Henna is a pigment that is acquired from the leaves of a plant scientifically known as lawsonia inermis. It also goes by the name mignonette tree or the Egyptian privet. Henna is obtained by drying the leaves of the plant and then grinding them into a fine powder. It is used by many women to color their hair and also for body art worldwide. The Henna plant requires ample amount of sunlight for proper growth. This is the reason why it is mainly cultivated in the north western part region of India because of its hot weather and semi-dried area.
As the name implies, Henna based hair color consists of maximum henna with very very small amount of chemicals which are safe to use to give different colors.
Using Henna is an age-old tradition. Women use it to make decorative tattoos on their hand and feet during weddings and festive occasion. Henna is 100% natural and safe to apply. Henna based hair colors have small amount of chemical. It is always recommended to perform a patch test on the skin for any allergic reaction before complete application.
No, it isn’t. Natural Henna is completely safe to use.
Yes, both are the same. While Henna is an Arabic name, Mehendi is the Indian name for the dye derived from the Sanskrit word Mendhika.
Application of Henna is simple. It usually takes about half-an-hour to 45 minutes to apply based upon your tattoo design. The larger the design, the more application time. If you are applying it as a hair dye it takes about 15-20 minutes.
You can leave the Henna paste on your skin for an hour or two. The longer you keep the paste; the more stain you will get. However, you need to ensure that the paste is moist at all times. For this, you can dab it with lemon juice & sugar syrup for darker results. Do not rinse with water. You can use a small scrapper tool or wooden stick to clean the dried Henna. If you have applied Henna on hair, then it is best to leave it overnight before washing it off.
There are various factors that determine the longevity of Henna on the skin. Depending on how long you keep the paste on your skin, henna can last anywhere between 7 to 15 days. Body parts which are frequently washed Henna stain will last up to a week.
There is nothing such as Henna oil. Henna Oil is a mixture of different essential oil. This oil by itself does not give any color. However, when mixed with Henna paste it produces darker color and smooth texture with a whiff of scent. Henna oils are rich in terpenes or monoterpene alcohol that produces darker dye stains. Henna oil can also be used to dab the henna paste after making tattoos to give darker color.
Neutral Henna powder does give any color to the hair or skin when applied. It is completely colorless. It only acts as a conditioner to make hair silky and shiny.
Indigo or indigofera tinctoria plant is known to produce deep blue dye. Although blue in color, but when mixed with Henna, it has the ability to change the Reddish brown color to bluish black. This is purely because indigo is alkaline while henna is acidic. The reaction between the two produces shades those are dark with hints of orange, brown, burgundy and red color on the hair. The alkaline property of indigo and the acidic nature of Henna give both hardness and softness to the hair. This is why both products complement each other.
The shelf life of Henna Based Hair colors is usually 3 years from the date of manufacturing if stored in the right conditions. It is recommended to keep the product in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight.
Henna based Hair Colors stay on the hair for about 3-4 weeks.
There are several precautions that you need to follow before and after applying Henna for tattoos. These Do and Don’ts are as follows: