dyes. The safer alternatives generally have fewer chemicals or are plant based and do also have temporary, semi-permanent and permanent options. However, these products typically do not last as long as chemical based dyes.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae which is native to tropical South Asia. It needs temperatures between 20 and 30 deg. C. and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive. Plants are gathered annually for their rhizomes, and re-seeded from some of those rhizomes in the following season.
It is also often misspelled (or pronounced) as turmeric. It is also known as kunyit (Indonesian and Malay) or haldi or pasupu in some Asian countries[2]. In medieval Europe, turmeric became known as Indian Saffron, since it is widely used as an alternative to far more expensive saffron spice.
Its rhizomes are boiled for several hours and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a deep orange-yellow powder commonly used as a spice in curries and other South Asian cuisine, for dyeing, and to impart color to mustard condiments. Its active ingredient is curcumin and it has an earthy, bitter, peppery flavor and has a mustardy smell.
Sangli, a town in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra, is the largest and most important trading centre for turmeric in Asia or perhaps in the entire world.\

Cosmetics
Turmeric is currently used in the formulation of some sunscreens. Turmeric paste is used by some Indian women to keep them free of superfluous hair. Turmeric paste is applied to bride and groom before marriage in some places of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, where it is believed turmeric gives glow to skin and keeps some harmful bacteria away from the body.
The Government of Thailand is funding a project to extract and isolate tetrahydrocurcuminoids (THC) from turmeric. THCs (not to be confused with tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC) are colorless compounds that might have antioxidant and skin-lightening properties and might be used to treat skin inflammations, making these compounds useful in cosmetics formulations.

Dye
Turmeric makes a poor fabric dye as it is not very lightfast (the degree to which a dye resists fading due to light exposure). However, turmeric is commonly used in Indian clothing, such as a chira.

Amla

The Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica, syn. Emblica officinalis) is a deciduous tree of the Euphorbiaceae family. It is known for its edible fruit of the same name.
Common names of this tree include amalaka in Sanskrit, amla (आँवला) in Hindi, amlaki (আমলকী) in Bengali, and amala in Nepal Bhasa

Indian gooseberry has undergone preliminary research, demonstrating in vitro antiviral and antimicrobial properties.[4] Experimental preparations of leaves, bark or fruit have shown potential efficacy against laboratory models of disease, such as for inflammation, cancer, age-related renal disease, and diabetes.[5][6][7
A human pilot study demonstrated reduction of blood cholesterol levels in both normal and hypercholesterolemic men.[8]
Although fruits are reputed to contain high amounts of ascorbic acid (vitamin C),[9] the specific contents are disputed and the overall antioxidant strength of amla may derive instead from its high density of tannins and other poly phenols.[10] The fruit also contains flavonoids, kaempferol, ellagic acid and Gallic acid.

Popularly used in inks, shampoos and hair oils, the high tannin content of Indian gooseberry fruit serves as a mordant for fixing dyes in fabrics.[22] Amla shampoos and hair oil are traditionally believed to nourish the hair and scalp and prevent premature grey hair.[citation needed]
In Hinduism, amla is regarded as a sacred tree worshipped as Mother Earth.

Juglans nigra, commonly known as black walnut or American walnut

is a tree species native to eastern North America. It grows mostly alongside rivers, from southern Ontario, Canada west to southeast South Dakota, south to Georgia, northern Florida and southwest to central Texas.

The extraction of the kernel from the fruit of the Black Walnut is difficult. The shell is covered by a thick husk that exudes a dark, staining, strong-smelling juice. The juice will often be a yellow brown at first, then rapidly assume a deep black-green color upon exposure to the air. The shell often protrudes into the meat, so that whole kernels often cannot be obtained.

ALTERNATIVE TO CHEMICAL DYES : INDIGO

Indigofera tinctoria bears the common name true indigo. The plant was one of the original sources of indigo dye. It has been naturalized to tropical and temperate Asia, as well as parts of Africa, but its native habitat is unknown since it has been in cultivation worldwide for many centuries. Today most dye is synthetic, but dye from I. tinctoria is still available, marketed as natural coloring. The plant is also widely grown as a soil-improving groundcover.
True indigo is a shrub one to two meters high. It may be an annual, biennial, or perennial, depending on the climate in which it is grown. It has light green pinnate leaves and sheafs of pink or violet flowers. The plant is a legume, so it is rotated into fields to improve the soil in the same way that other legume crops such as alfalfa and beans are.
Dye is obtained from the processing of the plant's leaves. They are soaked in water and fermented in order to convert the glycoside indican naturally present in the plant to the blue dye indigotin. The precipitate from the fermented leaf solution is mixed with a strong base such as lye, pressed into cakes, dried, and powdered. The powder is then mixed with various other substances to produce different shades of blue and purple.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigofera_tinctoria"

