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-colouring 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 also not the same species as lawsonia inermis but its powdered form does looks like lawsonia inermis in color. The true color of ‘black henna’ is not black but instead, it is a deep, purplish blue that will impart a rich, black color when used on the hair, especially hair which is originally black or brown 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!
Of course, not everyone wants to color their hair red. Therefore, to give rise to other colors such as strawberry blond to black, lawsonia inermis can be mixed with indigofera tinctoria, cassia obovata and other herbs that give off natural colors such as saffron, paprika, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, coffee, etc.
Buyers Beware!
I buy henna, indigo and senna directly from the same trusted supplier who has been supplying herbs to my company for a few years. Everyone who uses the pure, natural mixes has nothing but praises (although I must admit that for beginners, it take a bit of time to get the perfect colour for themselves). Hence, when an acquaintance complained that henna has destroyed her and her sisters’ hair, I found out that she had used some premixed henna bought from a neighbourhood store.
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.
Of course there are reputable brands that contain only pure herbs and henna. But many many brands out there mix henna with metallic salts and synthetic dyes like nickel, iron, lead acetate, copper, bismuth, etc to achieve various colors at low cost. Such mixtures of natural henna with synthetic dyes are also known as compound henna, which are very damaging to the hair. Long term usage of compound henna will cause the hair to become discolored and brittle, especially if your hair has undergone other chemical treatments such as bleaching or perms. Compound henna will make your hair feel as though it has been coated with layer of something which cause your hair to look dull and lifeless. This is something that will NEVER happen with 100% pure henna or herbal hair coloring blends. Your hair will only look lustrous, strong and healthy with long-term use of pure hair coloring herbs. This is the important difference between pure, natural hair coloring mixes 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
Unfortunately, from the packaging alone, it is not always easy to distinguish between a genuine natural mix and one contains a cocktail of metallic salts and synthetic dyes. This is because not all brands come with ingredients labels, and almost every brand will claim to contain only 100% henna.
Besides knowing which brands are truly reputable, the only way to safeguard yourself against synthetic dyes is to blend the hair coloring herbs yourself. It may sound cumbersome but taken in the right spirit, this can be a very fun and exciting process of discovery and experimentation. Buy your henna, indigo and other herbs separately from a trusted source of course and have fun mixing and matching them together to get the color that is perfect just for you!
How Frequently 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
