Ok, kids, it's my duty to make sure all you guys heading out this spring/summer/fall/etc. have a bit of forewarning about so-called "black henna". I posted this a couple years ago but figured it would be a good idea to do it again. As a (natural) henna artist, I frequently see and/or hear about people who have had nasty experiences with "black" henna tattoos.
This stuff is NOT HENNA. It is HAIR DYE. And I'm pretty sure none of you are interested in painting your skin with hair dye, right??
First of all, real, natural henna is a thing of beauty.
The stain it leaves on your skin is a shade of brown and it lasts approximately 1 to 3 weeks, depending on a lot of different factors including how well you take care of it. Many photographs you see with henna designs look black because
the photo was taken with the paste still on the skin. The paste is drawn on the skin kind of like cake decorating, and a *real* henna artist will tell you to leave it on for AT LEAST 4 hours, even all day and/or overnight if possible.
Here are some examples of REAL henna with the paste on and the stain after the paste is off:
Resulting stain, one day later, it was darker than this 24 hours after this photo was taken (this is Voyd's hand, by the way!
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Here are some of the facts and dangers about "black" henna.
1. As stated above: it's not henna. It's hair dye. The chemical that causes so many problems is called Para-Phenylenediamine, also labeled as PPD. PPD is a trans-dermal toxin, meaning the molecules are small enough to penetrate the epidermis and get into the bloodstream. After this, their favorite spots to live are the kidneys and liver. This is why so many people are allergic to hair dye and why so many hair stylists become allergic to it after a period of time. It's a big, big problem.
2. PPD can do a couple of nasty things: When used as a temporary tattoo ink, as in the case of "black henna", it can leave awful chemical burns, blisters and permanent scars. That's usually the mildest reaction you can have. There are MANY documented cases of people having such horrible reactions to PPD that they can no longer wear any clothing that has any dye in it at all. White cotton for the rest of their lives. Yes, seriously. If you want more horror stories, PM me and I'll be happy to send you medical files.
3. Perhaps the worst is that families on vacation let their kids get tattooed with this shit. Little kids are the MOST susceptible to having a nasty reaction.
The most likely hotspots for black henna artists are beaches. If you're really jonesing for a temporary tattoo of some sort, either look at the airbrush stuff or body paint, or be really adventurous and try real henna.
Here's how you can tell if an artist is using black henna or real henna:
-Ask what color the stain will be. If they say black, that's clue #1. Someone using real henna will never tell you the design will be black.
-Ask how long you should leave it on. If they say 2 hours or less, that's PPD. Henna doesn't work that fast.
-Traditional safe henna paste is khaki green, greenish brown, or very dark brownish green. Traditional henna paste smells like spinach, or you may smell fragrances like pine, tea tree oil, or mentholatum from essential oils they're using. These are safe for use on skin. PPD doesn't have a smell. (Sidenote: If you're in the Middle East or North Africa, some artists use gasoline or kerosene in their natural henna paste to darken the stain. Trust your nose.
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-Ask how long the stain will last. PPD "Black Henna" stains typically last more than a week and stay black throughout that time. Henna stains last 1 - 3 weeks, fading to orange during that period. There are some safe body art products-- such as body paints-- that come in black, but they don't last longer than 3 days. If it's black and long lasting, it's probably PPD.
-Ask them what's in the mix. A reputable henna artist will answer: henna, lemon juice, essential oils. You'll be able to smell them. The artist should be able to show you what they're working with. You should see green plant powder, and safe natural materials. Someone using PPD either won't know what's in their paste or they'll tell you it's "just black henna".
Want some pretty pictures?
This was one week after application of PPD:
This was on a 10-year-old kid, two days after application of PPD:
Same kid, 6 months later:
Besides the fact that these are horrible wounds, the snobby artist in me also hates the fact that these people were permanently scarred with such shitty artwork!
Please let me know if you have any questions about this and for god's sake, PLEASE do not get near this stuff. Many people are able to get tattoos with PPD and won't have a reaction. They're lucky.
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