Alternatives to Chemical Based Dyes:HENNA

HENNA

Henna, Lawsonia inermis, produces a red-orange dye molecule, lawsone. This molecule has an affinity for bonding with protein, and thus has been used to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather, silk and wool. Henna's indigenous zone is the tropical savannah and tropical arid zone, in latitudes between 15° and 25° N and S from Africa to the western Pacific rim, and produces highest dye content in temperatures between 35°C and 45°C. It does not thrive where minimum temperatures are below 11°C. Temperatures below 5°C will kill the henna plant. The dye molecule, lawsone, is primarily concentrated in the leaves, and is in the highest levels in the petioles of the leaf. Products sold as "black henna" or "neutral henna" are not made from henna, but may be derived from indigo (in the plant Indigofera tinctoria) or Cassia obovata, and may contain unlisted dyes and chemicals.[3]
Henna is commercially cultivated in western India, Pakistan, Morocco, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan and Libya. Presently the Pali district of Rajasthan is the most heavily cultivated henna production area in India, with over 100 henna processors operating in Sojat City.
Though henna has been used for body art and hair dye since the Bronze Age, henna has had a recent renaissance in body art due to improvements in cultivation, processing, and the diasporas of people from traditional henna using regions. [4]
The word "henna" comes from the Arabic name for Lawsonia inermis, pronounced /ħinnaːʔ/ or colloquially /ħinna/.
In the Bible's Song of Songs and Song of Solomon, henna is referred to as Camphire.

Henna for sale at the Egyptian Bazaar in Istanbul

In the Indian subcontinent, there are many variant words such as Mehndi in North India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In Telugu (India, Malaysia, USA), it is known as Gorintaaku. In Tamil (South India, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka) it is called "Marudhaani" and is used as ground fresh leaves rather than as dried powder. It is used in various festivals and celebrations and used by women and children. It is left on overnight and will last one month or more depending on the plant and how well it was ground and how long it is left on.

Henna has many traditional and commercial uses, the most common being as a dye for hair, skin and fingernails, as a dye and preservative for leather and cloth, and as an anti-fungal.[5] Henna was used as a hair dye in Indian court records around 400 CE,[6] in Rome during the Roman Empire, and in Spain during Convivienca.[7] It was listed in the medical texts of the Ebers Papyrus (16th c BCE Egypt)[8] and by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (14th c CE (Syria and Egypt) as a medicinal herb.[9] In Morocco, wool is dyed and ornamented with henna, as are drumheads and other leather goods. Henna will repel some insect pests and mildew.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has not approved henna for direct application to the skin. It is unconditionally approved as a hair dye, and can only be imported for that purpose.

Henna imported into the USA which appears to be for use as body art is subject to seizure, and at present it is illegal to use henna for body art in the U.S.,[11] though prosecution is rare.

The fast black stains of “black henna” are not made with henna, but are from

p-phenylenediamine. This can cause severe allergic reactions and permanent scarring.

No henna can make a black stain on a torso in ½ hour.

P-phenylenediamine can stain skin black quickly, but the FDA specifically forbids PPD to be used for that purpose.

Preparation and application of paste

Henna body art is made by applying henna paste to the skin: the lawsone in the paste migrates into the outermost layer of the skin and makes a red-brown stain.
Whole, unbroken henna leaves will not stain the skin. Henna will not stain skin until the lawsone molecules are made available (released) from the henna leaf. Fresh henna leaves will stain the skin if they are smashed with a mildly acidic liquid.

This will stain skin within moments, but it is difficult to form intricate patterns from coarse crushed leaves. Dried ground, sifted henna leaves are easily worked into a paste that can be used to make intricate body art. Commercially available henna powder is made by drying the henna leaves and milling them to powder, then the powder is sifted. This powder is mixed with lemon juice, strong tea, or other mildly acidic liquids.

Essential oils with high levels of "terps", monoterpene alcohols such as tea tree, eucalyptus, cajeput, or lavender will improve skin stain characteristics.

The henna mix must rest for 6 to 12 hours so the leaf cellulose is dissolved, making the lawsone available to stain the skin. This is mixed to a toothpaste consistency and applied with a one of many traditional tools, including resist techniques, shading techniques, and thicker paste techniques, or the modern cellowrap cone.
Once applied to the skin, lawsone molecules gradually migrate from the henna paste into the outer layer of the skin. Though henna's lawsone will stain the skin within minutes, the longer the paste is left on the skin, the more lawsone will migrate. Henna paste will yield as much dye as the skin can easily absorb in less than eight hours. Henna tends to crack and fall off the skin during these hours, so it is often sealed down by dabbing a sugar/lemon mix over the dried paste, or simply adding some form of sugar to the paste. This also adds to the colour of the end result, increasing the intensity of the shade.
When the paste has fallen off the skin or been removed by scraping, the stain will be orange, but should darken over the following three days to a reddish brown. Soles and palms have the thickest layer of skin and so take up the most lawsone, and take it to the greatest depth, so that hands and feet will have the darkest and most long-lasting stains. Steaming or warming the henna pattern will darken the stain, either during the time the paste is still on the skin, or after the paste has been removed. Chlorinated water and soaps may spoil the darkening process: alkaline may hasten the darkening process. After the stain reaches its peak color it will appear to fade. The henna stain is not actually fading, the skin is exfoliating: the lower, less stained cells, rise to the surface, until all stained cells are shed.

Health effects

Though user accounts cite few, if any, negative effects of natural henna paste, pre-mixed henna body art pastes may have ingredients added to darken stain, or to alter stain color.

The health risks involved in pre-mixed paste can be signficant.

The FDA considers these to be adulterants and therefore illegal for use on skin.

Some pastes have been found to include: silver nitrate, carmine, pyrogallol, disperse orange dye, and chromium.

These have been found to cause allergic reactions, chronic inflammatory reactions, or late-onset allergic reactions to hairdressing products and textile dyes.
Medical report of heavy metals such as nickel, cobalt, chromium, lead and mercury found in henna tattoos

Black henna

“Black Henna” is a misnomer arising from imports of plant-based hair dyes into the West in the late 19th century. Partly fermented, dried indigo was called “black henna” because it could be used in combination with henna to dye hair black. This gave rise to the belief that there was such a thing as “black henna” which could dye skin black. Indigo will not dye skin black. Pictures of indigenous people with black body art (either alkalized henna or from some other source) also fed the belief that there was such a thing as “black henna.”
In the 1990s, henna artists in Africa, India, the Arabian Peninsula and the West began to experiment with para-phenylenediamine (PPD) based black hair dye, applying it as a thick paste as they would apply henna, in an effort to find something that would quickly make jet black temporary body art. PPD can cause severe allergic reactions, with blistering, intense itching, permanent scarring, and permanent chemical sensitivitiesEstimates of allergic reactions range between 3% and 15%. Henna does not cause these injuries[27].

Henna boosted with PPD can cause lifelong health damage. [28]
Para-phenylenediamine is illegal for use on skin in western countries, though enforcement is lax. When used in hair dye, the PPD amount must be below 6%, and application instructions warn that the dye not touch the scalp and the dye must be quickly rinsed away. “Black henna” pastes have PPD percentages from 10% to 60%, and are left on the skin for half an hour.
Para-phenylenediamine “black henna” use is widespread, particularly in tourist areas. Because the blistering reaction appears 3 to 12 days after the application, most tourists have left and do not return to show how much damage the artist has done. This permits the artists to continue injuring others, unaware they are causing severe injuries. The high profit margins of ‘black henna” and the demand for body art that emulates “tribal tattoos” further encourage artists to ignore the dangers. It is not difficult to recognize and avoid para-phenylenediamine “black henna”:
if a paste stains torso skin black in less than ½ hour, it has PPD in it, and little or no henna.
if the paste is mixed with peroxide, or if peroxide is wiped over the design to bring out the color, it has PPD in it, and little or no henna.
Anyone who has an itching and blistering reaction to a black body stain should go to a doctor, and report that they have had an application of para-phenylenediamine to their skin.
PPD sensitivity is lifelong, and once sensitized, the use of synthetic hair dye can be life-threatening [29]. These injuries are not caused by henna, and a person can use henna as hair dye.

HENNA AND MANUFACTURERS

How do manufacturers of "henna hair dye" make all those different henna colors?

Boxes of commercially produced “henna for hair” come in a range of colors.
Henna, itself, DOES NOT come in a range of colors.
The only dye molecule in henna (Lawsonia Inermis) in sufficient quantity to stain hair is Lawsone , which is a red-orange molecule. Any company that claims they create the wide range of henna colors with 100% henna, using roots, bark, or other parts of the henna plant to achieve their colors is …… lying or seriously ignorant. Only henna leaves are useful for dying hair, and other parts of the henna plant do not dye hair other colors. Chemicals, metallic salts or other plants must be added to henna to make any color other than red.
These pre-mixed colors are compound hennas. If you buy a box labeled henna that claims to dye hair blonde, brown or black, there is something other than henna in that box.

Compound Henna Dye

This is a term that refers to hair dye marketed as henna, and is formulated in different colors.
These mixtures may contain additional plant dyes, may contain metallic salts, and may contain para-phenylenedmine.

Compound henna may damage your hair.

Pure body art quality henna is good for your hair.
There is no such plant as "blond henna", "brown henna" or "black henna". The plant, henna, lawsonia inermis, has only one dye molecule, and that molecule is red-orange. Chemicals, metallic salts or other dye plants must be added to henna to make any color other than red. These mixes are termed compound hennas. Some dye plants can be added to alter the color of henna. Some chemicals can be added to alter the color of henna. Metallic salts alter and fix a dye stain. Many “henna colors” are created with metallic salts. The most frequently used material is lead acetate, though silver nitrate, copper, nickel, cobalt, bismuth and iron salts have also been used.
Dyes with lead acetate gradually deposit a mixture of lead sulfide and lead oxide on the hair shaft.
When you hear that henna has “metal”, “lead”, or “coats the hair” and “leaves it brittle”, that refers to a compound henna dye, full of these metallic salts.

Hair bleach, permanent hair color, and permanent wave solution are a disastrous combination with compound (metallic salt) henna dyes. These can result in green, purple, or totally fried hair.
Some pre-mixed hennas have para-phenylenediamine. Some pre-mixed hennas have very little henna whatsoever.

Body art quality henna does NOT have metals, lead, nor does it “coat the hair”.

learn to dye your hair with 100% pure henna, indigo, cassia and amla without using pre-mixed "compound henna".
This is very much like learning to do your own cooking instead of eating processed food. You'll know what you're getting and you'll know what its doing.
The pre-mixed "compound henna" products may not have an accurate or complete ingredient declaration. If you cannot be certain what is in each box, you cannot be certain what cross reactions may occur between your compound henna and preceding or subsequent chemical process, and you won't know if you're going to have an allergic reaction to something in that mixture.

How can you find out if the henna hair dye you've been using has toxic metallic salts?
Harvest some of your hair; and take it to the henna proffesional a least 10 days before henna.

If there's lead in the henna you've used, your hair will change color immediately.

If there's silver nitrate in the henna you've been using, there will be no change in hair color, because silver is coating the hair. However, silver nitrate leaves a greenish cast to your hair, so you can tell by that.

If there's copper in the henna you've used, your hair will start to boil, the hair will be hot and smell horrible, and the hair will disintegrate.
With all that crap, frequently unlisted, in some henna products, no wonder henna's gotten a bad rap!

Why do some boxes of "colored henna" have no declaration of ingredients?

Some countries where these products are initially manufactured do not have laws requiring the declaration of ingredients in cosmetics. So, they can put anything they want in that box and they don't have to tell you what's in it. If someone in the USA imports these mixes, they are not required by law to go back and discover what's in the bulk mix that was passed through customs marked as "henna", and they don't have to declare it on their package. This is how a company can have a dozen "colors of henna" from blond to black, and sell them without listing their ingredients .. and they usually do. The person selling the product may have no idea what's in the box, or they may know and not want to tell you. If its a box of hair dye that claims to be henna and it claims to dye hair something other than red, and the powder inside is not green ... it is NOT HENNA. Many products labeled "herbal henna" actually contain para-phenylenediamine. If you're allergic to chemical hair dye and you use "herbal henna" you may to have an allergic reaction to the chemicals in it. The claim of "no ammonia, no peroxide, all natural" does not mean you're getting safe, pure henna.
You can add other plant dyes to henna to create hair dye colors:
Mixtures with other plant dyes with henna, to create other dye colors, are called “henna rangs”.
Indigo, Indigofera tinctoria
Is a plant that produces a dark violet blue dye, which we are familiar with as the color used to dye blue jeans. Indigo can be used with henna to dye cloth and hair from brown to pure black, depending on the proportions of henna and indigo. Though you can use indigo to dye skin blue, you cannot dye skin black with indigo.
Want to know more? http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro/factsheets/INDIGO.html
Woad, Isatis tinctoria
Woad is a plant that had a blue dye, and it is also used to dye hair. It is more dye fast in hair than indigo, but it does not create the vivid blue-black. You can use woad to dye skin blue, but you also cannot dye skin black with woad.
Want to know more? http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Isatis/

Walnut, Juglans regia
The leaves, or green walnut shells from walnuts can be combined with henna to create brown hair dye. Walnut dye is juglone, 5-hydroxy-1.4-napthoquinone. This is a larger molecule than henna. It is not a long-lasting dye in hair, so is usually used with henna. . Many people are allergic to walnut! Walnut is often mixed into henna powder for skin. It makes a very fast dark stain, but it does not penetrate as deeply as henna, and is far more likely to cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.
Want to know more? http://www.uga.edu/fruit/walnut.htm

Cassia obovataMany “neutral henna” products are actually cassia obovata. There is no henna that is “neutral” just as there is no henna that is “black. Its dyes are anthraquinones, and also has flavonoids and resins” Cassua dyes a blonde-gold color, and “thickens” hair.
Want to know more? http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/senna-42.html

Catechu, Ourouparia gambir and Acacia catechu Catechu is from two different species, Ourouparia gambir and Acacia Catechu. Ourouparia gambir makes a yellow dye, and Acacia catechu makes a dark brown dye. These are tannin dyes. Extracted tannins from these dye plants are added to henna to create other various shades of henna, blondes, browns, and dark browns.
Want to know more? http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/sayre/acacia-cate.html

Saffron, also called Sadr, Crocus sativus L. Saffron is used to create blonde hair dye
Want to know more? http://www.iran-export.com/exporter/company/sadr/products.htm and http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro/factsheets/SAFFRON.html

Chamomile, Anthemis nobilis is used to create blonde dye colors, but is not very effective or permanent.

Want to know more?http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/chammo49.html#com
Rhubarb Root, Rheum rhapoticum is sometimes used with henna to create blonde tones.
Want to know more? http://www.allfiberarts.com/library/howto/ht01/how_dye_rhubarb_roots.htm and http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/rhubarb-history.html
Vashma is partially fermeted indigo, and Karchak (castor bean), are both used with henna to dye hair black.

Some henna hair dye sellers have a range of henna colors
Others claim all the "colors" to be 100% pure henna, and that is simply botanically impossible.
The plant based "henna colors" are generally something like this:
This is the list of ingredients used by Henara, a henna hair dye company that produced various “henna colors”.
Their ingredients were published in “Henique” trade publications, and are typical of commercial all-plant henna mixes.
Natural red: henna Brown: henna and woad Golden: henna and sadr (saffron) Chestnut brown: henna and woad Dark warm brown henna: karchak and vashma Black henna: karchak, vashma and indigo
So, if you've been wondering how the manufacturers are coming up with "henna colors" ... that's one way its done.
However .....
Other “henna hair dye” products are on the market, with little or no henna.
The refined, concentrated chemicals in these products may stain hair more quickly than traditional henna mixes. In 1980's the following were marketed with ingredients similar to products currently on the market. These products often have "henna" and "natural" on the front of the box, when there's little of either within the box.
Meta Henna International marketed seven “henna colors” from blonde to black. They used henna extract to create a fast brilliant color, then added other dye plant extracts to propylene glycol. This made a concentrated, fast acting, premixed color base.
Autumn Glow had a henna hair product line also was based on henna extract, with added Lawsone.
Henna lights were color intensifying shampoos with henna extract. Their blond had chamomile, and their brunette was henna. Both had hydrolyzed animal protein in a shampoo base.
These may not be harmful in themselves, but they certainly add to the confusion about henna, because their labeling implies that they are made of natural henna.

ALTERNATIVES TO HAIR DYES:

Henna,Turmeric,Amla,Black walnut,ETC...

ALTERNATIVE TO CHEMICAL DYES : INDIGO

Alternatives to Chemical Based Dyes:HENNA

HENNA AND MANUFACTURERS

Zizyphus Spina Christi (Sedr)

AMLA

Welcome

QUESTION?

Recent Videos

Recent Blog Entries

Upcoming Events

Recent Forum Posts

Follow me on Twitter